Road Trip Questions

Sometimes you need to turn off the music and the audio books, put away your phone and devices, and actually communicate with those you are travelling with. Here are a few thought provoking questions that are bound to strike up interesting, and often humorous, conversations...

What weird food combinations do you really enjoy?

What’s something you really resent paying for?

What movie can you watch over and over without ever getting tired of?

What actors or actresses play the same character in almost every movie or show they do?

What’s the best / worst practical joke that you’ve played on someone or that was played on you?

Where do you get most of the decorations for your home?

Who was your craziest/ most interesting teacher?

What makes you roll your eyes every time you hear it?

What’s your cure for hiccups?

What was the most unsettling film you’ve seen?

If you could have an all-expenses paid trip to see any famous world monument, which monument would you choose?

 If animals could talk, which animal would be the most annoying?

What songs hit you with a wave of nostalgia every time you hear them?

How comfortable are you speaking in front of large groups of people?

As a child, what did you think would be awesome about being an adult, but isn’t as awesome as you thought it would be?

What life skills are rarely taught but extremely useful?

What brand are you most loyal to?

What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen a kid do?

What’s something that everyone agrees we should change, but somehow it never changes?

Tell me 3 things you remember about Kindergarten.

If you could live in any TV home, what would it be?

What was the first CD you ever owned?

What one thing annoys you most at a restaurant?

What are some small things that make your day better?

What hobby would you get into if time and money weren’t an issue?

Do you have an irrational fear?

Do you have a favorite flower?

WOULD YOU RATHER QUESTIONS-

Would you rather have a unicorn horn or a squirrel tail?

Would you rather be able to see 10 minutes into your own future or 10 minutes into somebody else’s future?

Would you rather become someone else or just stay you?

Would you rather give up watching TV/movies for a year or give up playing games for a year?

Would you rather own your own boat or your own plane?

Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?

Would you rather brush your teeth with ketchup or mustard?

Would you rather live without a cell phone or a TV?

Would you rather be covered in fur or covered in scales?

Would you rather have no eyebrows or only one eyebrow?

Would you rather drive a beautiful, sleek sports car that was unreliable or an ugly, dented, rust-covered car that never broke down?

Would you rather never eat your favorite five foods again or only eat your favorite five foods for the rest of your life?

Would you rather have more time or more money?

Would you rather...

meet the president of the United States or your favorite movie star?

be completely invisible for one day or be able to fly for one day?

be a kangaroo or a horse?

live without the internet or live without AC and heating?

go to the beach in the summer or skiing in the winter?

be fabulously famous and poor or unknown and rich?

have a completely automated home or a self-driving car?

win an Academy Award or an Olympic Gold Medal?

live on the beach or in a cabin in the woods?

have to eat a bowl full of crickets or a bowl full of worms?

lose your sense of taste or your sense of smell?

live on a houseboat or in an RV?

live in space or under the sea?

be able to talk with animals or speak all foreign languages?

Coca-Cola Tuk Tuk

My daughter's best friend spent the last four months in Thailand teaching English to Thai children. Sunday night, she came to our house bearing gifts. Imagine my surprise when she gave me an adorable Coca-Cola Tuk Tuk (Taxi) for my collection.

I asked my son to take more than one picture of the Tuk Tuk, so you can see the fine details...

Flag Side

Top View

Notice the perfectly centered "Coca-Cola" back seat.

Driver's Seat

Check out the spare tire. Cute!

Front View

This is definitely my new favorite Coca-Cola Collectible. Thank you so very much for thinking of me Kaitlen!

"Sleep Tight and Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite" is NOT Just a Cute Bedtime Expression Anymore

Don and I have talked about taking a vacation on our anniversary this year, but the more I do my homework, the more I want to stay home.

As I was searching online, I came across a website that reports hotels in major cities with known bed bug infestations. For example, did you know that some of the more exquisite hotels in Las Vegas have bed bugs? (Click here.)

The last time I checked into a hotel room with my husband and daughter, they called me paranoid because I wouldn't let them set our luggage down until I inspected the mattresses in the room. That was over a year ago. I can only imagine how much worse the epidemic is now.

If I really want to take that anniversary trip with my husband, I will need to do one of two things... 

follow the advice in this article: 7 Travel Tips for Bedbug Phobia 

or...

sleep in my car!

Road Trippin' Part Two

After Don, Cody and I left Zion National Park, we drove to a nearby ghost town named Grafton.

As you can see in the photo below, unless a person is aware of Grafton and specifically looking for the turn off, the sign would be easy to miss.

Soon after turning onto the side road, we crossed over this historic single-track iron bridge.

Then we spotted a much older sign, half hidden amid the tall grass.

We had to drive passed multiple security cameras, but finally came upon the completely fenced in ghost town. Just inside the gate, was an information plaque.

There was also a box to donate money for preservation, if so desired.

