This week as I was getting things out for Christmas I found something that put me on an emotional roller coaster. I have a trunk that I keep things in. I haven't opened it in over a year and I needed to move it to the attic. I knew that I had some baby things that I am keeping. You know the usual stuff, like the outfit they wore home and the blanket that was made by an aunt. I also had some Christmas pillows that my great grandma made in it. So I sat on the bottom step and opened the trunk. I took out the pillows and started to look at the little baby things. The outfit that each of the three boys wore home were in there, along with a sweater and blanket that my mom made. There are really about 8 blankets in there and I know who made each of them. I found a few of my favorite outfits and the baby nightgown that we called the "baby bag." At the very bottom was the one that brought the emotion. I never really thought that I would get the weepy by seeing toddler pj's but I did.
You see these are not you normal teddy bear jammies. These are Kermit the Frog jammies. They are the cutest pj's in the history of pj's. They are light lime green with a darker lime green collar and band around the sleeve. These jammies were eather bought at a garage sale or were hand me downs. I really don't remember. The one thing I do remember was how beautiful Adam was when he wore these jammies. Adam was a toe head and has beautiful blue eyes. The green in these pj's made his hair and eyes even more beautiful.
After finding these jammies I sat on the step and closed my eyes. I could see my boy at about 14 months with his smile wearing these pj's. I could almost reach out and touch him. I could hear his footsteps as he ran though the house on the hardwood floor. I could see how his blonde bowl cut shined in the light. I was so happy sitting there remembering all this.
I sat there with my eyes closed holding those jammies and I started to get mad. I started to think about how all of the hopes and dreams we had for him were stolen from us, from him! I was getting mad that the boy who would play football in high school, hates to run or sweat! I was getting angry. I was angry that the boy who we had so many hopes and dreams for would most likely not be any of those things. No doctor or lawyer. Most likley no wife and family. Certainly no Heisman award. I was getting mad because everything I hoped for was stolen from us.
After a few minutes I started to cry. I was now very heartbroken and shame started to move in. I was heartbroken for the lose of my dreams. I was now starting to feel sorry for myself. I was starting to ask God why, why me, why us, why my little blue eyed blonde headed baby? Why, why, why...
The phone rang and I jumped. It was my mom. She called at just the right moment. I bottled up my sadness and talked. At the end of the call I told her that she called at just the right time. I told her of all that I just done while going though the trunk. She didn't really say much, but what she said really hit me. She said "Well you are human."
I hung up the phone and felt at peace again. I sat back down and looked down at the pj's. This time I smiled, held them up close to my heart and then put them back in the trunk. I then put the trunk in the attic. I sat back on the steps and started to think about what my mom had said. There are a lot of people that say God will only give you what you can handle. I agree somewhat to that. I beleive that God will only give you what you can handle with Him. I truely believe that without God I could not handle Autism. The only reason I can handle everything is because of my faith in God. Knowing that Jesus has "got my back" is the only thing that kept me going though the hard times. Oh boy did we have hard times. I remember one time being on my knees, beside Adams bed, tears running down my face, asking God to help us.
I still feel that little tug inside me that wants to think about the what if. What if he didn't have Autism? Well if he didn't I would never have seen Mara jump off the diving board at his birthday party. I would never have went to Special Olympics. I would never know so much about the Titanic. What if he didn't have Autism...then he wouldn't be my Adam. Those Kermit pj's will be in my attic forever. The memories will live in my heart forever, but I will keep going and I will be strong with the help of God. With God I can handle anything.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
At a crossroad...
I wrote this last week but just got the time to reread it and publish it. I know that many of you who read this will think I'm crazy, and maybe I am. It just seems that we are at a crossroad in our life and we don't really know what way to go. So here it goes...
For the last few weeks I've been in a funk. Things are out of control at our house and I'm not really sure why. It seems like the school year keeps getting harder and harder for me. Yes, me not the kids. I have went from one kid to the next dealing with things that are happening at school. Some of them are minor and some are pretty serious. I have been on an emotional roller coaster that began on September 6th. I really don't understand how things just keep getting crazier and crazier. My boys are all very different and they each are have trouble with their own things. For Adam it's been more I am having trouble with things that are going on. For Ben third grade has been hard socially. For Josh it's been behavior and attitude.
