We're in Texas...I just saw a Cracker Barrel sign, Mommy.

I learned something from this last trip. I can't wait to home-school. I can't. I know it will be tough, but oh the things these kids will learn on their travels. They've already learned how to travel. They are most excellent at it. In fact, they look forward to it. Not only am I looking forward to all that they will learn, I'm looking forward to all that I'm going to learn with them. No longer will we have to just sit and read about the first thanksgiving...we will take them there and show them where it happened. (I think it happened on Turkey Run Road in West Virginia...I'm totally kidding) I fully intend to make them little inspirations to others when they tell tales of their travels many years down the road.

We hit 15 states on this trip alone! The girls get excited (esp Graci) every time we come to a state line. Audrey thinks we've crossed over in to Texas every time she sees a Cracker Barrel sign. And Sydney...Sydney might not want to be gone long, but she's still a great little traveler.

Ok...on to the trip...We hit Texas (of course...we can't NOT mention the mother land), Oklahoma, Kansas (saw the original Mater there), Missouri (went up in the arch...awesome!), Illinois, Indiana (Santa Claus pics in June ROCK!!), Kentucky (Visited some graves of the McCoy clan...a clan in which I am a descendant of), Ohio, West Virginia (visited my family, went swimming, took a night time rail trail walk the night of the super moon, took a grandma via wheelchair for a daytime trail walk, caught lightning bugs, went fishing, took tractor rides...the list is long), Virginia, Tennessee (Lookout Mountain is beautiful), Georgia (just a corner), Alabama (boring), Mississippi, and Louisiana (more boring).

We came home to Hansen sitting out in the front lawn waiting for us to get there. We missed him terribly and were soooo happy to get home to him. Graci wanted to know something the next day though...When could we go on another trip...this time, with Daddy. :-) Makes my heart happy that they love the asphalt, too!

We have many things planned. Lots and lots of learning trips, both big and small.  Trips to the museums and zoos during the week when few are there. Trips to the Grand Canyon. Trips to our Grand parents. From here on out, the Hansen's will tear up the asphalt when we can!

Stay tuned for funnier posts about my kids wanting to learn too much and me having to actually MAKE them watch TV now and then. (I very well could have that backward)

A new journey for the Hansen's on Asphalt

We are embarking on a new adventure come next school year. We will be homeschoolers. I, the very person that feels they couldn't teach ice to melt, will be trying to teach my children. I'm a little scared by this, but strangely at peace. I know that my Jesus wouldn't take me in a direction that I couldn't handle.

This brings me to this blog. Hansen's On Asphalt. We picked the title because of our love for traveling. We'd take a road trip every weekend if we could. Until now, our travels have been limited to the burning months of summer or holidays when prices are hiked up and places are crowded. We are looking forward to being able to take our kids where ever we want, when ever we want. While most homeschooling moms that I've talked to say that they never take (or take very little) school work with them when they got on vacation, if we travel during the school year, we plan on taking some of our studies with us and using the trip as a hands on learning experience for the girls. (and us!) I've traveled all over this country, but haven't, until recent years, stopped to explore any of it. More and more we are enjoying taking the road less traveled. Now...we can enjoy these roads when it isn't so stinking hot outside.

While we will enjoy traveling any time the opportunity presents itself, the homeschooling journey will be a journey all of it's own. Whether we're on the road or at home, I feel like it's an adventure worth documenting. While Hansen's On Asphalt started as a travel blog that would go with us on our journeys across the country, I'm hoping it evolves in to blog that helps me keep up with this new journey of ours. I can picture it now...We're sitting upstairs, me at my desk, the girls at theirs, and they're diligently working on their assignments that I taught to the effortlessly as though I'd been teaching for years and years. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to kick back and let the world know about what a breeze homeschooling is. Mozart will be playing quietly in the background, butterflies will flit about outside the window, assignments will be completed in a timely manner with perfect spelling and grammar. And I'm certain there will be no frustration in my little school room upstairs at all!

(Insert that sound of a needle being drug across a record and everything coming to a screeching halt *HERE*)

Wow...I didn't know I could type and dream all at the same time.

You get the gist of it. We will do the very best we can with our children with help from Jesus, family and friends. We will take the time to learn things that otherwise wouldn't be touched in school, AND the Hansen's will hit the asphalt every chance they get!

