May Road Trip - part 1

We have a relatively quiet summer planned. We have a house to begin building at some point this summer, and we are also recovering from the Recession. The Recession alone stopped me from doing some of my road trip plans of last summer and then again this spring.

My oldest son, Colt, has been living about ten hours from our home in another town. We have not seen him since Christmas. That has been a long time! His 19th birthday was also approaching and there was no way that I was going to let that go by without his family there to celebrate!

Also, Colt's girlfriend, Tyler, lives in a town near to where he is staying, and I had not yet met her.

Colt is intending to come home in July to spend the summer. He has plans to go to a technical school to become an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer this fall. Tyler is going to Cadet camp again this summer, and then her future is uncertain, as she makes plans for her college options. I knew my only opportunity to meet her would have to be this May before they parted ways.

I headed out on this road trip on Cash Fumes. I know you have heard of Gas Fumes, but this is different. Same idea, different issue. We packed a lot of bread, jam, sandwich meat, cheese slices, cans of beans and tomato sauce, and fresh fruit. My intent was to not eat out except where I really needed to. Of course, we had to stop at Tim Hortons and buy some Timbits and "a large decaf mocha, heavy on the hot chocolate, don't forget the whipped topping," for the road!

Our first stop was to have lunch at a playground. This is one of the few (if not only) pictures you will see of me on this trip. This is at the beginning of my 10 hour journey that turned into 12 hours.

After we left the playground we were driving down the freeway when I saw all these motorbikes lined up in this guy's yard. I was going to check it out on my way back, but then decided to turn around and go back. I am glad I did, cause I know I would have been too tired on my return trip. We stopped to look and the guy showed us a dirtbike that would suit Austin just fine. It was already sold, so I told him if he got another one in like it, to please give me a call.

The Girls Were Surprised to See Goats on the Road!

We spent the night in that town and found ourselves a nice little motel. Previous to the girls coming home I am used to travelling with only four or five boys and I can squeeze into a nicer hotel in one room. When I travel with Ray (rarely) we have to use two rooms and it is very expensive.

This was the first of what will probably be many roadtrips with six children and me. That means we will not fit into one nicer hotel room. So that leaves us with a nicer motel room. I refuse to pay for two rooms when I travel with a pack of small people! When the boys and I did more local roadtrips we have often 'camped out' in motel rooms, because it was so much cheaper.

So camping out was the way to go: We found a husband/wife owned motel that was very clean with a kitchenette. They were willing for us to camp out with sleeping bags on the floor. The price was also very reasonable. I will certainly recommend them to anyone going in that direction: Travellers Lodge, Cranbrook.


We ordered in pizza and had a quick bite, before the little ones hit the bed and the big ones began to read. Then the big ones and I hooked up the computer and found the new movie How To Train Your Dragon free online. Cheap entertainment!


First Stop Next Day: Walmart. We have no Walmart in our town and I love being able to find what I want! In this case - beads for the girls hair, plus organizers to put them in. And Cassidy took his wad of cash shopping. Our children begin earning wages from their dad as soon as they are able to clean up the job site. They don't begin putting away money in their House Funds, until they are about eleven. Until then, they spend 90% and tithe 10%.

When they hit thirteen they are expected to begin buying their own clothes. Cassidy has been fortunate in that he was blessed with clothes being given to him by a couple of friends of ours! Colt and Dane were never so well-off! lol Cassidy rode it easy until just recently when he decided that he really wanted some cozy sweater/sweatshirt type shirts. So he packed up his cash and headed to Walmart, where he commenced to try on and price check his items, until he came up with the best deal.

The thing I appreciate about this is seeing how different children are. You really see their personalities emerge. Colt wanted clothes, and so he bought them, beginning at thirteen. Dane preferred to live in a couple sets of clothes until just this last year, when at age 16, he finally went shopping. Before that he managed with t-shirts from cadets, gifts, and hand me downs from his brother. Last fall, before he took his trip to Guatemala, he decided it was finally time to spend some hard cold cash.

After Cassidy's weekend with cash and coin burning a hole in his pocket, he realized how quickly money goes! He enjoyed the feeling of blowing it on candy, clothes, a baseball hat, but when he came home he was quick to tell me he would not be spending again for a while, because he is saving for a dirtbike.

