Just thought I would document things a bit, since this is the best current form of my Journal, and It took me going back through pictures to get this straight I figured I would now document this. The first post will be the longest it is something I wrote after I got back to Arizona after going to Idaho by my self with three kids. (Esther I just don't know how you do it) I don't have very many pictures, because I was still using 35mm back then. After further research, I am going to have to dig up some pictures and scan them later on. down my well paved road to hell!
Andrew’s Summer Vacation
2001
On the road to Idaho and having a fun time, our first fun stop was Hoover Dam. Wow it was fun hanging over the edge looking down at the fish. My Mom kept trying to keep me down off the wall, but I couldn’t see the fish that way. So we got a security guard Hoover Dam Police to help show us around.
Latter that night, as we got close to Toquerville we got very antsy and excited to get to Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Fish’s house. My mother told us to settle down and not be so hyper. Grandma and Grandpa are old, it is at the end of the day they would be tired and we need to calm down. As we got out of the car at Grandma’s house I leaned over to Ben and said Remember Ben remain calm My mom just started laughing and I don’t know why. I had lots of fun while in Toquerville, We spent lots of time down at the crick, building dams we learned hot to play Monopoly jr., and Othello.
Grandpa’s V.C.R. in his bedroom wouldn’t play any tapes so I kept trying to fix it. Grandpa would get mad I don’t know why I was just trying to help. (The T.V. in Grandpa’s room is an old computer monitor so he needs the V.C.R. To change the channel. And even though the VCR wouldn’t play tapes, It would still change channels.)
A couple of days later we hit the road and headed up to Juniper Idaho. We stopped in Nephi for lunch we couldn’t find a place to eat that had a play ground, so my mom said we could play Frisbee when we were done eating. So when she went to order the food I went and got the Frisbee and started playing on a piece of grass near the drive through. I threw the Frisbee too far and it went over into a ditch. There wasn’t much water but there were a lot of very tall weeds and thistles. I could hear my mom calling for me but I really needed to get the Frisbee and the weeds were so tall I didn’t want to have to walk all the way back out of the weeds and then back into them again to get the Frisbee so I just kept doing what I was doing. I don’t know why my mom was so mad and scared when I came back with the Frisbee. She didn’t have to get it and the Frisbee wasn’t lost!.
It was sure nice to finely get to Grandma and Grandpa Campbell’s house. I was really getting tired of riding in the car. It was great to see Grandma and Aunt Becky again I gave them both a big hug. I really missed Aunt Becky the most. After things settled down I noticed this loud noise it was loud and I was driving me crazy so I went to find out what it was. I found locusts (cicadas) lots of them everywhere on trees flowers and in the grass. Oh they were driving me crazy. I guess I was a good thing it was time to go in and eat dinner, and get ready for bed.
The next day I was so excited to get out and play in the sand box roll down the hill and hike through the trees all with my cousins . I forgot about the locusts until I got out side I tried to ignore them but it just didn’t work very well. That afternoon I had, had it and those locusts had to die. Earlier that morning while I was helping Grandma I saw some stuff my parents have and spray around the yard, so that is where I went. It was up really high and it was hard to get but I finely reached it and was ready to go. I started with the Apple trees and grass around them, They were everywhere where should I go next. Then all of a sudden I hear my Mom and Then Grandma yelling at me to stop! Why I was just getting a good start. I was only putting a stop to that awful noise! As they took the round-up away from me Grandma asked what I was doing, (my mom was just mad) I told Grandma I was killing the locusts because they were driving me crazy. She told me round-up wouldn’t kill the locusts that it was used to kill weeds, which would kill plants and trees also. I felt bad and I was really sorry. My mom watered the grass down really well and sprayed the round-up off the trees.
The next day was a big day my Uncle Jim was going on a mission and it was time to say good bye to him at church. He wanted us to sing some songs, We practiced them a lot my mom even made cool pictures to go along with the songs. I knew them really well. But my cousin Oliver got a part messed so I had to correct him. Everyone laughed I don’t know why he messes up and sang the wrong words. My mom said it was okay when we were all done and that I had done a great job singing.
