Busy little bee..

So in the last few weeks I have been quite the traveler. Let's see, we celebrated the 4th with my Momma and Daddy in Hutchinson, Kansas. My favorite Aunt and Uncle came up with their two boys. We made our own little fireworks show in the driveway. Jeremy was the pyrotechnical expert. I think we did a bank up job. Also, we made a little trip to Wichita, Kansas. We visited the Body Exhibit. I must say that that exhibit was very informative. If it comes to a location near you, I would say you should see it, but beware to those with children. The bodies are anatomically correct. I would not suggest taking your young ones in. My girls hung out with their Papa. Bodies aren't his thing. I have a slide show in tribute to our happy weekend.

Then, we decided to make a trip to Amarillo to visit Jeremy's father. For those of you who do not know, Jeremy's father has reoccurring lymphoma. He was diagnosed for the second time this last January. As his health has continued to decline, we decided it was time to make a trip. We had a nice time seeing him, and felt much better after squeezing his neck again. I will post a few pics. I have more on my myspace page, so if you get a chance, go check it out too!

www.myspace.com/lindzelou720

Love to each of you...have a great rest of the week!

Hi ho Hi ho, it's off to work we go...

Jeremy has returned to work. Vacation is over for Chief Welch. We did have a bit of a scare. While in-processing he was initially issued gear to deploy with the 2nd brigade, here at Ft. Riley. This group was supposed to deploy in August, and is now scheduled to leave in October. I was feeling a little hot under the hood when he came home with his new battle gear. I know he will have to go, but this on-again-off-again roller coaster is starting to make-uh me a little sick-uh. You see, there were four slots for five Warrants here, and no one was really sure what to do with Jeremy. It turns out he is working at Division, which is a CW3 position. This is great for Jeremy because it means he is working above his level, and even better...NO DEPLOYMENT!!! He is really pumped to get settled now that he has a position. We are happy that he is happy!

On another note...I HAVE A NEW JOB TOO!!!
I know, I can't believe it either! I will be teaching preschool at the First United Methodist Church, here in Manhattan. It just fell into my lap. God is so good. In fact, at church this morning, I told a lady I would be working at the preschool and she was so positive. She said it was hard to find a job like that in Manhattan, so I felt even more thankful for my new position. I will be teaching Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings, and I start right after Labor Day. Savannah will not be in my class, but she will be in the same school. This is a good thing!

One last bit of news...we are getting settled in here in the "Little Apple." However, the Midwesterners here are hard to conquer. It seems making friends is a slow and daunting task. We are meeting new people every day, but haven't found any real pals yet. This is the hardest part about moving. We have visited several local churches, and even there we haven't met any solid friends. By now we are usually getting all settled in and having dinner guests. I am hoping in the weeks to come friendships are headed our way. It is lonely now that Jeremy is gone and it's just the kids and me. Calling all buddies in Manhattan...friendly family looking for a great peer group. Love the outdoors and home-cookin'. Very social and always adventurous. Notify us at once. Expect a quick reply!

The last chapter in our moving mini-series

We started the day on the right foot for sure! We had Amarillo's World Famous Donut Stop! These are the most delicious donuts in the entire world. We even picked up an extra two dozen to take with us to Grandmommy and Papa. I did notice that my check engine light was still ablaze, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and head down the road to our final destination.


With donuts in hand, we were on our way!

We made it through Stratford, and then on across the Oklahoma state line. We even snapped a quick photo. Then we decided to fill up while we were stopped in good ol' Texhoma.



However, when we pulled ahead, my little bullet would not go over 20 mph. So, just outside of the great metropolis of Texhoma...we were stranded. My mini-van wouldn't even go in reverse. The transmission was done!



Here is a photo for your amusement.



Take note of a few things in this picture. One, you can see the city in the distance. Two, there is a curb...yes, a curb on the side of the road, preventing us from pulling onto a shoulder. If we could have taken video you would have noticed our triangles behind the camper, and our hazard lights blinking.



After two hours on the phone with our trusty USAA insurance company, we had increased our tow mileage to 112 miles, and then agreed to pay the difference to tow the van 175 miles to Hutchinson, Kansas for a new transmission. You see, there is not transmission repair shop within 50 miles of our breakdown.