Going home...sad day

Well, we've had a successful week at Disney World. We rode practically everything that we could ride, ate almost everything we could eat, and walked further on a daily basis than any of us thought we could walk. We even made it the entire week with out a stroller for Audrey. I thought sure we'd have to get one for her a couple evenings ago when she said, "Mommy...I am so tired. My widdle wegs hurt." (we have trouble with the letter L) But, she was a trooper!

I've learned a few things this week about me and my kids. The first being that my kids aren't half as bad as I think they are. I had a good look around one day after a small breakdown (on my part) and discovered that my girls were acting tons better than the vast majority of the children that we saw. Sydney Ellen had her moments, but it was always when she was overstimulated. All in all, I have good children. Another thing...I knew Sydney was a home body, but she's more of one than I thought. She was actually more excited about going back to Texas this morning than she was about being at Disney World. Hang on Mamaw, you're going on our next trip...like it or not. We'll need someone to stay at the cabin when Sydney would rather watch movies than explore all the wonders that Disney has to offer. I also discovered that I have a child (mind you, I have all girls) that will actually cry when you don't buy her a Light Saber at the end of the Star Tours ride. It irritated me and made me proud all at the same time. Graci Lou has asked for a pirate sword, a light saber, and all of the Star Wars movies for Christmas.

We took and took pictures 'til Sydney was blue in the face. The girl HATES taking pictures unless Snow White is standing beside her or unless it's her idea. The two youngest girls are already ready to plan another trip. Sydney is planning on staying home with Mamaw (that's what she thinks anyway...like I said...mamaw is going to have to come with us) and letting the four of us go with out her. At times during the trip, I, too thought that would be a good idea. :-)

Here are just a couple pics. They'll all be on facebook. Oh...and one the girls and I took with our Ears on should be our christmas card...wonder if I can photoshop Eric in to it?!

We told them...

Well, the big surprise was this morning. Yeah...it was pretty anticlimactic. Well, according to my standards anyway. I expected to there to be tears of joy, numerous thank yous and hugs o'plenty. What I got was disbelief and a bit of 'lacklusterness'. What I wanted was Romeo & Juliet music and slow motion running to us thanking us from the bottom of their itty bitty hearts and what I got was a field full of crickets. I think I psyched myself out by watching too many of those videos on YouTube that showed sobbing and overreacting. This is also coming from a girl that imagined the birth of her first child to go kind of like the video from Mark Wills' "Loving Every Minute". (view it here -> ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAMrEBR0WrU  to have a good laugh at me. we all know how sydney's birth turned out) My expectations were just a tad bit high. Once it sunk in, they were very excited and bouncing off the walls. Sydney is fighting a wide range of emotions. The Snow White ride is no longer there and that is her very favorite. The devastation of this news was eclipsed by the revelation that we'd be eating at Tony's Restaurant (from lady and the tramp) at the end of the week. She was a mess for 30 seconds, but she got over it quickly. Now she just wants to get there as fast as she can. Graci, who woke up croupy this morning, wrote me and Eric two sweet little notes expressing her gratitude and told us later that she was bursting on the inside, but didn't want to get too excited because she didn't want to start coughing. Then there's Audrey, the perpetual baby. She did a lot of hollering, whining cause we weren't there yet and and well, just being Audrey. If you know her, I know you need no explanation. They are all very excited though and I can finally let out a sigh of relief. We pulled it off. Just because they didn't have a reaction that we (or I) wanted, doesn't mean they aren't grateful. It just means they aren't me and that's fine. :-)

When we get there, we're going to check in and either go straight to the Magic Kingdom or to Downtown Disney to look for princess dresses. We have meals with the princess twice during our visit, so we want them to be able to dress up.

Right now, we are about 2 1/2 hours away and the excitement is starting to build, especially with Audrey. She won't shut her sweet little mouth...but then again she never does.

Say a little prayer for us, if you don't mind. Three of us are coughing, one woke up croupy and the other is good...I'd love for him to stay that way.

More later from the happiest place on Earth!

Shhhhhh...it's a secret...well, 'til tomorrow!

Well, we are officially on the road again!! And, now I can finally say where we are going...

