My Summer Vacation 2006

Hey Blogging Fans! This is an epic adventure that my family took in 2006- our journey through several states in an RV visiting amusement parks, friends and camping sites. Hope you enjoy reading through it!

Leslie

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jigg

My son Tommy took this photo of me and Stephanie in the background - I know, it's a lovely photo of me. Stop being jealous. hee hee

We arrived home yesterday and I was so busy that I didn't even have time to catch up on the blog! As soon as we arrived in the driveway we noticed the grass was like a foot high so my husband decided to quickly mow the lawn before the rain came (it was really icky and cloudy out) so the kids and I emptied the RV. We basically took about 30 minutes to unload and all we did was dump stuff in the house!

Once we unloaded, I had to clean the entire RV. My goal (because I'm one of those "do it 100% or don't do it at all" people) was to turn the RV in cleaner than it was when we picked it up. I think I accomplished that! I figured out a great way to make it smell good by putting some downy ultra in a spray bottle with some water and I sprayed the seats and curtains with it. Wow - it really smelled "April Fresh" and I must say I did a GREAT job cleaning it out. But by the time I was done, I looked like I had been in a shower - with my clothes on - because I was so sweaty! yuck!!

Once we took the RV back, we came home and went for a walk just to clear our heads. It was fun to talk about the trip, relive some of the fun moments and we even talked about how we were going to start saving for next time! I miss ol' Bessie and I miss being on the road with my family. I miss the late nights, smores and mosquitoes. Ok, I don't really miss the mosquitos! haha But I do have a sad space in my heart right now because I wish it were not over.

Instead of thinking of the negative, though, I will choose to remember the fun times, the laughter and the fact that we WILL do this again!

Now, it's back to life as usual for the Neases...okay, we're not so "usual" but it's back to life! :)

Blessings!
Leslie

The Final Stop

We arrived in Newport, TN about 2 hours ago, hooked up to the electric, cable and water and then took showers, did some laundry and now we're on our wireless internet. Yeah, that's camping in the year 2006! LOL

I've always enjoyed camping but I must say that last night I REALLY appreciated the RV experience. It rained like CRAZY last night and I mean it was literally all night! I felt so bad for the people all around us in tents. I have been there though - usually that would be us all drenched and making lasting memories as we shivered in the night rain. But no, not last night. The rain pelting on the tin roof was enough to lull anyone to sleep. It was wonderful.

Today is our final day camping though and as of tomorrow, it's back to life as usual. But we have so many memories to take home with us. Like this memory of Kennedy on the trampoline perfecting her toe touch (her cheerleading coach will be impressed!):

Or maybe of Stephanie doing the jump for joy on the trampoline (she's more of a softball player, but she had fun learning new jumps from her little sister, Kennedy):

Another memory I could take back with me might be the "Big Boy" stop we made on the road. Rod and I both remembered going to Bob's Big Boy when we were kids and we couldn't wait to take our kids there for lasting memories, too. Seems it has the same effect on kids today - but I was not as impressed as I was when I was 5. haha My parents used to take us on cross country trips all the time and we'd always stop there. I remember that was where I would always order chocolate milk. Why do I remember that? How random.

Yeah, I feel a little bit like I might need a vacation from my vacation when I get back but it was worth every single moment! I will update more when we get back tomorrow. I'll let you know how hard it is to get everything OUT of this RV now that we've STUFFED everything in it!!

Oh, and thanks for going on vacation with us. We hope you've enjoyed it too! :)

The Neases

Is it legal to have this much fun?

We have just had the time of our lives this week! Yes, we're cramped. We're a little tired of living in such close quarters, but we've enjoyed being together so much that it really helps. Today we went to Kings Island amusement park and had another good day. Tommy and Stephanie went on their own and rode all the crazy coasters while Rod and I spent the day with the two younger ones at the Nickelodeon play area. It was the perfect pace for today!

We almost fell asleep on the train around the park - that was so totally relaxing. I realized quickly that I am getting old - - much older than I realized! haha We did ride the log ride though with the girls and even bought the photo they took of us as we decended the last big hill. It was so fun - and I was proud of Kennedy because she overcame her fear of hilly rides! Her face looks completely terrified, but she did it! :) I wish I could post that photo but it's not a jpg file. :( Trust me, it was worth the 14.00 we paid for it.

