Today we had no plan, other than to relax at the Isakson's house. I guess I should qualify it not as lazy as much as a Relaxed Day.

Start 7:30 we are up and trying to be quiet so everyone else can sleep in.

Update 8:30 we leave the house for the park with Eli coming along with us. The park being just a hop, skip, and jump away we meander down the road to arrive at the park. The kids are happy to just be playing outside, Joshua and Hannah especially happy to be at a park playing. Meanwhile Chelsea and I were just glad to have some time to ourselves. We had not had time to really talk to just each other, and so we made the time at the park to do and enjoyed it greatly.

Update 10:30 we are back home and as everyone is up we start the day. The kids are asking Mamazai and Papazai all these questions relating to CARS so we start the movie.. After getting the DVD player hooked up to the new TV, which was a bit of a hassle as we moved cables here and there, I easily overcame the problem. Doing this reminded me of my time at work and how glad I was not to be working currently. After I got the movie started it was snuggle time for some, and for others just time to watch the movie.

Update 11:15 the movie is only half over but all the kids are getting hungry and bit wild, so we start lunch. After lunch and the wonderful weather pleading for us to come out and enjoy its presence, we give in and play. The movie is now long forgotten as the trampoline and the kiddy pool are the new thing on the kids mind. They play in the kiddy pool for a bit and then have the great idea to just jump on the trampoline until they are hot then take a dip in the pool rinse repeat for the next 2 hours. Meanwhile Papazai was asleep on the couch.

Update 13:30 Hannah goes down for a nap while Joshua and Eli continue the fun and games.

Update 15:00 Eli and Joshua go down for a nap and a friend of the Isaksons arrives.

Update 17:45 dinner is served and it is a very good casserole that Jackie and Bev made for us with corn on the cob and brushetta. After dinner the adults talk and talk while the kids go run outside and play.

Update 20:00 kids go down and the party begins! (History Tidbit: This is what Chelsea's parents said when she was younger.) We decided to play some games, only problem was the game we decided to play did not last as long as we wanted it to. So we came up with other random games and riddles and soon Papazai and Momazai were too tired to continue, that venerable age and all, so they left and we continued the fun. Marcus and I set up a game called Carcassone and were going to get everyone to play, but they did not want to start a game like that so late. So the women talked and the men played this game. Which reminds me Marcus told me about a website where we could play this for free online along with other games like Thurn and Taxes, etc.

Update 11:45 we call the game and we go to bed.

Travel Tidbit: Technology really changes the way you look at the size of the world. A website where i can get on and play board games with friends and family all over at anytime sounds just too cool. While I know this stuff exists, the fact that it is free and you can suspend games etc is jut too cool. Bryan I am sure is wanting to know this website, I am just afraid if I send it to him no one will ever see him again :)

The other tidbit is SUN GLORIOUS SUN! After being in a van for so long just being able to enjoy the sun for a full day is a blessing all over again. I personally just enjoyed sitting outside and basking in the sun. It was as if it was just giving me back the energy i had lost being trapped inside a cold steel covered wagon for so long.

See you all tomorrow. Sorry the pictures and movies are a bit slower, but we are staying up much later having too much fun for me to really get them sorted and online. With the Mall of America tomorrow and then dinner out I doubt many will be up then earlier, unless I can sneak some time in the morning. So be patient soon they will be.

Today was going to be a zoo day depending on the weather, and it was perfect for our trip to the zoo.

Update 9:00 we make our picnic lunch are are out the door.

Update 10:00 we are out the door and on the way to the free zoo. After we drive and get there and then find our way to parking we decide to eat lunch. Parking as a pain due to the state fair being held and they are just blocks apart. We ended up finding a really good parking spot that was closer than we thought it was, and was in a perfect location for a picnic lunch.

Update 12:00 we are at the zoo and we start the fun:) We walk around to see primates, cats, arctic animal, do the rides, and see Sparky the seal. The day starts out with a hopeful trip to the botanic garden park of the zoo, but it was not going to be as they closed the entry way we wanted. So we walked on in to the main part of the zoo and set out.

Our first stop was to see the primates. The Orangutans were our and moving, including one of them wearing a dress. I do have to say they are probably the ugliest looking primates on the planet. Next we went on into the building to see more. Many of the different primates were sleeping, but a few were up and about. The Silver-Backs were all asleep, well minus one who decided to empty the primate house as he regurgitated his food and then proceeded to eat it.

Next we went on over to look at the aquatic animals and saw a few sea lions and seals out swimming and having fun. When we went into the house of them we saw a Polar Bear doing back flips and penguins standing by the door waiting for the trainers to exit and give them fish.

The cat house sounded fun as we could hear one or two talking but when we got there they were all quiet and asleep. The biggest let down was that we could not find the Tiger, our (Joshua and mine) favorite animal and it was no where to be seen.

We ended the day watching Sparky the seal put on his show.

Update 15:30 we put everyone down for a nap and they all sleep hard.