When school started I wasn't ready to send them back. I didn't want them to go to school and miss out on all the fun things we could be doing. The big trip this Summer has taught our boys a lot about our family, country and how things outside of little old Petersburg work. They saw and did things that a lot of people only see in books. They learned that video games are fun but being out in the woods could be a lot funner. They saw places that had both history and sceince in them. They learned about bats and how they are helpful to our planet. They learned about bears and even got to see one. They swam in a river that was running down a mountain. They saw a dam and how it worked to create electricity. They saw baby deer sleeping outside our camper. These lessons are things that can only be taught in life.
They went back to school and things seem to fall apart. Adam, who is now a 5th grader, is not being challenged. The things that are being taught are second grade level. Yes I do understand that he tested at this level but what are we doing to change that?!?! The homework that he is bringing home is the same stuff that he had in kindergarden, 1st, 2nd, and so on. How is he going to be able to live a life without us if he is only taught addition?! How is he goin to be able to buy groceries and pay bills if he can't do the math. I understand that he learns different than the rest to the kids but why are we not challenging him. I know he can do more. During the summmer I make worksheets for the boys to work on. I know that he can do more.
Ben has trouble socially. He has friends but they are not close friends. He plays with the same girl on recess every day. Not a problem but when she plays with someone else, he just walks around by himself. That is NOT what you want to hear from your child. You want your kids to have friends and to be excepted by others. Instead he is not. This doesn't bother him and I do just let things be. I would never go and make a big deal out of something that he's fine with. However it does bother me. The hopes of every mother is that their child will be liked and when your kid never really talks about having friends you worry. He struggles with his school work, but seems to be doing ok.
Joshua is a smart little guy. He picks up things very quickly. He has two older brothers that he has learned from. He knew his colors, letters, and numbers early. He is a pretty good reader and likes to draw and paint. He is an artsy fartsy kid. He is also very quick to anger and thinks that he runs the house. His trouble this year has been behavior. Everyone has an opion on how to handle behavior issues. From timeouts, behavior charts and even spanking. This is the child that will drive me to the padded room. I'm really at my wits end with him and I really don't know how to handle it anymore. We have come up with yet another way to handle him this week. I hope this one works because he may not see 7. His birthday is next week and he's been told that if things don't change then no party.
For the last few weeks I've thought abut homeschooling. I'm still not ready to say that we'll never do it but for right now we are sticking with the school. The homeschooling advantages are really great. I just don't know if we are ready to start a whole new lifestyle. Thats pretty much what it is. I love the idea of having them home and being able to do the teaching so I know what they are learning. I love the idea of my kids not being bullied or teased because their best friend is a girl. I love the idea of being able to teach them at their pace and to challenge them. I love the idea of the things we could do as a family to help them learn more about the world around them and to have God as part of their daily lessons. How beautiful is that!?!? However, we are also not so sure we are up to the challenge. We are not so sure we could handle them being here all the time. We are not so sure we could deal with the melt down and fighting that would, not might, happen. We are not so sure that I could handle the everyday of them being home. I won't lie, I love the peace when they are at school. I love the time I get to myself. I love being able to do the shopping and running errends without them. How do you juggle all that when you homeschool? I know people who do it. I envey how they can handle it all and still seem sane. I really wish I were one of those people, and maybe someday I will be. For now though I don't really know if I can do it. I'm not ready to say no, but not really ready to say yes eather.
For the last few weeks I've been in a funk. Things are out of control at our house and I'm not really sure why. It seems like the school year keeps getting harder and harder for me. Yes, me not the kids. I have went from one kid to the next dealing with things that are happening at school. Some of them are minor and some are pretty serious. I have been on an emotional roller coaster that began on September 6th. I really don't understand how things just keep getting crazier and crazier. My boys are all very different and they each are have trouble with their own things. For Adam it's been more I am having trouble with things that are going on. For Ben third grade has been hard socially. For Josh it's been behavior and attitude.
When school started I wasn't ready to send them back. I didn't want them to go to school and miss out on all the fun things we could be doing. The big trip this Summer has taught our boys a lot about our family, country and how things outside of little old Petersburg work. They saw and did things that a lot of people only see in books. They learned that video games are fun but being out in the woods could be a lot funner. They saw places that had both history and sceince in them. They learned about bats and how they are helpful to our planet. They learned about bears and even got to see one. They swam in a river that was running down a mountain. They saw a dam and how it worked to create electricity. They saw baby deer sleeping outside our camper. These lessons are things that can only be taught in life.
