Apparently, the Laguna Beach Art Museum is clamoring for reviews. It's no wonder with what they're calling art. (Slats of insulation and cereal boxes on the wall.) No joke. THAT is the "art" that they're displaying. It wasn't a break room and they're not renovating. I checked. Twice.

We're on our way Tulsa to visit family right now.  Let me tell you...that picture...is pure traveling bliss in a box!  It's full of ear bud headphones & headphone splitters. 

They bring quiet. 

And peace. 

And cure boredom. 

They're like magic.

Pure traveling bliss in a box.

For some reason, we (apparently) like to plan vacations and trips to Tulsa at the last minute.  True to form, we've decided fairly last-minute to go back to Tulsa.  We didn't really want to make the 20+ hour  drive in the winter due to hazardous road conditions.  However, serious grandparent-sickness has struck.  (That's similar to home-sickness, but specifically involves grandkids and great-grandkids who just MUST see their grandparents.)   We need to go back.  The kids need to go back.  And so we are; during our already scheduled vacation.

Again, I'm thankful for advance preparation.  Has anyone ever NOT been thankful that they prepared in advance?  Last October, the same advance preparation allowed us to get packed in an hour to go home when my mom passed away.

Every time after we get home from a trip, I unpack our stuff and put it away.  Then, I REPACK our toiletries bag and our bin of travel food.  I started doing this some time ago to make sure that we didn't forget things like allergy medicines that we don't normally use, but always need when traveling because of changes in climate.  It also helps spread the cost of food for our trip out over several months...instead of in the month OF the trip...when we're already strapped for cash.  Food is typically a fairly big expense for us when traveling because of food allergies.  We either take it with us or have to buy it when we get there. 

There are some basics that we all use that can be packed for a future trip:

• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes (we put new ones in a baggie)
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Soap
• Lotion (coconut oil for us)
• Sunscreen
• Hair stuff (ponytails, headbands, bobby-pins, etc)
• Small brush
• Hair gel
• Razor
• Medicines for the trip (For us, that means allergy meds, 1 month of maintenance meds, and extra nebulizer mask for our son.)
• Socks (For some reason, this flip-flop family nearly always forgot socks...so we pre-pack them.  We barely wear them so we've got extra to keep packed.)

We also keep a bin ready with foods that we use for a trip.  I figure out what we're missing and fill it back up in the month or 2 following a trip.  We keep the following items in there:

• Cereal
• Granola bars
• Fruit leathers
• Dried fruits
• Canned fruits
• A small can opener
• Oatmeal
• Bags for trash
• Travel bowls and silverware (we keep a cheap set for travel)
• Extra blender (smoothies are a regular part of our diet and family members don't have a blender so this is a necessity)
• Shelf-stable milk like rice milk (I was missing this for this trip, we took cold milk instead.)

Because of our daughter's allergies, it's vital that we be prepared food-wise.

The extra that add for a winter trip is winter stuff "just in case" we get stuck somewhere.  Here in Vegas, we just keep all of our winter stuff in a bin year-round anyway because...well, we never need it.  (Please don't hate me, Michigan friends.)

I cannot tell you how valuable it is to have our toiletries bag almost completely packed and our food and food supplies already gathered in one place. I pull them out, added clothes for the trip and we are ready to go.

What things do you do to make travel easier on your family?

My kids are used to me being cheap. They know better (in most cases) than to ask me if they can have something at a store. They'll tell me that they want something and ask how they can get it cheaper, but they pretty much know that I won't buy anything at full-price. I'm cheap. Frugal. Whatever.

We live within driving distance of Disney Land and are hoping to get some discount tickets to go next year. I'm also on the lookout for cheap souvenirs. We have it easy here because there's a Disney Outlet. The prices are higher than I like, but are MUCH cheaper than the ACTUAL Disney Store...or worse...Disney Land itself.  (Paranoid note to Disney:  This is nothing against Disney Land or your company.  It is simply a statement of fact.  Oh come on!  Even YOU know it!)

There are online sources for Disney merchandise as well:

• Disney Store Online Outlet
• The Mouse for Less

I haven't looked for cheaper Six Flags or Universal Studios items which would include Nickelodeon characters.  However, I know that they are widely available at "regular" stores like Wal-Mart & Target.

What have you done to save money at Disney or other Theme Parks?

