Travel Tip #1:

Always have MANY changes of clothes as well as towels, bleach, a shop vac and empty plastic diaper boxes at your disposal in case the following ever happens to you!

So, there we were.  We had our camper.  We had our big truck to pull it.  (this isn't where the tip comes in handy...that is later...kind of at the end.) We were all packed up and ready to go to PA and begin our adventure.  Then we get the call.  Yup...you guessed it...basically a blizzard in PA and no way to get our camper there.  After much deliberation (I am not gonna lie, it was a punch in the chest to have to consider other options right at this point)  it was decided that Chris would go on to PA and the kids and I would take a mini-vacay to see my sister and her family (to include my new neice) in slightly more S TX than we were and then on to AL to hang out with my in-laws for a few weeks and spend Christmas with family. 

Soo...The kids and I get to my sisters just great.  Spend a few days there for baby cuddles and hang out then begin the 12-18 hr trip (depending on traffic, potty stops, fits thrown, weather, etc) from TX to AL.  We are making it Great!  We get to AL in decent time, not great, but it is ok.  Right before dark (and about 3-4 hrs from our destination) I am talking to Chris (On speaker phone in the car) and all of the sudden:
"Mommy"-A
"Just a minute"-Me
"Trystan is throwing up"-A
"Gotta go!!"-Me

So, there I am-Trystan is all kinds of projectile in the back seat and I don't have a clue where to get off the interstate.  Finally-I frantically find a place to pull off.  I cannot get over to get to the gas station so I end up in the parking lot of a small shopping center.  I dig clothes out of the trunk.  Get Trystan out-remove the "evidence" from his face and hands and strip the poor boy down to his diaper by the car.  half a box of wipes, a change of clothes, and a towel over his carseat later he is dressed, clean and sitting in Alexis' seat waiting on me to finish wiping the "evidence"  from the back of the front passenger seat, the cupholders, the toys, and etc.  And again...all of the sudden:
"Mommy"-A
"Just a minute"-Me
"GO AWAY!  GO AWAY!  GO TO THE GRASS!!! NOOWWWW!!!!!  GET AWAY FROM THE CAR!!!"-Me

Did she make it to the grass-I am afraid not!  So begins clean up #2. 

Change of clothes, 1/4 box of wipes, towel...OH NO!!  Trystan is sick...again!!!

So begins clean up #3.  Full box of wipes, 3 changes of clothes, 2 plastic bags, a towel, a jacket, a bottle of water, a coffee, 2 pepsi maxxs, and some dramamine later...we are back on the road!!

Following "Back on the road" is "Crying on the phone", "Just get it into the wipe box!!", and my rendition of "I am not talking b/c I am sick now too but I don't wanna pull over so I gotta hold it in".  All tunes I could do without for...ever!

My in-laws were great when we finally made it and also while I was sick the entire next day.  To include-taking the car to get cleaned after seeing what was UNDER the car seats.  It went something like "leave everything in it and take it to a professional!"

Soo...always be prepared!!!  And...after you get done crying...make sure you laugh a little too!

And the Journal Journey begins!

Come along on a journey...a wild...crazy...sometimes seemingly insane journey...with the Lopez Family!  Here we will document the goings on and falling downs of a family of 4 who have chosen to live, love and survive in a 2bdrm 1.5bth travel trailer.  Most would not embark on such a journey so please feel free to live vicariously through us...while on days when we are falling down-we may be living vicariously through you.  I will tell you this though, laughing at ourselves and being close have made this journey wonderful and...well...often just fall down laughing funny!  You will receive both the male and female perspective of events as well as life lessons, tips, and just plain boring had to tell someone about them stories.  At some point we will start from the very beginning, maybe, if we have time.  For now just know this:  Boy and Girl fall in Love!  2 Kids come into play along the way!  Boy is now Man and his job travels a LOT, Girl is now Woman and homemaker so available for travel.  Oldest (6) starts homeschooling, youngest-well-he's 2 so he is loving it all!  The biggest camper trailer we can find and somewhere between 2000-3000 miles later and our first travels take us from TX to AL back to TX then to PA!  Have fun, laugh with us and just join us for this adventure. 

And trust us, as odd as our choices seem,  our kids are both happy (telling us things like "This is the best day ever"  multiple days in a row) they are healthy, and they are both learning and learning more than they did at school!  We did not just run off and start this without a LOT of prayer and a GREAT deal of family support!