That afternoon Uncle Jim had all his friends over for dinner, I had lots of fun playing with everyone and avoiding my mom, so I didn’t have to take out from play time to eat. When it was time for bed I was HUNGRY!! I asked my mom for a peanut butter and honey sandwich, they are my favorite. She said she would make me one while I put on my pajamas. Well when I got dressed I could see she forgot to get the honey so I was going to help her. Man these jugs are heavy. Oh no! Move fast. Crash my head and my toe man that hurt.
I better tell my mom.
(Insert from mom)
Grandma and Grandpa have 5 gal. buckets of honey stacked two buckets high. He pulled one of those off the top and It hit his check bone right under his eye, the smashed his toe, he is lucky that is all that happened. He was crying a little but he really did calmly walk up the stairs and just tell me what happened. The buckets are somewhere between 60 to 80 lbs. And he only weighs 35 lbs. It could have smashed his ribs pelvic area or anything. He was really quick to get out form under the falling bucket.
Monday the next day we headed up to Boise to see my cousins Oliver and Bradon, oh ya they have an older sister Adrienne she is fun, but she does’t always play what we want to play and she can be bossy. It took us 4 hours to get to Oliver’s house, It was a long drive but I really wanted to see him at his house with his toys. Wow Oliver has really cool computer games, My favorite Motor cross madness 2! Why do they make me take turns, I like this game they get to play it all the time when I am not here so why do I have to take turns. With that response for some reason my Mom had my Aunt Beth put on a pass word and the computer was turned off. I tried hard to get past the computer pass word but nothing worked. Now Uncle Trevor says is won’t work right. And it is my fault. Why I was just trying to play.
We did have a lot of fun, we played with the water guns, and we were always wet. Aunt Beth let us leave the hose on all day if we wanted, it was irrigation water so we couldn’t drink it.
We got to go the school where Beth teaches, It was fun they had lots of toys and lots of sand toys, I love playing in the sand. We got to stay there until Wednesday then we went back to Grandma’s. I was getting tired of driving and being in the car, But I didn’t want to drive all the way home either.
Thursday night was Uncle Ben’s surprise party, it was fun They had lots of 4 wheelers out and giving us all rides everywhere, Grandpa took me on rides all over to. I had this figured out really well. It was time for dinner, everyone parked the 4 wheelers and went to eat, why I don’t know I didn’t want to eat. I wanted to ride the 4 wheelers. But shoot they took the keys out! Well there must be some way to get this to move. So I started pulling on handles and pushing levers. Wow look there it goes. Oh shoot I better stop it, dang it is too heavy I can’t stop it. Crash oh no that was Uncle Ben’s Car.
(Insert from mom)
We were sitting up back eating and talking and all the kids were playing and eating, Andrew actually ate this time, The cars were all locked the 4 wheelers were in gear with the break on, and the keys were not in them. Andrew was safe. Then here comes Angie, Andrew’s cousin
Grandma, Grandma, one of your grand kids just pushed the 4 wheeler down in to Uncle Ben=s new car. Nobody heard it but me. I jump up spilled my food and my shirt snags on the chair. I was just trying to get out front to make sure everyone was okay but I couldn’t. By then I had everyone’s attention, One sister was cleaning up my food and the other is trying to get the chair off my shirt. I was very glad to see Andrew not hurt, But the side of Ben’s car was not very good at all. By now I am a basket case, Call our insurance agent (who is our neighbor) and get a claim going and then it is off to pack I am going home, I have had enough I can=t do this alone anymore, and everyone thinks its funny, just Andrew being Andrew. Ben=s car is an outback with the long back window. If Andrew had been on the 4 wheeler he would have gone through the window and would have been hurt or killed. There were at least 11 other grand kids running around, any one of them could have been hurt. What was so funny! Well Dad talked me into staying through the 4th of July. We did end up cutting our trip by 5 days or so.
I was really freaked out, I couldn’t fix Ben’s Car my mom was crying and talking on the phone, and I really did feel bad, I didn’t want to hurt Ben’s car I just wanted a ride on the 4 wheeler.