Update 17:30 we are all up and ready to PLAY so the kids play on outside and the rest of us talk and help Jackie with the last bit of dinner prep. We eat a yummy meal and then the kids just play play outside. Joshua and Hannah have so wanted to just do that as they have missed that being cooped up in a van for the last five days. After a bit they want some time in the trampoline and so they all go in, with me at one point, and just have a ball for near an hour.

Update 20:30 we put them down and then we all talk.

Travel Tidbit: After being cooped up in a van jumping on a trampoline is all we want to do. We get to have fun, we get exercise and Daddy doesn't care how long we do it as long as we are not hurting anyone.

Last night as we went to bed, we saw on the news that there was to be an eclipse. So I looked up on the internet when I would able to see the eclipse, regretfully it was at 4:52. I asked Chelsea if she wanted to get up with me and she said no. So we set up a wake up call for 5:00.

-- Side note Chelsea's Journal and David's Mind have new entries as well today. --

Start 5:00 woke up to the phone and grabbed the camera and headed outside to see the lunar eclipse. As I meandered as if sleep walking to the outdoors, I was met with fog! The storm from the previous night has abated and in its wake was fog. So my mission to get some pictures and maybe wake up Joshua to see the longest lunar eclipse in 7 years was defeated by some fog. I was upset and yet my body was happy as it knew that sleep was just a few more steps away.

Update 8:30 we finally are all awake and at breakfast. I have to modify my evaluation of hotels from last night. After further thinking, I think our stay at the AmericInn (not America Inn) was not as nice as our stay at Westin. However, it did have a complementary breakfast and the service from help and the desk was better the over all stay was not. However, for the price it was more in line with what I expected than the Westin was for the price it was.

Update 10:00 we are on the road and the last leg before we come to an extended break in the road trip. We are going to spend some time with Marcus, Jackie, and Eli! We are excited and looking forward to the time we get with them.

Update 11:30 we stop for lunch, the kids are not necessarily hungry but do need to get out of the van and run around some. We stop to eat and let the kids run a bit in front of the restaurant. We stopped at an American dinner that had decent food which we all liked. I had a burrito as I was desperate for some Mexican food. It has been almost a month since I have had tacos, or burritos, I was so desperate I ate the refined beans! Going from having some form of Mexican/Tex-Mex once to twice a week to not having it for over a month as killing me:) Though I do know that come a few months the ability to have any Mexican food will become so scare that I will have to wait many years to have it again. As sad as that is, I will have enough new foods to discover and try, that hopefully I will have a new favorite meal I can get frequently.

Update 13:00 we are on the road again! Less than 2 hours and we will out of the van for 4 - 5 days!

Update 14:06 we drove by a large campus for Creative Memories and wondered if that was the national office.

Update 15:25 we arrive! With great joy, after a detour due to a road being closed, we arrived at the Isaksons. Papazai was driving past the driveway a few too many times so Eli started pointing to where the driveway was that Papazai should park in. Eli was so excited to see everyone that before we could even walk in the door he had invited Joshua and Hannah to come in and play with his cars and trains. While they were now in the house playing, Joshua and Hannah just glad to be out of the car, we talked and got caught up with Jackie. Soon the kids were outside on the trampoline, Joshua and Eli then Chelsea and Hannah. Joshua and Eli were like WWE participants in the cage match. (Tomorrow i will have some video up of a few take downs, including a mid air takedown by Eli.)

Update 18:30 we sit down for a wonderful meal as Marcus has arrived home and the warm goodness of Lasagna is ready.

Update 20:00 GAME TIME. We adults sit down and play some games. We played Speed Scrabble and Carcasonne.

Update 0:00 sleeping time catch you all later today.

Travel Tidbits: When getting 2 competitive families together some of the best bonding happens around a table and board games. May the board games keep coming, and may the Lutes and Isaksons continue to battle over them. May the love of the two families continue to grow, but Jackie and Marcus, David and Chelsea got your number and your going down next time!

We got off to a really late start to day and then crossed a time zone line as well.

Start 8:45 the kids, Chelsea, and Papazai went to a local Dinosaur museum which had a full Triceratops skeleton. Mamazai got to sleep in, and well I woke up with a huge crick in my neck that was severely sore. It was one of those cricks that made everything in you upper body sore and made you feel sick all the way through your body. Later in the morning it got worse and made me feel sick, as it was pinching a nerve.

Update 11:00 we are finally on the road

Update 12:30/13:30 we crossed the time zone as we were driving so we changed the clocks after lunch. There was nothing for about 50 miles other than Subway so we stopped there once again.

Update 4:30 we took an exit which said there was a gas station near, but we never found it, rather we found a bar/ restaurant to stop at. They were nice and let us use their water closet. As we drove during nap time it was starting to rain and became a dark and rainy day. When we left to get on the road again the rain went from a small drizzle to a huge rain storm.