They went back to school and things seem to fall apart. Adam, who is now a 5th grader, is not being challenged. The things that are being taught are second grade level. Yes I do understand that he tested at this level but what are we doing to change that?!?! The homework that he is bringing home is the same stuff that he had in kindergarden, 1st, 2nd, and so on. How is he going to be able to live a life without us if he is only taught addition?! How is he goin to be able to buy groceries and pay bills if he can't do the math. I understand that he learns different than the rest to the kids but why are we not challenging him. I know he can do more. During the summmer I make worksheets for the boys to work on. I know that he can do more.
Ben has trouble socially. He has friends but they are not close friends. He plays with the same girl on recess every day. Not a problem but when she plays with someone else, he just walks around by himself. That is NOT what you want to hear from your child. You want your kids to have friends and to be excepted by others. Instead he is not. This doesn't bother him and I do just let things be. I would never go and make a big deal out of something that he's fine with. However it does bother me. The hopes of every mother is that their child will be liked and when your kid never really talks about having friends you worry. He struggles with his school work, but seems to be doing ok.
Joshua is a smart little guy. He picks up things very quickly. He has two older brothers that he has learned from. He knew his colors, letters, and numbers early. He is a pretty good reader and likes to draw and paint. He is an artsy fartsy kid. He is also very quick to anger and thinks that he runs the house. His trouble this year has been behavior. Everyone has an opion on how to handle behavior issues. From timeouts, behavior charts and even spanking. This is the child that will drive me to the padded room. I'm really at my wits end with him and I really don't know how to handle it anymore. We have come up with yet another way to handle him this week. I hope this one works because he may not see 7. His birthday is next week and he's been told that if things don't change then no party.
For the last few weeks I've thought abut homeschooling. I'm still not ready to say that we'll never do it but for right now we are sticking with the school. The homeschooling advantages are really great. I just don't know if we are ready to start a whole new lifestyle. Thats pretty much what it is. I love the idea of having them home and being able to do the teaching so I know what they are learning. I love the idea of my kids not being bullied or teased because their best friend is a girl. I love the idea of being able to teach them at their pace and to challenge them. I love the idea of the things we could do as a family to help them learn more about the world around them and to have God as part of their daily lessons. How beautiful is that!?!? However, we are also not so sure we are up to the challenge. We are not so sure we could handle them being here all the time. We are not so sure we could deal with the melt down and fighting that would, not might, happen. We are not so sure that I could handle the everyday of them being home. I won't lie, I love the peace when they are at school. I love the time I get to myself. I love being able to do the shopping and running errends without them. How do you juggle all that when you homeschool? I know people who do it. I envey how they can handle it all and still seem sane. I really wish I were one of those people, and maybe someday I will be. For now though I don't really know if I can do it. I'm not ready to say no, but not really ready to say yes eather.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The words I never expected.
Tonight I heard the words that most moms take for granted. Okay so maybe not take for granted but they do hear them and they hear them often. I've even heard these words but tonight it was different. Tonight they came from the boy who I never thought would say them.
I put the boys to bed at 8:30 everynight. Most nights someone gets up at least once. Most of the time it's Adam. Last night he was up because he needed to throw up. He does that a lot. The night before it was because I took down his water bottle to be washed and he needed a drink. So tonight he needed a breathing treatment and I had him come down for that after I put them to bed.
He did his treatment and went to get a drink. He went up and was back down in a few minutes. He was talking about the fire drill they had at school that day and was starting to get upset. He wanted to sleep with me. I told him no and he went back upstairs. Not a minute later he came back down again. He stood in the doorway of the living room and just looked at me. Then all of the sudden he came over to me, bent down and hugged me. I know most of you are like "ummm ok" but this is a hugh thing for him and for me. I get all warm and fuzzy inside and ask him were that came from. He then said the words that all us moms love to hear. He said "it's' just to say I love you." So who wouldn't get all sappy about that?!? I just melt! My eyes fill with tears and my heart is so full of love for this child that it feels like its going to burst.
