Robots on the Road: Day Six

Quote of the day: "Peach soda is so good, it makes me do duck lips!"- Hana

When I woke up at 12:45 this morning to the sound of Lilly vomiting, I didn't think it was going to be a good day. When Lilly wouldn't go back to sleep at 1:30 this morning, I thought it was super cute that she kept giggling and saying "Hello!", but I was sure it wasn't going to be a good day. When we woke up late because Lilly kept us up until 2:30am, I was positive the day was going to be awful.

It was a great day. We got everyone out of the hotel in a hurry, grabbed breakfast and filled the gas tanks and were on the road by 7am.  We headed out of Wichita, KS and were on our way. We had nine hours of driving ahead of us.

Lilly was asleep before we were out of Kansas. I yelled back to Hana as usual, "We're in Oklahoma, Hana!".  From the back of the van I hear, " We're in Oklahoma? Saffron! I mean, Toto! I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!", and so we began our laughter filled day.

I don't have much to say about Oklahoma, I think Hana said it best, "At least it's not as flat as Kansas.".

 We stopped a few times for potty breaks and snacks and hit Arkansas before lunch. We stopped at a gas station in Razorback territory and unloaded everyone for one more potty break. As usual Lilly found a doll she wanted and some juice and a snack. The man behind the counter asked Lilly if the doll was her baby and Lilly said "Baby.  I'm a treasure. I'm pretty special." and he was so tickled with her he gave her the doll for free.

We got stuck in traffic as we got closer to the border of Tennessee and the girls were chatting about some book series they both love. Hana said that one character should give another character a rottweiler puppy. Ria said that a dachshund should be the pet given as a gift. They discussed the merits of both breeds and Hana insisted that because of something that happened in the book, a rottweiler was the better choice. I was only half listening to them when I heard Ria say, "Hana you shouldn't say that rottweilers are better in front of Saffron. You're going to give her low self esteem! You're hurting her self esteem right now!" We all laughed so hard! Ria has a really dry sense of humor, but she cracks us up!

We finally arrived at our hotel, got settled and headed out to dinner. We ate at a BBQ place called Marlowe's that we saw on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. It was fantastic! We ate corn fritters that were wonderful. John had some mouthwatering brisket with beans and coleslaw, Ria had a fried catfish sandwich. Hana and I ate BBQ spaghetti, something I would never have imagined eating. It was homemade pasta topped with BBQ pork and the house BBQ sauce and it was amazing! The rolls were deep fried and tasted like zeppoli, only less eggy. The mac and cheese that came as a side with Hana's was dinner was a beautiful thing. I highly recommend it to any one visiting.

We came back to our hotel to swim in the guitar shaped pool

and now we're all chilling out and listening to the pouring rain outside. Occasionally walking out on the balcony to see the flooding in the parking lot.
Tomorrow is a short day, so we are going to try to sleep in and find a good place for breakfast.

So here we are,a family of robots, in Memphis, Tennessee.

The lobby of our hotel, which is right next to Graceland.

Robots on the Road: Day Five

Ok, sorry about yesterday. The pity party is over and we're moving on.  Last night, everyone got a good nights sleep in a room that, for once, was larger than a breadbox.

We started at 6am again this morning because we knew we had 10 hours of driving ahead of us. We started the day in Taos, NM. We drove through the hills of northern New Mexico and crossed over into Colorado as the sun rose and it was, as every sunrise on this trip has been, glorious.

We drove more curvy back roads and saw tiny towns and gorgeous ranches. We saw lots of cattle and the girls were so funny, wondering where all the black and white cows were.  We moved into the flat southeast corner of Colorado and for the first time on this trip, Hana complained "I'm bored! Colorado is so boring!"
We stopped in Lamar, CO for gas and lunch at Sonic. When faced with a cherry limeade, suddenly, Colorado wasn't so boring.

We got back on the road and crossed the border into Kansas. I yelled back, "Hana! We're in Kansas!" as I have every time we cross over into a new state. I heard Hana in the back say, "We're in Kansas! Saffron, your name is no longer Saffron! Now your name is Toto and my name is Dorothy!". Everyday that girl makes me laugh!

If I were a kid, I would have waited till we got to Kansas to complain about being bored. Oh my goodness, this is the flattest state I've ever been in! We've been so lucky with all the great scenery we've been driving by for the last few days.  My girls had already gotten bored with being bored and moved on to giggling at each other and making their own fun. They were taking wacky pictures and making up stories about billboards we passed. We listened to Lilly's music and got her to sing. We laughed as we listened to her fake snore and we all joined in and got Lilly to laugh, too.

We spent 12 hours on the road and arrived at our hotel just in time to eat in the in house restaurant and do some laundry. Now Lilly has her mermaid and her puppy stuffy back and she is falling asleep happily. Ria and Hana are cuddling with Saffron and John is watching the news.

So here we are, a family of robots, in Wichita, Kansas.