Update 18:00 Dizzy Lizzy informs Papazai to keep straight for Orange Julius. The look on his face and Mamazais face when they heard that was utter shock. Papazais face read umm how did we end up here, are we lost, did I enter the wrong destination, how far are we from the hotel. Then I told them it was a surprise for Papazai as a reward for all the wonderful driving he was doing. As we got hit with stop and go traffic we wondered why. As we drove closer we found the reason, the road had flooded big time. As we pulled into the mall parking lot, where the Orange Julius was, and the food court where we decided to eat was, there were entire parking lots that had flooded to the base of car doors. One car was stuck trying to leave, the driver had to get out to push his car back to a parking spot as he could not get the car out through the water. We are glad we got there before we parked in that lot.

Update 19:50 kids are not sleeping like they should, Chelsea is working out, and I am updating this. When Chelsea gets back I will go swim some laps or run and then turn in for the end of this fist leg of the road trip.

Travel Tidbit: GPS are great for good clean practical jokes not just to et you to your hotel. Just make sure the place you take the driver is not too far from your route or your destination. In this case it was only 2 miles and was to his favorite drink place so it worked out very well.

Hotel Update: The Westin in Seattle still has been the worst hotel we stayed in. We were in an America Inn last night and while the beds were not as nice as the ones in the Best Westerns and honestly not as nice as the Westin beds, the hotel still was nicer. While the look and feel was better in the America Inn the service and the reception was still far better than we received at the Westin. Though Best Western so far has been the best hotel we have stayed in, especially the one in Billings with the cool pool and the grizzly bears guarding our hotel and room.

Time change and all our human alarm clock decided that we should all sleep in. Not so sure he decided that as much as his internal clock was still on PDT so we got to sleep in.

Update 9:00 we have to leave the really cool hotel. I was up a bit to late talking to some friends last night on the internet and doing some work for my new job. But we are off and on the road. Apparently we stopped at a couple places before we made it on the road but I never knew it as I was out cold in the back asleep.

Update 10:45 frisbee time again. We stop at a rest stop and of course the frisbee has to come out. Nothing too interesting at this rest stop. The grass was dead and covered in weeds and was not that conducive to kids running. They rather involved themselves digging for gems aka quartz in the mud.

Update 12:00 we stop for a quick bite to eat at Mamazais favorite pizza place, Pizza Hut. They now have pasta bakes so Chelsea and I decided to try one of those and they are decent. When we get back in the covered wagon we all fell asleep except Papazai who was driving and Joshua who was listening to Trumpet of the Swan on the headphones.

Update 15:00 we all wake up as Papazai stops for the water closet. The kids are still in alone time until 16:00 so they are quiet and just relaxing while the rest of us read. We are just an hour from the hotel but we stop a couple more times at some nice scenic overviews. Mamazai says it looks like the Badlands but things are actually growing so it looks nicer.

Update 16:30 we arrive at the hotel and Mamazai is beat and not feeling well. Papazai and Chelsea run up the road to get dinner and bring it back while the kids and I went for a walk around the hotel. We had a nice walk and I really enjoyed being outside and not just inside.

Update 19:30 kids are not behaving tonight. Joshua decided not to listen to his body and thus lost time in the pool. Hannah did not want to obey Chelsea and then decided to hit her mother, so Hannah went to bed at 16:45. So now that it is the kids bed time they are in bed and we are up and deciding what to do, and are debating if we should go to a dinosaur museum tomorrow on our way out of town.

Traveling Tidbit: Being in a van all day does not lend itself to doing work on a computer, at least for me. The windy roads and looking at a screen make me sick more than they lend itself to getting work done. They also lend oneself to feeling like a hermit as you are not outside much during the day. I am personally feeling a bit enclosed as we are indoors for 20+ hours a day and that is getting to me, as well as not seeing many people. I am also staying up way too late as I get work done at night, which i thought I would be getting done in the van, or i am up talking to friends using the wonderful technology of the internet and programs like Team Speak. So my tidbit is this, try to get out and see the sun more when you travel this much, and if your not driving you can always stay up late and get your work done, as long as you can sleep in the car the next day.

Pictures will be up later tonight when I get Mamazai's camera.

Well with the time change we got up much later than we expected too.

None of us woke up until around 7:40 or 8:00

Update 9:00 we are out looking for a coffee shop for Momazai, as the closest Starbucks that Dizzy can find is only 45 miles, but 45 miles away from where we are heading. The closest one on our route is 192 miles, 3 blocks from our hotel. we eventually find one that is a small little drive up stand/shack place. the coffee was good and so we are off.

Update 10:45 frisbee time! We stop at a rest stop and stretch and of course play frisbee. We ran and played for a good 30 minutes and then read the signs about the area and the early west. The most impressive story was about John Pots and John Coulter, which i will post later.

Update 12:20 we stop for lunch at Subway as it was the only non greasy restaurant on the way. We could have stopped at the usual greasy McDonalds etc but ewww who would want to especially as we are driving.

Update 14:15 just as the kids Saturday cartoons, aka a movie ends we pull up to the hotel. We put them down for a nap and some relax time for us all. Later tonight when i post the pictures you will have to see the pool, it is a kids dream come true. Like I was saying yesterday just cause it is not a nice hotel doesn't mean it can't be nice. This hotel is probally the best one we have stayed in and, it is a Best Western. The rooms have tubs with jets aka hot tub style, our room has a fireplace, the pool is amazing, and the building just looks great.