We then begin the task of UNloading everything from the van, into the trailer...in 100 degree weather. Just as we finish up, one of those good ol' Oklahoma Sheriff cars whizzes (and without a hesitation in speed) past us. Nice. So, feeling a little overheated and very frustrated, I proceeded to give the local law enforcement a ring-a-ding. I mean, he did not have any light flashing or any siren blaring, so if his job is to protect and serve, why didn't he at least stop to see if we were alright? I could have been dying on the side of the road, and he would have just coasted right by! Being a military wife, I understand the obligations a government employee has, and this guy was not doing his job!

I dialed information and was connected with the Chief of Police in Texhoma. I rattled my spill to him, knowing he was not a part of the Sheriff department, but I did not have their number. He apologized, and I told him we had made tow arrangements for our vehicle that we had now left on the side of the road.

We were now riding in the truck, overheating, with no AC. Again...I have photographic documentation...

Now. the rest of the story gets interesting. Here it is in timeline form...
1. Lindsay gets a call back from the Sheriff department. A woman apologizes. Lindsay informs her that the car is on the side of the road, and a tow truck is on the way from Hutchinson, Kansas. The woman says that is fine and she will notify the Highway Patrol.
2. Windblown and weary we make it to Hutch.
3. Lindsay leaves her cell in the truck by mistake.
4. 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning I load up to make the drive to Manhattan for receipt of household goods. (We were pushing it!)
5. I have 13 missed calls and messages.
6. My tow driver cannot locate our van and has driven to Stratford and back.
7. The Sheriff department has ordered my van be towed to Guymon and it is now impounded. Yes, you are reading this correctly.

Above: My vision of the Law Enforcement in Oklahoma.
Below: The tow driver that held my van hostage.



8. I make a call to the dispatcher at the Sheriff's office. She questions my chat the day before with Nancy No-name that apologized for the irresponsible Sheriff. She wonders how I got the number if I was not from there. I guess calling Information is a new concept to her.
9. The Sheriff does not report until 8:30 a.m. so I am instructed to call back.
10. Basically, after talking with the Chief of Police again, the assistant Sheriff that ordered the tow, and the actual and I quote, "elected OFFICIAL that doesn't answer to anybody" I paid $500.00 in tow charges and my van was released.
11. I hate OKLAHOMA and Sheriff Peoples has no idea what type of storm is headed his direction.

The nuts and bolts of the situation are just this. His department not only neglected their job when we were stranded on the side of the road, but then his department ordered the tow of our vehicle in error. What more could we have done? So, this is probably not the last you will hear of this tale. I have big plans to seek reconciliation. Now, we have a new transmission, and the AC is repaired in the truck.

Don't you just love a happy ending?! What is my famous line...it is ALWAYS an adventure with the Welch's. You can't make this kinda stuff up!

Tragedy in our new home...

Not that any of you will find this surprising, but I have been really busy!!! I will post my conclusion to my story tomorrow...I PROMISE!!! You just won't believe it!

On a much more important note...we are safely nestled in our home for the night. However, we had a VERY close call last night. Around 10:30pm we were alerted of a tornado headed our way. We collected the kids an headed for the basement. Turns out, we were less than a mile from the path of an EF4 level tornado that ravaged our "little apple," Manhattan, Kansas. Just a few short weeks after arriving in Kansas, we nearly lost our house and all our belongings. Here are a few pictures of the horror we have witnessed today. We suffered a power loss from 11pm until around 5pm, and walked away with no damage. Please pray for those who lost everything in this terrible storm. I will let you know how you can help if you feel led in days to come.

What is left of our True Value Hardware store

The neighborhood beside ours

Chapter Three...Out of state cards and ten o'clock burritos

The sun was peeking through the zipper lines of the tenting on the camper, when we decided it was time to rise. We knew that our route would mean about a 10 hour drive. The morning was so nice. Jeremy did a little oil check, with a little supervision from Savannah Kay. I capture the two on film. Don't you just love those Kodak moments. Nice pic Savannah! Bekah manned the Maddie-dog. Then it was off to New Mexico.