We had dinner at Outback Steakhouse and realized we were absolutely ravenous. I didn't realize how desperate I was for a salad! We've eaten so much junk this week - I think it will take me awhile to get back in the swing of things when we get back home! I am so excited though - there's a lot to look forward to when I get back. I picked up a new fitness class at the YMCA and I have a couple of fun speaking engagements to get ready for. I'm also excited about some changes coming up at the station - you'll hear about those changes this week on the Morning Show. :)

I'm so glad my life will keep me busy when I return because I cannot begin to tell you how sad I am that this week is almost over! There is nothing better than spending quality time with my family. Rod and I are seriously considering getting a pull-behind trailer and a conversion van sometime in the future so we can do more of this. Seriously, if you haven't tried this with your family, you are really missing out. It's truly a blessing!

Something funny that happened and I'll go for tonight - I was at the pool with the kids playing "Mr. Shark" (one person is the "Shark" and stands on one side of the pool while the others are on the other side - they ask "Mr. Shark, Mr. Shark, what time is it?" and the shark says a time between 1 and 12 o'clock and the other players walk that many steps to the shark until finally they ask what time it is and the shark says "LUNCH TIME!" and then the "shark" turns around quickly and grabs the closest one and then that person is the shark. WELL, Peyton (my 5 year old) was the shark and she is just now learning about telling time - well, we asked "Mr. Shark, Mr. Shark - what time is it?" and in her cute little Peyton voice she said "It's 20 o'clock!". We cracked up so hard! Oh, okay, maybe you had to be there....haha

We'll try to touch base tomorrow. We're pulling out at 6am to go near Knoxville to a campsite for one more night. If they have wireless, I will try to update once more.

Until then...I'm going to fall into bed!!

On the Road Again!

Well, I have to use my husband's computer so I cannot post photos, but I just wanted to share how much fun we're having!

Today we loaded up the RV and left around 9am to drive to Lebanon, OH (right in between Cinncinnati and Dayton) where we are staying at another campground. It is a lot different than the last campground but still we're having fun. We've had enough hot dogs and hamburgers to last our lives through - and yet here we are again tonight having burgers! :) Hey, the kids requested it so they must not be tired of them yet.

It was bittersweet leaving our friends today - the Skupins were so hospitable! We really enjoyed our time on the lake with them. No schedules, no nothing but relaxation -something we all needed desperately after our time at Cedar Point. The kids played like crazy and were beat for the drive down here so they slept most of the way. I still have not had the guts to drive "Bessie" (we've now named our RV, I know, it's wierd...) but I think Rod would be more nervous with me behind the wheel anyway. I think this is a much better arrangement. I promised him I'd stay awake and keep him company if I didn't have to drive! haha

Tomorrow we are gearing up for a full day at King's Island Amusement Park about 15 minutes away. More roller coasters, more amusement, more sun, more fun....what's a girl to do? We will stay here at this campground tomorrow night, too - and then we're on the home stretch. We will probably stay somewhere in Knoxville on Saturday - unless we get a second wind or something. I don't feel any winds a blowin' right now though - we're trying not to keep a schedule.

This has truly been the BEST vacation we've ever had! It's not cheap though - feeding "Bessie" has really cleaned us out with gas prices where they are now. But we get a whopping 8-9 miles per gallon...LOL But having the time together to do nothing, playing, resting and just being with my family is priceless. (I sound like a credit card commercial..)

Hopefully I'll figure out how to send pictures tomorrow but if not, I'll at least let you know how King's Island is! I hear they have a scary roller coaster called "Face Off". Hmmm...

Leg Two Begins

Well, we're officially into leg two of our 3-legged vacation! We arrived at the Skupins last night and parked our new home (at least for the next few days) in their front yard. You know, it's kinda fun visiting people like this - as long as they don't mind the RV in the front yard. I know they don't care - I think they are considering renting one now for their next vacation! I must say, the weather here is fabulous! Sunny, bright, cool and gorgeous.

They live right on the lake (Pontiac Lake) and we are spending most of our time in the back yard with the kids. They have a back yard that would make any kid absolutely giddy! Two trampolines, a dock for fishing, two rope swings, sand boxes and lots of other fun stuff. It's cool because they have 7 kids and we have 4, so there's lots of kickball games, fun and an instant playground feel to the home.

