California Dreaming Road Trip - Day 1 & Day 2, The Kindness of Strangers

I guess I should really start this post about a week before the trip because that's when all the organizing and staging for the trip take place.  Actually most of my road trips start a full year in advance as I begin to research locations and homes to rent.  This vacation we decided to fly out to California and then rent a vehicle. 5 tickets can be costly so I used Priceline.  I was pleased to get each ticket for $218.00 roundtrip flying out of Milwaukee and into San Francisco.  I was able to get the road trip vehicle for the week through my travel points on my credit card.  I went looking for houses on my two favorite websites, www.homeaway.com and www.vrbo.com and found the perfect location on vacation rental by owners.  I begin what I call staging for our road trip the week before.  Travelling with children is always complicated but travelling with a child with medical needs is a little more complicated.  If you forget underwear or a sweatshirt it is easy enough to go to Walmart and buy more but when you forget an inhaler, pulse ox or injectable supplement...not so easy to find a replacement.  I usually find an area in each room where I can begin staging things I use with Sam day to day.  Then I have one area in the kitchen that I designate the health emergency area where I always keep anything that we use in a respiratory emergency for Sam which includes a copy of his Children's Hospital pulmonary report that explains Sam's pulmonary issues, his nebulizer, medications and inhalers.  We rarely run into respiratory issues in the summer with Sam unless they are related to illness, extreme heat or ozone so the nebulizer won't be needed but an inhaler form of his medications is always carried with us.

I was zipping along in my staging and pulled out all the suitcases and travel bags on Thursday since we were flying out on Friday.  As I bent to open the suitcases I suddenly had a very sharp pain in my left side.  I panicked that I had just thrown out my back since it had seized up at the same time.  The pain was intense enough to send me to my hands and knees on the floor.  As I'm trying to assess what is happening my mind is reeling "please let this not be my back".  I have two ruptured discs in my lower back and when my back goes out it can be days before I am moving again.  When I was able to stand up I began walking and pressing on the muscles in my back to release them...something learned after dealing with back issues since my 20's.  The muscles released and I realized this wasn't a back issue but something else.  My sister had just gone through a kidney stone issue and considering the area of the pain and the contracting on my left side I thought that might be a possibility.  I began to drink water and walk hoping this was going to help it work it's way out.  I woke up Danielle and made her aware that I was having an issue and I may need her help.  Danielle immediately asked if it was my back and I told her "No, this pain is different".  She said "Good" and then said "You know what I mean". I agreed with her that a back issue would probably end our travel plans. I decided to have it checked out so I knew what I was dealing with.  So the day before the big trip when I should be packing I'm in the ER getting an IV, CT scan and pain meds. Yeah, not how I expected the trip to start but the stone passed and there didn't seem to be any more in the track.  Now I just had to pack while my left side continued to hurt but not contract and my back felt like it wanted to seize up at any moment.

Pain was not going to keep me from having a great road trip, annoy me, but not stop me. We loaded up the van, picked everyone up and headed to the airport.  It felt great to get checked in and get rid of all the suitcases but we still needed to get through security and to our gate. I had called Delta in advance to get an idea of how they would handle security with Sam since he has hardware in his hip and thigh and what I could check in at the gate regarding his wheelchair and walker.  As we approached security I took a deep breath, said a little prayer and put on my happy/calm face to reassure Sam this was going to be a breeze. Removing Sam's shoes and taking his Ipad away even temporarily is never a happy moment. We got to security and they asked about his ability to stand or walk.  I showed them his medical information and they wanted to see if he could stand in the scanning tube with his hands over his head.  I went through the scan first to show Sam and then coaxed him into the tube.  Sam does not like to stand unassisted so he didn't remain still enough for the scan.  They then let him get back into his wheelchair and asked us to come into the security area. The head of security was very kind, talked to Sam and explained that they would do a wheelchair pat down, no touching of Sam but thoroughly checking out his equipment. After 911 I am more than willing to cooperate with whatever security measures are needed and I assured the head of security that we would comply with any request. He thanked me for my understanding and I thanked him for keeping us safe.

