“Road Trip!”

Wonder what it is like to travel with 8 kids in tow?

This past December, we were invited to visit Arkansas by Momma Karen’s wonderful Uncle Jim and Aunt Genise. As an added bonus, we would get to spend time with Aunt Marcy and Uncle Jimbo. We love these four wise and caring family members….they have invested in our Georgia family for many years with their love, prayers and time. I had the privilege of meeting Aunt Genise in June of 2009 and Uncle Jim about a month later in July. They were so genuine, kind and accepting. So, when the invitation came to go to Arkansas I didn’t hesitate to say “Yes!” As the date of departure came closer I became nervous but I was instantly put at ease with their friendly loving mannerisms.

We had a whirlwind of a week! First, I got to meet Aunt Marcy and Uncle Jimbo! What a great time for me and a happy reunion for our Georgia natives! Jim, Genise, Marcy and Jimbo treated us to fun galore: ice skating, swimming, great food and fellowship! Highlights for the kids were backrubs from Aunt Genise, magic tricks with Uncle Jim, hugs and surprises from Aunt Marcy and Uncle Jimbo, food and horses at the famous Dixie Stampede and a day long adventure at Silver Dollar City! That only covers a portion of what we fit in that week! Let’s just say we felt like we were on a dream vacation with people we love very much! It wasn’t perfect, though, because Dad had to stay home and work. Thank you, Darren, for working so hard for us so we can make these kind of wonderful memories!

Now for the logistics of travel: Our 8 children are pros at travel. They are savvy packers! They understand that if they pack “it” they have to carry “it”; so they are thoughtful and wise in their decisions. Thanks to Momma Karen’s organizational skills along with Hannah’s tweaking they each have a list of what they pack so they (hopefully) will bring all essentials to vacation and home from vacation.

The travel to Arkansas? Smooth as butter. The travel home? Not so much! Read on….

Darren thoughtfully booked us a hotel near the airport for the night before our 5:50 a.m. flight. The kids were super at getting ready…..but after 3 spills in the breakfast area of our hotel I was starting to get nervous. Was this how our day was going to go? Unfortunately, my concerns were well founded! We were still trudging through security when they boarded and closed our flight. We arrived at the gate seconds too late! Now for the punch line….that was the only available flight for “Isherwood Party of 9” to even remotely make it home in time for Grandma and Grandpa Hussey to arrive from Maine within the following 2 days. I was aggravated and stressed. It was clear: we were not going to leave Arkansas by plane that day! So, I called “Road Trip!” 8 dejected travelers sat on a bench waiting for Mom to do something miraculous. After visiting several rental car booths, I finally found a deal. We packed ourselves into this new SUV type of vehicle like the clown car at the circus! Even with our light packing we had bags piled under our feet and up to the ceiling! We hit the road for Memphis, Tennessee hoping to catch a flight from there to Atlanta. The kids were hesitantly agreeable….after all, they wanted to get home too and spending another day at the airport didn’t sound like much fun.

We started out singing, joking and enjoying sites we hadn’t seen before. We stopped for lunch at a McDonald’s and hit the road again. We were all feeling a bit smug, I think, about our progress when “IT” happened. About an hour outside of Memphis, Zachary lost his lunch all over Matthew’s new stuffed animal …..well, actually all over Matthew! His aim included Annie’s favorite bear and Matthew’s lap and coat…in fact, any where except for the “barf bag” we brought along! As, I made my way across four lanes of traffic to the edge of the highway, the alarm was spreading. By the time I was able to get stopped and get to the back of the vehicle this was the scene: Zachary actively vomiting, Matthew crying for his clothes, his brother and his new Webkinz, Annie crying for her brother and her bear, Eli crying for Annie because she is sad about her bear, Hannah screaming at Zachary to stop getting sick and for heaven’s sake hit the barf bag, Noah sitting in stunned silence, JD planning for the future (“Mom, I think we are like miles from nowhere!” and Rachel. Oh, sweet Rachel, she is gazing on this scene with big eyes and when I get to her brother she looks at me and just starts to cry. At this point, I totally lose it and scream, “Rachel, what are you crying for?!?!?!?!” To which she replies, “I’m sad for you, Mom!” On a scale of 1 to 10 of Mothering, I scored about negative 5. But praise God for perspective so this is where I say, “Thank you, Rachel”.

With nothing….and I mean NOTHING….to clean up this vomit; we spent another 30 or so very quiet and very smelly minutes travelling to the nearest freeway exit. Right off the exit was a Kroger…we gratefully disembarked while I went in to forage for water, wet wipes, paper towels, cleaner, etc. As I was headed into the store I heard a strange noise. I turned just in time to see Rachel vomiting down the outside of the vehicle! Oh man….this was really not the way it was supposed to go! About and hour later after all occupants and the vehicle were cleaned and settled I shifted the car into drive and started to leave the parking lot. I drove about ten feet when—you guessed it—the vomiting came again! Thankfully, it was contained this time.

We arrived in Memphis disheveled, exhausted and praying to catch a flight home. Rachel slept through dinner, Zach revived and was ravenous. Our dinnertime conversation revolved around various ways to clean a stuffed animal without ruining the integrity of the “fluffy feeling”. We waited anxiously at the airport gate and cheered when they called our names to board! We were headed home!

Our day started at 4 a.m. and we made it home a little past midnight. We had 20 hours of drink spills, vomit, laughter, tears, exploding snack bags, frustration, grace and forgiveness but mostly, lots and lots of LOVE! We made some crazy memories…some good and some not so good. However, this is my disclaimer: I am so thankful to be Mom to JD, Hannah, Matthew, Noah, Rachel, Eli, Zachary and Annie Grace. Thankfully, not every child got sick. Instead, what every child did do throughout our long crazy day was, at some point, encourage someone, help someone, have compassion on someone. From cracking a joke to lighten the moment to carrying a bag for someone else to shedding tears of sadness for someone else’s misfortune to praising someone for something done well….these children are a team and I am so grateful to be part of it! I am hoping, however, that our next trip will be exciting in a “vomit-free-make-the-flight” kind of way! J