Robots on the Road: Day Four

Today was a rough day. I don't have anything clever or funny to say. We got a late start and drove the rest of the way through Arizona and into New Mexico. It was beautiful. Desert, hills, canyons and amazing rocky outcroppings.

 Lilly had a rough day. She wet two of her stuffed animals last night and cried for them all day.  She's also overheated. We've been keeping the car air conditioned and giving her lots of water, but Lilly doesn't sweat. She's flushed everywhere and her feet and lower legs are all swollen. 

Ria had a really rough day and not all the places we stopped were really handicapped accessible. I think everyone is tired and needs a break, but we have to get up early tomorrow and press on. We can rest in Jersey.

So here we are, an exhausted family of robots, in Taos, New Mexico.

Robots on the Road: Day Three

School House Rock once told me, "Three! It's the magic number!" And if today is any indication, they were right! Day three was magical.

We started the day in Bishop, CA. We were in the car and on the road by 6am. We headed into the hills between California and Nevada and we got to see the sunrise again. Since we were winding around the hills on a road that was like a roller coaster, the sun kept hiding from us and peeking out again. As we came around one particular curve, the sun was right in front of us and Hana exclaimed, "It's so beautiful! The sunrise makes the squashed bugs on the windshield look like magical sparkles!".  Oh, my Hana, how I love you! Saffron loved the roller coaster hills so much she vomited. Luckily it was on her blanket and Hana cleaned it up like it was no big deal.
We crossed over into Nevada and headed into Death Valley, which John says was "a total ripoff, because all of us survived!".

They had this great little oasis gas station with all the toys and candy Lilly could ever want, and a bunch of roadrunners running all over the place!

As we were continuing on toward Las Vegas we passed a man pulled over by a police officer on the side of the road. As we passed, the officer shot a tazer gun at the man,  whose car hood was covered with blood. So, that was exciting.

We had to cancel our plans to go to the Grand Canyon because we needed to get John's oil changed. We didn't do it before we left because we'd planned on towing John's car. So we stopped at a Sears in Las Vegas to do that and had lunch and did some laundry. I know this isn't how most people would enjoy Vegas, but hey, we had a good time. My favorite part was watching Lilly eat an ice cream cone by taking the ice cream off the cone and eating it out of her hand. If you don't stress about the chocolate ice cream all over everything, it's a good time.

We headed out again, past Hoover Dam, into western Arizona, which if you don't know, is hotter than Satan's new Coach purse.  It was like getting out of the car and into an oven. Even the wind was hot enough to cook with!
It was however lovely.

On and on we drove,  past desert, plains, mountains, trees, and a whole lot of shrubbery. We drove into a crazy storm with pounding rain, strong winds, and lightning.  It was amazing for us. You almost never get thunder and lightning in the area of the Pacific Northwest where we've spent the last three years. So we all enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells of a good summer rain.  We finally made it to our hotel around 6pm, jumped in the pool and had some dinner.

Now were getting ready to call it a night so we can do it all over again tomorrow!

So here we are, a family of robots, in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Robots on the Road: Day Two

"Now I understand why people draw landscapes."- Ria

So here we are at the end of day two of our cross country journey! We started the day in Medford, OR. We were able to get up early and have everyone washed, dressed and in the car by 6am.  We drove down I-5 and we had the privileged of watching the sun come up over the mountains just after we crossed the border in to California.

It was honestly one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Hana and Ria loved it and shortly after, as she was taking pictures out of the car window, Ria told me that she now understands why people draw landscapes. Ria loves to draw, but she's never been interested in landscapes. The beauty of northern California gave her a  new perspective.

We spent 11 hours driving through the mountains, the forest and the desert, seeing barely a soul.  We saw more deer than I've ever seen in my life and thought I was going to have a heart attack when I almost hit a fawn. I'd seen the doe cross and was looking for the fawn, but it just blended in and then came out of nowhere. We saw Reno and Carson City, Nevada. We drove past Topaz and Mono lakes. It  was wonderful. The girls and I played games and sang songs and Lilly drank everyone's water. Since John was all by himself in the car he worked on his impressions. His Dr. Doofinschmirtz is coming along nicely.

We arrived at our hotel, ordered a Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza and did some laundry.  Just another day on the road for the Kerchners.

So here we are, a family of robots, in Bishop, California.

Robots on the Road: Day One

"Leah, what is the secret to traveling with a severely autistic teen, an artsy tween with medical difficulties, an 11 year old who thinks she's a robot, an anal retentive naval officer and a tiny dog?", asked no one ever...

Well, I'm going to tell you the answer even though you didn't ask... it's flexibility. We started our move cross country today and from the very start things have not been going according to plan.
 
John and I planned to tow his car so we could all be together this trip, but poor Bessie the Behemoth just couldn't handle the load of the tow dolly and John's car weighed down with all the things we need for this trip. No big deal! We drove two cars the last time we did this, we can do it again! 

Of course by the time we discovered this yesterday the Uhaul was closing. So we had to get a later start than intended this morning after returning the tow dolly at 9am.  This later start also meant canceling our planned trip to Crater Lake National Park.  This first day would be just a straight drive to our hotel in southern Oregon.