Update 17:00 off to dinner.

Update 19:00 swim time! We got back from a nice dinner and then Papazai and I took the kids to the really cool pool. Pictures will have to come tomorrow as they are on Mamazai's camera and I forgot to pull them off before they were in bed. Oh well I will get them up tomorrow. The pool was really set for kids, as it was only 1m deep at most and no way to do laps. They have these floating platforms that you can walk on with a rope bridge over it, two water slides which are like a slide you find at a park, a basketball hoop, buckets that fill and then dump water, and some other areas that constantly spray water out. Hannah spent the time with Papazai in the really shallow end having a blast, while Joshua and I went and played all over. We really like the floating platforms and the rope bridge. Trying to stand and knock each other off, we probably spent near 45 minutes there.

Update 20:30 kids are in bed and we are down for the night. Talk to you all tomorrow.

Traveling Tidbit: Rest stops with information stands make for great Pre-Schooling opportunities. At the rest stop we learned all about the area and the old West. Joshua loves learning about Lewis and Clark and at this rest stop they had a bunch of information about them there. The story they enjoyed the most was all about John Pots and Coulter. John Pots was killed by a group of traveling Blackfeet Indians and John Coulter was stripped bare and then was allowed to run for his life. He ran for 200 miles over 10 days and evaded the Blackfeet who were on horse. He ended up hiding in a Beaver Lodge and then ran to a Fort and lived. Pretty amazing story.

As we decided last night the day was to start at 9:00.

Update 8:15 I gave a surprise to Chelsea. I decided to shave everything off for her, as she likes it once in a blue moon, and well the blue moon rose.

Update 9:00 due to shaving I was running late, to my surprise Chelsea noticed my clean face instantly. However, Papazai and Mamazai did not notice it until they were told about it. We got on the road and off we went.

Update 9:30 windy roads again. These mountain passes and their windy roads are getting to me more often then I thought they would. I did not even attempt to turn on the computer or read a book, but sitting in the far back was not the best. It was not too bad as I slept for most of the trip this morning.

Update 10:30 frisbee time! We stopped at a rest stop and played frisbee with the kids. It was a nice park with some info about Lewis and Clark, whom Joshua loves and was perfect to throw a frisbee around!

Update 12:45 we stopped at Crackle Barrel for lunch at Mamazai's request. Food was decent, I personally have never been that impressed with their food, but it still was a good sandwich. Everyone else really enjoyed their food so all was good.

Update 15:00 after we got back on the road, everyone in the car needed the Water Closet again so we looked for a stop and after about 10 miles we stopped and are on our way again. Mamazai told Joshua the mayonnaise jar story from when we were kids. My dad had a habit of not stopping unless we needed a new tank of gas. As a result we had mayonnaise jar's that became the Water Closet for boys in the car.

Update 16:30 we pull into the hotel 30 minutes early. We got into our hotel to find out one of our non-smoking rooms was used as a smoking room. When we asked for a new room we got on and then decided on Subway for dinner, as that is where Joshua really wanted for lunch.

Update 17:00 we are off to Subway and then a park to eat. We found subway with the help of Dizzy Lizzy, the park we eventually found as we had to rely on human directions, which were not so clear and Papazai was confused at times. We found it and it was a nice huge park that we loved to play in.

Update 20:30 we are waiting for a sheet for Hannah for a bit longer than we need to then we are going to bed.

Traveling Tidbit: Playing Frisbee in a park or a rest stop is a perfect way to get out and exercise. Well playing frisbee any time is a perfect way to exercise. So get out there and throw a frisbee around for 30 minutes in honor of us, or just get out and play some Ultimate as I am really missing playing that awesome game.

We woke up and knew that today was going to be a nice short day.

Update 8:00 after getting ready and ready to rock and roll, well everyone but me Papazai, Chelsea, and the kids went out to find breakfast. I stayed back to get ready and pack everything up.

Update 11:00 after we got everything all packed up and had a yummy breakfast they brought back for me and Mamazai. When they arrived back with breakfast i let Chelsea leave to go and meditate for an hour while i packed and did some work on the computer while the kids played hotel and watched Sesame Street. It is odd that on the Windows side i have to do more maintenance than on my trusty Mac. I have a boot camp partition set up and am testing Parallels at the same. I am testing Parallels over Fusion to see which product I will end up with. I used Fusion heavily at work and thus am testing Parallels now, so far they work pretty much the same. I would not need either if it wasn't for a few Windows only applications I own that are either way to expensive to buy on the Mac side, or products that are not made for the Mac. I guess it is not odd, as I knew it would be but still it frustrates me. I have all ready had to call Microsoft to get them to validate my 15 hour old copy of Windows XP. I should be careful as I am the only Mac user in my family, I pit them. Anyway, enough of that side track.

Update 12:30 we arrive at our hotel and they tell us our room will be ready early but are not ready yet. So we so across the street to eat lunch.