During our check in and security process there was a very distinguished young man who was casually watching our progression to get to our gate.  He had a cane and used a wheelchair to get to his gate. He happened to be on the same flight.  As Sam and I waited to pre-board in order to give Sam enough time to get into the plane and get situated this young man approached me and asked me about the hardware Sam had in his hip. I explained to him that Sam has Perthes and he had hip surgery and now has hardware in his thigh and hip. He told me that he also had hardware in his thigh from a motorcycle accident. He then told me that Sam "touched his heart" and that "he was the man". I smiled and told him that Sam is a really great guy and he is really looking forward to our vacation in California. We then got called to board and as the attendant was helping wheel Sam to the plane the young man tapped me on the shoulder and said "Here, this is for the little man and I hope I am not offending you by giving you this. I would give him more if I had it."...and he handed me $20.00.  I said "Thank You" but I was at a loss for words...didn't expect this random act of kindness.  When we got on board I realized he was seated ahead of us.  I pulled out our trip notebook and wrote a Thank You and had Sam sign, Love Sam.  I also gave him our blog address in case he was interested in following Sam's journey.

And if you are checking out the blog...I want you to know that your gesture was kind, compassionate and touched my heart too!!! You have reassured my belief in the kindness of strangers!

Our flight to Minneapolis was a little over an hour and then we boarded our flight to San Francisco which was going to be 3 1/2 hours.  Before we left I had loaded a few of Sam's favorite movies on the Ipad so I knew he would enjoy watching them.  I packed his gluten free snacks and a pack of nitrate free turkey sticks.  Along with the promise of a little diet soda...Sam was the perfect traveler.  I was hoping he would fall asleep on the way to California so I could take a nap too but he didn't fall asleep until we began to descend into San Francisco.  I knew waking him up at 11:50 p.m. and having him walk off the plane may be an issue so I waited until everyone else was off and then I woke him and told him we needed to get off.  Just as I thought he yelled at me and told me "NO, go to sleep".  I told him he could sleep when we got the car and drove to the house. He reluctantly got up and I assured the stewardess that I could get him off it would just take a little talking through. She smiled and said "I'll leave it up to you". Sam yelled and hit at the seats as if they were the problem but I knew he was tired and his hip was sore and stiff and I just calmly continued to encourage him off the plane and let him know his wheelchair was waiting for him.  When he saw his wheelchair he gave the stewardess a high five said "Thank You" and happily jumped into his wheelchair and we were off. We picked up our luggage found the car place and jumped into our SUV to begin the adventure to our house.  After finally getting our GPS to wake up it told us that we would arrive at our destination at 3:30 a.m.  Dave decided to drive and as we exited the parking garage he repeated over and over "I am a good driver", and we hoped he was reassuring us and not talking himself into it.  Thankfully there was little traffic, one of the perks for travelling at night. We had heard the road to our house was a little curvy....yeah it was curvy alright and at 3:30 a.m. it was a white knuckle experience for Dave. His favorite expression to me was "How do you find these places in the middle of no where??". It's just something I'm good at!!

The kids fell asleep shortly after we left the airport and didn't wake up until about 15 minutes before we got to the house. Our house had a gate and when the pass code we entered opened the gate we knew we were at the right place. The driveway continued to curve and go up and the headlights didn't really give us a true idea of what the house or surrounding area looked like.  As we came to the garage the girls saw an abandoned scary plow truck and then this is what greeted us.

The girls gave me that funny "What have you gotten us into now?" look. Um yeah...I've seen that look before on road trips, (remember I took them on an island with no running water and power for a week)...I'm used to it. I personally found it peaceful and reassuring (at least that's what I told them)...they found it strange to find a tiled, framed religious picture on the outside of the garage. I assured them the place was going to be great.  They put their seat belts back on and were ready for escape mode if needed....silly girls. I located the key and began to open the first door which is when the girls saw a mouse run across the floor...okey dokey, strike 2.  Again I reassured them everything will be fine, we are in the country and critters come with the territory in most cases.  I was really hoping that when I turned on the lights things would improve and the girls would change their first opinions.  Thankfully as we turned on the lights and they began to explore they were pleased with as much as they could see. I knew that when we woke up in the morning the views and outdoor living space would take away any doubts they would have. The girls found their perfect spot in the apartment next to the main house which included a small and kind of scary room full of movies, sort of a secret closet or room between the two bedrooms. The apartment also had a full bathroom and the main part of the house had a master bedroom and bath, another full bath, a sitting room, mud room (know as Melvin's room), kitchen, front room and storage area. Sam quickly settled into the upstairs bed and drifted off to sleep. Honestly crawling into that bed after a long day of travel was like slipping into a cloud. I immediately noticed the beautiful linens, comfortable bed, warmer and wonderfully soft pillows. I slept like a baby...well a baby that got slapped in the face a few times as Sam turned over and was awaken as he talked in his sleep and then there was that awkward moment when you wake up and find your child's face 2 inches from yours breathing lovely morning breath which was enhanced by no teeth brushing for 24 hours. Yep...that was special!!

