A Hoosier Vaycay - Part 1

You know. I should have listened to The Studly Muffin when he said (around 9:45 this evening) "I don't think that it's probably a good idea to drink that"....as I guzzled a can of Diet Dr. Pepper. He was right. So as I lay in bed thinking of all the stuff I have to do tomorrow, planning my weekly menu and waiting for the Tylenol PM I just took to kick in, I thought I would blog a little. If I don't make any sense just blame it on the medication...I do.

We just got back a few days ago from a last minute Vaycay to Indiana to visit The Studly Muffin's folks. It was a much needed Vaycay. We were gone about 8 days. We got back Friday evening then hopped in car Saturday morning and headed for our weekend job as Associate Pastors. We commute every weekend to a little town outside of Joplin. I can tell you I felt every mile back this evening. That was a long couple of days on the road.


I thought I would share a few pics of our adventures in the Hoosier State. Warning: "A couple of pics" is misleading. Proceed at your own risk.

We left our house at 1:30 in the morning. We do a lot of traveling at night. Josiah has always been a good traveler. I'm the one you have to watch out for. You know I have issues when I'm the one in the car going "Are we there yet?" That and The Studly Muffin drives under the speed limit. He says he is saving gas.

One of the best things about traveling at night is getting a great view of morning. We were just outside of St. Louis. Gotta love that view!




Somewhere in Illinois we stopped at Denny's for a quick bite. And a quick yawn. And really salty Biscuits and Gravy.

At last. My husband gets a little giddy when he sees this sign. You can take the boy out of Indiana, but you can't...you know the rest.



Another sign? Yep. This is the spot we blew a tire. Troy and I have been married for almost 20 years. In those 20 years it seems as if the powers that be in Indiana have been working on the same stretch of Highway. They need to maybe try something different. These are probably the worst roads I've ever been on. Our tire agrees.

Poor Widdle Tire.

Meet the donut.

Let's just say that I-70 isn't the best location for a tire changing exercise.

What's a girl to do when there is tire changing going on? She takes pictures. This picture is of the corn growing in a little patch on the side of the Highway. These Indiana folks take their corn seriously. Which well they should. I tasted some of the best corn of the summer. We even bought some at a farmer's market in Indiana bring home.

Grandma to the rescue. The remainder of our trip was spent driving on the donut at 50 mph for a 120 miles. It was a long 120 miles. When we finally reached Kokomo, Grandma took us out the next day and treated us to new tires!

All fixed!

One of our favorite pastimes (at home or away) is thrift store shopping. Here Josiah is showing us what he called "The Thanksgiving Couch." I couldn't have named it better. Makes me hungry for Turkey just looking at it.

What's better than having a brother-in-law who can fix pretty much anything? Troy and John check out  rattling under Troy's car. It's always something. This time the something was some sort of rattling. I'm sure one of them could explain it better....I just know John fixed it right up and we are rattle free!

One of our days was spent at a little amusement park called Indiana Beach. Here we have loaded up with Grandma, nephew Keaton and niece Megan. Megan is channelling Elvis. Here is a  story about Megan. When she was little she came to visit us when we lived outside of Memphis. We went to a famous BBQ joint called the Rendezvous. She kept asking to use the restroom. We found out that the Powder Room Lady (they still have the ladies who sit in the restroom and sell gum, mints and hand lotion, etc.) kept giving her candy everytime she went in.

I'm not sure what's happening here. I always hate to ask. I probably don't want to know.

Beware of Cousin Sock Love.

At Indiana Beach we all stand in line for tickets...and some measuring to make sure we are all tall enough to ride the rides.

This nice fella puts hospital bracelets on us. At least that's what it felt like. I started having a little flashback panic attacks. Isn't Keaton the cutest? He would shoot murderous looks my direction for saying so. He's 13 now. I think he looks like his Uncle Troy.

The Three Amigos. Ready for a day of fun. That bridge SWAYED by the way. My balance is poor anyway because of my metal hip parts...I had to hold onto the side as I walked across.

I don't do Roller Coasters. I all kinds of rides, For some reason being flung around a little track 100's of stories in the air isn't appealing to me. My grandma loved them. She would make me ride one with her at Silver Dollar City now and again. She would scream and laugh the whole way.

The Studly Muffin and Mom ride the Sky Lift across the park. Troy swung his legs the whole way. True Story.

This is THE BEST PICTURE EVER! Ignore the quality, but don't you just love it! For one it truly captures my Mom-in-law's personality. She is all about living life to the fullest and enjoying herself. She is up for pretty much anything.

 Don't you just love amusement park food? Here we are sharing Dipping Dots. Which were outrageously overpriced...

Troy wants me to make these at home. I'm afraid. I'm afraid that once I learned to make them we would always be eating them!

Megan is pointing out the first item on her wishlist for Christmas this year.

Oh to be 16 again. This was her request.

Josiah and Daddy on the Sky Lift at the end of the day.



On our way out. We were a little crispier (me), really worn out (me), but a good time was had by all.

I have to say that the trip was just what we needed. I have more pictures to post later....some of which include Troy's stint in a marching band. True Story.