Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Over the River & Through the Woods..

This past weekend Chris & I decided to go visit some of my family in Arizona. I was born there & most of my mom's side is still there. The motivation to go was my Grandma Irene (mom's mom). She is 92 & amazing! My grandpa passed away a few years ago & it had been a while since I had seen my grandma & I really missed her. Also, Chris had yet to meet that side of my family, so we thought it would be a great time to go..(my mom's side is HUGE! to give you an idea: my nephew Dylan who was just born was there 119th GREAT grand child..my mom is one of 9 kids, and most of them had 7 or MORE each..you get the picture).

So it wasn't exactly Over the River & through the Woods...it was more like....Over the State Line & Across the Desert....WHAT an adventure..Let's just say I wont be falling asleep on any more of our road trips..Here's the story in a nutshell:
Chris & Mari driving happily down the freeway, fa la la la la...
Mari is getting dozy..it's 11:30pm & she worked all day...
The Gas light beeps, Mari says "You need gas..get gas Chris"
Chris says "This is the PRIUS Mari, Ive got at least another 150miles to go, Ill hit a gas station before Im out"
Mari "Are you sure?"
Chris "Yes!"
Mari dozes off....
WAKES UP TO LIGHTS FLASHES & CAR BEEPING...
OUT. OF.GAS. IN.THE.MIDDLE.OF.THE.ARIZONA.DESERT.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!!?!? It's 1am...and LUCKILY (if you'd call it luck) we only had to run a few miles to get gas, LUCKILY the gas station was open...and LUCKILY this is the longest stretch of desert without a gas station so this station was fully stocked with EXTREMEMLY overpriced gas cans..awesome.
Did I mention it was FREEZING, pitch black, we were running on a 6ft space next to 75mph semi trucks..WOW. Awful.Awful.Awful!

However, we arrived. We were safe. We laughed about it the next day (although Chris probably will never hear the end of it). Arizona was awesome, too short, but worth the chaotic drive. My extended family is awesome. I wasn't able to see everyone, but I was able to see my cousin Jill, Amy, Nicole, Noelle, Naomi, Brian, Bradley, Collin, & Coltin. They are all so tall! Coltin is 16 6'03" (his bro on a mission is 6'05"). Anyway, my parents were there also--man I miss them. They are so much fun. I really love how Chris & my dad have bonded, they golf & fish & talk sports...two of the most important people in my life are friends! Couldn't be better. Aubrie came with my parents, which was such a TREAT! she is such a cute little girl, i miss her. Here are some pics from the trip!
Let me add, my dad takes some freaking awesome pictures. He cracks me up. I would not change one thing about him.

Chris, Grandma Irene, and Me.
My grandma is amazing. She has such a legacy & I am so proud to be apart of it. She has books & books full of letters, stories, photos & cards from her entire life. She kept everything. What TREASURES! I am so grateful she kept everything so that the rest of us can enjoy & learn from her life. I can only hope to be the woman she is & live the life she has lived. She is still healthy & happy. She entertained us with stories & cute giggles. I know she misses my grandpa very much, as we all do, but I am happy to have her around for as long as we can. Love you Grandma.

Aubs & I being goofs.

Dad & Mark

Nicole & I
(can you believe she had a baby 5wks ago?! She looks awesome!)

Mark, Dad, Chris

Me, Aubs, Chris
shoes speak world about people..

Chris sitting like me..

Chris sitting like Mom..

I love this little girl, Im a proud Aunt.

My sweet, sweet mama

Three generations

My mom & her baby brother Mark

This is what Aubrie did the entire time..she found a spot to perk, and played her DS..if she wasn't doing this, she was singing OUT LOUD with her headphones (see video below)




10 comments:

Jess and Jason Apperson said...

Your grandma is so cute! How fun that you got to see her. I always loved visiting my grandma. And the gas story... sounds like one of my worst nightmares! I'm glad you made it to the gas station and back safely!

Natalie said...

I love grandma's giggles! She is so cute. It looks like you had a lot of fun. Oh, how I miss AZ.

Peterson Family said...

I love spontaneous(sp?) trips to see family! Road trips are always an adventure. You took pictures of Chris sitting like you and your mom, wheres the picture of you and your mom sitting like chris? That would be funny!

the organic kitchen said...

Fun trip and darling grandma! And now I feel so guilty because I save nothing! Photos... thats it! Boo me! I will leave my children no legacy!

the organic kitchen said...

BTW did you know what your niece was singing about? Does she know what she was singing about. "You give it away... save it for someone special but the very next day, you give it away."??? I remember when my girls used to sing that Pretty Fly for a White song "Give it to me baby..." I would cringe. Yikes!

The Alvords said...

Your grandma is so cute! I am so glad you got to go spend time with her and with the rest of your family. You are so cute. And that picture of Chris siting like your mom...OH MY GOSH. I almost peed my pants from laughing so hard, it is classic Chris.

Mark and/or Lisa said...

That's brutal with the gas thing...could have been a lot worse. Once we were pulling into Vegas at approx 3am, very tired and EVERYWHERE was booked. Needless to say, nerves were very raw getting lost and trying to find somewhere to freaking sleep.

Chris and Mari Spiker said...

Linda Lou~start saving things now! And also, the song says "I gave you my heart & the very next day you gave it away"--its pretty PG! ;)

The Alvords said...

PS I want your grandma's mumu! I think I'll start a collection. She looks hot.

lauren said...

Um the video of aubs... classic! I am glad you had fun! I miss everyone down there so much!