Family Road Trippin'!

It's been a LONG day. But fun! I will start with something Gar was telling us Fri night. He had a run (or two) to Charleston Fri. Well of course on those, he takes the client to their appt and then has to wait on them, even if they'll be most of the day. So he usually finds a place to hang out in the van since he has a DVD player in the van, internet on his phone. He was hungry Fri so he was gonna run to Walmart I guess. But his GPS lied to him and told him to turn left and that's where Walmart was. UNH HUH! Nopers, there was a Marshall's, something else and a few little small stores. A couple restaurants. A Chinese place, a sushi place, there was a Chik-Fil-A right there (I had a bad incident at that Chik-Fil-A but not b/c of their food-had a dr appt and since I'd not seen them thought my slightly queasy stomach was nerves-nope it was stomach flu and I was having to make Gar pull over every 10 min for me to be ill) and a pizza place called Baroni's. He had a sandwich called the S.P.O. for lunch yesterday. The description of it is:

Whole Link Italian Sausage with Grilled Onions and Green Peppers. Straight from the Streets of New York

He RAVED about it, posted a pic on his FB, liked their page on FB and even commented and got a reply from the owner. Well I'd had a fleeting thought yesterday that maybe today we could take a road trip but I never said anything. We all slept late today. Or at least I know Bastian and I did. I assume Gar did. It was noonish when I woke up. I could NOT get in my bed last night because someone didn't fall asleep in a way that allowed me to get in bed or even have my pillow. Or rather the pillow I stole from him, no he brought it to me when they set my bed up and said I could use it. I am not a pillow thief I guess. Bastian was SO cute, he fell asleep READING. Albeit a book on Assassin's Creed but hey he's reading himself to sleep so I don't mind it being about a video game. He went to play a game with Gar this morning before I woke a bit after noon. I'd woke up at 6am to two things. One my med alarm going off and two, my right foot feeling as if it were being squeezed to death! I'd fallen asleep in my w/c, wearing my braces, which except for the foot that was being squeezed like a boa constrictor was on it, was good since I then didn't have to worry that I'd not be able to fasten the straps on my braces because of the swelling when I sleep in my w/c. I also woke around 9am very thirsty. Then around 10. And then finally for good around noon. 


Bas came in here and was watching TV for awhile. He decided he was hungry but came back and said he decided not to eat because Dad said we were gonna go get pizza. I asked him where but Dad never said. At some point, Gar came to let me know we were going on a road trip. I asked how soon we needed to be ready. I had a bit thankfully b/c Barb was napping for a bit after work, as I was still really stiff around 1pm, which was med time thankfully. I am now pretty much on a med schedule unless I don't hear my 6am alarms. And since two meds are taken every 6 hrs and one is every 8 hrs. I figured out a compromise for ONE dose of the meds. My am dose they can all be taken together, as can my bedtime dose. It's the middle 2 doses that are an issue. I'd have to take the 2 meds at say 12pm and then at 2pm take the other. Then at 6 take the 2 again and at 10pm take the one. Then 12am the 2. WAY too much hassle, it'd have me taking meds every 2 hrs which is crazy. Actually every 3 hrs really because I tend to take my PRN meds at the halfway point of the ones I take on the 6s and 12s. So I'd take meds at 6am, 9am, 12pm, 2pm, 6pm, 9pm, 10pm 12am and 3am (if I were awake). WAY TOO CRAZY! So I use the nursing home rule of 1hr before-1hr after dose is due and rather than doing 12pm and 2pm, I do 1pm. So then I can get away with 6am, 9am, 1pm, 6pm, 9pm, 12am, and if awake 3am. Sometimes I slip a PRN in at 4pm rather than those 3am ones. I'm rarely awake needing meds at 3am, awake yes, meds not usually. While he was in here, Gar told Bas he needed to get dressed. Bas, being his father's son, said "You're not dressed yet so why do I have to get dressed now?" Gar came back with the answer every parent has to resort to at some point, "Because I am your father and said so." Bas basically let him know what he thought of that...which was no way was he gonna get dressed until we ALL were getting ready! I said to Gar that that's what he got for having a son who thinks for himself and is self-confident, a smart-aleck like his father, and is so funny, basically him as a kid in a way. Needless to say, Gar left, came back about 10 min later, dressed and said "HA I am dressed now so GO GET DRESSED!" They were both laughing the whole time. While Bas can sound like he is a child who doesn't do as he is told or like he back-talks, he was just playing around and when it's serious. he rarely ever back-talks. 


I asked where we were going and got no real answer. I said are we going south, and got "I'd planned on it." I guess Gar never even told Barb where we were going. Although about an hour, hour and a half into our drive, I did figure it out. I don't know why it suddenly hit me, but we were on this back road, gravel, but had grass growing in the center of the road, trees on both sides really close to the road, no homes or any other signs of civilization in sight...no power lines even!!!. It suddenly popped into my mind what we were doing. And since we were all hungry, before we left the MB area, when Gar gassed up, we all got a snack. Bas had his Lil Chub brand sausage, Gar had jerky, I had chips. Barb didn't have a snack I guess. I have to say, it was a beautiful drive. A good bit of it was through Francis Marion National Forest.

