The Great White Way...

 Funny how things snowball sometimes.....  

I responded to an inquiry from Kate's agency website for a family to be in a web video...  

What are the chances they'd pick us?  

Nil.... 

What do we have to lose?  

Nuthin'.....  

Next thing you know, the Herlihy's aced the audition 

and a crew from Toronto stepped into our house 

for a two day experience.... 

The web video will be part of a large bank website

(I can tell ya who they are in August) 

in their family series teaching kids about money....  

The crew couldn't be nicer 

and the exercises they had us complete were fun 

and  interesting for the kids... 

The hardest part was keeping my wonderful, perfect children quiet 

while the camera was rolling...  

That, and the repetition was tedious for the kids...  

We did everything 3 times...

At one point, Kate replied, 

"I already told you how many nickels are in a dime, MOM!"...

  

Oh well, what do they say?

"Never work with kids nor animals..."    

Jack enjoyed his first gig in showbiz 

and Kate let him know she was a pro already.

"I've done millions of jobs!" she retorted.... 

Not that she's competitive or anything...

Somehow I managed to keep them from killing each other 

while the crew was there.... 

Perhaps it was my dire threats should they misbehave....  

I dunno....  

The best part was that they paid us on the spot 

and now I can repair my front porch..... 

A shopping spree at Saks would be sweet,

but I'll be so happy each day to not look at rotting posts 

and holey floorboards....

I guess I'm a grown up now.....

*Sigh...*

The Wunder Y Tap....

It was a Card Club reunion... 

A 24 hour quickie assemblage of my high school besties...  

One was in town from DC, so we all dropped out of regular life 

for one day of laughter, old stories and new....  

Always good to have an old friend put you back to earth...

To remind you of where you came from...

Where you've been...  

Friends like that who were there when you were jilted by your crush...

Who took out your contacts when you were smashed beyond reason... 

Who made you ski in the frigid Wisconsin water first....  

And who saved you from going off to make out with a trucker in the north woods....  

Not like that ever happened to me...  

Oh who cares... I married a trucker...

How's that for full circle?!  

We have been together for weddings, births and funerals... 

Time is no object... 

We pick up from where we left off years later, 

to recount those same embarrassing, hilarious stories of our past.  

It was great to catch up over Happy Joe's taco pizza, Whitey's Ice Cream and Rudy's Tacos... 

I might have gained a pound or two, and then laughed them right off...  

Card Club lives on.... 

Semi's and Suites....

Looks like I went out of order.....oops!

 Day 2 of our excellent adventure East....  

The day started off with breakfast 

at the Holiday Inn Express...  

Little eyes were bigger than stomachs 

as Jack mounded his styro plate with a bagel,

English muffin, oatmeal and cereal...  

Talk about carb loading....  

We boarded our truck, Blu, for a shorter day of travel, 

from Breezewood, PA to Baltimore and then DC... 

The client's office was in Towson, MD, to be exact, 

and maneuvering the big 'ole truck into the office complex was,

well, complex...  

Tommy, being the experienced trucker, did a splendid job 

with parking, unloading of the new armored Suburban 

and client relations, of course.  

I basically tried to look helpful, 

while keeping the kids out of traffic 

and away from each other...  

Oh the fighting and bickering....  

Close quarters makes for serious discord.

But it was a long time in the truck...  

And they were hungry, which can make the most saintly child 

resemble beezlebub on his worst day....  

Luckily, Towson Towne Center was a block or two away.... 

Civilization and shopping....  

so soothing.....  

Today was Tommy's birthday 

and what better way to celebrate than to go shopping?  

He got  a cool and overpriced shirt from Lucky Brand 

plus some much needed new shoes.  

I scored two pair of shoes from Payless.  

How can you pass up shoes for eight dollars?  

Not to be left out, the kids begged for a Build a Bear experience.   

Having successfully avoided that abyss of add-on expense  

(similar to the hell that is American Girl) 

before, it was time to cave and indulge the kids.  

All those vacation websites emphasize

to allow for lots of fun each day of the trip.  

So far, the kids had to sit in the truck for three hours

and wait in the hot sun for another hour

while we delivered the client's car.  

Next then had to walk all over a shopping mall

and watch their parents buy a thing or two...boring!  