I woke up and decided to check out the place in the daylight and I was very happy with the beautiful outdoor living space, spectacular views, pool and hot tub.  This was going to be a great place to stay!! Here is everyone enjoying the pool and lounge area.

At night I knew we would enjoy the fire pit area off the side of the pool. I could picture me eating smores right there!

This picture is taken by the pool looking up at the house. It had wonderful outdoor living spaces with a sitting and breakfast area on the first deck, and yes that tree goes right up through the deck, kinda cool! There is a large family style table on the second deck, the hot tub and sitting area on the third deck and the pool and fire pit on the bottom deck area. To see more pictures of the inside of this beautiful property go to this link.



On the first day Sam struggled with negotiating the different levels.  We tried the walker but he figured out that a modified bear crawl would work for him the best and he happily joined us on each of the levels.

The girls could no longer complain, they were loving the pool.

And the views around us were amazing.  We were on 20 private acres of foothill property.  Yeah it was a curvy, white knuckled drive but so worth it now that we were settled in.

 The area around the pool was calm and beautiful with colorful flower beds.  We had wonderful lounge chairs, music, a pool and privacy which was a good thing since Sam tended to change into his swimsuit or clothes at the pool.  We all decided it was kinda cruel to make him bear crawl up and down the different levels just to change.  That would be how all the talk of Sam joining a nudist colony began, which just caused us all to imagine and laugh more.

Sam had his pool...and he was happy!!! He floated and he was named the pool bully because if you chose to float he was happy to come and push you off.

All the yelling at the seats in the airplane and tiredness seemed to disappear as Sam enjoyed his vacation!

Sam dove and dove and dove to his hearts content!! I brought along a bunch of different dive toys and Sam was thrilled to find them all.  Swimming and especially diving under is a great activity to stretch out his hip.

With his goggles on....Sam could swim all day.

He didn't seem to mind that the pool was not heated. It was a refreshing dip!

And Sam spent most of his time underwater!

We went grocery shopping and was surprised when our bill came up over $400.00.  Again, the kindness of strangers took over.  The gentleman who was ringing up our bill asked us if we had a Safeway card and I said "No" and he said "No problem we'll get you one started".  After he applied the Safeway card which he knew we would probably only use a couple of times our bill was closer to $200.00.  He didn't need to do that after all we were just tourists but he did and we appreciated it.  I made our infamous road trip pasta salad and Uncle Dave made some fantastic steak tacos for dinner.  Sam and I went to bed early because we were tired from all the fresh air and still catching up on the missed sleep from the day before.  Dave, Danielle and Brooke stayed up to watch TV but Brooke soon found herself alone as the two of them fell asleep. The mouse made another appearance and was promptly named "Melvin the mouse" and the girls came to appreciate his space in this world.  All in all our first day in California was peaceful and relaxing. Stayed tuned for Day 3 & 4, Monterey and the unfortunate parrot episode and Pismo Beach!

A Dark Cloud On What Should Have Been A Bright Moment!

In the last post you saw how much Sam loved the pool...but I knew we had one more surprise for him....the ocean. There is something so calming, so inviting, so refreshing about the ocean...it is another one of Sam's happy places. On the evening of day 6 and every evening thereafter I decided we would end our day relaxing by the ocean.

As I planned this vacation...my mind couldn't help but think about the possible concerns and problems walking on sand or navigating the beach would cause for Sam. Perthes has collapsed the ball on top of his femur completely, leaving Sam without a functional hip. It is difficult for anyone to walk in sand but without a functional hip the sand could prove to be more than Sam could handle. And yet...a part of my mind and heart didn't want to keep Sam from something he loved. We got him up a mountain...we can do the ocean.

We took the short 5 minute walk toward the ocean...let me clarify...me walking while pushing Sam in his wheelchair. As we got closer you could hear the waves hitting the beach. Sam turned to me and said "Mom...sound??" as he put his finger next to his ear.

I smiled, "Well, what do you hear Sam?"

"Mom, OCEAN??" as his smile grew bigger and bigger.

"Well, let's go check it out."

Sam began to clap and raised his hands up and to the sides, "I coming ocean!!"

