The Family Car

So here we are driving in Costa Rica. After Samara beach, we stopped to say a last goodbye to the RMs as we parted ways in Nicoya - them for their home, us heading back to Villareal. They said they had to get a picture of all of us jammed into our 5 person car.

Me and the 7 kids cause Corey's gone in Chile, yes, that makes 8 people in a 5 person capacity car. Shhh - don't tell the car rental people! And this isn't even our record. I'll try to get a picture of us on the way to church this Sunday, cause I think Esteban and Magaly will need a ride again... So if they come with us, that will make our 8 plus 2 more = 10 people. Thankfully those 2 are skinny and my 7 are small.

I actually have very fond memories of road trips as a kid in our white Buick station wagon, other memories in our hatchback Nissan Datsun -
(could be our old station wagon, minus the wood paneling... who would do that to a car?)
(almost like our Nissan - my sweet set of wheels during highschool)

...we'd just fold the seats down, everyone would grab their pillow and blanket and claim their space - we drove like that to Disneyland, up to Idaho to visit Grandma and Grandpa Hibbert, it was so fun. If we were driving at night in the Nissan, we could position ourselves to see the stars as we were laying down by the back window. What freedom! And lo and behold, we are all alive to tell the tale. My 2 cents right now as I'm basking in this lack of strict law enforcement of seatbelt laws... you're gonna die when your gonna die. If your work is done on this earth, God will take you home. He'll let you drown or let you get sick, if he needs you he'll take you. (knock on wood that no kid dies at the beach tomorrow) - So always choose the right and say a prayer of thanksgiving for another day of life. I survived my youth of driving around sleeping on a pillow in the car, we survived our time in Brazil driving around this way, and once again with a prayer and putting our lives in His hands, we are safe at home and have been safe while Corey's been gone. We're doing the best we can in our current circumstances.

Still, I'll admit, this is definitely not the safest way to drive with a 5 year old, huh? Wesley would surely be the first go through the windshield in an accident. And not only am I driving at night with a child straddling the stick shift, but as has probably occurred to you by the very existence of this photograph, I'm talking a picture of myself while I'm driving that way. In my defense this is a dirt road in the middle of nowhere in Costa Rica and I am not driving very fast (too many potholes). Still, I'm sorry for being recklessness. ...although I'll probably have to do it again tomorrow.

Here are the 7 and 8 year olds ~ asleep in the front passenger side of the car equipped with airbags. (That one was also taken by me while I was driving... bad Mom.) Thank you all for your prayers, I'm sure it's YOU that are keeping us alive! Thank you and we love you all! See you in a few months.