This past week, I woke up at 4am to the news that my mom had passed away.  Within a matter of hours, arrangements for our travel had been made and we were on our way to Tulsa...20 hours away.  I didn't get my usual time to make a list, gather what we needed for a trip, and pack.  After making umpteen phone calls, I had about an hour left to pack before we needed to leave.

I realized then how grateful I was for prior planning I had done.  Every time after we get home from a trip, I unpack our stuff and put it away.  Then, I REPACK our toiletries bag and our bin of travel food.  I started doing this some time ago to make sure that we didn't forget things like allergy medicines that we don't normally use, but always need when traveling because of changes in climate.  It also helped spread the cost of food for our trip out over several months...instead of in the month OF the trip...when we're already strapped for cash.

There are some basics that we all use that can be packed for a future trip:

• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes (we put new ones in a baggie)
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Soap
• Lotion (coconut oil for us)
• Sunscreen
• Hair stuff (ponytails, headbands, bobby-pins, etc)
• Small brush
• Hair gel
• Razor
• Medicines for the trip (For us, that means allergy meds, 1 month of maintenance meds, and extra nebulizer mask for our son.)
• Socks (For some reason, this flip-flop family nearly always forgot socks...so we pre-pack them.  We barely wear them so we've got extra to keep packed.)

We also keep a bin ready with foods that we use for a trip.  I figure out what we're missing & fill it back up in the month or 2 following a trip.  We keep the following items in there:

• Cereal
• Granola bars
• Fruit leathers
• Dried fruits
• Canned fruits
• A small can opener
• Oatmeal
• Bags for trash
• Travel bowls and silverware (we keep a cheap set for travel)
• Extra blender (smoothies are a regular part of our diet & family members don't have a blender so this is a necessity)
• Shelf-stable milk like rice milk (I was missing this for this trip, we took cold milk instead.)

We have a daughter with food allergies so it's vital that we be prepared food-wise.

I cannot tell you how valuable it was to have our toiletries bag almost completely packed and our food and food supplies already gathered in one place. I pulled them out, added clothes for the trip and we were ready to go.  That was more valuable than you can imagine when trying to plan and pack for a 20 hour trip in an hour...while grieving the loss of my mom.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

After a very long, very hard week, we have finally begun our trek to Vegas. They took our fully-loaded truck on the 23rd. We'll arrive in Vegas on the 3rd of January. In between, we're stopping in Chicago (where we are now) then heading to Oklahoma & Kansas to visit family before leaving New Year's Day to head to Vegas.

We've been without internet for over a week & will only have occasional access between now & when we get to Vegas. You can follow updates in real time on my Twitter or Facebook until I have full-time access to update you here again.

We would appreciate your prayers as we travel. We'd also appreciate your prayers for my health and our peace as I am currently miscarrying again, and have had some complications.

Have a Happy New Year!

After a very long weekend, I am finally back home from BlogHer. I’d have checked in here sooner, but I had NO INTERNET. At a conference. For bloggers. Yeah. It was crummy.
I took yesterday to recover and spend time with my family. Today, I’m playing Pizza Palace non-stop researching, writing, and getting back into the swing of things. I expect this will be a busy week as we start back to school again tomorrow after almost a full month off.
The conference was awesome! I met a ton of great people, had fantastic roomies (Heather & Meg…my little piece of Oklahoma). Meg, I would like to now officially apologize for grabbing your legs and begging you to take me with you as you were leaving to go back to Tulsa. It was kind of you to nicely kick me off instead of just dragging me through the terminal. Please understand. It’s just that I miss Oklahoma. And this weekend YOU were Oklahoma…at least to me.
I also picked up more junk that I know what to do with some great swag! Oh the swag. There are truly no words to describe BlogHer swag to someone who loves freebies. It was almost overwhelming. Like had so much it filled an entire queen bed and began sliding down creating a “swagalanche” overwhelming. Not that I’m complaining.
We got to see a little of Chicago on Sunday and I finally met a long-time online friend. Finally. I also had my first-ever real Chicago pizza. We went to Giordano’s. Oh. My. Gosh. It was awesome! I was honestly afraid I wouldn’t like Chicago-style pizza. Maybe it was because we were at one of the best places in Chicago, but I loved the pizza! I want more!
The most surprising parts of the conference, were to be had in the elevator. Who’da thunk? (I think I just created a new word.) I wandered into an elevator wondering what the women coming off were laughing & yelling about. I soon found out…on my shoe. My roommates debated kicking my vomit-covered self (okay…just the bottom of my shoe) out for the night, but they gave in & let me sleep in the room.
I think they only agreed to let me stay because they knew I’d recently seen a psychotherapist. Against my will. In the elevator. She graciously treated me to a free session. Against my will. In the elevator. In said session, she educated me on the evils of blogging. At a blogging conference. In the elevator. Apparently, my blogging will cause harm to come to myself or my loved ones. Was that a threat? A promise? Studies will be out soon to prove her thoughts. I hope they aren’t studies done after SHE’S stalked us, killed us, and buried us all in the sand-pool. Perhaps there’s a reason “psycho” goes before her title? I’m just sayin’. ‘Cause who gives unwanted free sessions…In an ELEVATOR! All I can say is I’ve NEVER been more happy to see my floor. Even if it wasn’t my floor. Just the first one the elevator stopped at. So I could get out of my therapy session. In the elevator.
My absolute favorite part of the entire conference, however, was when my husband called me and I answered the phone with, “Hi, Sexy”…and was met with my oldest daughter’s voice. Lovely. Stellar parent? Yeah. That’d be me. Yet another reason why we are saving to pay for our children’s future counseling.
It’s good to be back! Hope your weekend was as good as mine!
-Me