Yep, this was the right decision. Sam was going to see his beloved ocean.

Sam continued to smile, leaning forward in his wheelchair, "Almost there, almost there!!"

He could hardly contain his excitement and as we came over the boardwalk...well...I think this picture says it all.

From his perch he could see all along the beach, to the left...

...and to the right.

Sam yelled to the kids jumping the waves and I knew that at some point he would want to do the same...but for the first couple of nights he was happy to just sit back and watch.

.

I loved to watch his expressions as he watched the waves.

He would often turn to me and smile and I knew that even though he couldn't express it in words he was telling me "Thank You, Mom...you know how much I love this place and how much I love you for bringing me here!"

And at those moments...when my heart would melt...I would thank God for encouraging me to take another road trip...to take the opportunity to create more moments like this. I put the worries aside, the challenges at rest for another day and I looked into those beautiful blue eyes and found all the courage I would ever need.

But..as I stepped back to take this next picture...

I couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. As I look at Sam sitting in his wheelchair my mind reminds me how much Sam loved to play on the beach and that his most favorite thing in the world was to run along the water's edge. I begin to develop my plan for the next evening. I have to at least try. Each night we return Sam edges closer and closer to the steps that lead to the beach and I know his mind is thinking the same thoughts.

Just down those steps and I can be like those people under the umbrella and I can be like those kids jumping in the waves. I can do it.

So the next night I bring a big blanket, sand toys and a very excited little boy back to the beach. As I take off his shoes and socks he smiles and says, "Mom, Sam beach?" I smile and say, "Yep, it's time for Sam to go on the beach."

He waits at the top of the stairs as I spread out the blanket and then slowly hanging on to my hand and the rail he makes his way down the steps. Right foot always leading while leaning toward the right side. My heart breaks a little as I think of the hours spent teaching Sam to go up and down the steps in a beautiful left/right cross pattern. Sam's right foot touches the sand and he stops to wiggle his toes. I encourage him that if he takes just 10 steps, he can sit on the blanket. Sam smiles and moves forward slowly.

He rewards me with another big smile and begins to play in the sand.

And then I notice that he stops playing and he begins to look longingly toward the water...

His expression changes from happy, to sad....to determined. I hear him begin to talk himself through his next plan of action. "Sam...ocean...feet...water...do it....go". I take a deep breath and know that there is no changing this child's one track mind and determination. I'm guessing he's thinking I got this far, the water is only a few more steps away...about 40 and without a functional hip it may as well be 5 miles. The doubts I'm feeling are quickly brushed away as Sam begins to stand up and heads to the water. He takes two steps and then calls for my assistance. I ask him, "Are you sure you want to do this". He answers, "Yes, I go" and I know that we are on a mission and I just pray it turns out okay. After one more stop, Sam makes it to the water.

I see a little smile and he yells, "WE DID IT!" I begin to take a few pictures through my tear filled eyes to remember the moment.

Sam loves the feel of the ocean washing over his feet but....

As I watch him looking out over the ocean I see an expression of determination return and I know that Sam is planning to attempt the one thing he loves doing the most...running along the edge of the ocean. You can just see the wheels turning, the sand is harder, I got this far, just a little run...and in a blink of an eye he was off.

I knew he just had to do it and I also notice how far his footprints have pronated out and take a quick picture before the waves sweep his prints away.

Sam is running along the edge of the ocean, another dream fulfilled.

