Operation Rescue the Minivan

So then . . .

Now that Stephen and the kiddos were home safe and sound it was time to figure out how to get our van off the mountain. We were running out of options as to who to help us out. This was only because we've had sooo many adventures previous to this one that we'd used up most of our "Phone a Friend" helplines. For example:

Our neighbor Mica pulled the minivan off of a boulder that Stephen high centered it on
Our neighbor Colby pulled the Geo out of our front lawn - don't ask
Our neighbor Travis helped us rescue a dirt bike that ran out of gas on the mountain
And our neighbor Rob has rescued us too - we just can't remember what happened on that one

So . . . we were down to Ricky - a friend in deed. So here it was 11:00pm and Ricky came to our rescue in his wife's Tacoma (thanks Jenelle). So off they went and at 12:45 am I got a call on my cell phone from Ricky. When I asked "So did you guys get the van out?" his response was "Well that's a matter of opinion really." And then his phone cut out. According to Stephen here is what happened:

"The Search and Rescue guy thought that there was no way we could get the van out with the Tacoma. We nearly got a stern talking to about killing sage brush in the environment so we had to stick to existing roads. Ricky had to pull me up off the hill the way I had come in. With mud flying everywhere, much spinning and slipping as he tried to pull me up over big rocks. As the van finally made it our there was much rejoicing. Until I got a flat tire . . . "

So at 1am Stephen arrived home and while they did get the van out, they couldn't get it down the mountain because the tire went flat -- and of course the spare was flat as well.

It turns out that someone had seen Stephen and the kids up on the mountain in the van. Apparently they then saw the van again -- stuck on the mountain -- and no sign of Stephen and the kids. So being the responsible, concerned citizens they were -- they called the Sheriff's Office. By the time Stephen and Ricky got up the mountain at midnight to pull the van out, the Sheriff and Search and Rescue were looking for Stephen and the kids. Stephen informed them that disaster had been averted and that the kids were safe at home.

So now that the search was called off and the van was out of the ruts, the next day we took the spare in and got it fixed and that's where I come into the story. The faithful wife. So we took the spare and drove the Buick up the mountain, put the spare on the van and drove it home. Okay so I didn't change the tire - I really come into the story the next day. So now it's the next day and Stephen is off for work. And lucky me - my part of this whole adventure was driving the van 7 miles down the road to the tire store with the donut on it. Then I got to pay $84 (not that anyone is counting) to get a new tire. And then I got to go to the car wash and spend 30 minutes pressure washing crusted on mud off it and vacuuming up crusted on mud off the carpet.

Speaking of which -- when my trusty friend Jenelle who lent us her truck to pull out the van got her truck back -- there was mud in the inside of her truck too. These crazy boys must have had the window down as they tried to pull out the van because Jenelle even had mud on her daughter's car seat. But in her case Ricky took her truck and got it washed for her. Wasn't that nice.

Our Mini Van Isn't 4 Wheel Drive ? ? ?

Our Mini Van Isn't 4 Wheel Drive ? ? ?

Who Knew? Apparently not Stephen. His latest brilliant idea was to take the kids up to the top of the mountain we live on. We live on Lake Mountain and at the top the elevation is 7,000 feet. So he set off with our adorable, always begging for an adventure with Dad, kiddos. Thankfully he thought enough ahead to put jackets on them and grab some packages of dry Top Ramen as they headed out the door at 3:30 pm.

It gets dark here by 7:00 pm and by 8:00 pm I was starting to wonder where my family had run off to when at 8:30 I got a call on my cell phone from a number I didn't recognize. I answered it to hear Stephen's voice asking, "We're down in Stillwater, (a neighborhood about 5 miles down the road from us) can you come pick us up?" I've been married to my ever adventurous Stephen for 11 years now and didn't even have to ask what happened. I probably would have had he been on his cell phone, but seeing as how he was calling from some random stranger's phone I figured the story could wait until I picked them up.

I hopped in my car and drove down the road to Stillwater. As I turned into the subdivision I kept going up and up the hill and as it began to curve around, there in the road in the glow of my headlights, I came upon Stephen, Riley and Jackson. The kids had huge smiles on their faces, were dirty, disheveled and cold. Jackson was walking in his socks.

As Stephen gave me that sly "I know I'm in trouble" grin, I laughed and turned to ask Riley what she thought of their adventure. And off she went: "Mom it was sooo much fun. We got the van stuck in the mud. And there were tons of bugs in the puddles and it was so awesome. And Dad left his wallet in there and by the time he realized it we didn't want to walk back to get it. And Jackson got a huge blister on his foot from his shoes. Do you have any water I'm really thirsty? All we had was 3 packages of Top Ramen . . . "

The kids LOVED their adventure with their Dad. They thought it was the greatest thing ever. The reality of the situation was that Stephen got our minivan stuck in the mud - which is no big deal as he's gotten us stuck many a time. But he walked down that mountain for 5 MILES with our kiddos - 5 MILES. It was cold and muddy and they had no water. Jackson got a huge blister and had to take his shoes off. Stephen carried him for a mile and then Jackson just walked along the rocky path in his socks. They walked for 4 hours -- 2 of it in the dark. Yet even so my kids had the best time and will probably remember the adventure forever. Their dad may be somewhat irresponsible -- but no one can ever say that he is not FUN !!!

Welcome to Our Blog

Okay so I am sooo new to this and have no idea how any of this works. Bare with me while I figure it out. We're excited to share our fun adventures with everyone and use this blog to keep in touch with everyone :)