The Alabama – Florida boarder

October 30, 2015October 30, 2015Leave a comment

October 29, 2015

We started the day by swimming in the pool at the RV park. The pool wasn’t heated so it was really cold. After swimming at the pool we took the van to get some state pictures. After pictures we went on a ferry at Mobile Bay with our car over to Dauphin Island, Alabama.

After the ferry ride we went to Fort Gaines. We just walked around for a little bit then moved on to the next thing. It has been neat to see history of the wars right before our eyes.

On the Island we were on they were moving sand from the hurricane weather they had like we move snow after a snowstorm in MN! We went to the beach next. When we got there I took about ten steps before realizing I was going to need a bag because there were so many shells! We walked for a little while before grace yelled out, ”I found a jellyfish!” so everyone rushed over to see it. Even though it was dead it was super cool to see. We walked for a while and got lots and lots of shells! When everyone was ready to go we walked back to the car.

We took the ferry back over to the other side and drove back to our RV park.

-Greta

Grace put together a video for us to remember our day.

A change of plans…

October 27, 2015Leave a comment

October 26, 2015

It’s mom’s turn to write. So, here is goes.

We left Talladega this morning with intentions of heading to Florida. Those intentions changed when we realized that the weather was still not pretty that direction due to the hurricane in the Gulf. Since I’ve lived in MN all my life I can honestly say I’ve never watched the weather for hurricane warnings, but since being on the east coast we’ve done plenty of that.

My mom called as we were headed down the road for the day. In conversation she told us about a movie that she had just gone to yesterday with a friend. The movie: Woodlawn The location of the true story: Birmingham, AL At that time, we were 29 miles from Birmingham and it was raining out. We decided that it would be a good day to head to a movie theatre and why not see Woodlawn right in a Birmingham theatre and then drive to Legion Field where the big game in the movie took place.

We’ve watched our kids walk hand in hand through the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in DC. We’ve learned a lot about the Civil War and have seen battle sites such as Gettysburg. We’ve listened to President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. We’ve sat in the bus that Rosa Parks made her stand in. And today we went to the movie Woodlawn that again talked about civil rights – in the 70’s. It’s sad, it’s liberating, its painful, it’s freeing and it’s crazy for my mind to think about the changes that have happened in this country in my life time alone. The first winning game shown in the movie Woodland was on my exact birthdate! This storyline happened while I’ve been alive.

Here is the thing that crosses my mind as I think about all these different things we’ve seen. This world is full of adversity but it is amazing to see how when one person makes a stand to do the right thing and has a team that comes along side them change is made. Even when things seem so bleak and unfair, miracle happen and miracles are seen!

In the movie Woodlawn before one of the games is started one of the main characters, Hank is asked to pray. When asked what he is doing, he said he is giving “credit where credit was due” and continued to pray The Lords Prayer. I can’t tell any more because it will give away that part of this storyline, but it was a really neat. I pray that we all realize our significance in life and stand up to do the right thing. To me, that often seems like it involves being a voice for those who do not seem to have a voice. And then, give credit where credit is due.

“When you play for yourself, you can be great. When you play for something higher than yourself, that’s when something extraordinary can happen. God has a purpose for all of us and it is not insignificant…God wants you to be a superstar.” – Hank

There you have it. A movie review and my scattered thoughts after walking through this side of the country for the last few weeks. Go see the movie!

After the movie we drove to see some friends that live in TN. We gave them a couple hour notice we were heading that direction and they made time for us to come and see their beautiful home and enjoy an evening of catching up. Thanks, Kenyons! It was awesome to see you! I Wish I would have taken a picture, but I forgot to pull out my phone and snap a few pictures.

Race City USA

October 21, 2015October 21, 2015Leave a comment

We woke up north of Mooresville, North Carolina. Mooresville is known as “Race City USA” as over 30 race teams call this area home. The girls needed a day to catch up with school work and Grace needed a day for her foot to be elevated so this day became all about me as Rachael and the boys and I toured several race shops. (Grace is doing much better by the way… thanks for your concern with her foot)

We decided to start our day with the race shop furthest away from our campground which was the Hendrick Facility. The Hendrick campus was quite overwhelming and we clearly discovered that this is a VERY big business. We were told that each team has 72 cars for the season so that is 288 cars for Hendrick and they build over 700 motors a year! The cost of a NASCAR engine was approximately $120,000 each and when a hauler is loaded up and ready to go to the track with the cars, engine, spare engine and parts is is approximately 2 million dollars rolling down the road to the track! To run a competitive team it costs between $35 and $40 million a year. That averages out to be about $1 million dollars per race weekend. One of the guys who works at the Hendricks shop on Kasey Kahne’s team is from Willmar, MN. I actually knew him when we were in college. Unfortunately he was not at the shop yesterday. After seeing the Race Shop we went the the gift shop and museum. It was fun to look at many of their past cars and buy and few souvenirs.

After leaving Hendrick Motor Sports we went to Joe Gibbs Racing. This was another very impressive facility and another 4 team operation. It was cool to see Joe Gibb’s football trophy case which included his SuperBowl Rings After viewing the Race Shop we went to the gift store and the boys found their favorite part of the day – an arcade racing game that was free and they could play as long as they wanted!

