Friday, June 19, 2009

Adventures in the Tent Trailer Part III: The Big One

Well I survived the Boards with a great result. My family, immediate and extended, survived my psychoses surrounding said event. Many thanks to all. Needless to say the JonesZees where in great need of a vacation; enter Rob-Vacation planner extraordinaire. Given that we have a tent-trailer, no trip is a trip without it. Hence we headed out on a Northern California Road Trip early in the morning on the 14th after my graduation party. We left at 4am with the truck packed to the roof with gear and Floyd paraphernalia. We were intent on eating healthy along the way. Which lasted until St.George for Grand Slam breakfasts at Denny's, then In-And-Out burger in Barstow.
We arrived in Sequoia National Park around 7pm Utah time after 16 hours of travel. Floyd was a superstar in the car, so we just pushed through. We woke up in a giant sequoia grove. See the white dot in the picture above, that is my head. Note the size discrepancy between a 5 month pregnant woman and the General Grant Tree, the third biggest tree in the world. Floyd was in heaven with an abundance of sticks, rocks, and small rodents.
We went on a few short hikes in the park. Floyd has become very intense and independent. He hiked 1 mile and 1400 feet of elevation all by himself.
After three days in the park, we headed for the coast. We made it to highway 1 just south of a cute town called Cambria. We headed north to a great campsite just outside the Big Sur. We had great ocean views and a fabulous fresh fish dinner. Floyd wanted to be just like dad and pulled his shirt off to bask in the sun.
So ends part 1 of the big one. The next day we headed into Carmel for my half of the vacation which does not involve camping. Stay tuned.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

The Buzz

The stress of it all! I finally completed my board exam. After several months of study, and worry. I made it to Louisville Kentucky and took the test. I kept it cool for the build up, and through the test, then unleashed the pregnancy-amplified deluge of emotions on poor Rob on the way home from the airport. I would hope to blame most bonehead moves for the past five months and the four more to follow on pregnancy related brain. Like when I booked my airline ticket for my test one month in advance, then realized the day before I was to leave that I reserved flights for "St. Louis, Missoura"instead of Louisville, Kentucky. Pregnant brain saw the "Louis" and thought, wow I am getting a sweet deal on a direct flight to Louisville. The rest of my classmates are suckas!
In other bigger, more important news, I am 20 weeks pregnant and officially having another boy-LLOYD Jones. Floydee doesn't yet grasp the magnitude of my incredibly growing belly and behind. But alas a rude awakening will arrive in October. He continues to blossom into a unique little dude. He says Mommy and Daddy, and dog.
On the Rob -oh so many hobbies and methods of time suckage-front. We finally did something about the bees buzzing around our deck. Turns out a hive of spanish honeybees had taken up residence in the stucco around our balcony. After interviewing a bunch of beekeepers, and investing in the eminent publication, "Beekeeping for Dummies," Rob decided he should rescue said bees and take-up beekeeping. A contractor/beekeeper came over and cut a whole in our wall revealing thousands of busy bees. He transferred them to a hive which will now reside behind our garage.
The dude's latest nickname is Bluto, of Animal House fame as he will pour any liquid on his chest prior to imbibing.
To keep my sanity with months away from my bike, Rob got me a cruiser. And I got a little seat for the dude where he rides in the front. He loves it, and I get to cruise around the neighborhood.

That's the buzz. Wish me luck on the results of the boards eh.