Dad would rather eat dog food than spend forty dollars 

on two stuffed bears.... 

but the kids really enjoyed it... 

Next on the trucking agenda was to drop off the big rig near DC, 

unload our car and find a hotel for the next two nights.  

Tom found a great deal at the JW Marriott, 

near the White House, apparently... 

We were hot, sweaty and more than tired, 

as we finally drove up to the hotel.  

It looked nice, which was refreshing 

after being cooped up in the truck for so long...  

Well, the JW Marriott is a lovely hotel 

and it became even more fabulous at check in... 

Our reserved room was not ready 

and we were dealing with a travel hold on our debit card....  

Tom handed me the key and sent me and the kids to the room.    

As we counted the doors to our room number, 

it became clear our room was at the end, 

and you know what that means...  

Jack opened the door to a two floor suite!  

The Lincoln Suite, no less....  

It seems Tom's personable demeanor scored us a free upgrade....  

this room is sweet!  

The kids jumped for joy....  

We jumped for joy because our bed was on a different floor....  

What a nice gift after "roughing it" this week....  

Amazingly, the day got better... 

We dropped our luggage 

and cabbed to see the Nats vs Cubs game....  

It's a great stadium and it was a beautiful night....  

The park was sprinkled with Cubs fans 

and we watched the Nats shell the Cubs in the beginning.... 

but it all turned around and the Cubs prevailed....

  

The kids ate until they passed out 

and we finally had to carry them back to the hotel...  

As we wandered out to the patio we could see the White House lit up behind some trees....

  

Amazing how a glass of wine and a hotel robe elevates feelings of serenity....  

Maybe this trucking thing ain't half bad.....

Suite Life with Jack and Kate...

Jack, a.ka. Mr. Champagne Taste and Caviar Dreams 

could get used to hotel suites and jet setting (trucking) across the country....  

Yeah, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...  

Too bad the budget is cheap beer instead of Cristal...   

So we woke today in our king bed, 

among the clouds of trillion thread count white sheets...  

The kids lounged in their beds, one floor below, watching cartoons... 

  

We dressed and brunched in the hotel restaurant... 

Jack ordered his own custom omelet and cruised the buffet...  

He likes this life of unlimited food and luxury...  

 

Shod in our comfiest shoes, 

we headed out for some motorcade stalking and museums.  

We were quickly rewarded as the VP's motorcade whizzed by...  

Tom got instant street cred with one of the White House guards 

when he flashed a brand new Heat Armor challenge coin.... 

They are like pins at the Olympics or Disney....

The security guys trade them, internationally, too...

 The White House was beautiful, even with a sniper on the roof....

We saw Michelle Obama's garden in the South Lawn and a beehive...

 I'm wondering what White House Clover Honey tastes like...

People say DC is humid and steamy and they aren't kidding...  

We sweated like June brides as we trudged to the Washington Monument, 

WWII War Memorial and Air and Space Museum... 

Talk about awesome planes, rockets and spaceships...  

You really need three full days, 

four with kids, to see all there is to discover...  

Kate could care less about Amelia Eahrhardt's red airplane, 

but I wanted to peruse all the fascinating artifacts... 

They were more interested in food and gift shops...  

It really is true that you can't expect your kids 

 to appreciate the culture and history you expose them to...  

You can only hope some sinks in...  

At the American History Museum, we saw amazing exhibits 

about the clothes worn by first ladies,

about the American presidents, 

American wars 

and best of all, a replica of Julia Child's kitchen...  

After reading the story and then the movie,

"Julia, Julia", I was so happy to see Julia's kitchen for myself....  

I couldn't remember where the actress placed the stick of butter

when she visited this exhibit in Julia, Julia, 

but I was a little transported....  

We must have walked miles in the heat 

and the kids held up well, although Tom might not agree...   

We needed more time here...  

I didn't get to see Dorothy's ruby slippers at the Smithonian....  

Tomorrow we head west....

truckin' on the road again.....

That's How I Roll.....

You know, when I gazed lovingly into Tom's eyes,

in front of a fountain, at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas

and said "I do..." little did I know what was in store for me...

A book could be written about the last 10 plus years, 

but suffice it to say that I had NO IDEA 

we would take a  joy ride to and from Washington D.C. 

in our 18 wheeler, with the kids....