This straight drive involved the a rest stop where every single toilet didn't work, Ria feeling very unwell and not being able to do much more than sleep in the car, a terrified puppy, broken windshield wipers,  and Lilly taking every step twice in an effort to get some control over a situation she cannot understand.

But you know what, we had a good day.  Everyone is safe, everyone is reasonably happy.  Lilly got chicken nuggets,  Hana got to see a really awesome old truck, and Ria is resting happily in the hotel reading a Wheel of Time book.  At the end of the day, all that matters is that we are all together and we are on our way home.

So here we are, a family of robots, in Medford, Oregon.

Robots Move Forward

John and I have spent the last few days getting ready for our big cross country trip. We've been packing all the things we need to spend nine days on the road with our family of five and our little puppy. We've packed clothes and toiletries, bedding and books, swimsuits and dog treats. We've taken down all our pictures and curtains and unhooked all of our electronics.

Today I am sitting at my dining room table as two men pack everything we didn't squeeze into our two cars. This is the last time we'll move like this, strangers swooping in to wrap all our worldly goods while I sit twiddling my thumbs feeling like I should be doing something to help. Don't get me wrong, it's so nice to not have to spend weeks getting everything packed, while Lilly stands behind you unpacking everything. Even if she watches you pack a box, as soon as it's taped closed, she's certain it contains a present you are trying to keep from her.

I am so sad to be leaving this beautiful place and all our wonderful friends. This is the greenest and cleanest place I've ever lived. It's also the place John and I reconnected. Once we had respite care, we got to date again! We got to take Hana and Ria out to do things that normal families take for granted,but that had been impossible for us. We reconnected with old Navy friends and made new ones. It's been a great three years.

I am also enormously happy to be leaving. We have been so far away from our family and so many of our friends. Even though this place holds so many wonderful memories for us, it also holds some of the worst memories we have. This is where Ria shook for weeks on end, where her body betrayed her and put her in a wheelchair part time. This is where John almost lost his foot (though that is a fantastic story to tell). This is where Lilly went over the edge and spent six weeks in the psychiatric unit at Children's in Seattle. Six weeks of driving an hour and a half to see Lilly then having to walk out on her again and drive another hour and a half home. Six weeks of lying to John  so he wouldn't worry while he was at sea.  Leaving Lilly in that hospital was the hardest thing I've ever done.

This is a bittersweet move for us all. I know we're leaving some amazing people and places, but I can't help but be hopeful. I'm looking forward and I think I see blue skies ahead.

So here we are, robots, learning that parting really is such sweet sorrow.

Robots Get a Surprise Visit

My brother Bill, or as I call him, Bud (or as my children call him, Uncle Bull), is in the Navy and is currently stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He spent a month with us in April of 2011 but we had not seen him since. Bud called me a few months ago to see if we'd be around in August because he was headed this way to visit a friend in Portland and wanted to visit us, too.  We couldn't make any firm plans with him because we had no idea if we'd still be out here.

A few weeks ago, when we realized we would indeed still be here, I called to my Buddy to make some plans. I was too late, he'd shortened his stay here by a week and was all booked up. I asked him if we could meet him in Seattle just for the day the Saturday he was flying out and he said that he could work that out.

This past Wednesday I was sitting in our dining room with my friend Sheryl, working on a project and telling her about our weekend plans. Imagine my surprise when Hana comes in and says, "Mom, there's someone here to see you!", and out of the hall walks my Buddy, "What time are we meeting on Saturday?". Woohoo! We were all so happy! Even Lilly gave him a big hug. John was just as surprised as I was when he came in from work. "Who's car is in the driveway?" , he asked. "I don't know, John.", says Bud, and laughter and big  back slapping hugs ensue.

We spent a lovely few days with Bud and took him for the best cheese steak we've found on this coast. (Noah's Ark on 6th in Bremerton)  Ria watched scary movies with him and drew his picture. Hana horsed around with him and cuddled next to him on the sofa during Ria's scary movies. Lilly sat with him on the sofa and pet his head and held his hand. John and I just enjoyed having him around. We stayed up late, talking and laughing, basking in the glow of how grown up my baby brother is.

Saturday Brandy (our respite care provider, and sixth member of our little family) came over at 10am to watch over Lilly.  Then Buddy, John, the girls and I all headed into Seattle. We visited the Experience Music Project (EMP) to see their exhibits on horror and science fiction, which were fantastic.  We saw the Alien, Robby the Robot, Captain Kirk's chair and Neo's coat.

We checked out the Pacific Science Center to see dinosaurs and walk through the butterfly garden, a truly magical experience.

We even hit the Seattle Tattoo Expo. Sadly, we did not have time for anyone to get a tattoo, but Ria loved the art and collected all the business cards she could.

 Then we headed back to our cars, said goodbye to Uncle Bull because he was headed to the airport, and headed home.

So here we are, Robots, missing Uncle Bull already.