Update 14:00 we arrive to our rooms being ready, though Papazai and Mamazais room has some plumbing problems in the sink. It was not draining correctly. We get the kids down for alone time and then Papazai and myself leave to find a laundry mat.

Update 14:30ish we leave for the mat and get it all done mush faster than the one washer and one dryer in the hotel. It was there I updated today's entry and let Papazai read the other entries, while I read some Daily Meditative materials.

Update 16:30 we are done and heading to the hotel. Side rant 2. Didn't want to use hotel names but, we stayed in the Westin in Seattle and I was not impressed. Other than a great view of downtown Seattle and the bay it was not worth it at all. The service was sub par all around. We have stayed at 2 Best Westerns and a local Mom and Pop hotel and all have been much better. I have been rather impressed with the service and the quality of the Best Westerns and have enjoyed staying at them.

Update 17:00 swim time! Chelsea and I took the kids into the pool, which didn't last long for Hannah. The water was refreshing, or cold to the girls while the boys loved it and played until 18:00.

Update 18:00 dinner. We got ready and went to dinner. We found a TGI Fridays and Mamazai wanted to eat there so we stopped. Chelsea and I have not eaten there in ages, if ever as i don't ever remember eating at one. The food was not bad for me Joshua and Hannah, everyone didn't like their food at all. When the waitress asked how the food was and it was dead silent she knew something was wrong. In the end we still enjoyed the time together and they comped two of our meals.

Update 20:30 bed time kiddos. We drove back and put the kids to sleep and then discussed leaving times for tommorrow. We then went to bed ourselves.

Travel Tidbit: Mac is better than Windows, and nicer hotels aren't always nicer.

It was another day on the Road. We are driving up to see Papazai's dad today and then spend part of tomorrow with him as well.

Update 7:30 a.m. we finally got fully out of bed and started to get ready and pack up everything. We meet with Mamazai and found out we needed to be up in the room at 8:40 to make sure we had everything brought down with the bell hop when he arrived. We got ready and ate breakfast and then i got online to post the updates for you all. Then i found one email account was not working, i will have to look into that tonight when we have internet again.

Update 8:40 a.m. came faster than we needed as the web site was still being updated. So Chelsea went up to help Mamazai and I helped the kids finish their breakfast.

Update 9:00 a.m. we were off to the Pacific Ocean, well the Puget Sound really. My dad found a small area where we could touch the Pacific Ocean. So we ran the kids some and they got to touch the Pacific Ocean. They were happy and had fun

Update 10:30 a.m. we are started on the drive east now. We are done going North and now we head East in our Covered Wagon.

Update 11:45 a.m. we stopped at Perkins for lunch. It was half way to where we were headed, which is good news meaning we are ahead of schedule. Updates are slower as the windy roads in WA and typing so far has made me car sick. I have never been car sick before but right now i am not feeling well at all.

Update 5:00 p.m. we arrive and pick up Papazai's dad to go to dinner. We drive to another town for some Chinese food. It was ok but as we arrive home at 8:00p.m. it is not agreeing with me either. So either i am car sick again or something at one of the restaurants has made me sick both times.

Update 8:30 p.m. kids are in bed and we are talking to Papazai's dad and getting stories. Until tmw all.

Traveling Tidbit: Windy roads and updating blogs don't mix.
FYI New pictures will wait until i am feeling better.

The human alarm clock didn't wake up until 8:00 a.m. and it was great to just sleep in. We took it easy and had a slow morning getting ready and getting the day started.

Update 10:00 a.m. we decided to just have the day to ourselves and not do anything with anyone. My parents were using this day to celebrate their anniversary and gave us use of the van, but we decided against it. Mike and Kathy invited us to dinner, but we saw how the kids were and decided to just have a day/night to ourselves. We decided to go to the Science Museum and let the kids run, be loud, and just have a relaxing day as a family. So off we went.

Update 10:30 a.m. we walked on over to the Monorail and took it on over to the Seattle Center. The Monorail is only 2 blocks from our hotel so it was a nice and easy way to get to the Seattle Center where there are several museums and the Space Needle. We decided against the IMAX and the main entry and just went with the main entry only and off we went. The Museum has several really neat exhibits and fun things to do. We went fist to a dinosaur exhibit and Joshua real enjoyed seeing all the different dinosaurs, while Hannah was scared of them.

We walked next into the general museum and the kids played with various different exhibits. Joshua really enjoyed the Gemini exhibit, where he got to sit in a mock up Gemini capsule which moved, fumbled, and talked to him as he sat in one of the 2 astronaut chairs. We learned about toilets flushing, meteorites, olfactory system, tested smelling different substances, looked at a cut out of an old Douglas Fur, watched some VR goal tending, and had fun.

Update 12:30 p.m. we watched a show called Combustion. They had a 30-40 min show on combustion teaching kids on what was combustion, how fire was made, and then different experiments showing fire being created. The big finale was a balloon filled with Oxygen and Hydrogen creating a very large explosion and ball of flame.

Update 1:15 p.m. we left the Science Museum and went to the food court for lunch. After lunch Chelsea and Hannah went back to the hotel while Joshua and I went back to the Science Museum. Joshua and I got slightly sidetracked by the ice-cream parlor.