You see, these are words that I never thought I would ever hear from him. Sure I've said it to him and he's said I love you back, but it's always been more of a response than his feelings. Tonight he said it for real. HE said it first! This is one of the best things that I could ever hear come out of his mouth. Don't get me wrong when Josh tells me he loves me more it melts my heart too, or when Ben runs and hugs me after school like I haven't seen him in days. Yeah that pulls the strings too. However this is way more than that. This is almost an "in your face autisum!"
My boys has overcome so much in his life that it's amazing. To me though this is the biggest hurdle that he could ever jump. The ability to let someone know how you feel is so easy for most of us but this is a very hard thing for him. I'm so very thankful that I got to feel those word tonight. I thank God everyday for giving me my boys, but tonight I'm also thankful for the crazy journey that brought Adam and I to this very special moment in time. Without Jesus being on my side I don't think I could have made it to this day. Adam has taught all of us in this family so much more about life and the true meaning of it. God has blessed us! I hope that you all someday get your "in your face" day. Your families struggle may not be with autism but what ever it is know that with God all things are possible.
I put the boys to bed at 8:30 everynight. Most nights someone gets up at least once. Most of the time it's Adam. Last night he was up because he needed to throw up. He does that a lot. The night before it was because I took down his water bottle to be washed and he needed a drink. So tonight he needed a breathing treatment and I had him come down for that after I put them to bed.
He did his treatment and went to get a drink. He went up and was back down in a few minutes. He was talking about the fire drill they had at school that day and was starting to get upset. He wanted to sleep with me. I told him no and he went back upstairs. Not a minute later he came back down again. He stood in the doorway of the living room and just looked at me. Then all of the sudden he came over to me, bent down and hugged me. I know most of you are like "ummm ok" but this is a hugh thing for him and for me. I get all warm and fuzzy inside and ask him were that came from. He then said the words that all us moms love to hear. He said "it's' just to say I love you." So who wouldn't get all sappy about that?!? I just melt! My eyes fill with tears and my heart is so full of love for this child that it feels like its going to burst.
You see, these are words that I never thought I would ever hear from him. Sure I've said it to him and he's said I love you back, but it's always been more of a response than his feelings. Tonight he said it for real. HE said it first! This is one of the best things that I could ever hear come out of his mouth. Don't get me wrong when Josh tells me he loves me more it melts my heart too, or when Ben runs and hugs me after school like I haven't seen him in days. Yeah that pulls the strings too. However this is way more than that. This is almost an "in your face autisum!"
My boys has overcome so much in his life that it's amazing. To me though this is the biggest hurdle that he could ever jump. The ability to let someone know how you feel is so easy for most of us but this is a very hard thing for him. I'm so very thankful that I got to feel those word tonight. I thank God everyday for giving me my boys, but tonight I'm also thankful for the crazy journey that brought Adam and I to this very special moment in time. Without Jesus being on my side I don't think I could have made it to this day. Adam has taught all of us in this family so much more about life and the true meaning of it. God has blessed us! I hope that you all someday get your "in your face" day. Your families struggle may not be with autism but what ever it is know that with God all things are possible.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Tidbits while Scraping Paint.
I've been busy getting ready to paint our house. I dont believe the house has been painted in about 25 years. The paint isn't really that hard to scrape but it does take a long time because our house isn't small. I worked on it all day without any help. My mind is always going a mile a minute so here is some of the things I thought of today....
Sure wish I could wiggle my nose and the painting was finished.
I really need safety glasses for this job.
I wonder how many times this house has been painted in the last 150 years.
Holy cow those nails are square!
I really hope a bat is not hiding out somewhere.
I wonder how long it took to build this house.
Did they have a "good ole house raising?"
Wonder how many kids the first family who lived here had.
Sure hope the sun stays behind that cloud a little longer this time.
This is a lot easier than all that wall paper Missy and I scraped.
I think I may be a little like my grandma. She would be doing this if she could. She would also unclog a drain if she needed to too!
Sure wish I had more tomatoes to can.
I need to find out how to can Jalapenos. I have a lot.
I miss visiting my Grandma Sarie in between classes when I was in colloege.
I wish my arms were like my grandmas when she was young. I guess thats what you get when you milk cows everyday since you were 6.
I wonder if there are anymore wasp nests aournd or did Matt get them all.
Sure wish he would let me paint the house yellow. We already ordered white.
Can't wait to put siding on this house in another 5 years.
We really need to get new windows.
Holy cow they used a lot of calk on this house.
Hey I can see the top of the little house next door.