Note to all who dare to enter New Mexico...never be in a hurry to gas and go! It was time for another refill on gas and a snack, so we pulled of at the huge casino/gas station/Dairy Queen/potty/what ever else you needed place. Jeremy had been whining via cell phone for about 30 minutes that he was about to spring a leak. Jeremy pulled in about 38 pumps away from myself, and the door. I swiped my little cardy-poo and had to enter my zip. After two attempts I was feeling that NM heat, and a lot of frustration. The woman buzzed in telling me I would have to come in to pay because my card was from out of town. I might have answered with a crude "whatever." I mean aren't 90% of the people traveling through this place? Who in their right mind would live here?! Anyway, Jeremy walks up at my "whatever" and decides to try his card. This is where the comedic relief begins.

The kids and I head into the building to find the ladies room. Savannah Kay can still tell you that it was by the huge cactus. Rebekah told my parents later that "that gas station was like a mall, and the policeman was really nice." LOL While we were getting our daily dose of DQ, Jeremy was swelling up like the blueberry girl in Wonka's factory. He had been into the store, left his card, filled my car, picked up his card, and headed over to his pump to fill up. He had not been to the potty yet.

After filling the van, he told the clerk that he was now going to be filling up at pump 87, or whatever number it was, and headed out to the great beyond. When he finally reached his pump, and swiped that little piece of plastic, he found that the card still would not take. He buzzed in, and the conversation went something along these lines...

Jeremy:"Yeah...hey...I was just in there and now my card won't let me fill up. Can you just turn it on?"

Clerk 1: "I'm sorry sir, you'll have to come back in."

Jeremy: "I was just in there. I got $70 worth of gas at pump 4. You know who I am, can you just turn on my pump?"

Clerk 1: "Sorry sir. It just our policy"

Jeremy:"ricka-fricka-racka-fricka-ricka...(this is what it did sound like, I am sure...just picture a scene from acme's Yosemite Sam)."

Jeremy enters the store..now waddling. "Here is my card, but you know who I am, I was just in here and I told you I was headed out to fill up at pump 347."

Clerk 1:"I know, it's just our policy."

Jeremy: "But I was JUST in here."

Clerk 2 interjects with her back turned "She didn't know it was you."

Jeremy: "YESSSSS...SHE DID." Jeremy leaves his card and slowly exits the store to head back out to pump 843.

Clerk 1 smirks and chuckles.

Jeremy does a crazy looking 180, extends his arm in front of the next 10 customers, and leans over the counter, looking like a bit of a psycho..."Do...you...think...this...is...funny?"

Clerk 1 steps back with a bit of fear and says, "Ummm no sir, it just happens all the time."

Jeremy: "When I get back, I want to see YOUR manager."

The best part is, while Jeremy is manning the three ring circus, Savannah and I were having a great time!

Don't worry, Jeremy did not wet his pants, and the clerk is still alive.

Prior to our gas encounter, we had planned to meet with my Nana and Pappy, as well as Jeremy's family for dinner. Once we were back on the road, and after an update from LOLA, we began to realize we would not be getting in until about 9:00 p.m., so dinner was off. Jeremy and I briefly discussed just heading northeast rather than on in to Amarillo. If we weren't going to see family, then it would be faster to just head on up to Kansas from Albuquerque. However, Jeremy's mom promised a sack of Taco Villa, and we were sold.

We spent the night at "Fort Amarillo." It was a lovely place to stay. We had high hopes for an indoor pool experience, but it was about 10:00 when we finally pulled into our spot.

Savannah Kay showed Grandpa John her bunk, and then we had a quick photo shoot before saying goodnight to Jerm's folks. John was lookin' pretty good, in spite of the chemo he has been taking. He even had a little hair. Tisha even stopped in after work. I spent the wee hours working on homework. It was around 2 a.m. when I finally crawled into bed. It was a long day, but our longest was just ahead. If I had only known what tomorrow would hold...I might have just kept driving on the night before. However, those burritos were super fantastic! Thanks Grandma Dorothy!

The climax is coming...just you wait!

Chapter Two...Flagstaff or Bust

As we opened our eyes, thoughts of our burnt cord and busted AC loomed in our minds. Well, at least those thoughts loomed in Jeremy's and Lindz's minds. The kids wanted to know what was for breakfast. Jeremy stepped outside to make an analysis on the cord replacement.

