When I woke up in Nebraska, I felt cool air. I sat up wondering how on earth we got the the AC going. We were in a parking lot at a rec center, and it just so happened that there was an outlet where we could plug in. Oh man, it was so awesome and cool in the RV!
I got out and walked over to the rec center. The front door was locked, but someone was there with me at the same time, and showed me around to the gate on the side. I walked through the gate to see Dallas and Wingmen chatting with James. He as prepping to get into the water. There were a few spectators there, and they all seemed happy to see me. I was surprised and flattered!
I was shown how to get into the rec so that I could go in and shower. The locker room was spacious, and I took my sweet time in the shower. It wasn’t very often that I had the time to just chill in the shower, and not be worrying about time. James wasn’t even in the water yet, so I knew I had plenty of time.
When I finished up and went outside, he was still swimming. I decided to go out to the RV and enjoy the AC. I took advantage of those early morning minutes, and took care of social media and other time consuming tasks. Without any interruptions, I was able to get a lot done in a shorter amount of time than usual.
When the swim was over, everyone came out to the RV. We were greeted with breakfast by a cute lady! I remember your face, but not your name, so pipe in and comment! You had told me that the local wards from the LDS church had helped you get the food prepped and ready for us. Let’s just say, it was a job well done. The kids soon were up and eating with us.
James worked on figuring out the bike info, while the rest of us figured out our plan. We needed to get the RV serviced, so we planned to meet at the Walmart nearby. We loaded up the cars and RV and went over to Walmart. It was relatively close, and it worked out great for the kids to head inside to do some shopping. I made sure people had what they needed out of the RV before I left it with the Wingmen for the day. I grabbed all of the laundry and loaded into the car, as well as any other odds and ends that ‘could’ be needed (like snacks, toys, etc.).
I met the kids inside of Walmart. We roamed around for a long time, which I didn’t mind, knowing there weren’t any demands that day. Treasures were purchased and we were on our way to the laundromat. When we got to the laundromat, the kids were THRILLED because there were TVs! Not only did they come to LOVE the experience of the laundromat, but to be able to watch TV at the same time, and not just sit patiently and wait could not be beat! Then to top it off, like a carnival, this place had a freaking snack shack! Yes, you heard me, a snack shack! I plopped those kids into their spots, they nestled in, and about an hour into the experience, they got nachos and pretzels.
I am kind of in love with laundromats. Think about it, you can do as many loads of laundry as you want…all at the same time! I actually like doing laundry, considering that you can do it at the same time as other tasks. But I find it miraculous that we could wash all the clothes of our entire crew, plus the bedding, all the towels, etc….ALL IN 2 HOURS!!!!!! I spent my whole time on the phone, loving the calls for the stupid doping thing, but it was so nice to know that the kids were having an experience that everyone of them still remembers, while I handled monotonous tasks.
I needed to pick up some supplements for James. I found a Trader Joe’s that wasn’t too far, so we headed over there. I also loved any chance I had to pick up some fresh, organic produce. We drove over there and I walked in, only to realize they don’t carry supplements. I am going to get on my soapbox a little, but I don’t like Trader Joes. The majority of the store is alcohol, I can’t figure out how this is considered a health food store… I love walking into Sprouts and seeing all of the beautiful colors of the produce, smelling that health food store, and feeling my heart palpitate as I walk around. I don’t get that from Trader Joes. I grabbed a few items, sad that I didn’t get my health store high, and left.
The station for the day was at a running store. Forgive me for not remembering the name, feel free to comment! It was actually an awesome location because there was lots of room for the RV. After the RV got stuck in the mud, we decided we needed to find a better place to park, like in the shade. We had hoped to find some shade, but there wasn’t any. But our tender mercy was better than shade, we found an outlet!!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD, WE HAD AC!!!!!!! Oh man, seriously, how many days in a row were we going to get a little surprise from heaven?!?! So far, so good!!!!
Brian (zyto guy) ran to find the supplements for me as I got everyone settled. We already had my favorite person Dallas there, but then we got even a happier punch for the day, our friend SHAD showed up to help!!! I love Shad, and adding him to the mix was about the best thing ever. He knew that we were having struggles, and he had come out to work! He is friends with all of us, so he wanted to lift the burden anywhere he could. And of course, he brought his sweet and funny presence to lighten the mood. He became the side-kick of the Wingmen’s adventures from here on out.
We basically chilled there for the rest of the day. Apparently there as a photo shoot, but I guess that Dolly was the only one who got the pictures done. When I asked the girls about this state, they remembered the photo shoot well, “There were trees, shade and lots of place to take pictures. And this was the first time we watched the show Full House!” Daisy was the spokesperson. See, so easy to please!
We had an awesome group show for the 5k. Everyone was excited to run, and I was able to visit with several groups of people. Every person has a story, and I LOVE hearing about each of their stories. I remember trying to sort something out with the RV later that night, while they were running the 5k. I am not sure what it was, but I remember all of the crew discussing the matter, and trying to resolve an issue. In hindsight, I didn’t have time for a journal, but I maybe should have tried to do some audio recordings. Boo, oh well.
When it got late, the kids went into the run shop to shower. How amazing that there was a shower in this run shop! The cute family that owned the shop was so gracious! They had their tired kids all in the shop, watching a show, probably wishing that they were in their beds. It was so kind of them to keep it open for us, and for those cute kids to tough out a late night. It was really late when everyone was done showering, I remember it being around 11. I think some of my kids watched a show with their kids, waiting their turn to shower.
Soon enough, we had the kids all head out to the RV to nestle in their spots for the night. They had really enjoyed their day in Nebraska. I, once again, had appreciated and enjoyed a more calm day. I felt so blessed that I was able to have a slower day, and the kids still had an ‘adventurous day’ as far as they were concerned. The people in Nebraska were so kind, and we had 44 states down! Only 6 to go!!!