Map of Francis Marion National Forest & our routes taken

Of course what would a family outing with our family be if we did not stop at a Goodwill? It just would not be right! So we stopped. I found an outfit, a light purple long sleeve shirt and striped pants that have black, white, darker purple, light purple and a really thin blue stripe. Sounds odd but they're cute. A lounge/pj outfit of course. I almost never wear anything that I can't also sleep in! I dress for comfort MOST of the time. Esp. for doc appts and most esp for when I have my RFAs. I gotta be as comfy as possible on the table. And then too, they have to be something that doc has easy access to my lower back, upper part of my backside. So it HAS to be comfy, soft, and loose. I made the mistake of wearing jeans once. NOT a good idea. I'd gotten a bunch of pants the other day when I went to the doc as well. I have gained a little bit of weight, just enough that since I like my clothes loose, I needed more pj pants. Plus, I can't have too many pairs of pj pants now can I? 


We finally got to the restaurant between 6 and 7! We didn't rush too much although Barb did need to get some sleep tonight since she has to work. But we had these garlic knots as an appetizer. They were so wonderful. Balls of dough, about the size of a dinner roll, baked and topped with their roasted garlic and olive oil glaze and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Then there was marinara sauce to dip them in. Barb and I kept ripping our knots apart and kinda mopping up the glaze that had pooled on the plate. I just now found out we could have ordered a side of the roasted garlic and olive oil glaze, so I ever go back, I am gonna do that. To me, there couldn't have been too much of the glaze on the knots, but y'all know how I am about my garlic, and esp. roasted garlic. I just love me some garlic. And it's not a problem with the breath and kissing my hubby cuz he's as bad as I am about it. We're the same with onion too although for me to have raw onions they gotta be VERY small. But, cook em and I'll go nuts on em. We cleaned out a dozen of those knots in maybe 10 min. Bas saw on the menu how many were in the order and said "We get 3 each right?" We all kinda laughed and said yes. He said he just wanted to be fair. And he made sure we all got our three. Gar and Barb ended up with the same thing, the Sausage Parmigiana sandwich, w/fries and a pickle spear.

Whole Link Italian Sausage with Grilled Onions and Green Peppers. Oven-Baked with Marinara Sauce, Provolone Cheese and Oregano

I got The Olympian, minus tomatoes with ranch and bacon pasta salad.It was odd. They used rotini pasta and it had something on it that wasn't ranch dressing, then it was topped with a ton of bacon and a good amount of ranch dressing. The flavor of the pasta w/o the dressing was almost a citrusy flavor. I meant to ask and forgot. It was WAY too big for me to eat even half of the pasta salad. I didn't wanna box it up because I wasn't sure it'd still be good when I got home. But I only ate about a quarter of my pita, so I have lunch and maybe dinner for tomorrow!

Pita with Grilled Gyro Meat, Marinated Grilled Chicken, Grilled Onions, Feta Cheese, Plum Tomatoes, and Tzatziki Sauce.

And Bas got a Pepperoni and Mozzarella Pizza Roll

Open-ended Pizza Roll made with Homemade Pizza Dough. Stone-Baked and Basted with our Garlic glaze & Parmesan cheese. Served with Marinara Dipping Sauce.

Right now Bas and I are finishing off a loaf (8oz) of steakhouse bread in a honey brown bread flavor. And Shed's Spread Country Crock has a whipped spread with honey in it. Oh my...the PERFECT 3am snack. I think we ate about half of the loaf last night and now there's 2 slices left and they won't last long at all! 


Why he is up at 3am I am not sure. I know I said he should be asleep awhile ago. But I guess it IS summer break so I should cut him some slack. And we have NO plans for tomorrow that I am aware of. What he doesn't know is that soon, he's gonna hafta move some cuz I want part of my own bed! I'll end up sleeping in my usual sitting up position but with my back to the wall along the side of the bed and my legs laying to width of the bed rather than the length of it. That way I get a bit of my bed but he can still sleep in it as well. He has most of the bed this way! I have to keep a pillow on the bed along my left side or I end up being kicked and bruised. In fact, I am headed there now as soon as I post this, and finish one other thing. And then find my book so I can read myself to sleep hopefully, or read until time to get up. Either way, I'd better get in bed before I lose my spot to sleep in! I told Bas no more Netflix on the Ipod. But since I don't sleep without the TV on, he's decided it needs to be Disney and not infomercials. Gee IDK why he doesn't like those. Oh well. I hope you all have a great night, sleeping well, having peaceful dreams. I am off to read my, or drool over my, Taste of Home magazine and then maybe read some more of my book from the Sisters of Holmes County series titled A Sister's Secret.