And I'm really excited! I'm packed. The kids are packed (for a day at their friend's house while Daddy works).



What do you think?

-Me

I've gotten e-mails and messages from several of you wondering WHAT on earth "BlogHer" is. And when the people demand, who am I to let them down? Your wish, is my command. Okay. Enough with the cheesy cliches.

BlogHer is a group of women bloggers. Once a year we get together in a MAJOR party blog fest. We abandon our families completely leave our family well taken care of for four days.

Before we leave, we engage in shady activities such as shoe porn. No. This isn't really porn. Of any kind. It's just girls posting the shoes they'll be wearing at BlogHer. But that doesn't sound as fun now does it?

Many women stress out about what they'll wear. For some, it's because they don't like the way they look. For others, like me, it's because we have nothing acceptable to wear in public when we don't have children with us to blame for the way we look. And/or we're mildly uncomfortable about having approximately 1500 cameras rolling 24/7 while they're in said clothes that have been blessed by children. Wearing them is one thing. Being caught on camera wearing them so that you can't later deny you did so is another altogether.

At BlogHer, we learn nifty new things about how to make our blogs spiffier (is that a word?). We also go to parties (like one or two...at least) after the conference is done each day. At those parties (and during the conference, and before the conference, and after the conference, and anywhere inbetween) sponsors try to sweet talk us into trying their products. They do so by presenting us with swag! LOTS of swag! And we LIKE IT! We like swag VERY much!

And thus is my summary of BlogHer.

If you're tired of hearing about it, the good news is that you'll only have to put up with it for another week or so. And then I'll have gone and I'll be back. Until then, you might hear about it a couple more times. Please bear with me; and then we'll be back to our regularly scheduled program. (Which includes a line-by-line anaylsis of the healthcare plan. You up for it? I'm almost done!)

-Me

Seems I've heard that phrase somewhere before. If my memory is correct, someone named Alexander experienced a similar day. (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day)

My Thursday was horrible by all accounts. If I hadn't experienced it, I'd have thought the person telling me about it was crazy. That's why I prefer not to talk to myself.

My morning started at 3am. And I don't even have a baby in the house right now! After 2 hours of cramping, I finally was able to go back to sleep at 5am. (Just in time for waking up at 6am!) I felt just as bad when I woke up as I had at 3am. NOT a good start to the day!

After taking hubby to work, I headed to a doctor's appointment. I was supposed to be there at 10:10am. After my doctor's appointment, the kids and I were planning on having lunch at the park. I then needed to do some laundry and pack as we were leaving at 7:30 the next morning to head to Flint for a mini-vacation with Discover Michigan for Gary's job.

It was 9:15am. As I was about to enter the highway, I noticed my car was past hot. It was seriously overheating. Lovely.

I turned around thinking I could make it back to Gary's work. I didn't. After the car started smoking at the next intersection, I pulled the car into the nearest parking lot. Gary was in a meeting and I didn't know when he'd be out. Thankfully, a friend was able to help.