Kennedy and Peyton immediately went fishing and caught some pretty big fish (for them). The Skupin kids do this every day and according to them, these fish were babies compared to the ones you can catch in this lake. Here's photos of the girls with their fish - It's funny, they didn't want to touch them and they had the heebie jeebies, so Mike held Kennedy's and his little boy Leo held Peytons for the photos...

Tommy mastered the rope swing and has been having a blast.

Rod and I were so tired yesterday after an almost 12-hour stay at Cedar Point that we decided to lounge around yesterday but today we're hitting the lake. Rod's already out there now with the girls and I'm on my way after I finish up here. :)

Tomorrow we head out to the Cincinnati area for Leg Three of our vacation. So far, this has been a dream! We are having a blast and I feel like the Lord is blessing us by making the time go by so slowly. I want to savor this time - it's truly a blessing to be spending this time together!

In This Perfect Day...

As we left Cedar Point last night, the song "Perfect Day" was playing really loud throughout the park and it couldn't have been more appropriate! "In this perfect day, nothing's standing in our way...I could stay forever as I am...tomorrow's going to come too soon..." those are some of the lyrics we heard last night as we crawled out of the park!

I have so much to say about yesterday but I must start with the BIGGEST NEWS OF THE DAY!!! Not only did my daughter, Stephanie and my son, Tommy ride the Top Thrill Dragster but so DID I!!

I am still amazed by that. I thought I was getting too old for that kinda stuff. I loved it though! I think the fear of doing it was WAY worse than actually doing it. It felt almost as good to conquer that fear as it did when I went skydiving a couple of years ago. I love to do things that I don't think I can do. My kids loved it - and it gives us something to talk about for years to come. My only regret is that we didn't have the camera with us at the park - my son didn't want to have to tote it around or get it stolen (I don't blame him!). But we did buy the pictures you can get after the ride is over. I had my eyes closed, I must admit, but I had a big smile on my face! :)

My favorite part of the day, though was the end of the day when we were all sitting in the RV talking about what God taught us during the day. My son, Tommy, said he learned an important lesson when we were in line for the Dragster. He said it broke his heart to see a deaf man who was a little overweight try to get into the sample seat (you have to see if you'll fit in the seat before they let you on) and the way that he was treated. He had set his drink down in order to get into the seat and I guess the park janitor decided to throw it away while the man wasn't looking. He was trying so hard to communicate to the people working there and he was so sad and frustrated.

I asked Tommy what he thought the Lord wanted him to do about it and he said "I want to pray for him". So we all bowed our heads and prayed for this man we saw at the park. Tommy prayed people would understand him better and that the Lord would be with him every day to help him. He also prayed for healing. It was so touching to see that out of everything Tommy learned yesterday, that is what really stuck out to him.

We all learned perseverance (we were there for almost 12 hours!) and we also learned of God's provision. We had missed the first shuttle from the campground to the park and we were all mad and cranky about it. We had to wait a full hour for the next bus! We moped back to our RV and when we got there, we realized we had left the coffee pot on. I am not sure what could have happened if we were gone 12 hours, but I know it could have been disasterous! When things don't seem to be going our way from now on, we will just have to TRUST that God has our best interest in mind. We all paused and thanked Him for the "inconvenience"!

We're packing up this morning and getting ready to head for Michigan. We are excited to see our friends and ready to move on. This adventure has been AMAZING! Good Bye, Sandusky...here we come, Michigan!

Home Sweet RV

The Neases

Well, I can't believe we just left yesterday - it seems like we've been on vacation a lot longer. We made it to Sandusky, OH this morning around 11:30 after a pretty restless night's sleep. My husband and I were in the very back bed of the Rv and for some reason everytime someone would move, we'd bounce all over the place. I got motion sickness and ended up in a cold sweat feeling pretty green around 2am. I prayed myself to sleep while I thought about the prospect of being motion sick from rides all day at Cedar Point!