 In this picture, Don is trying to help Cody drop a dollar in the donation box. You can see that Cody is grumpy because we made him get out of the car.

This is the old school/ church that has been restored.

Cody is forcing a smile and I am nervous thanks to 
a huge lizard lurking around the step.

This photo, taken inside Grafton, is looking east toward Zion National Park.

After we left Grafton, we visited the town's graveyard. I will post more about our experience there in Road Trippin' Part Three.

Road Trippin' Part One

Feeling a bit stir crazy over the week-end, Don, Cody and I took off in our 2012 Nissan Altima (see this post)...

and did a little sight seeing. Well, that's not exactly true. Don and I went sight seeing. Cody went sight listening (an oxymoron of sorts).

Cody is a great traveller, as long as the radio is tuned into a classic rock station and we don't make him get out of the car.

We went to Zion National Park. If you have never been there, you must put it on your bucket list. Zion National Park is in southern Utah, approximately 85 miles from the north rim of the Grand Canyon, 157 miles from Las Vegas and 115 miles from Lake Powell.

The weather was warm and beautiful (high 80's) and, with the exception of Cody grumbling when we made him get out of the car, it was an enjoyable drive.

Below are a few of the pictures we snapped...


Check out the heart shaped cloud, captured completely by accident.

Zion has two tunnels. This is the entrance to the small tunnel.

Inside the small tunnel.

Inside this rock mountain is a 1.1 mile long tunnel.
You can see one of the windows about mid photo.

Here is a zoomed in shot of the window.

This is the entrance to the mile long tunnel. It was Cody's favorite part of the trip. He insisted on riding with his window down so he could hear the echo.

After we left the park, we drove to a ghost town of sorts, but you're going to have to wait and read about that in Road Trippin' Part Two. :)

If you want to know more about Zion National Park, click here. If you would like to see gorgeous, breathtaking photos of the park, do a google image search. You won't be disappointed.

Back in My Nest

I intended to post yesterday, on my blog-iversary. (That's right. I have kept this up for an entire year.) Instead, I spent the day travelling home from an appointment with Cody's neurologist. After NOT sleeping at the hotel because our room was next to the ice machine and the a/c was not working, I started thinking about the children's book 'The Best Nest' by P.D. Eastman. Do you remember that book? Let me refresh your memory...

Mr. Bird thinks his nest is the best in the world until Mrs. Bird tells him he's wrong. The couple go on a quest for "the best nest" and try building nests in a mailbox, a church-bell, and a shoe (among other places). Throughout the book they sing, "I love my house. I love my nest. In all the world, this nest is best." but in the end, a storm blows them back to "the best nest of all", their original nest.

That's kinda how I felt yesterday. I love going out of town, even if it is for a doctor appointment. A change of scenery is a good thing, but I am always happy to be home, where nobody gets ice out of my freezer in the middle of the night, I can sleep in a California King Size bed, and pee in my own clean toilet. You know...back in my nest.



FYI- You can find this book at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. WalMart has a newer edition (2005) available online.

Chase Your Wildest Dreams? No Thank You.

I had a dream a couple of nights ago that I can't seem to get out of my mind. My kids were all around elementary school age and Don and I were taking them on a family vacation...by way of dune buggy! Yep, we were all going to load up in this...



and head to Oregon, by way of Disneyland!



Like most dreams that turn into nightmares, we encountered a couple of problems. I couldn't seem to get the laundry caught up so we could finish packing...



and, the more I thought about it, the more concerned I became about having enough money to do both Disneyland and Oregon, so I was consulting with Don about maybe just skipping The Happiest Place on Earth and heading straight to the pacific northwest.



Can you imagine driving rainy, Oregon roads in a dune buggy with four kids?

I woke up before the decision was made, but either way I would have been miserable.

Boy am I pleased it was just a dream!

11 Places I'd Like to Visit

When Blogger was down, my original '11 Places I'd like to Visit' article, written for May 11th, was taken away. Ugh! Now I am ornery about it, so I'm not going to re-write anything. Just know that these are the places I would like to visit someday...

1) Barbados


2) New Orleans, Louisiana


3) Vermont (in the fall)


4) Banff Springs Hotel (Canadian Rockies)


5) Switzerland


6) Myrtle Beach, South Carolina


7) Neuschwanstein Castle


8) Mall of America


9) Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios


10)French Riviera


11)Italy


Oh...and if you've been to any of these places, please leave a comment and tell me about it.

Oregon Coast Aquarium

I have fond memories of the aquarium in Newport, Oregon. Don and I took the kids there a few times, but Cody had the opportunity to go with the school for the blind. The children were allowed to actually touch some of the marine animals and other living organisms.

They didn't have sleep overs in the tunnels back then. There is no way I would ever do that! In fact, I am having a hard time breathing just thinking about being cooped up in a tunnel, under water, with sea creatures all around me.