Update 2:00 p.m. Joshua and i went and saw the special dinosaur exhibit they had. On load from the Chinese Science Museum were several fossils. We looked at all of them and Joshua played archeologist and pretended to dig up some fossils of dinosaur bones. On our way back out to the other buildings we played with the water exhibits. At one points Joshua saw a poster for the IMAX of Lewis and Clark and wanted to see it, so as it was supposed to be his alone time and a time of rest I got the tickets for the show. Before the show we went into the Butterfly pavilion and the insect area to look at all the cool bugs and the wonderful butterflies.

Update 3:30 p.m. we went and saw the Lewis and Clark IMAX. After the show we called Chelsea and decided to meet them at the food court in the mall which was where the Monorail stopped.

Update 5:00 p.m we meet Chelsea and Hannah at the food court. Chelsea and I had some really good sushi from the sushi bar in the food court. It was much better than i was expecting it to be. We decided on it as they had samples of their California rolls, which were good enough to make us want more.

Update 6:30 p.m. we came back to the hotel and the kids watched the rest of Cars on the laptop and then went to bed.

Update 7:50 p.m. we went to Mamazai and Papazais room and talked about the plan for tomorrow and watch the rest of America's got talent. Mamazai and Papazai like the show and wanted to see who won, as there was a ventriloquist on the show they really liked. He won, but the show was 2 hours long and it seemed to just drag on forever and ever. While he was pretty amazing impersonating and singing as a ventriloquist it is not something i would watch, then again they watch American Idol and I can not stand that show.

Update 10:00 p.m we are back in our room and Chelsea goes to bed while I put this together.

Traveling tidbit: Lewis and Clark traveled 8,000 miles in 1804-1806 and crossed the Rockies. During their trip only one member of their team died despite being the first Americans to explore that part of the country. It was an amazing trip where several tribes of Native Americans helped them out, and yet as a result of their trip America decided to annihilate the Native Americians. As a result their story is both amazing and very terrible as what it brought about.

We started the day semi late as we waited for everyone to get up and then for my Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathy, and Uncle Jay to arrive. We got up at the normal time due to the human alarm clocks built into Joshua. We went down to the cafe to get breakfast and wait to see what was going to happen for the day. I saw a bunch of people on wireless in the lobby and was wondering how they could get on, as there was nothing we could find upstairs on the 35th floor.

We had a nice breakfast with Papazai while Mamazai stayed upstairs as we waited for confirmation on when the rest of the Lutes would get in town. Mamazai finally came down as let us know that they had not left and that the wheel chair the concierge said we could get the night before was not ready. When my dad enquired about the wheelchair, we found out the promised wheelchair was incorrectly promised. Rather than having a wheelchair to use for the day out and around the only one they have here was for use within the hotel only. So we got a list from the concierge where we could rent one to use whenever we wanted. My dad left to pick it up and we waited in the lobby while i used the free wireless to post the blog updates.

Start 10:00 a.m. everyone showed up at the same time and we walked down to Pikes Street Market. We took some round about ways to get there as we were trying to make sure it was mostly level for Papazai pushing Mamazai in the wheelchair. It was lightly raining when we started but by time we got down to the Market it was raining very hard and we were all wet but were enjoying the company and talking. I had not seen my Uncle Jay since I was eight years old. We had a good talk on the way down just catching up with him and with Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathy. We got down to the Market and just walked around while looking at the sites and thinking this would be a typical scene for us in a few months. Aunt Kathy got us all some fresh blueberries and raspberries, yumm yumm! We eventually made it to the famous fish throwers to see them throw a few fish, especially to the kids delight.

Update 11:40 a.m. we realized we were hungry. We talked about where to eat, and Papazai and Mamazai really wanted to return to Ivar's Fish Bar to eat, as they had found memories from when they lived here before. So we found the elevator down out of Pike Street Market and meandered down to Ivar's. As we we started to walk the rain increased, and what was supposed to be light showers in the mourning turned into some good solid rain. We again took a slightly longer route for Mamazai and enjoyed the sites of a city and the people and the conversation, the only downfall we were wet by time we got there. We debated, it was a fast debate as the women decided we were going to eat at the restaurant vs. the bar and the heated covered seating area. We had a nice filling lunch.

Update 1:30 p.m. ish we set out for the Seattle Center. We walked back up to 5th street and surprisingly the rain stopped, and it never returned even though the clouds remained all night. We decided to go check out the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame.

Update 2:30 p.m. When we got tickets we found out that they were valid for both the Science Fiction Museum and the Experience Music Project, so Aunt Kathy, Chelsea, and the kids went there while the rest entered the world of Science Fiction. For being the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame it was not what i was expecting at all. Most of the exhibits were still shots, props, encased books, papers, written up plaques, etc. The Science center exhibits had more moving parts and more robotics in 3 - 4 dinosaurs then the entire Museum did. After I had visited all 3 floors I walked across to find Chelsea and the kids. I found them just as they were going into a dedicated kids area. In there they were able to play some instruments, dress up, color, play on computers, and be somewhat loud, just what the doctor ordered.