But then he stops as fast as he started and yells, "Mom, come here, go home" and I can hear and see the pain that this fulfilled dream has caused. The little boy who was just moments before smiling now has tears rolling down his cheeks, his body is leaning forward and to the right, he is holding his left thigh...and my heart breaks again. Damn you Perthes, why can't you just let him enjoy a simple moment on the beach??? I run to his left side and begin to provide support under his left armpit. He catches his breath and asks to sit down. In my heart I know if he sits here I won't be able to move him and the tide is not going to help the situation. The blanket which isn't that far away is my best bet for a resting place...but from here to there now seems like miles. I encourage him to take a few steps and after three he begins to yell "No, go home" and pulls away from me. Sam doesn't express pain like other children, he doesn't say "Ow, my hip hurts" he changes his position or he gets mad or frustrated...this is what pain looks like for Sam. The people on the beach begin to notice but when they see Sam has Down syndrome the looks go from concern to pity. I want to scream this has nothing to do with Down syndrome...this is a child in pain. If you saw a typical child limping and crying would you run over to assist...but instead they all continued to stare adding to Sam's volume and making me more frustrated and angry. Sam continued to walk a few steps and then broke down, leaning heavily on me and each time we stopped my heart hurt just watching the pain he was enduring. A 10 year old boy should be able to walk or run on the beach...is that too much to ask?? I wasn't sure what was stronger my need to yell at God or to ask for his assistance. When we got close to the blanket Sam collapsed on to his stomach. He lay face down, trying to catch his breath but not moving anything below his waist. I continued to rub his back as I ran through my mind a plan of how I was going to get him off this beach, in his wheelchair and home. I decided our best option is to wait it out, let him rest. I knew I could call Danielle and Brooke to bring the sling I had brought on the trip. The three of us could carry him up the steps and into his wheelchair if we had to. Sam began to breath slower and steadier, he raised his head and his flush cheeks had now paled. He asked for a sand toy. I moved the blanket and gathered them in a small circle around him and he began to play but I couldn't help but notice that he never moved anything below the waist for over 25 minutes.

His cheeks were flushed and his eyes a little swollen but my Sam was coming back.

He would yell every once in a while, mad at the sand for causing him pain.

But then he would return to playing and digging in the sand.

And after about 15 minutes...his smile returned.

As I sat waiting for Sam to recover my mind got caught once again in the trap that threatens to pull me in and swallow me whole. I have come to terms with Down syndrome, brain injury, apraxia, dysphagia, respiratory/immune issues, bi-lateral conductive hearing loss but Perthes...Perthes is a part of this journey I could do without. This diagnosis has completely changed Sam's mobility, something we worked hard to regain after the brain injury and something we all take for granted until we don't have it anymore. This diagnosis changes our every day. Sam has good days, bad days but each and every day is different. I can not determine what makes a bad day, how bad a day is and what Sam will and won't be able to do. Sam handles pain through position adjustments and listening to his body. He doesn't ask for medicine, he doesn't tell you it's a bad day, he doesn't even say his hip hurts...but as his Mom, a woman who spends 24/7 with him, I can tell you what pain looks like. I believe Sam wakes up every day and decides "this is what if feels like to be Sam Mayer today" be it with more or less pain. When Sam has a bad day his limp is worse, his behavior is worse, his attention span is low and he puts himself in traction or lays down a lot. On a good day Sam walks a little more, limps a little less and doesn't have to lay down as much. But on this road trip, doing what he loves to do, showed me just how much pain is involved and why I have chosen to homeschool him again. I can work with Sam on a good or bad day. He can change his position as needed, he can work with me even when he is in traction...but even with that said...I still hate this diagnosis.

Sam finally sat up and said "Go home". With assistance he made it to the stairs, up them and into his wheel chair. I gathered our stuff, brushed off his feet and put on his socks and shoes and we headed home. He walked slower than usual up the steps to the house and immediately put himself in traction once he got to his bed. I asked him if he would like me to put some oils on and he said "Yes". As I rubbed in his hip and thigh he would tighten his expression but would return to a smile when I was done. He drifted off to sleep, completely worn out from his experience and I prayed that he would have a restful sleep. He occasionally moaned during the night and was stiff and sore the following day but he continued to smile, he continued to laugh and he continued to amaze me.

Sam continued to want to go to the beach each night but now he preferred to stay in his wheelchair and observe from above the beach.

And he continued to call out and wave to the 3 pelicans that flew past us each night.

Sam continues to struggle with hip pain and discomfort. I hope to get a new x-ray done within the next week or so. If no bone growth is seen we will contact Dr. Standard, a Perthes specialist in Baltimore for a 2nd opinion. Sam doesn't have 4+ years to wait to grow bone, we need a lot of bone and soon. I don't know what else can be done but I won't give up, I can't...Sam is depending on me and we need to explore any and all options. Good night everyone!!!

Day 4 Road Trip: Goodbye Mountains...Hello Ocean!!

We all woke up at around 6:00 a.m.....well....everyone except Sam. Sam decided to sleep in and since he's not the most helpful with packing we allowed it. We had packed up our bags the night before so we now needed to load the van and pack the cooler. So, what does travelling with 3 kids in a van look like, you may ask??? Well the back is always packed tight full especially with the addition of the wheelchair this year.

My rule is always to keep a good portion of the back windows viewable. Our biggest dilemma is usually getting the two teenage girls to limit their bags. I usually start by telling them they are allowed one bag and a carry on. We normally end up with 2 bags and a carry on and a great story about why they need that extra bag. They know me...I'm a push over.