We stayed at Grandpa’s a few more days, We had lots of fun One of those days I can’t remember which one Grandpa took us on a hike up Juniper Mt. to the relay station. It was a long hike but there was lots of cool bug and tracks to see. When we got to the relay station there was nothing there. Grandpa said there used to be a building there that would help relay messages across the country. But it wasn’t there now, I was so excited and now I just wanted to go home. Wait Ben found something cool, what could it be, oh it was just more bugs I am going home. I walked down the same way we came up. But now I was lost and it was really steep.
I was lost and didn’t know how to get home! I was scared, I was crying I was screaming for anyone who would answer. Then I remembered that my mom had told me that if I was ever alone, scared or for any reason I could pray and ask Heavenly Father for help. So that is what I did.
When I got done praying I was feeling a little better but I was still yelling for help. That is when Grandpa and Ben found me. I was so glad they did.
(Insert from mom)
Grandpa had gotten them up the Mountain following them and watching their tracks just incase he had to go looking for Andrew. When they go to the top He told Ben and Andrew to go check things out while he sat down, he could hear them and see them every now and then. And then he realized Ben was the only one there. He asked Ben if he knew where Andrew was but Ben didn’t know. Grandpa asks Ben to say a prayer with him and then they would go looking for Andrew. It didn’t take long Before Grandpa found Andrew’s tracks, they followed them for a long way, They Finley found Andrew calling for help. Andrew then informed Grandpa that Heavenly Father helps them because he had prayed. Grandpa then took both boys and said another prayer, this time a prayer of thanks.
Monday we went into Logan that is where we used to live, we had lots of friends to see and play with. Best of all we were going to be staying at Aunt Becky and Uncle Larry’s house.
These guys are the best! That night my mom was unloading the car I went out to help her but the screen door didn’t close behind me, ( Mom had it propped open so she could carry all the stuff in) so I closed it, I also pulled the door off the side of Becky and Larry’s house. Then here came my mom mad for some reason I was holding up the door so it would fall. I was helping. Larry did fix the door, He did a really good job and it didn’t take very long. When he was done, my Mom took two quarters from my money and told me to give it to Larry, Why my money, I wanted to spend it, not give it to Larry. My Mom told me that this is what Larry does all day, He fixes houses, by putting new siding on them, he even has to put trim around the doors and windows. And people pay him a lot more than two quarters. She said I broke the door and he fixed it, I should pay for it. So I took the two quarters and gave them to Larry, and told him I was sorry for breaking his door. Larry gave them back to me and told me I could keep them If I would be nice to his house, and things inside his house. I said I would so I got to keep my quarters anyway. Wow that was close.
(Insert from mom)
I was mad, quarters are one of the best things in the world to Andrew. I had, had it I wanted him to pay for what he broke, and this was a good time to do it, I wanted him to have a wake up call something he would remember so he might stop and think before he kills himself or hurt something else.
But then again if I was Larry and It was my nephew I would have given the quarters back too.
The next day we got to go to Aunt Kathy’s dad,s sister, I really had a lot of fun, it was great to see my cousins again. I swung and swung on the swing. I ask if they had any computer games that I could play. They did but, Kathy wouldn’t let me play. They had a pet bunny That I wanted to hold and pet, but Kathy wouldn’t let me close to it. My Mom needed to go see my Great Grandpa and Grandma Campbell. She said they were sick and I couldn’t=t go with her. I had to stay at Kathy’s. Her kids got really noisy I couldn’t find a place to find piece and quiet. I tried going out front and climbing a tree but that didn’t work, Kathy told me I had to come down and come in the house. Now all I want is my Mom to come back and get me out of here. Wow my Mom is back finely back.. Oh man she brought lunch. I have to stay here and eat lunch. I am not gonna do it I just can’t. I really don’t feel good I think I am starting to get sick! Mom told me it was okay to wait out front, and she will be out in a while. Ben and CeAnna aren’t eating, so now we get to go. We get into the car, oh wait, Mom has to take pictures of Spencer Kathy’s new baby. Spencer was the loudest, he just would not stop crying! Finely its time to go. I really need a nap I am just not feeling very well.
