A Frump-Style Family Vacation (and Funnies)

Hi Everyone!

Well, we're back and I'm ready to roll with Frumpmama's Vacation Slideshow. Woo hoo! Aren't you excited?

What? You mean you aren't? **hangs head in embarrassment**

Oh. Well, I'll do my best NOT to make this presentation like Uncle Harv and Aunt Gertie's European vacation slideshow of yesteryear...in fact, I think you might just enjoy it.

Because let me tell you...we have had some WACKY adventures.

Oh, but before we get into all that, I must record the following Frump Family Funnies for posterity:

This morning we had to take Jericho in for his Middle School sports physical.

He was NOT a happy camper.

My son is not like most children in that he LOVES going to the dentist but loathes going to the doctor.

He gets this from his dad. Neither are fond of one particular aspect of routine physicals for guys.

This was the photo I took on my phone. Please forgive the photo-of-a-photo...I don't have things all hooked up to send photos to my computer, because, frankly, I'm just not that techno savvy.



Clearly, he was dreading this visit, and that I kind of sprung it on him at the last minute didn't sit well either.

"What's wrong?" I asked, knowing exactly what was going through his mind.

"I'm not looking forward to getting frisked, mom" he hissed. "I feel so...VIOLATED."

To which I wanted to add, "Honey...just be thankful you aren't a girl!

Anyway, the visit was over-and-done in no time, Jericho's dignity relatively intact.

I was just relieved that he didn't pull the same stunt as he did at the last routine physical.

That time, as I always expect him to do, the visit was over and I wanted him to thank the Doctor for his time.

He did so with a very weak "Thanks", but added in true Jim Carrey-esque, indignant fashion, "For NOTHING!"

I was SO mortified. Wasn't sure I could ever face the doctor again.

Thankfully it appeared the good doctor had forgotten all about that little episode.

:: :: :: ::

While driving around town today, I had an old Messianic Jewish song stuck in my brain.

"When the Spirit of the Lord moves upon my heart, I will dance like David danced..."

I can't remember the name of said song, but there is a catchy little chorus that goes, "I will daa-a-aaaaance, I will daa-a-aaance, I will dance like David danced..."

I seem to remember singing that song in some church production somewhere along the line, dressed up in Bible costumes and over-entusiastically vigorously shaking a tambourine.

So I'm belting this song out as we're headed out on our just-home-from-vacation errands and Judah finally pipes in. "Who's David?"

I explained about King David in the Bible, but I'm pretty sure it muddies the waters of his understanding that he has a cousin on each side with that same name, and was probably puzzling over why I would be singing such a song about either of them, lol.

:: :: :: ::

SOOOoooo, we began our Frump-Style vacation with a two-day drive to Washington State.

It's a long trek, but we usually stop off to visit Jeff's nephew's family at the halfway point and stay the night there before heading out early the next morning. Judah had a blast playing with his cousin's daughters, two of which are older and one younger than himself.

For the most part, those long hours in the car go by pretty quickly, especially with all the humorous banter that seems to come about in our good-natured anticipation of our arrival.

Everyone except Judah, that is.

He did pretty well for a kid his age, but every time we stopped for food or fuel, off would come the harness straps of his carseat, the truck door would burst open and Judah would do this



Every. Single. Time. For like 15 minutes straight.

Run, Forrest...Run!

This next photo is a traditional shot taken on all our trips up the coast, which came about only because it happens that we nearly always stop off in the rinky dink big bustling metropolis of Yreka for gas on our trips to Washington.

We've got pictures at this locale in snow, rain and sunshine and at various stages in the kids lives.



This was a gorgeous archway of brilliant red trumpet vine (or tube roses, I can't remember which) outside a darling little restaurant in Yreka.




I have serious trumpet-vine envy. Mine lone plant didn't survive past the first hot-spell of the summer. In fact, it never even made it into the ground where it might have had a fighting chance. Died on the vine. *ahem* Perhaps I should water every day during extreme summer temperatures.

Sadly, those were all the pictures that turned out of the actual drive there. I was remiss in not taking more.

Especially of the roadsigns of deer, fish and bear that we spotted along the way.

As we always did with big brother when he was little (in an effort to make the time pass more quickly), we told him that for every deer he spotted, he'd get a buck. (Aren't we clever?)

We also did this with fish, hoping that he'd spot the big giant salmon outside of some sportsman's club.

Bears were so rare we opted to give him $5 apiece, pretty certain he'd never spot one. In all our trips up and back, we've never once seen a bear.

Little sharp-eyes spotted several deer, some real in meadows along the roadside, and some on signs. Then he spotted a sign with a fish on it. Then, as we went through the Siskyous pass, there was a sign with a mother bear and her cub. "BEARS!" he said gleefully.

When all was said and done, we were out about $20 for spending money on the way there.

Nevertheless, the kids were getting antsy. By the time we rolled into FrumpGram's place they were ready to rush full bore into all things 'Washington'.

Boating on the Puget Sound with Grandpa R was just one of the highlights...even if they were feeling a bit travel-weary setting out.





The smell of the salty air and beautiful views like this one seemed to chirk them up a bit.
That's the Seattle Skyline in the background, and the cold blue waters of the Puget Sound.



They began to sit up and take notice.



Grandpa R even offered to let Jericho steer drive. Little brother was crazy jealous.

Jericho was living the dream.



And things went along swimmingly until he accidentally kneed a lever and opened the boat up to full-speed, nearly toppling Grandpa R (who was checking a fishing line) from the boat.

"Doh!"

During this ordeal, poor little Judah had been hanging on for dear life...but didn't seem to mind one bit.



However, even a rambunctious kid like Judah can only take so much travel in one day, be it by truck or by boat, and finally succumbed to the lulling motion of the boat rocking upon the waves.





And that was the end of our 1st day in Washington.