The front seat is our 2nd storage area. We normally will pack all food items and the cooler into this area.

This makes it easy for me to grab a water or snack if I need one while the kids are sleeping. We then woke up, dressed, fed and loaded Mr. Crabby Pants into the van and left the beauty of the mountain cabin at 7:30 a.m. I think both the van and I were thrilled that this was the last time we would be traveling these very interesting, curvy, dangerous and often times scary roads.

Our drive to North Carolina was uneventful after Johnny led us through another interesting mountain pass to get to the highway. The kids napped, read or sang loudly to the radio. Danielle perfected her rap to Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" while the song "Take A Back Road" by Rodney Atkins became this year's official road trip song. We arrived in the Outer Banks at 3:30 but it took until 5:00 to actually arrive at our house. Danielle had an ADHD moment (please understand we have a lot of these in our home) when she saw a chicken run across the road. We often talk about Ben, Jeff or Sam as being in one conversation one moment and then going into something completely different the next moment and we document these times by saying "Oh look, there goes a chicken!" We laughed hysterically when Danielle actually made this moment a reality by saying that particular phrase and meaning it. The traffic in the Outer Banks on the weekend is crazy as people check out and check in but we were happy to check out the beautiful properties and scenery...so very different from the mountains of Tennessee. We saw sand dunes, beach homes, beach mansions and the ocean.

I have to tell you a funny story about how we chose this particular property. I spent hours looking at houses in the Outer Banks on www.homeaway.com and www.vrbo.com trying to find a house with a large secluded private pool, close to the beach and in our price range. The pools never seemed quite right and if they did the price was way too high. As I was looking one night, Sam asked me to change the channel on his TV, so I got up and changed it and as I did he grabbed the mouse and clicked on a property. At first I was mad because he had lost my place but then I looked at the place he selected and it was perfect. A big secluded pool, a doable price and only a 5 minute walk to the beach. I next checked the calendar and unbelievably there was one week available in August. So we planned the whole trip around Sam's find. So...do you believe in divine intervention now????

We pulled up to our sandy entrance at 37 11th Avenue in Southern Shores, NC. The house was everything we had hoped for. It was perfectly secluded, no neighbors to worry about.

I loved all the decks but the parts we knew Sam would love were behind the home and 5 minutes down the street. Check out this gorgeous pool that was always at the perfect temperature.

And within a 5 minute walk was...the ocean!

We unloaded the van and moved in. The place was perfect for us, a few too many steps for Sam but most of the homes are built like this.

Sam and I had our own rooms with Danielle and Brooke sharing a room and one bedroom remained unused.

The first floor was the under house parking, outdoor shower, storage and the wonderful hammock.

The second floor was the bedrooms.

The third floor was the living room, kitchen and dining area.

When we got everyone moved in Danielle and I headed to the grocery store. Sam stayed home to watch some SpongeBob but then drifted off to sleep. Brooke unpacked her suitcases and updated our trip diary. We decided to make a favorite pasta salad which we would use for quick and easy lunches with some fruit or vegetables so we could spend as much time at the pool or beach as possible. This pasta salad is so yummy that I thought I would share the recipe with you.

Picnic Pasta Salad

1 package (12 oz) tricolor pasta

1/2 lb. fresh broccoli florets

12 oz. munster cheese cubed

12 oz. turkey ham cubed

1 medium sweet red pepper cubed

1 medium green pepper cubed

1 can sliced ripe olives

1 medium red onion chopped

Garlic powder to taste

2 envelopes Italian salad dressing prepared

Cook spiral pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse in cold water. In large bowl add the remaining ingredients.

Prepare salad dressing according to package, pour over, toss to coat and refrigerate. Enjoy!!

Brooke and Danielle love to help prepare meals so I had them cubing everything. I didn't realize this was going to become so emotional for them. The red onion had Brooke in tears within minutes, Danielle followed shortly thereafter and I laughed hysterically watching the two of them try to get through the onion cutting ordeal.

Sam and I departed for bed early since I was tired from driving and Sam's hip seemed to be stiff and sore. Danielle and Brooke took up another road trip tradition....watching horror films. The movie choice for the evening was "Dead End".

We decided not to show Sam the pool until the next day due to some rain and clouds appearing as we arrived. I couldn't wait to see his reaction!! Good night everyone!