(Insert from mom)
Andrew was getting sick, I didn't know it, Kathy hadn't seen my kids is several years and didn't really know how to handle them, and all in all this trip just was not a good mix for our families at that time. Kathy did just have a baby and was taking care of three other very active kids that she didn't know very well. Kathy and I both have the same belief that when kids are together computers and TV/movies are not a good way for kids to socialize and get to know each other.
(insert from 2009 Our kids are all good friends now and enjoy playing together)
When we got back to Becky’s and Larry’s I took a nap, when I woke up I had a head ache that was killing me. My Mom gave me some medicine it helped a little, I slept again for a while, but my head still hurt. My Mom went to the store to get me some other kinds of medicine. I felt even better, but my head still hurt a little, But at least I could sit up and learn how to play Battle Ship. Wow that is a fun game! But as exciting at it is I think I want to sleep some more.
I woke up again and my head was killing me again! Uncle Larry is home I need to ask him if he can give me a blessing, to help me get better. Thank you Uncle Larry, I can really feel your love for me and Heavenly Father’s love for me. I feel a lot more relaxed now I think I will sleep some more.
Next morning, I still have a head ache, My mom is starting to get worried, because now I have a fever too, and from what my Mom says it is high too. She calls Dad they talk a lot about me. And then decide to give me Ibprophen aspirin and some Mt Dew. After a while I went back to sleep some more. When I woke up Alyssa, Zack and McKayla Murphy were there, my very best friend, wow this is great! Being the 3rd of July, Mom has lots of fire works for us, snaps,
colored smoke, and tanks. This is soooo fun. Side walk chalk. Bubbles, I didn’t know my Mom had so much stuff, and I didn’t know it. I am having so much fun, I have really missed Alyssa! Too bad they have to leave so soon. But it was really fun seeing them again. Now I just need to sleep some more.
Latter that evening my Mom woke me up so we could go back to Juniper We wanted to be at Grandpa’s on the 4th . When we got to Grandpa’s house nobody was there, so we just hung out and waited for Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Mike. Uncle Mike came home first, He had a whole lot of fire works. That really looked fun. But he said they were for him and his friends. My Mom had bought more for us to use on the 4th, I had to go find them. Grandma and Grandpa got home and they needed a big hug. But now I really needed to find our fire works because now I had to show them to Grandpa too. I remember Mom put them in the trunk of the car, so that is where I went, that is just after I found her keys, she always puts them up so high I really have a hard time getting them. When I opened the trunk There was nothing there, so I climbed in to make sure they weren’t clear up in the back of the trunk.. Humm I wonder what will happen if I close the trunk! Oh crap it is really dark in here and I can’t get out. I yell and yell but nobody hears me! What am I going to do now! I can hear Mom calling me in for bed, but she can’t hear me. I am getting very tired and it is getting hard to breathe. I really hope Mom finds me fast.
Cool she is coming closer, I scream and yell very loud. She herd me but she is looking in the wrong part of the car. Mom, Mom, I am in the trunk, please hurry and get me out. Here she comes, the trunk pops open and I and glad to breathe some nice cool air. And I am very glad to see my mom.
(Insert by mom)
Andrew was in the trunk for about 20 to 30 minutes. Lucky for all of us it was 10:30 pm
and it wasn’t hot, And just about the time I herd him, My Dad herd him from his room.
I was really glad he was still with us!
The next day was the 4th I was going to hike Blake Pine Mountain with Grandpa and some of my other cousins. But my Mom wouldn’t let me because I still had a bit of a fever. So I got to say home and play Nintendo, Which was way better than hiking. And my Mom said I did really good about staying out of trouble. That evening we had a big picnic and then we watched Uncle Mike and Uncle Larry light Fire Works! They did a really good job! I had a lot of fun just sitting on Grandpa’s lap watching them.
The next day Mom packed everything up, and said it was time to head home. I was glad to hear we were going home, But I was also sad to be leaving. I had a hard time going to sleep that night, partly because I was sleeping with my cousins, and partly because it was the last night there. We ended up getting into a big pillow fight, and somehow my mouth hit Ben’s head, and I lost a tooth. I had to hold onto it and wait until we got home because The tooth fairy pillow was at home. So she wouldn’t know to look under my pillow if I didn’t have that pillow.