Update 4:30 p.m. We meet back in the lobby and then walked over to see the Space Needle. Built for the World's Fair in 19 , it still is a icon of Seattle. The observation deck is 158.5 m (520') above ground. It has a 360 degree walkway giving you a great view of the city anytime you choose to pay for the elevator ride. On the West side you see the Sound and on the East you see the great city. We had fund walking around and seeing the city, and I had fun taking pictures and playing with the lens on the new camera.

Update 6:00 p.m. we split up to head back to Mike and Kathy's house for dinner. Mamazai decided to stay home as she was beat and sore from the wheelchair. The chair kept her knee at the wrong angle and it was really sore. So with Papazai we loaded up the van and drove on out to Mike and Kathy's house. All i remember of the trip was being asleep in the back fairly quickly as i was pretty beat. When we arrived we realized we beat them home so we decided to find the fuse box and let the kids watch some more Cars, from when it got interrupted the previous day from too much technology.

Update 6:30 p.m. they arrived home and Uncle Jay had to get home. We went on inside after saying good bye to Uncle Jay and had some great salmon from Pike Street Market and some steak. We talked until we realized we just needed to leave. The kids had not napped and it was pushing 11. We just got caught up in great stories and great food we didn't want to leave.

Update 11:00 p.m. we fall asleep, well at least I and the kids do. We got home gave the kids bathes to get the cat dander off and put them to bed. I then laid down to wait for Chelsea to get out of the shower but didn't wake up until 8:00 a.m.

Traveling Tidbit: Seattle is still fun in the rain with family.

Well we start out day 2. We got up and left at 9:00 in the middle of a nice rain.

Start 9:00 a.m. we head on to Seattle. The weather is the opposite of yesterday's sunny warm day. Now we have a cool cloudy rainy day. As we start out we plug in the iPod to listen to some Michael Card and then listen to a couple sermons by either Ravi or Card we are debating. This was of course after we had to listen some folk band I don't remember the name of. My parents really like them, was too distracted with my wife and the kids to tell you what they sang about or if would have liked them.

Update 10:00 a.m. we had to get coffee. Well more accurately it was Mammazai that needed coffee. She tried to convince my dad but he said only if there was one close on the GPS. As she did not know how to run it, it was going to be too bad. So she convinced me to find one for her. I got up front and found one that was 2.2 miles away but a bit off the highway. Dad said ok after I looked some more and the only one really close to the highway was up in Portland 65.3 miles away. That was too far so we decided to go to that close one. When I got back to the menu another closer one was found and so we put it in the GPS, really just told it go there as a side stop, and it was the next exit we were to take.

At this time Mammazai decided that the GPS needed to be named Dizzy Lizzy and so the GPS was named Dizzy Lizzy and the van became The Covered Wagon. As Dizzy Lizzy was leading us to Starbucks Pappazai said that this would be the most expensive cup of coffee he would have ever bought. Upon further deconstruction of that statement, it was verbalized as the GPS was not included in the cup of coffee. Without Dizzy we would have never found the Starbucks and would have never stopped for it. So here is the Starbucks Dizzy Lizzy found for us. And here is the picture of the most expensive cup of coffee. As a result my mom uttered the words, "I take everything bad back I have ever said about technology." "I take everything bad back I said about the GPS." "I am glad you bought the GPS." So guess as long as technology get her coffee she will be happy with it.

Update 11:40 a.m. we finally started talking about lunch, not as we were all hungry but because well it was getting around that time. So we called up Dizzy Lizzy and decided to eat at Old Spaghetti Factory. As it is my parents 35th Anniversary it was perfect to eat there to help them celebrate 35 great years.

Update 12:10 p.m. With road construction and a brand new building for the Old Spaghetti Factory, it took a second to find what we were looking for but sure enough we got there with the sound of "Recalculating" coming from Dizzy Lizzy constantly. We were supposed to wait 35 minutes for our table, so as we were going to go outside to take some pictures our name was called. 35 minutes became 5, yea! Lunch was good and big. Bread, salad, pasta, ice cream it was a good meal and Mammazai and Pappazai were happy to be sudo celebrating 35 years there with grandkids.

Update 3:00 p.m. we are on the road again. We had a nice long lunch and then some races. There was a path following a river behind the restaurant and we had the kids run races up and down that for awhile to run out the sugar they had with lunch and their wiggles.

Update 5:00 p.m. we made a quick stop so the kids could run, and we could use the water closet. We have 62 miles left and an hour left. We are traveling much different than we have in the past. Kids are watching Cars in the back and enjoy it. Much different than the small car and the Etch e-Sketch we had growing up.

Update 5:40 p.m. we blew a fuse. The thing about traveling modern day style as my mom calls it, is that fuses can blow. We didn't think we had that much plugged in, just the TV, DVD, and a computer and then bam they all went off.