After closer examination, he sent the girls and I to breakfast and he made a trip to Car Quest for quick connects for our wiring. You see, the new cord needed to be hard wired into the camper, which was not scheduled in our time block, so he made the executive decision to repair our damaged wire with a set of quick connects and some electrical tape.

After almost 30 minutes in the restaurant, the girls and I waltz out to find a sweaty and frustrated dear old daddy, sitting between the camper and the truck. While Bekah manned the leash with Maddie and swore she was dying of heat exhaustion, Jeremy and I made the surgical-type repair to the camper wiring. Savannah Kay was obliviously kicking at random things with rosy cheeks. Ah, ignorance is such bliss! Just so you know, Jeremy and I make a great team!

Then we called just about every auto repair place listed in LOLA to find a shop to charge the freon in Jeremy's truck, Old Blue. We were told to stop by the local Pep Boys. The couldn't fit us in until around noon, so we made a strong effort to 'do it yourself' with a freon filler, purchased for about $30. Yes, there was a sensation of cool-ness coming from the vents, but in no way was the AC near arctic chill levels. I suppose anything was better than what he had been sitting in that morning. At around 11:00 a.m. we finally headed out of Bakersfield.

The rest of the day proved rather uneventful. Well, except I did notice my check engine light was now illuminated. I should interject at this point that we had a little concern about the transmission in the van. In the last few weeks our van had slipped out of gear a handful of times. This occurrence was always on our street, and always after just starting the van and taking off. We knew that 125,000 miles was high, and just passed the transmission trouble off as much adieu about nothing. Oh, and my regular beams were still not working, but hey...we could check that out later. At least I had light, right?! Also, Jeremy's left arm was looking rather reddish with his new stylish burn from the day before. He had rigged his sunshade to protect his arm from further damage. Somehow, I managed to capture this safety violation on camera.

We did have one other rather exciting event at one of our gas and potty stops. The kids and I had decided at Dairy Queen Blizzard was a must. We overheard someone say, "It's only 104 today." Can you believe this?! Only 104!!! Well, after an ice cream drive-thru, Savannah and I did our potty stop first, but were told to enter the bathroom from the outside. While in the one room potty, I noticed there were two doors, one on each side of the room. Apparently one of these doors was the clerk entrance. Bekah made her potty stop after us, but with a rather grumpy escort from Momma. We had already had one of those discussions where she didn't need to go until right as we were about to drive off. With melting ice cream, and daylight burning away, we treked to the potty. After washing my hands I walked out the door and headed to the car. She was slowly drying her hands behind me. After about three minutes, there was still no Bekah. I had now reached the conclusion that she was probably sulking in the bathroom, so I stomped back to haul her to the car. When I reached the bathroom, Jeremy and I discovered she was locked in, and bawling! Apparently my exit had triggered the faulty lock, and she was stuck inside. Thank heavens for the second entrance. About 2 seconds later, with child in hand, and a tissue for the road, we were on our way once more.

We pulled into an RV resort that was located just west of Flagstaff, and within eye sight of I-40. There was a military rate, and $23 later we were now running the heater and snug as a bug in a rug. The mountain air was a bit of a change from the 100 degree pool weather in Bakersfield. This was not our scheduled stopping point, but it was nearing 10:00 p.m. and we had been driving for about 9 hours. Our reservations were for Munds RV Park, but it was off the beaten path, and Jeremy swore the new place was a step up. We had high hopes to be in Amarillo, Texas by dinner the next day, so staying right on the interstate was a big plus.

Another day down, and a couple more to go. We had repaired our cord, rigged our AC, freed our captive child, and arrived at our desired destination for the night. Things were working out quite well. Little did we know, the most adventurous part of our trip was yet to come!

One other very important post...

While this is completely unrelated to our journey, you all should know just how proud I am of my mister. He graduated with honors from the Defense Language Institute! I thought each of you might enjoy some pics of this very celebrated and momentous occasion. Cheers to you hunny pie! Let's all give him a hand!

Fernando, Drew and Jeremy...the three honors grads and best buddies

Colonel Sue Sandusky presents Jeremy with his Associates of Arts in French

Drew and Jeremy...best buddies and grads!

Left to Right: Chappy, Jeremy, Fernando, Drew, Dunn, and Sergio

The Fam with our Grad!