(Insert from Mom.)
We were leaving at about 5 am and I didn’t think Andrew would be awake enough to remember to look under his pillow. I called Chad to find the pillow for us when we got home. My sister left a note from the tooth fairy about being on the road and not wanting him to loose or in his case swallow his quarters.
When I woke up the next morning we were almost to Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Fish’s house. I was so excited this was going a lot faster than I thought. That night we stayed up on Smiths Mesa in the Cabin that My Dad help build. I really like it up there, There is so much to do and see. I can go treasure hunting and find all sorts of cool stuff. I hope some day I will be able to find arrowheads like my Dad. The next day was fun, I got to help Grandpa feed the ducks, and I got a ride on the 4 wheeler. And I found a fort way up high in a tree that someone else made. This was really exciting for me. For lunch we cooked hot dogs on a fire Grandpa made out side. And then I got to help him make Ice cream. It was this thing that was really hard to turn and we had to turn if for a long time before the Ice cream was done. But It was sure worth the wait. Grandpa even put fresh peaches in it. That was the best Ice cream I ever had. I really wish we could have stayed longer at the Cabin but my Mom was in a big hurry to get home. She said she was very tired and just wanted to be home. I thought it was fun, I don=t know why she was so tired. So bright and early the next morning we hit the road again. Things were going well until CeAnna lost her last binkey. In Las Vegas, She cried and cried and cried, until we got to Kingman for lunch and them Mom went and bought her a binky, and us a basket ball and battleship game hand held electronic the kind I really like. Now it’s time to hit the road again! Mom says the next stop is Wickenburg, and it will be 3 to 4 hours! That’s okay I have a new game, CeAnna has a binky all is very good for a few more hours.
(Insert from Mom)
If there was a place to stop between Las Vegas and Kingman, I would have stopped and bought a binky!
Next thing I know Mom say Wickenburg just ahead, cool I am getting tired and I could really use a drink.. Mom gases up the car and then we go inside to get a drink. All of a sudden there is a lot of stuff happening and Mom is dragging me to the back of the store. Oh I see what is wrong, there is a stupid guy up there not listening to the store owner. Maybe he just does’t understand. I guess it up to me to help this guy understand that he needs to leave the store, that the cops have been called and he should leave! So that I was I did. I walked up to this guy and told him that the cops were coming and he needed to listen and obey, and get out! Before I know It my Mom has all three of us and she is throwing us in the car, and we are out of there!
Next stop the rest area on the other side of town. She says she will buy a drink there, I don’t know why she is doing that, she says it is always cheaper to buy the drinks in the store rather than in the pop machines, she must really want to get home fast!
(Insert from mom)
I was so scared, This huge guy came in and started yelling at the store owner, the store owner kept telling him to get out, There were a lot of other nice colorful words used in the process. I did get all the kids to the back of the store. I turned around and Andrew was gone. Next thing I knew he was up there with the store owner telling this huge guy that he needed to listen and obey! That is when I grabbed him by the arm and left! The cops showed up just as we were leaving.
Now to the rest area, it was fun I got to climb trees I got to feed squirrels. We even got to play a game of Tag. Mom got us our promised drinks and we were off to Mesa for our next stop! She said I would only be about 2 hours, but I don’t know If I could handle that, I have been in and out of the car for the last three weeks, I was ready to be done! So I opened my door I don’t know why I just did. Mom really freaked out stopped the car and really started yelling at me. I guess I should have never switched the child lock off. And I should have never should have opened my door. I didn’t realize it up we were only about 10 minutes from home. I guess I should have just waited!
(Insert from Mom)
I was in the Far left lane going 80 + when Andrew opened his door. I had to get across 3 lanes and off the road. Yes I was mad, I was scared, and I was tired! All I wanted to do was get home with my kids alive!
Finley home sweet home! How sweet it is to be home at last, My bed, my dogs, my computer, my toys, and best of all MY DAD! I think mom is really happy to be home too.
