Even though there was snow in Colorado, we kept going because we knew that up in the North we would find some warmth.
We arrived in Holdrege, NE on May 27th (last Monday). This was our stopping point between Denver and Omaha. In this small town there is the Nebraska Prairie Museum which houses one of the most extensive collections of 19th/20th century memorabilia I have ever seen. The history told of the town and the POW camp was a surprise to us. We knew about the Japanese POW camps during WWII, but we had no idea hundreds of thousands of German soldiers were sent to Middle-America to help with labor shortages. All the POWs were paid for their work, they integrated into the community and made lives in the good ole US of A. It is one of the places where ‘enemies became friends’. During the war, the Atlanta POW camp and satellite camps were a heavily guarded secret .... can you imagine what kind of chaos would result in the population finding out that we were employing German soldiers and basically letting them loose to run the camps freely with minimal supervision? Luckily most of the ‘imprisoned’ soldiers were against Hitler’s objectives. If you ever find yourself in this area, definitely stop by and explore this impressive display of historical artifacts! They were even nice enough to let us boondock in their parking lot. If you don't know, Boondocking is when we park #theglamper overnight or longer without being connected to any water, sewer or electric. Personally, I prefer the security of having a full hook up (FH) instead of running off our generator and tanks.
The next day, after a powerful wind and rain storm, we headed to Omaha. I got to have a much needed girls night and some quality estrogen time. I learned some more about essential oils and am going to start changing out our chemical cleaners and self care supplies. There is so much benefit to the oils and they work for everything from nose moisturizers to deodorants to bug spray and much more. As I come up with formulas that work for us, I'll share them. We also were able to visit the Omaha Zoo during our stay. Wow! This is the best zoo I have ever been to. The animals looked great overall, there was a train, a sky tram, and loads to see and do. Sam's Club let us park in their lot for 2 nights which was fantastic! We wrapped up this quick stop with some hugs and good vibes, despite that now we were out of water in our fresh water tank for the next leg of our trip....hence why I don't care much for Boondocking.
Adventureland Campground in Altoona, IA was our next stop - for those of you who like the dates, it is now May 30th. It's at an AMUSEMENT PARK people!!! I start giggling like a 16 year old school girl getting hit on. I LOVE ROLLER COASTERS!!!!!!!!! What an awesome surprise (I guess Ted booked this campground because I don't remember looking into such a place, lol)! I was delighted to think of the thrill I was going to get riding The Monster! Anyway, we checked in and hooked up no problem, there seemed to be a lot of flamingos in the camper yards. So, the next morning we go on this hike at the 'Ding' Darling Greenway which turned out to be a disaster. We walked too long, Azlan got tired scooting, we were losing patience and didn't have bug spray on. The three of us ended up being very nasty to each other as a result. I reached out online and got some great suggestions on how to improve our hikes with Azlan (thanks everyone!). We recovered from that little mess with some pool time and watching the ducks before Ted had a Boys Night Out. One of the people we are visiting in Iowa sets up a boys night out for Ted and his two buddies and they go out about dinner time. They start at The Steer and have steaks and drinks then off to the Des Lux Bar at a hotel in downtown Des Moines. Our friend had set up bottle service for the group and Ted plus only one other friend polished off the Bacardi. Meanwhile the bottle of Vodka didn't even have a dent...despite the multiple people hitting it... Ted still wins. The night evolves into debauchery, Gentlemen's Clubs are visited and the conclusion was after 3AM, the latest Ted has been up in a long time!!!
The next morning is kinda slow on his part .......buuuuuuut now we are in June! Yay! Better weather all around...even in the North. Annnnnnd it's PARTY DAY! Yay! Nothing like visiting with friends to cheer you up. We played tag, talked a lot, shared stories, told jokes, ate, drank and were pretty darn merry if you ask me! I love visiting with old friends and meeting new ones. We had such a great vibe with this crew (insert heart emojis here). Best part was we had one friend stay with us for a few nights. It was just like old times but with a little less stamina on all our parts, ha! We wrapped up the weekend with a good nap and some quiet time on Sunday night. Here it is - Monday - Adventureland Day for me!!! I mean us!!! If I said that 'Ted isn't keen on roller coasters, it would be an understatement. We thought Azlan was 42" but according to that dreaded sign at the entrance to your thrill ride, he's 41" grrrrrrrr! We took him on the one that spins really fast round and round so that the person on the outside always gets squished and you feel like you want to throw up a bit. He loved it, I wanted to toss my cookies and Ted was livid! Ted was great though, he watched Azlan so I could at least get one crazy ride in. The Monster Roller Coaster was the bomb! Way better rush than the swing chair thing I did in Colorado. Thanks Papi! At this point our day shifts a bit and we have to get the Glamper to the shop ASAP. Our windshield had a really big crack in it and Progressive was able to get a new one delivered in time for us to get it done before leaving on the 4th of June. Ted went to deal with that while Azlan and I enjoyed a few hours playing in the park. There is also a water park as part of the Adventureland package. Now, even though I am still making attempts to be healthy on this trip...I am also partying almost weekly, sometimes (ok, fine, most times) its really hard to say no to one more drink or one more serving of delicious yummies. Since I say yes most of the time - to all the things - there are consequences...like my bikini becoming very very snug along with most of my wardrobe. On some days I am harder on myself than others. Now Azlan and I walk through the store to get to the water park and they have a swim suit sale. $24 for a one piece isn't bad so I look around. I try a few on and I must have made some sort of derogatory comment about my body or how I felt about it at that moment and Azlan must have heard it. I try really hard not to put myself down any more but there are times that the little voice creeps in and you have that negative thought that pops into your head and starts to fester. Finally I pick one and we go get dressed for some water play. Well, Azlan had fun but it turned out to be a little too cold for me to play in the water with him. Ted joined us after dropping off the Glamper to get that windshield installed, and he played with Azlan in the water on my behalf. The windshield got finished on time and later that evening we linked up with an old friend and went for dinner at the Alohana Hawaiian Grill. This place was legit! Food was delicious and really authentic to what is offered in Hawaii. It made us a bit nostalgic of the days we lived up on Pupukea on the North Shore of Oahu. A little part of our hearts will always live there. After dinner our friend helped Ted get the Jeep strapped up on the trailer while Azlan and I hung out. This part sucks. Somehow he came up with this..."You know mom, you are getting fat." Dude, this was funny but not - all at the same time - so I laughed/sobbed sort of - it was a weird noise. Then he replies"You know, you're kind of fluffy?.". Ok, this is where it sucks because that hit me like a ton of bricks. It's true. He said it in truth, as an observation, an innocently true one...without malice. However, that is NOT how I took it at that moment. In that moment, I cried, I hurt, I hugged him, I was deeply sad. That little negative festering voice from earlier....well it was in full-on destruction mode. I beat myself up hard and felt all the emotions that are tied to these disastrous thoughts. I was a hot mess for the rest of the night and the whole next day until we arrived in Echo, MN. Fortunately, all that therapy I did last year, all the meditation, all the accountability group help, all the support from Ted who has to deal with all this first hand, all the support from friends and family, all the motivational books - All those things and more - those things are what help me recover from things like my son telling me I'm fat to my face. All those things help me separate the thoughts from the emotions, separate the reality from the perceived truth we create in our minds, they help me rise up and keep going - I fight harder. I become stronger. Watch out, I'm going to do some amazing things in the next few years! I would like to close with a feel good 80's movie quote, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure “Be excellent to each other and party on dudes!”
Stay Tuned for Next Week's Week-Cap!
Love,
Daisa, Ted and Azlan