Did I mention that my hormones also started going crazy that morning? I literally woke up on the verge of crying. The car breaking down did NOT help that.

My friend gets there and we try to figure out what to do since her car only has enough room for 5 people total. And there were 4 of us...plus she and her 2 children. Somehow the numbers weren't adding up. And she didn't own a clown car.

We solved our problem by her taking my oldest, our son, and her son to her house. I kept my other daughter, and her 4month old baby. (It was horrible, I tell you. Having to hold a sweet baby for 30 minutes!) While she took them home and came back for the rest of us, I walked over to Gary's work. The baby was passed around, hubby and I talked, I cried...because I was horribly emotional, and my friend came to get us.

Shortly after, I learned that I had not actually completely miscarried yet. Hence the cramps at 3am and when I woke up. UUGH! Let's add something else to my day, please. Did I mention my hormones were also going crazy, and pretty much anything would set off my tear ducts right about then? Like if you looked at me. Or if a cat walked by. Or a bird flew overhead. Or I had a thought. Anything. Literally.

After I watched my children plus her baby at her house while she went to a planned appointment with her son, I finally made it to my doctor's appointment...using her car. I got there at 2pm. (Remember, my appointment was a 10:10?) This was an urgent situation, though, so they had no choice BUT to reschedule me. Thankfully, they were understanding.

At 3pm, her husband, a mechanic, took us over to Gary's work then went to work on our car. Gary's work offers a very nice benefit. They have a company car which anyone in the company can check out and use at any time. I hadn't immediately utilized this option because I'd hoped my car would be fixed by now. With all the appointments and running around, though, that hadn't happened. I also knew that this car was a piece of junk. Literally. It is a 1980 something car that they refused to repair despite many things wrong with it; although it usually at least got you from point A to point B. Not in comfort, but it got you there.

It was now 3:30, and I still had laundry and packing to do plus a meeting at 7pm. I didn't have time to reject a working car. We settled into the car and headed off. ("Settling" being defined as: Ensuring that the car has enough coolant as the "low coolant" light likes to come on and kill the car if all reservoirs aren't full, children climbing through the doors that do open to get to the side of the car where the door doesn't open, putting my purse behind my back because the seat wouldn't move and is stuck as far back as it can possibly be, rolling all of the windows down as the air conditioner doesn't work...and ensuring that the bobby pin is properly in place so we can roll said windows back up when we're at our destination...praying there is actually gas in the vehicle since the gas gauge is broken and I have no idea who last drove it, reminding the kids that they can't touch the radio or anything else as touching one thing can spark an electrical issue in another area of the car, etc.)

My first goal was to get to the gas station to ensure that I knew it had gas. As we were almost to the gas station, the car jumped, sputtered, the "low coolant" light came on, and just as I had it in the median of the road, died completely.

I lost it. Completely. With my children right there.

It was now 4pm, 2 cars had died on me, my laundry still wasn't done, I hadn't even started packing, my kids would want dinner in about an hour, and my friend couldn't come pick me up again because she was gone now. (And her hubby was still working on our car.) Did I mention that we needed our car to leave town at 7:30 am the next morning for hubby's work? Yeah. It was THAT kind of day!

I called a neighbor in tears, and she kindly came to pick us up. She also offered her washer knowing that ours had died, we couldn't drive to the laundromat, and we liked having clean clothes. At least I could pack and do laundry. Didn't know how or when I'd pick my husband up from work, but at least I could pack and do laundry. And feed the children. Home is a good place to be even if you're stuck.

At this point, I also called and told the leader of my bible study that I wouldn't be there. There is only so much I can handle in one day. She was understanding, and assured me they'd pray for my husband and children as they attempted to deal with my hormones. (Did I mention my hormones were going crazy?) And for a quick fix to our car.

I also advised my husband that he had better e-mail the people in Flint and let them know that his wife was crazy that we likely would be a little late tomorrow.

Just as I was wondering if my husband would actually have to walk home, my friend called me to let me know that her husband had finished working on our car. She would come pick me up in our car, we would take her back to her car, and then she would go to our bible study and let everyone know that I was uber hormonal and that they should consider saving my family from me give everyone an update on our situation.

Life from there on out was exactly as planned. Wait. No. That's not right. Let's try that again.