I mean, I am Private Benjamin...

  

I don't camp, even with a pop-up camper at the KOA 

(lovingly named "Sh*#t In A Ditch" by a friend)...

It would follow that being within 50 yards of a semi-truck is not on the old bucket list.....

Nope.

  And then I married a man who not only bought a big rig,

but he became licensed to drive one...

Oh my mercy!

  It's not like chicks are hot for truckers like they are for firemen...

No offense to truckers, but from what I have seen

they are not usually candidates for calendars...

  Needless to say, although my husband elevates the hotness factor in the trucking industry,

I have no appetite for being his lot lizard....don't ask...

  So when he broached the subject for a family/business trip

to deliver a vehicle in Washington D.C.,

my first reaction was to declare that I refuse to sleep in a truck stop...

  My second reaction was that this will be one heckuva blog opportunity....

  Ohhhh Yeahhhh....

  So how does one prepare to drive 15 hours in a semi with two kids?

  It's pretty much the same as if you were heading to Yellowstone,

The Grand Canyon or the Ozarks...

  You pack the equivalent of three times their body weight in food.

  You load up on the DVD's and a few goodies in their backpacks

to surprise and thrill them between fights...

  I packed enough food for the Russian army...

  You gotta have the goods for part two of the trip

so I reserved half of the rations in a box for the trip home,

as well as half the movies and a surprise or two...

  The truck pulls a flatbed with the client's vehicle,

along with our car, so we can travel lighter once we get to DC.

  In there we placed the luggage, too.

  In the semi, there is a twin-sized mattress with some storage,

a little fridge and a small TV.

  Trucker/kid paradise....

  I prepared as well as I knew to on my maiden voyage...

  a

Anyone with a brain would have loaded up the truck the day before

and would have hit the hay, nice and early before the big trip.

  Nah....that would have been too easy...

Instead, we had primo seats to see U2 at Soldier Field.

  No doubt, it was an awesome show,

  but after the full hour it took to leave the parking lot,

coupled with Tom, in his beer-induced state,

fleeing the car to assume the mantle of Chicago Traffic Authority,

only to join us after we used words an eight year old should not hear,

we finally got home after midnight...

  So much for the early am departure...  

About two hours behind schedule,

the trucks were loaded onto the flatbed,

the cab was packed with kid food, bags, blankies, pillows

and other essentials and this convoy got under way.

  I decided to channel Daisy Duke on this first day for fun...

 

So Day 1 has ended and here is what I have learned:

  There is a whole lingo and ettiquette to become aware of...

  Other truckers are called "Driver", not "Good Buddy"....

  The latter is a derogatory term...

  "Hammer down/lane" is either the gas pedal or the fast lane....

  "Front Door" is the leader of the convoy...

  "Full Grown Bear" is the police with a civilian along the side of the road...

  and "Covered Wagon"  is a trailer with an arched tarp...

  Yeeee Hawww!

    I learned that you can avoid lunch at the drive thru

if you pack TONS of food.

  Those two kids snarfed more food than the Bulls do at Morton's after a game...

  Kids will find any reason to bicker,

even on an adventure

and they will crap up a space with cracker crumbs, wrappers, socks, toys

and Kleenexes before the truck leaves the parking lot.

  I learned that truck stops have cool stuff and gnarly bathrooms.

  I learned that my daughter will choose to foul the one bathroom stall

with the sign "Out of Order", out of the 20 stalls available....

  I learned that even if the roadsign says that there is an UNO Pizzeria at the rest area,

that does not in any way, shape or form mean

there is a nice Uno's restaurant that you know from home,

with waitresses and salads, in that rest area...

  The fact is that there are UNO's Pizzas, 

however, they exist in the form of dried out mini pizzas,

boxed under a heated light at "The Doggery" fast food joint...

  If you have ever enjoyed pizza from Uno's,

you will quickly realize that these wads of dough resemble cafeteria food at your kids' school.

  The other dining choice was Burger King...blech...

  I learned that road trips with kids are challenging at best,

whether in  a station wagon, SUV or semi,

but hitting the road can be cool, sitting way up high...

   The kids are sleeping and Leno is on...

The beer is cold in Breezewood, PA...

  Tomorrow we hit the road, bright and early...

This is not a bucket filling day,but it was memorable....