As a family we took many road trips. On those road trips we would pack as many activities into one week as possible. On one such trip we were headed to the Bay Area. At this point in our family history Kerri was 20, Lyndi 17 and Jake 11.

After our blitz of Golden Gate Park and the Japanese Gardens we headed back to our hotel to get a little rest before we went out for pizza. As we approached the hotel we noticed that the oil tanks on the adjacent hills were on fire. We were at a safe distance from the fire, so we observed for a while and then headed up to our room. It seemed a little stuffy in the hall and as we arrived at our room we realized our room was equally stuffy. The fire had caused a massive power outage in the area. There we were stuck in a stuffy room with no air conditioning, no television and no one particularly motivated to read.

We all got comfortable and took off our shoes so we could lounge on the beds. It was at this point that I noticed Steve eyeing Kerri’s newly acquired small green frog tattoo on her big toe. Lyndi, Jake and I knew about the tattoo, but Steve didn’t. I looked at Lyndi and Jake and back at Steve still eyeing the green frog. Jake took it upon himself to break the tension and in an enthusiastic voice said, “Oh Dad, don’t worry. That is not a tattoo it is only crayon and it can come right off!” We all stifled laughter except for Steve.

We had added an amphibian to the Oxoby family. Kerri became known for her unique frog. It must have hurt like crazy to tattoo that frog on her toe but once the secret of the “crayon” frog was known Kerri could once again wear sandals in front of her dad.