Hey the sun is going down and it's before 8:00. I don't like that.
I wonder who else I could invite to the painting party without feeling like I'm asking for help.
Why don't I like to ask for help? I like to help others...
I wonder how many more pets Josh could possibly want.
Can't wait to knock down the shed. I need to get my jugs out of it first.
Yup just a few of the things I was thinking of as I scraped away today. There were a lot more, but these were the ones I could remember. I've been working on it for two days. I enjoy working on the house, but sometimes I think it's going to kill us. The changes we've made are great but the really hard ones are still to be done. Maybe before Matt retires the house will be finished. I guess I should never be bored huh!
Sure wish I could wiggle my nose and the painting was finished.
I really need safety glasses for this job.
I wonder how many times this house has been painted in the last 150 years.
Holy cow those nails are square!
I really hope a bat is not hiding out somewhere.
I wonder how long it took to build this house.
Did they have a "good ole house raising?"
Wonder how many kids the first family who lived here had.
Sure hope the sun stays behind that cloud a little longer this time.
This is a lot easier than all that wall paper Missy and I scraped.
I think I may be a little like my grandma. She would be doing this if she could. She would also unclog a drain if she needed to too!
Sure wish I had more tomatoes to can.
I need to find out how to can Jalapenos. I have a lot.
I miss visiting my Grandma Sarie in between classes when I was in colloege.
I wish my arms were like my grandmas when she was young. I guess thats what you get when you milk cows everyday since you were 6.
I wonder if there are anymore wasp nests aournd or did Matt get them all.
Sure wish he would let me paint the house yellow. We already ordered white.
Can't wait to put siding on this house in another 5 years.
We really need to get new windows.
Holy cow they used a lot of calk on this house.
Hey I can see the top of the little house next door.
Hey the sun is going down and it's before 8:00. I don't like that.
I wonder who else I could invite to the painting party without feeling like I'm asking for help.
Why don't I like to ask for help? I like to help others...
I wonder how many more pets Josh could possibly want.
Can't wait to knock down the shed. I need to get my jugs out of it first.
Yup just a few of the things I was thinking of as I scraped away today. There were a lot more, but these were the ones I could remember. I've been working on it for two days. I enjoy working on the house, but sometimes I think it's going to kill us. The changes we've made are great but the really hard ones are still to be done. Maybe before Matt retires the house will be finished. I guess I should never be bored huh!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Our "bird" problem.
So remember when I mentioned bats the other day???
A few weeks ago I had a baby shower for my sister-in-law. I went up to the attic to get out my antique baby bottles, as I pulled down the ladder and saw a few droppings so I figured we had a mouse. As I was getting the bottles out I looked up and saw bats. EEEEWWWWWW!!!
So now what?!?!?!
After the shower I googled how to get ride of bats. Did you know that they are protected? I remember seeing that on Billy the Exterminator. We called a company that said they took care of this and they said it would cost anywhere from $600 to $2600 to have them come out. WHAT!!!! Matt told them he would take care of it himself. Of course they said that it took a professional and that they didn't think he could do it.
I googled some more and then came across the same method I saw on Billy. You hang bird netting on the house and they come out but can't go back in. You leave it up for a few days and then seal up the places they were coming from.
We get all the supplies we need. We tell the kids that we have a problem with birds. After talking to a few people, we find out that this little problem is more common than you'd think. People just don't talk about it. I guess it's like that head lice thing and you don't want others to know. People think that if you have bats than you must have a dirty house. I don't have a dirty house. Ok so maybe a little messy at times but I don't really know anyone who's house is perfect all the time.
So Friday came. My parents took the kids overnight. We hung the bird netting. We got some beer. Called some friends. We watched as the bats came out. We then went to the bar with said friends. At the bar we talk to more people who have had trouble with bats.
After 4 days we start to seal the cracks that they were coming from. Our house is very old and we find out that the metal roof that we just paid someone to fix last year was bad. I guess he never really fixed it, he just painted it. UGH!
Anyhow...this sealing the cracks was way more work now because a lot of the wood was rotting. We rented an arial lift, and started to replace the facia (not sure how to spell that) boards. The lift was a piece of crap and should NOT have been for rent. Matt got jolted by some bare wires and the stupid battery would not take a charge! When we took it back the guy only charged us $70 instead of $200. Just a heads up here but don't ever rent anything from A&E on Lewis. We only got half the house done and then the rain started. It then rained the rest of the week that we had to finish our little project. Yup we still have half the house lined with netting. I don't care how it looks I just don't want those critters back in the attic.