We LOVE this campground we're at. It is so cool - a pool, volleyball court, a nice place to hook everything up for the RV and a lot for the kids to do. We have already made ourselves at home - here's a photo of my daughter, Stephanie and me at the campsite:

It's not much, but it's home sweet rv for now! We definately feel like we stick out like a sore thumb with our "1-800-RV4-RENT" all over the RV so that everyone knows we're beginners! haha Everyone is so nice though - it's like they want to help us get more familiar with this type of thing. Most people are retired with at least 2 dogs since their kids have moved out and I think they get a kick out of our kids. Speaking of kids - Peyton was THRILLED to find we have cable hook up here at the RV park and she found Disney Channel. I thought we'd have to limit her watching it but she seems more interested in being outside. Of course, at first, this is what she looked like:

The kids seem to be having fun. They are getting tired tonight though so we're going to get lots of rest for our big day tomorrow at the park. We are excited but we keep hearing about long lines...that doesn't sound like fun.


We found a great little spot here at the campground where we can see Lake Erie. It's so beautiful! Very peaceful. It is funny, we all seem a little out of it - I can't figure out if we're tired or relaxed! We all laughed about that earlier. Here's me and Stephanie at the spot we found on the lake:

We'll update more tomorrow unless we get in too late!

And They're Off!

We didn't realize it would take so long to pack up the RV when we got it to our house - wow, that was a chore and a half! And it was SO HOT! But we finally got it together and pulled out at about 1:30. Now it's 10:24 and we're in Reno, OH. We're just across the border from West Virginia and we're camping out behind a little motel called The Reno Hotel. It's so adorable! There are rooms to rent and also a place for RV's with water, electric and sewage hookup. Now this is camping! haha The man who runs this motel has a son in Charlotte - he worked on the Ballantyne project in construction. Small world.

There hasn't been any huge hurdles yet. We expected to go a little further, but realized that if we did we'd be getting in so late that it might upset the other people in the camp site. Apparently the people who RV don't think too keenly about those who come in and hook up after 10pm. It kinda makes it tough to sleep I guess. That's a big deal for my husband who likes to drive until he drops. He actually considered driving as far as he could and then getting a hotel room. I cracked up - you know, that sort of defeats the purpose. I mean, we are camping, right? haha

I tried hooking up the sewage here at the campsite just to impress my husband who did not think I was capable. I got pretty far and then the gag reflex set in and so my prince charming took over! We're actually not looking too much like beginners. We met our neighbor, Larry. He came over and noticed our "RENTAL" sticker on the side and thought he'd offer to help out in any way we might need. He and the Mrs. were so adorable - they are empty nesters living their dream!

Well, we're going to tuck ourselves in now and get some rest. Tomorrow our destination is CEDAR POINT! We'll check in when we get settled. I'm hoping I will figure out how to get our photos uploaded by then (I'm using my husband's computer).

Thank you for your prayers!

The Neases

Nothing like the LAST MINUTE!

This is pretty much what I look and feel like right now:



I feel like I'm running around like the Energizer Bunny at the moment. I finally finished the last load of laundry and I'm helping my little girls pack. They have their own ideas of what they want to take though and we are playing a game of tug-of-wills. I don't know why they think dresses and buckle shoes are the proper attire for a week in an RV, Camping and going to theme parks??

My son Tommy hasn't even packed yet. He's 14- and kinda like me, he's always doing stuff at the last minute. He went wake boarding with his skateboarding buds today. I hope he hasn't completely worn himself out though - we've got an RV to ride in tomorrow!

Tommy's 2 passions are skating and photography - he had his buddy take this of him skating the other day and then he used photo shop to do this with it (I think it looks pretty cool!):

My oldest daughter, Stephanie, has been obsessed with photos and videos online of the Top Thrill Dragster. She found a video that was taken last year where the roller coaster got STUCK AT THE TOP!! I still can't believe she wants to go on that thing. I kept imagining being one of those poor people stuck up on that thing wondering how long they would have to be there before someone rescued them. UGH. I don't think so...
If you want to check out that video, click this: http://www.xtremecoastin.com/videos/misc_videos/ttdstuck_2005.htm

I just got off the phone with my husband! He was just checking on me to see if I was as excited as he is. I'm glad he's excited because this was my idea and I thought he'd think it was nuts. I think he did at first, but he's excited now that things are coming together. I think he's a little proud of me, too, because I've actually been really good at organizing the places we are going to stay and the routes we're taking. I don't think he knew I had it in me...:)

OK, I'll check in later once we're about ready to go!

Two Days and Counting...

Wow, getting ready for this vacation is making me want a vacation! I am not the most organized person in the world (big shock to those who know me! haha) and this is making me step WAY out of my comfort zone. I have two days left and all I can do is think about what I HAVEN'T done yet.