Cassidy in His New Duds

Do you know, when I brought the hair beads home I had boys begging me to allow them to be the ones to sort out the 4,000 multi-coloured beads into the organizer! Must have been relaxing. (smile)

The children also made birthday cards for Colt, since it was to be his 19th birthday the following day. Before we headed to our son's town, we stopped to visit a friend who had adopted Raine's best friend. He doesn't know he is Raine's best friend (smile), because he is so much older than her (about 12), but she considers him that.

Once we left there, I headed to Colt. The kids were so excited to see him.


They had a ball playing football and tackle and soccer in the yard of where he lives.


After we had been there for a while, it was time for Colt to go meet his girlfriend, Tyler, and bring her back to his place to meet us. I know it must have been very intimidating to have to walk up to our crowd! When I met her she was everything I had envisioned: quiet and sweet, and very kind to the children. I know in time she will become more comfortable around us and begin chatting and I really look forward to getting to know her more.


We had a makeshift Save-On Foods style dinner (cheap! lol) and then headed out to the park for some late evening fun.



Later on, when I drove her home, I had the pleasant opportunity of meeting Tyler's mum and her sister, Rebecca, before we headed home for the evening. It was a relatively quiet day, but my plans for the next day were more in style with a real road trip. This time I would be taking along Colt and Tyler. Thank goodness I have this wonderful 15 passenger van!

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Kids Learning to Ride Bikes at OneTrueMedia.com

The children learned to ride the dirt bikes really quickly. Cooper loved it so much that he wouldn't get off even when it began to pour down rain!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Bikers

When we talked about buying dirt bikes for the boys it was in a huge part because they are going to be building our home this summer. Each time we have built a house it has been a whole family affair. This time will be no different. In addition to our boys that are living with us, Colt will be coming home and will be spending his summer building our home. We are very fortunate to have such helpful sons!

So we wanted to thank them for the help they will be giving us by getting bikes that they can have fun with. We are still hoping to get a bike that the big guys and Ray can share, and YES, I do want a bike! *smile*

I love my van - I can fit all my children in it and still have room for three dirt bikes!

Look at that concentration on Savannah's face! When we bought the Yamaha it was for Briton. We knew that at sometime the girls would learn to ride the dirt bikes, but we figured the boys would learn and then the girls would learn. As it turned out, Savannah was ready before Briton. He is not quite ready for this bike, but Savannah proved herself capable, so it looks like she will be riding it first. When Briton saw Savannah riding he said, "Good job, Vannah!"

The Boy Bikers

Briton and 'His' New Bike

Cassidy Unloading His New Bike

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Dirt Bikes and Boys or Maybe Girls?

When Ray and I made the decision to buy land it was with the upfront agreement that we would buy toys for the land. We had lived in the country for the last eleven years and our older boys had not benefited it when it came to dirt bikes, snowmobiles or playing on ATVs.

To me, that was a huge part of us moving back to the country. So we made a deal. We hit the jackpot at Christmas time when we scooped two near new snowmobiles for a rock bottom price. Sadly, we did not have any snow to speak of this year, so snowmobiling was out, while skiing up in the mountains was in. Hopefully next year, when we are on our land, we will have snow!

When I drove to visit our son a while ago, I came across these dirtbikes. I called Ray and asked him if I could buy one or two while I was passing through. We had heard and seen for ourselves that second hand bikes didn't come available that readily. So I didn't want to miss a deal.

At the time, Ray didn't want to do anything about it. He was too busy to investigate bikes and so I came home. About a week later, I asked Ray again about it and began doing my own research. Well, I tell you, I can't believe what I know about dirt bikes now! lol

Ray and I settled on what kind of bikes to get and I began to search the net for them. I found four in the same town, including two at the original guy's house. I headed out there one day with my wonderful van and six children. He was a very nice man who offered to teach the children how to ride the bikes, since we had no clue what we were doing.

After he ran all over the field with Austin and then Cooper, I compassionately told him that he really didn't need to teach the younger ones.

"No," he kindly insisted, "I'll teach them."

Okay... (grin)

Savannah was okay. She was actually able to understand how to use the gas and managed to keep it upright by herself. Briton, on the other hand, was seriously, not ready. As the man is telling Briton all about 'centrifical' something or other, Briton is grinning like a Cheshire cat and telling the man something about the nice steering wheel... lol

I quietly explained that Briton had no clue what he was being told, so if we just told him: Gas On, Gas Off, and Brake - that should be good. So off he took him.

Briton Grinning So Big - I'm a Big Boy Now!