There is excitement running through me like crazy. We're on a road trip, which I love AND we are nearing the climax of the biggest secret we've ever kept from our kids. People have asked me numerous times how it is that we've kept this trip a secret for almost a year and a half. We're those parents that irritated 90% of people by not finding out the sex of our babies before they were born...let's face it, this is a cake walk. In fact, it's becoming more and more fun. Sydney keeps saying, "Awwwww poor Snow White...She needs me!! I wanna go to Disney World!!" And Graci and Audrey, every time they turn around they're asking me when we can go back. Well, girls...hold on to your Mickey Ears...We are headed to Disney World!!! The most happiest (yes, I said most happiest) place on the planet!! As Eric says, "The grass is greener, The sky is clearer!"

We are going to tell them in the morning after we get ready for our second day on the road. Hopefully that second day will only be about 4 hours of driving. I know once they find out they'll ask us about every ten minutes if we're there yet. That'll be ok though. If they're a fraction as excited as I am, then they'll hardly be able to contain themselves.

After we check in tomorrow we will go straight to the Magic Kingdom! I can't wait to see Cinderella's Castle from the boat as we round the Contemporary Resort. I'll probably get all teary eyed. I expect to do that a lot on this trip. Seeing the castle for the first time, watching the Beauty and the Beast show at Hollywood Studios, seeing the girls with their favorite princesses, taking the girls to the potty for the 90th time. (hey, I didn't say it would all be good stuff that makes me teary eyed)  Our last trip I found myself choked up on more that one occasion. I'm a crier, we all know this, but when you add Disney Magic to the mix, I'm liable to cry a lot simply from sheer joy. We are so very blessed to be able to do this trip again and we get to share it with another family this time too! Last time we went with Elayna (one of my friends from college) and her family and this time Leigh Ann and her family are going with us!!

If you think about it, say a prayer for safe travels for us!! I'll keep you updated here and of course, on facebook.

Such a slacker, I am...

Wow. The last time I blogged for Hansen's on Asphalt was almost a year ago. I didn't read that one before I started this entry; I'm guessing it's about our Thanksgiving trip to WV last year.

I could have blogged a half a dozen times about various trips since then. I don't know what's wrong with me. I LOVE the reason behind this blog...why don't I keep up with it better? I've often thought about just making it the family blog. It doesn't have to be an epic trip that I blog about. We are, after all, on some type of surface driving somewhere most every day. Trust me...the stories that come just from driving the girls a mile to school could sometimes fill an "Asphalt" entry. Maybe that's just what I'll do. I can start with this, move on to our big Thanksgiving trip and then just keep up with it. Yeah...I'm laughing too. You never know. It could happen. Maybe some of you regular bloggers can keep me accountable?!

What ever happens, I WILL be blogging on our way out of town in a couple of weeks. It promises to be a very exciting trip and I will fill you in once we're on the road!

Here we come WV!

Good morning from I-20, just east of I-35. Needless to say, we got a late start, but we are finally on the road. We are listening to some Alabama driving down the highway and we are happy little travelers! In case you were totally unaware, traveling is my most favorite thing to do with my little family. The girls are such good road trippers. Most people think we are nuts for driving everywhere, but you can't see this beautiful country very well from an airplane. Something seems a little off though...Sydney Ellen isn't here with us. She's being a good girl and going to school today. I know she is capable hands, so I'm sure it won't feel too odd for too long. Just seems strange that I can't look back and see her sweet little face sitting in the far back quoting what ever movie they are watching, line by line. :-)

Mom will pick her up when she gets off of work and then they'll set out for the same destination as us...Wild, Wonderful, West Virginia! Sydney was very excited this morning that her Mamaw was picking her up from school. I think some of the people at Dickinson were happy too. Mom misses our little campus and I think they miss her as well. .

We plan on making it to Elizabethtown, KY this evening. It'll be late, but then we'll only be about 6 or 8 hours from Granny's house if we make it there and it'll help tomorrow to not be such a beating. :-)  It's been over a year since me, Eric and the girls have seen this part of the family and I just hate that. Too bad West Virginia isn't closer to Texas.

I was looking at roadsideamerica.com to see if anything interesting had popped up since last summer. Nothing has...at least not from here to Texarkana. The worst part about traveling this time of the year for us is that it gets dark horribly early which leads to being horribly bored. That's one reason that we are totally bypassing Tennessee. The drive from Memphis to Nashville is brutal enough in the day time. Add pitch-black darkness to that and it's a real snooze-fest.

Well, that's pretty much it for now. I'll try to blog often, but you never know. I may forget...I usually do. :-)