Let's see..I need to

• get Buddy, our dog, ready for a week with grandma
• make a menu for our trip
• shop for groceries for our trip
• do laundry and pack
• make sure I remember to pack things like ketchup, mustard, utensils, trash bags, soap, towells, sheets and cook ware
• remember to pack an "I'm bored" bag - with games, books and DVD's the kids can enjoy on the road (I hear there are some great on-the-road games at Target for a buck!)

Oh I'm sure there are more things I need to do to prepare,but that's all my brain will allow me to process this morning.

I got a great email from a friend/listener named Rose that gave me some incredible advice! Here's what she said:

"I’d like to give you some driving tips (I’m from NE Ohio and make this trip a lot!). I’m assuming you are taking I-77 North all the way up into Ohio. The cheapest place to get gas on the whole trip will be in Wytheville, VA. When you see the travel exit in Wytheville make sure you stop and fill up. Try your best to avoid getting gas in WV as it will be the most expensive on your whole trip. You will have 3 toll plazas in WV (I-77 heading toward Charleston is their turnpike). There are 2 different places that you have to pay attention to I-77 because it will branch off. The first will be right after Wytheville, VA (where you want to stop for gas); and the other is in WV as soon as you go through the downtown part of Charleston. Tell your husband that when he sees the Capitol building in Charleston (you can’t miss the huge gold dome on your left) to work his way into the right hand lane. This is the 2nd place you will have to branch off to follow I-77N. Then, after you branch off there, if I’m not mistaken, you will have to get in the left lane to continue to follow I-77N. Just be sure to be close attention to the signs once you’ve gone past the Capitol building in Charleston."

I mean, come on! How cool is that that someone would email me that kind of information! Thanks, Rose! I think it's smart to look for gas stations that are cheap considering we're driving an RV when prices are at 3.00 per gallon! ugh.

It may seem like work right now but once we're all loaded up and ready to go, I'll be fine and even if I forget something it won't be the end of the world, right?!

My kids are getting very excited - we spend a lot of time right now talking about what we're going to do, where we're going and how we're going to spend our time while driving. We're already bonding and we haven't even picked up the RV yet. :)

Getting Ready for the Big Day!

Well, we're not sure if we've lost our minds or found the key to a perfect family vacation...we have decided to rent a 30-foot RV with our 4 kids and travel for a week. We have never attempted anything like this before. I hear that it's fun, but I also hear that some people have done this and they say it was the worst (and yet the best) memory of their lives. I guess we'll find out in about 3 days for ourselves! Here's a photo of the RV we will be renting (www.cruiseamerica.com):

We are going to Cedar Point, OH (right off Lake Erie) and we will be camping for two days about a mile or so from Cedar Point Amusement Park. We are going to attempt to conquer some roller coasters while there. My 16-year old, Stephanie, has determined to ride the most horrifying roller coaster I have ever seen. I'm serious! I mean, look at this thing:

Actually, you can ride it for yourself (well, sort of - it's a video) at the Cedar Point Website: http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/top_thrill_dragster/index.cfm

I am not sure Stephanie will follow through with her determined goal, but she says she will. I don't know if I will survive just watching her! I actually think the closest I'll get to riding that is on their website. It's 420 feet tall!! Good grief. That's only 168 feet smaller than the Wachovia Building in Uptown Charlotte! I am going to pass on this one.

But the park should be fun. The rest of us chickens will find rides that suit us from what I hear.

After a couple of days, we're heading up to visit our friends Mike and Karen Skupin. You might remember Mike - he was on Survivor 2 Austrailian Outback.

He was the guy who fell into the fire and was air lifted out. He also was the only Survivor to kill a pig during the show and feed his tribe. It was kinda gross - but I guess that's how it works. He wrote me an email the other day saying they are looking forward to BBQing and hanging out. He said he might go hunting or something. I hope he was kidding...

You can find out more about Mike and his ministry at www.mikeskupin.com.

A couple of days at Camp Skupin and we are off to Kings Island near Cincinnati, OH. Of course, just this week there was a story out in the media about 27 people who were sent to the hospital after a roller coaster there malfunctioned. I won't be riding on that one.

As we prepare over the next couple of days, I will continue to update. Three days until Lift Off! I can hardly wait!