That poor man!

As he came flying by me with his hands on the handlebar, I could hear him saying, "GAS OFF! GAS OFF! GAS OFF!" roflol

Riding Like a Speedster

(look at our kind instructor trying desperately to hang onto the bike!)

And he never complained once. He did tell me that Briton was probably 18 months away from riding a CRF 50 Honda, and Savannah 6 months. lol

Austin and Cooper did fabulous! We ended up buying Briton and Savannah a PW 50 Yamaha. This little bike is much easier. They simply have to Gas Off and put their feet down. The bike will slow down. No brakes necessary (at first). Later on, we can teach them how to use the brakes and how to keep their feet up while slowing down.
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It's About Time

you met my son's girlfriend, Tyler. She is a very sweet girl who holds a special place in Colt's heart.


Eight years ago, when Colt was eleven years old, he made a decision not to date, until he was certain he had met the right girl. Actually, he didn't actually call it dating. It would be a courtship when he met the right one. Courtship with the intent on it being the girl he would one day marry.

This was based on a philosophy that he had been raised with: don't waste your time, money, but most importantly, your heart, chasing girls. Keep your heart for the girl that you believe you will spend the rest of your life with. Make friends and get to know people - both guys and girls. Spend time with friends and get to know them. Have fun. Know what you want in a future partner. But don't throw away your heart and your purity over frivolous relationships.

Another important part of this was guarding the hearts of the girls that he knew. He and his brothers were raised with the understanding that they treat girls like young ladies and respect them, knowing that one day these girls would be somebody else's wife.

We taught Colt that there were things that needed to be done before he would be ready to think about supporting a wife. One of these things was he needed to get his life together, and so over the last eight years, my husband taught him a trade, and Colt established for himself a wonderful reputation with everyone he has worked with, and through hard work he has built a bank account and paid for a car.

Over the years, when girls came along and showed an interest in Colt, I would ask him if he was still certain that he was committed to waiting and courtship. He always said he was. And then one day he met Tyler.

Their friendship began through the Cadet Corp Camp, which takes place every summer in a town far from either of our homes. After a couple encounters at camp, phone numbers were exchanged, and there began a long-distance telephone and texting friendship. Over the months that passed, these hundreds of hours of simply talking sparked a sweet romance that began last spring. They discussed everything important to each of their futures: hopes and dreams, what they wanted from life, how they were raised, careers, goals, what they believed in, and so many more important things.

The wonderful thing about this is how much was talked about with no compromise and nothing else getting in the way. It wasn't until six months later that they came face to face for the first time, since camp. By now, they knew so much about each other. What an uncomplicated way to begin a relationship.

Over the course of the next nine months, with Colt living in a town nearby, they spent time getting to know each other further. Their time together was shared by Tyler's best friend and her boyfriend, who became a very good friend of Colt's. Colt and Tyler continued to be committed to purity and a Godly relationship.

Colt talked to me about how he felt that Tyler was The One. As time went by, he felt this more and more. One day, he told me that he wanted to give her a Promise Ring. This may be a trendy thing to do, but in our family this holds great significance. This is Colt's pledge to remain pure and keep his heart for Tyler. After he had my blessing, Colt had a visit with Tyler's dad, and asked his permission to give Tyler the ring. Her father thought they were young, but knew it was not an engagement ring; it was a ring showing commitment, and thereby agreed to the ring.

One year (and one day) after they met, on March 23rd, Colt gave Tyler a promise ring. They both have plans for the next couple years with regard to their educations, and so they don't really know what the future holds, but they do know that they are committed to each other.

People will say they are young, and honestly, I really believed that myself in the beginning. I have since come to realize that who am I to say they are too young? I am going to believe the best for them. I have a number of fine examples of young love that has remained true for 30 + years! These marriages all began when they were seventeen - nineteen years of age. Each of them is still very much in love and have produced wonderful families.

I have met Tyler and think she is a wonderful young lady. She has many interests and some of these include children, travel, art, and she is also a very skilled soccer goalie. She is hoping to go to college and get her Early Childhood Education diploma in the near future. Having spent time chatting with Tyler, I can see how much she loves Colt, and that she is supportive of him joining the military.

I am very proud of Colt, and believe he is a fine example of a man of faith, integrity, hard work, loyalty and responsibility. He really loves Tyler, and therefore, I pray for only the best for her and Colt in their future.
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