We picked my husband up, and grabbed a quick dinner out because there was no way I was going to walk into my kitchen and touch fire after the day I'd had. He then took us home, and went BACK to work where he stayed until midnight!! I'm not quite sure if he actually had that much work to do or if he just was scared of my uber hormonal state. I'm pretty sure it's the latter. I don't blame him.

Still, throughout this entire day, the one thing I noticed (after the hormones calmed down and I was pseudo-normal again), was that God was with us the entire day. Our car could have broken down when we were on the highway and miles away from an exit on Friday. It could have broken down while we were on our way to Flint or in Flint. It could have broken down anywhere or anytime else than when it did. But it didn't. It happened at probably the best time possible. (If there is a best time for a car to break down.)

The doctor's appointment? It was actually probably better that it got postponed. Had I been on time, then I wouldn't have known yet that I wasn't done miscarrying. As it was, I knew that by the time I actually went to the doctor. So we were able to address that then instead of having to schedule yet another appointment. (I had already had 2 in 2 days.)

We were never alone. In every instance, God provided a friend to help us. Two to pick us up and one to fix our car immediately. Our laundry did get done. We got packed. We made it to our mini-vacation. (And had a great time, I might add!)

It was a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day". (Probably made much worse by my ever-present, bubbling over emotions.) But God was there. Even in the timing of the bad, I see His hand at work.

What more could we ask for; even in a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?

-Me

I must confess. I am. It appears that I'm not alone.

While I'm not the high...um...class (can you use that word here?) theft that CNN mentions in this article, I do regularly take "disposable" items when we stay at hotels. We don't even usually use the hotel's "stuff". We'll use our own soap, shampoo, & lotion which is already opened & pack the hotel's for later use. Yes. I'm THAT cheap!

How do I justify my theivery? I figure these are items that they must replace after each guest anyway. If I wasn't taking it home to use later, I'd be opening it and using it while we were at the hotel which would mean they'd HAVE to throw it away. Does it really matter if I choose to wait and use the items at another time?

I was surprised yet relieved to hear one hotel manager say that they assume anything with their logo would be taken. Why the relief? No. I've not stolen any towels.

However, I had a favorite towel growing up. It had been taken my by dad (who shall remain nameless). I could be wrong, but based on the logo, I'm fairy certain it came from a Holiday Inn. While it was my favorite towel, I always felt a pang of guilt each time I used it...even though I hadn't been the one to...um..."borrow" it. Nevertheless, we...dare I say it? We actually prized this towel. Probably a little too much for something that had been stolen.


I see my dad has amnesty in more than one place. In August 2003, Virginia Bush, senior public relations manager for the chain said that Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Williams intended for people to steal his towels. He saw it as a huge marketing opportunity. According to this article, people "stole" them to the tune of 560,000 a year. I know where at least 3 of them can be found.
Not only that, but Holiday Inn actually wrote a book titled, "About the Towels, We Forgive You: Absorbing Tales of Borrowed Towels".
I feel a new sense of relief now. I can safely tell myself that Holiday Inn intended for my dad to "accidentally" stuff that towel (& the other 2) into his suitcase.

-Me

(Note: No. I do not condone theft. I believe theft is wrong. However, based on this article, I will now no longer struggle over whether to have my dad sent to prison or not everytime I think about those plush towels.)

All in one bed. They wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm so excited! We're finishing our packing right now! We leave tomorrow morning at 10am to head to the INCH homeschooling convention in Lansing, MI. We're going to cap our trip on Sunday with a trip to the Michigan Historical Museum.

The kids are excited to get to be involved this year as well. There's a "kid's convention" that the kids get to take part in while mommy & daddy are in THEIR convention.

-Me

I will be posting only sporadically until we are through the holidays.

It is time for me to spend some time with family. My blog family is important, but you must be put on hold for a bit.

I appreciate your understanding.

-Me

Do you have a "traveling" food? We do. PBandJ's. We have family members who are gluten-intolerant. So, to make things much easier (and cheaper) when traveling, we pack our own food for the trip. I have never felt more accomplished than before this trip, however.

We've made homemade jam before (freezer so the fruits are still raw), but I had never made my own nut butters until this trip. My kids were so excited to help make their own "butters". We had almonds, cashews, & peanuts (all organic and raw) to choose from. I even made a small batch of "combo" nut butters.