Our last stop for the day was Michael Waltrip Racing which we had heard gave the best tours, however we were unsure what we would find as we heard they were laying off over 200 employees at the end of the season. This was a great facility that had a catwalk that went out over the Race Shop and out of the gift store their were different areas that you could view their shock and suspension room, their rear-end and gear room and their water jet fabrication room. We then went on our tour of the grounds. We looked inside the chassis fabrication facility and their hauler bay. We were told that everything that we saw was “for sale” because at the end of the season this racing operation will be shutting down. I am very thankful we were able to see this facility prior to that happening. An interesting fact that we learned at Waltrip Racing was that their tire bill alone for the season is $1.5 million.

I have to say, touring these facilities was one of my funnest things on this roadtrip! The people at each facility were very nice and if you are in any way a race fan I would recommend you add this to your “to do” list.

Below is a great video that Grace put together for me of the day.

The New York Experience

October 10, 2015Leave a comment

October 9, 2015

Yesterday was the first day of New York. I joined my family at about 11 pm on Thursday night. After the flight my mom was waiting at baggage claim for me, and the hug I received is believed to be the biggest yet. We started our day quite a bit earlier than I usually do in my dorm at home in Mankato. This means about 9 o’clock. Although we are visiting New York for the weekend, we are staying at a farm that reminds me much of our home in Alexandria. There are ponies, goats, sheep, chicken, a donkey and wild deer there. We left the farm and made our way, about an hour and a half drive, to New York City. After driving in the city for about 20 minutes looking for a parking spot, my mom was stressing out and in need of someone to take over the wheel. At a stoplight that was backed up my parent’s switched spots and my dad then got us to a parking ramp with only a few close calls. Immediately after walking out of the parking ramp we experienced New York City. There were bus services all around us that wanted to sell us the “best” tour around, and notifying us that “all the other ones are scams”. Being my dad has a short fuse of patients and we intended on getting a bus tour anyway, he didn’t hesitate to say yes to the first man who talked to us. Other than the bus tours, there were people dressed up as characters from the boys favorite shows asking to take pictures with tip jars strapped around them. While my dad was figuring out how exactly the tour worked that he had just bought, we got on the bus to see it first hand. Our tour guide, cheesy and annoying, showed us around the city. We saw Uptown, Downtown, Midtown, Soho, China town, Time Square, Madison Garden Center, Statue of Liberty, The Empire state building and just about anything more that you could imagine. After the tour, my dad was eager to teach us all about the One World Trade Center. We went there with good intentions of learning, and although we did that, I think a few of us left light headed and ready for some food. Out of all places in New York to grab some food, the choice was made to eat at T.G.I. Fridays. Shortly after, we found ourselves back on the tour bus to make our way to Times Square. On our way there, a downpour happened. Although we were given plastic ponchos, I think it’s safe to say we all ended up rather wet and cold. As my dad says though, McCleary’s don’t quit. We kept going until the end of the day. My sisters, mom and I enjoyed shopping at Forever 21 as that is all we had time for due to the 4 floors. We intend on doing some more shopping tomorrow. We left NYC for the day and I was exhausted. Not only did we get up earlier than usual for me, I did not get to take my typical 2/3 naps a day. Falling asleep in the car has never been so comfy. Although I miss my friends and boyfriend at home, this trip with my family is much needed and I am so lucky to have the opportunity to see all of them in a beautiful city for the weekend.

Amanda

Letting Go

September 30, 2015Leave a comment

September 29, 2015

Yesterday, we woke up in Illinois and drove to Ohio. It was a nice drive and we stopped in Indiana at the Sand Dunes and walked to a beach on Lake Michigan. It was windy and the locals said that it was the best waves they had ever seen on the lake. We have seen so many amazing things on this trip. Our creator God is totally amazing. There really are not any words or pictures that could describe the beauty that this county holds. Yesterday were able to see Chicago from a new perspective. From a distance. It looked much different than it did as compared to being in the heart of the city.

And that is where my heart is today. Perspective give so much to a situation. I didn’t know what to expect as we set out on this adventure. I wasn’t sure how my kids would do. I wasn’t sure how Ryan would do. I wasn’t sure how I would do. But, I knew this was a journey that we were to embrace and embark upon.

As the seven of us live together in an RV we are learning to love well. I see my own faults come out. I see when I get frustrated with situations and lean toward taking the frustration out on one of the kids or Ryan. Maybe it’s because no-one can really escape. At home we can run to our rooms with hurt hearts. Here, our hearts are more exposed when they are hurt.

I’m learning to let go of some things. I like things tidy and neat. That is hard to accomplish that to my standard while living in an RV with seven people. And there are so many things I miss. I miss my college kids who are working hard at school in MN. I miss family. I miss friends. I miss doing church and the fellowship that we have at our church. I miss my bed and my bathroom. I miss my washing machine. I miss my friend who cuts and colors my hair.

Letting go. Ryan told me to sit on his shoulders while we were in the beach yesterday. If you know me, you might know that my first response was “No… I can’t do that; you can’t hold me…” Excuses. He gently encouraged me. I did it. Grace snapped a picture. Letting go is a good thing to do. Living in community is a good thing to do.

I am so thankful for this time with my family. I am thankful for this opportunity to grow in my marriage with Ryan and in relationship with my kiddos. I am thankful to do life from a different perspective and am learning so much doing it. I have a pretty amazing group of people to do life with.

Rachael

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15

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McCleary Kids

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