Colorado Intro and Stats

I'm having a hard time compiling all of my thoughts in a cohesive manner in reference to our Colorado trip so I thought I'd begin with some fun stats about the trip as a whole:

15 days

16 states

4,822 miles driven

11 loaves of bread (for picnic and packed lunches)

4 total time changes

1 missing hubcap (thank you Oklahoma potholes)

1 headlight that went out (see above about Oklahoma potholes)

1 destination where we almost died in a thunderstorm and downpour. Ok, we didn't almost die, but it was pretty intense.

A walk down memory lane for me as I visited my childhood home and town in Amarillo, TX

A near kitchen flooding in an Airbnb from a dishwasher. Don't worry, after contacting the owner she said it happens a lot. Good to know...

1 destination we couldn't get into because it actually became a legit attraction and required tickets, and getting there before the gates closed. Rude.

1 broken thing. A bowl. (Ya'll we have a family that breaks things. We just do. So this is a BIG win for us!)

11 times of unpacking the car at night and repacking the car in the morning

627 bathroom stops. Not an exaggeration. Actually, it IS an exaggeration, but not by much, I promise.

6 Airbnb's

71 1/2 + hours in the car. Not counting missed turns, stops on the side of the road for an overturned tractor trailer hauling a wind turbine propellor, and extra must-stop attractions. It sounds like a lot but we made so many fun stops along the way (also see number of bathroom stops)

Countless rounds of squats and pushups at different stops

Animal sightings: prairie dogs, groundhogs, jackrabbits, elk, different kinds of deer, chipmunks, pigs, cows, chickens, little goats, rainbow trout, horses, llamas, Antelope, Texas Longhorns, and I'm sure more that I can't think of right now.

1 near death experience by flesh-eating bugs at Palo Duro Canyon. Sorry, that is also a slight exaggeration. But their bites DID hurt!

Countless memories we will NEVER forget!

Things That Didn't Work

Pillow fights in the car (ahem, Zeke and Jude)

Wrestling in the car (ahem, boys)

Car farts (these became nearly lethal on more than one occasion)

Things That Worked

FOOD -

Grocery shopping for the whole trip! I made a Costco run and tripled up on all the staples. A set for the trip INTO Colorado, a set for the week IN Colorado and the last set for the trip BACK from Colorado. I had a massive blue tub we kept in the back of the van. I packed all the food for the trip BACK, on the bottom and then layered the food for the week in our Colorado Cabin on top. That tub didn't move the entire trip. It kept us from having to pack and unpack and repack every day and made for minimal grocery stops. It also helped keep the cost of food at a minimum.

We also kept a cooler up toward the front of the van for easy access. I kept our weekly perishables and also our lunches that we would pack before heading to our next destination.

We had a big bag we attached to the back of my seat designated for snacks. When I was at Costco I got our snack staples like veggie chips, hippies, goldfish, pretzels, dried fruit, plantains, etc. I called the kids in, opened one of each of those bags on our table here at home and they packed individual snack bags so that we could easily grab the bag of choice throughout the day in the car. It was a lifesaver. We did the same at the cabin in Colorado for the snacks on the way home.

GAS - 

I worked really hard at accumulating gas points at Harris Teeter the month before we left. We either stayed with family or at an Airbnb. I bought Airbnb gift cards to pay for the houses (using our credit card to get credit card points too) which allowed us to get HT gas points. You can also sign up for HT's membership program free for a month and that doubles your points. On top of that they had quadruple point days so when I needed groceries in June I got them on those days. The gas points can be used through the next month. So we really stacked our savings. On the Harris Teeter app you can find the gas stations that participate with the point system at Harris Teeter (or other related grocery stores). And wouldn't you know, there were only TWO states out of the 16 that we couldn't find a gas station to use them in. This saved us several hundred dollars! (On the stops we couldn't use HT gas points we tried to find an Upside gas station.)

A PLAN - 

Rainy and Josh worked together to make our itinerary. I made a visual for each day and taped it on the window in the back so the kids could easily see how long it was between our stops and didn't always have to ask where we were going. Even though some of them still had no clue what was going on, lol.

A PLAYLIST - 

Rainy is a roadtrip pro so she gathered a playlist of everyone's favorite songs and kept the vibes going.

PROACTIVE ORGANIZATION - 

A big trash bag that hung in the back to try to keep up with the trash was brilliant (thanks Rainy). A small drawer storage thing between the front seats to house necessary needed items like tape, scissors, lighter, baggies, plastic knives, napkins, etc.

VIBE LIGHTS - 

We hung fairy lights on the ceiling in the van. When it began getting dark, a storm began rolling in or things were getting a little tense in the car (I didn't say the trip was perfect, lol) we would deem it time for the vibe lights to come on.

PATIENCE - 

Every person in our family had things they both loved and weren't too crazy about on the trip. Being patient with one another and reminding each other that things that are important to one person are just as important as what is important to you/me.

GAMES - 

A whiteboard for hangman (thanks Jude!), books of word finds, crossword puzzles and sudoku (I worked my way back into the "hard" category, woohoo). These things filled our time on our electronic breaks.

TEAM WORK - 

I really saw our family fit into a stride. Josh and I shared driving responsibilities, although Josh took the brunt of the driving. Rainy sat behind us. She was our vibe team, keeping the tunes going, the morning devotionals on track, the State Songs on cue for state border crossings and became the passer of all things to the other kids in the back. I was the organizer and packer. (Big shocker, I know!) The other kids rotated responsibilities for cleanup, carrying luggage in and out and making sure we stopped every 45 minutes for a bathroom stop, ha!

This trip was more than just sightseeing and experiencing different places in this big earth. I feel like I learned my family better. I learned MYSELF better. I'm so proud of our kids. There truly was minimal complaining and/or arguing. The sites were just an added bonus! A HUGE thank you to my parents who made this trip happen for all of us!