Update 7:00 p.m. we have arrived at our hotel. Traffic into Seattle was horrible and at times it was like a parking lot. My dad decided that we would stay at a really nice hotel. This is such a nice gift, but it is hard for me to accept it as the hotel is something I know I will never be able to afford. Then when we arrive they did not have one of our rooms available. How does a hotel of this caliber not have a reservation available. It was not like we just walked up for a room. I shouldn't really complain as that is not the attitude our Father would want us to have.

Update on fuses we could not find the fuse box at all. The manual had a picture of the box so trying to find it was hard especially with all the luggage in the van. We will have to look tomorrow to try to find the box and hope the fuses we did find will work.

Update 10:00 p.m. We are just putting the table outside from the room service my parents ordered for us and them to share, as part of their anniversary celebration. We took the kids swimming while my dad was waiting to get a place to park the van as it would not fit in the normal parking deck and my mom waited for the other room to be ready and for Hannah's crib to arrive as they did not have it ready for us. They were asleep in about 20 minutes after we walked to the other room with the monitors. Now we are just relaxing watching one of my moms show she really likes.

Travel Tidbit: Traveling with technology is fun but better be careful or you will over load the fuses and blow one or two :)

ROAD TRIP!!

Well today is the day the start of the Great Lute Adventure. We set out for Oregon today.

Start 8:00 am we are off. With a quick stop at the Library, making sure we don't run up late fees, the Great Lute Adventure begins. My dad fired up his new toy and we were off. He decided he needed a GPS for the trip, not sure why. Now I am not against technology, seeing as we had to have some to create this site, and the very fact I am typing this up on a laptop as we drive, but what is wrong with a good old atlas and some directions. Not sure if I would get a GPS myself, the whole big brother thing, but it seems like it will be neat for the trip.

Update 8:45 am we hit traffic and came to dead stop. They had closed 3 lanes out of 4 on 80 out of the city.

Update 9:15 am we are on the Road Again. We never did figure out what they were doing. We merged then the lane we merged out of was being opened back up again.

Update 12:05 p.m. we stopped in Redding to see my Uncle and his family. He and his family just recently moved from WI to Redding after completing his PHD at UW-Madison. He is now a professor at Simpson. We chatted for a bit and then climbed back into our van and they in their car and headed to a local eatery. We ended up at a local Chinese restaurant. After a good meal, not authentic Chinese but still good, we headed back to the open road. We had to end out visit a bit to early for me. My uncle and I just started a good conversation about Science Fiction. My wife told us to keep the conversation going through our own forms of Science :).

Update 4:15 p.m. We stopped at Weed rest stop and let the kids run and run and run under the shadow of mount Shasta.

Update 6:30 p.m. Well we used the GPS to find a fast bite to eat. We decided on an Applebee's since it was just off the highway.

Update 8:00 p.m. Well we are 30 minutes from our final destination for the day. Driving from CA to OR has been beautiful and nice Where the forests up in the mountains of CO have an infection of Pine Beetles, the mountains here are so lush and green. As we drive it is really exciting for Chelsea as it reminds her more of NC and the mountains there than the CO mountains did. The nice windy road that is surrounded by lush green trees and foliage. It reminds me of the drive I would do from WI to NC when we were courting.

Update 8:45 p.m. We are here and in our hotel. The first day of traveling is finally done.

Update 10:00 p.m. kids are finally asleep and I will be doing the last updates then posting. Check out the pictures and stay tuned for the next few days as we travel. Love you all later.

Traveling Tidbit: Mount Shasta and the surrounding area were formed from Volcanic Activity.

Well this entry is way over due, but we arrived late late into the night.

On Wednesday after getting everything organized, we looked at our bags, our stuff and realized we did not have enough bags to carry everything we decided to bring to California. So as I went to the doctor I stopped by Target to get some luggage. I was hoping to find some that was both cheap and big enough to carry everything. Not finding anything I was too happy with I went on to the doctor. As I was driving home I stopped at Ross and looked but they didn't have anything either. Running out of time as I needed to pick up the family and then drive out to met my Grandfather's fiance, I rushed home hoping I was not too late.

On our way to dinner after we loaded everyone up in the car and got on our way to meet my grandfather's fiance we all walked into Target and between Chelsea and I we decided on some luggage.

When we got home on Wednesday we packed everything and realized we were bringing to many things to California. We had packed everything for our trip over to EA and then decided to bring it all to CA with us. We realized at about Midnight how silly we were to bring all of this and decided to repack it all. We woke up Thursday with several bags to bring to our friends house to store until we picked them up in September.

When we finally got ready we had it all packed, weighed and then loaded up our car with the kids. Our luggage in the friends cars who were driving us to the airport and we were finally all ready to go. Once on the plane we thought the kids would be asleep but they decided they would stay awake. Hannah eventually fell asleep near the end of the flight, while Joshua was calm at the beginning and being wide awake and rowdy at then end.

When we landed and my parents picked us we loaded up the cars, after about an hour of waiting for the bags and getting the car, we were on our way to my parents house. We finally pulled in at about 2 am. We put the kids down and finally got to bed around 3:30 am. Didn't matter how tired we were the kids still decided to get up at 7:00 am.