Simpson Family Reunion (& the library CD saga) - July 8-11, 2009

Tuesday July 7 - pack everything we can think of and make a huge pile of stuff in the middle of the livingroom. Make 2 batches of cookies and try to plan travel food.

Wednesday July 8 - get off work, throw everything from the livingroom into the back of The Outlaw, learn how to strap the bike rack (borrowed from the gear closet at backcountry.com) onto the back, stop at the library for a book on CD and get on the road. Arrive in Eagle somewhere around 11. Visit a bit with my folks, get some sleep.

Thursday July 9 - wake up and shower. Enjoy Dad's omlettes, cantelope & grapefruit for breakfast. Help pack the motorhome full of water toys and bikes and food. Drive to visit my old job and friends at the Center for Wound Healing. Stop for lunch at Panda Express. Stop for last minute items at Craft Warehouse and Kings. Repack The Outlaw, and the bike rack. Drive to SISCRA and attempt to unload The Outlaw: (Helpers - Aspen, Hallie, Zoe, Carter, Bree, Emma, Stella & McKayla)

Set up our tent. Tent was also borrowed from the gear closet at backcountry.com - glad it was still daylight because it would have been really tricky to set up in the dark! Take some of the kids down to the lake to throw rocks and pick flowers. Yummy dinner & visiting & campfire & snuggle under the feather bed to sleep.

Friday July 10 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
My birthday crown and wand - hand made by Carter (Stella in the background by the motorhome).

I helped set up for tie-dye t-shirts and James helped with the highway clean-up in the morning. Then it was time for lunch and time for the Simpson Family Cribbage Tournament - I was eliminated by Stacey L. and James was eliminated by Jessica L. I don't feel too bad, since Stacey won the tournament!

Kurt! Turns 29 on the 22nd! Thanks for the digital camera, I took about a gazillion pictures, all on Friday and a few on Saturday and none on Sunday. Oops.

Playing in Cascade Reservoir in the afternoon until dinner time - Bree was our little shadow for the first part of the weekend. As soon as we arrived in Eagle, I could count on her following wherever I went. We had a wonderful fun time!

Opa, Carter & Stella in the tahiti.

Emma L, Maria & Zoe and Aspen in the tube behind Jed's boat.

Nathan, James & Emma D.

Emma and Kristen

Carter & Stella playing in the sand

Stella, Carter & James washing sand off their feet on the way to The Outlaw.

Carter & Stella on our way back to camp - I could not get Carter to smile any bigger than this!

McKayla (turns 7 on the 19th) & the play purse I made her for her birthday. She made me a star garland with a special happy birthday message!

James and Nacho - playing fetch with the dirty hedgehog toy. I didn't think chiuaua's played fetch, but James and Nacho had a system down.

Tucker, McKayla and Kurt didn't feel good today. But it was still a good birthday - Costa Vida style burritos for dinner, costco cake for dessert and more presents! A purse from Mom & Kim - very cute! But by bed time, James didn't feel good.

Saturday July 11 - Midnight: James definitely caught whatever bug that McKayla, Tucker and Kurt had yesterday. 1 am: Awake again, poor James! 2 am: James is really not feeling well and is not keeping any fluids down. 3 am: starting to get muscle cramps too - definite sign of dehydration. Wake up Kurt & Dad for a blessing and then drive up to McCall's hospital. 4 am: check into the ER for IV fluids and anti-nausea. 5 am: James is finally sleeping, I don't feel good. 8 am: After 3 liters of IV fluid, check out of the ER and drive to the airport to watch planes for an hour - until the pharmacy opens. 9 am: Fill anti-nausea prescription and drive back to camp. 10 am: Mom doesn't feel good, Dad doesn't feel good. Eat a little breakfast, take a long nap. Afternoon-ish: Awake enough to play some cribbage and take a shower and clean puke off of the passenger-side car mat. Eat a little dinner with the family, (Jed doesn't feel good) skip dessert, go back to bed before dark.

Sunday July 12 - Wake up to a loud thunderstorm, including rain & lightning. McKayla, Kurt, Tucker, James & Jessi feeling much better, Emma doesn't feel good. Pack up camp, help pick up trash and round up bicycles. Drive back to Eagle. Unpack The Outlaw. Do some laundry. Set out the tent to dry. Dismantle and de-spider the grill. Repack The Outlaw, including the grill. Take showers. Visit and give hugs and get on the road. Stop for fuel. Return to Eagle for the tent and laundry. Finally get back on the road. Part-way through the book on CD and about half-way back to Utah, the CD player breaks. Will not give back the library's CD. Finally, back to North Salt Lake & unloaded the car into a big pile in the living room (except for the grill which is on the back porch) and fall into bed before 1 am because we both have to work in the morning.

Thursday July 23 - James has been to RC Willey, where he bought the CD/radio deck for The Outlaw. They no longer sell car stereo items and will not help James try to retreive the CD. So he goes to Best Buy. They attempt to remove the CD with a pair of needle nose pliers. No luck. Today, James went to Car Concepts, thinking that as a specialty store, they'll be able to retreive the CD no problem. They've got some time, so they help. And they ask, "Which is more imporant, your library CD or your ability to listen to the radio?" James said, "The CD." So they explained that the CD deck's circuit had been sautered into place instead of screwed into place, so when removing the CD, they essentially had to break it apart (not the CD, the player). So we got the CD back, it still plays, but The Outlaw no longer has CD or radio. At least they did the demolition for free.

We're now doing some research to replace it - maybe for James' birthday in December.... Think he can live without radio in his car until then?