Hot Springs, AR

There was an ice storm on the way so we left Murfreesboro earlier than anticipated. We knew how treacherous the roads were on our way in without any ice and we didn't want to take any chances. Our next scheduled stop was in Memphis, TN so we decided to drive as far as Hot Springs, Arkansas for the night.

Little did we know, we would be staying there for a few days. This is what we woke up to on Sunday morning.

Snowed-in in Arkansas.

Pretty but not what we wanted to see.

Some reports said 4 inches, others said six inches. It didn't matter because South of the Mason Dixon Line they can't handle snow. None. Not even a flurry. And there we were with 4+ inches.

Tom said, "I can drive in the snow." I replied, "Yes, but the people who live here can't."

The kids had fun playing in the snow, and eventually we got in the car and found a movie theater. We made a poor parenting choice and took the kids to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I. Sooo not a kid's movie. What was Tom thinking? (LOL Just kidding.)

We ended spending 3 days in Hot Springs. When we left, we thought the roads were clear and the sun was shining. At least that's what we could see from the campground but we soon found out the roads were still icy up the road. We spent a few tense hours getting out of Arkansas and I don't anticipate us returning to the state any time soon. Diamonds or no diamonds.

Murfreesboro, Arkansas

Our next adventure took us to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. We found out about this place on the travel channel a few years ago and digging for diamonds on my 40th birthday sounded like a fun and unique thing to do so here we are.

It wasn't any easy trip to get there. The Crater of Diamonds State Park is pretty much out in the middle of nowhere and we had to drive on some pretty narrow country roads to get there but it was worth it in the end.

The long drive gave me more time to prepare the children about what a raw diamond could look like and how they should show any rocks that look like pieces of glass to mommy (I'll regret those directions later.)

Kelly, Kaitlyn & Andrew at the diamond field, shovels at the ready.

The diamond field is 37+ acres of plowed dirt full of diamonds. Since the early 70's over 28,000 diamonds have been found there. You can keep whatever you find. The second day we were there, someone found a 1.06 carat white diamond. Unfortunately, it wasn't us.

There are three ways to look for diamonds, surface searching, digging and sifting, or sluicing. We tried all three and came away with nothing but fun memories. Let's face it, it's not everyday that we tell the kids, "Here's a shovel and an endless field of dirt, go dig some holes and get as dirty as you want."

By the end of the day, they had given up on finding the big one.

Would my shelling expertise pay off on the diamond field?

Kaitlyn was convinced that every rock she found was or could be a diamond. If Tom and I had a nickel for every time she said, "Um, Mommy...is this a diamond?" we would have had enough money to buy the Hope Diamond and still have change leftover. Bless her heart.

Elk City, Oklahoma

After visiting the aliens and 6 weeks on the road, we are a little homesick and a little tired of all of this "togetherness" so we've decided to head back East and eventually make our way home to Ohio. But first, we're going to see a few more places and make one more stop at the beach!

Our new route takes us through Elk City, Oklahoma for a quick stop. While we were there, we checked out the National Route 66 Museum.

The kids got a good look at some vintage cars and scenes from the good old days. They really couldn't believe this is what they would have been traveling in back in the 50's!

1950's travel trailer. Thank goodness RV's have come a long way!

Roswell, New Mexico

Our next stop brought us to Roswell, New Mexico which happens to be the home of our favorite alien (aka our oldest son) Stephen LeFevre and his wife, Klarissa. (He loves it when I mention the aliens. LOL)

Stephen & Klarissa

If you are ever in the area, there are a few fun things to do, like visiting the UFO Museum and driving down to see the Carlsbad Caverns.

This time, we were happy to be in town to celebrate Christmas and Stephen's birthday with him. We went bowling, shopping and the rest of the time all we seemed to do was go out to eat!

Kaitlyn and Andrew kept fighting over who got to sit next to Stephen. I think they missed you Stephen!

At the bowling alley with Stephen.

Visiting back at the RV.

Fort Stockton, Texas

After South Padre, we back tracked to San Antonio for a night and then moved on to Fort Stockton, Texas for a night.

We arrived in Fort Stockton on Andrew's 8th birthday so we wanted to swing by a grocery to see if we could find a small cake so it was a proper birthday. We stopped at the local Wal Mart and as we walked through the doors, it was like walking back into the 1950's. This was no supercenter. LOL

This was old school Wal Mart with just a few grocery staples. We tried to pick up cereal but every box looked like it had been run over by the tow motor they unloaded it with. Needless to say, we didn't find a cake cake.

Andrew picked Pizza Hut for dinner and then we went home to bake some brownies while he opened his presents.

Andrew with some of his b-day presents.