We had our system. One child labeled the baggies as they chose what type of butter & jam (or raw honey) they wanted. Another was responsible for putting the PBandJ's into the baggies while another was my runner bringing me more bread when I ran out & taking completed sandwiches to the freezer. I am the only one allowed to "spread" for a trip as I don't spread quite as liberally as I do for home. (There's only so much jam that can be cleaned off the floor of a car during its lifetime...and ours already has 240,000 miles worth of PB&J's.)

Here is a pic of our "loot" just before packing them into the cooler:

We also travel with 2 cases of bottled water, GF organic yogurt, GF organic chips, GF cookies & treats, Lara bars, Fruit Leather, a plethora of GF "convenience food" including GF & Feingold canned items we feel might be served while we're away, GF versions of basic cooking items (vanilla, etc), more frozen bread, more PB & J to make sandwiches for the way home, and a small stash of trash bags and regular & cloth napkins and homemade baby wipes.

Anything cold goes in a HUGE 5 day cooler. An 18gallon Rubbermaid tote holds our dry goods. It is a trip (excuse the pun) to travel with a child with allergies; especially when you'll be in an area without ready resources for part of your travels.

We're loaded with food...and somewhere in between we find the space for our clothes.

There is nothing like being "home".

Home isn't a place. It's people. A town. Friends. Family.

Those you love...who you know also love you unconditionally. Not every person, place, friend, or family member falls into the "home" category.

When they do, though, you never want to go back to your "real" home. (Thanks, Grandmother.)

Despite being in a ONE bedroom apartment, my grandmother has always opened her home to us (FIVE of us...PLUS her) so we can come "home". Home to Grandmother. Home to Tulsa. Home to Friends.

We love you, Grandmother. (And we don't want to go "home".)

-Me

This archived blog post from November 19, 2005 couldn't be more fitting for right now. This is our "Christmas". The kids will be coming back with my SIL & her family at Christmas, but this is the only time until summer 2009 that my husband & I will see our family.

How proper that this post from "way back when" is still applicable today.

I'm so not ready for this week. Certain people in my family get stressed about seeing people that they have unresolved issues with. This person takes that stress out on the rest of us making our "holiday" miserable as well.

The problem is that the issues with these family members can't be resolved. They don't think they did anything wrong. They don't they they DO anything wrong...ever...in the past or in the future. They just don't ever do anything that might hurt another person. They're those "perfect" people that the rest of us will never measure up to. It doesn't matter how much money you have, how little debt you have, how big your house is, how nice your car is, or how nice your clothes are. You can put on the perfect front in an attempt to get them to like you. It doesn't work. You'll never be good enough.

You'll never get hear the approval that you want so desperately to hear. You never hear that they're proud of you or happy for you. Why is it then that we strive so hard to please people who will always think we're less than them? Why is it that this becomes who we are? We make decisions based on what these people will think of us. Why? Who are they? What does their opinion, thought, or approval matter?

Why can't they see how much their approval matters? Why can't they see how much my best friend just needs to hear that he's loved...without condition...by this person? Why must he always feel he's less than this person? Why must they make him feel this way?

Family. You gotta love em, gotta see em at holidays, gotta go to their funeral...and strive for their approval, acceptance, pride, and love every day inbetween....

-Me

After spending a night in St. Louis, we're off to Tulsa today! We're so excited!! The car is packed, we had our swim in the hotel, and we're ready to see family.

There's just one problem.

I am TERRIFIED!

Why? You ask. That's an excellent question.

I'm afraid because I live in Michigan. Make sense? I didn't think so. It doesn't to most "outsiders" who move into the state either. Yet we must accept what we don't understand. Unfortunately, that leaves us unable to legally drive in any other state!

Michigan has some lovely driving habits that are named for the state itself. For example, there is the "Michigan U-turn". What this means is that in order to turn left at an intersection, you must first pass said intersection, turn left in the middle of the street &/or highway, & then turn RIGHT. THEN, you have made a "left". Make sense? In other words, in order to turn "left" you must first pass, turn left, then turn right. It's called a "Michigan U-turn" because the people of Michigan were crazy when they came up with it.

Then, there's this matter of being able to turn LEFT at a RED light...in Michigan that is. No, I did not type that wrong.

I am so scared I'm going to try to turn left at a red or make a million u-turns in Tulsa.

Will one of you bail me out if they throw me in jail?