I still haven't went to check my stuff thats up there. Most of my little treasures that I found in my house are stored there. I have Better Homes and Gardens from the 60's. There is vintage baby clothes, old valentine cards from the 30's, old books and more in the attic. We have two attics. The one the bats were in was the one that we just finished about 7 years ago. We opened it up when we updated the big part of the house. I will be heart broke if my treasures are ruined :(
On a good note the bats are gone! I no longer have to worry about them. Of course there was one night that I didn't sleep at all because of them. They never got in the house but I was so worried that they would. I kept thinking of a blog that I follow. The women who writes it had a racoon in her attic and she wrote about how she couldn't sleep because she was afraid it would fall though the ceiling.
Oh and one more thing, the other day I was folding clothes and noticed that the tee shirt that I got from Mammoth Caves had a bat on it. I never even saw that when I bought it and I've worn it a few times. I saw it and started laughing like a crazy person. Not sure if I'll be wearing that shirt anymore! :)
A few weeks ago I had a baby shower for my sister-in-law. I went up to the attic to get out my antique baby bottles, as I pulled down the ladder and saw a few droppings so I figured we had a mouse. As I was getting the bottles out I looked up and saw bats. EEEEWWWWWW!!!
So now what?!?!?!
After the shower I googled how to get ride of bats. Did you know that they are protected? I remember seeing that on Billy the Exterminator. We called a company that said they took care of this and they said it would cost anywhere from $600 to $2600 to have them come out. WHAT!!!! Matt told them he would take care of it himself. Of course they said that it took a professional and that they didn't think he could do it.
I googled some more and then came across the same method I saw on Billy. You hang bird netting on the house and they come out but can't go back in. You leave it up for a few days and then seal up the places they were coming from.
We get all the supplies we need. We tell the kids that we have a problem with birds. After talking to a few people, we find out that this little problem is more common than you'd think. People just don't talk about it. I guess it's like that head lice thing and you don't want others to know. People think that if you have bats than you must have a dirty house. I don't have a dirty house. Ok so maybe a little messy at times but I don't really know anyone who's house is perfect all the time.
So Friday came. My parents took the kids overnight. We hung the bird netting. We got some beer. Called some friends. We watched as the bats came out. We then went to the bar with said friends. At the bar we talk to more people who have had trouble with bats.
After 4 days we start to seal the cracks that they were coming from. Our house is very old and we find out that the metal roof that we just paid someone to fix last year was bad. I guess he never really fixed it, he just painted it. UGH!
Anyhow...this sealing the cracks was way more work now because a lot of the wood was rotting. We rented an arial lift, and started to replace the facia (not sure how to spell that) boards. The lift was a piece of crap and should NOT have been for rent. Matt got jolted by some bare wires and the stupid battery would not take a charge! When we took it back the guy only charged us $70 instead of $200. Just a heads up here but don't ever rent anything from A&E on Lewis. We only got half the house done and then the rain started. It then rained the rest of the week that we had to finish our little project. Yup we still have half the house lined with netting. I don't care how it looks I just don't want those critters back in the attic.
I still haven't went to check my stuff thats up there. Most of my little treasures that I found in my house are stored there. I have Better Homes and Gardens from the 60's. There is vintage baby clothes, old valentine cards from the 30's, old books and more in the attic. We have two attics. The one the bats were in was the one that we just finished about 7 years ago. We opened it up when we updated the big part of the house. I will be heart broke if my treasures are ruined :(
On a good note the bats are gone! I no longer have to worry about them. Of course there was one night that I didn't sleep at all because of them. They never got in the house but I was so worried that they would. I kept thinking of a blog that I follow. The women who writes it had a racoon in her attic and she wrote about how she couldn't sleep because she was afraid it would fall though the ceiling.
Oh and one more thing, the other day I was folding clothes and noticed that the tee shirt that I got from Mammoth Caves had a bat on it. I never even saw that when I bought it and I've worn it a few times. I saw it and started laughing like a crazy person. Not sure if I'll be wearing that shirt anymore! :)
Saturday, September 10, 2011
The End!
So Thursday was the day that Jen had to leave. They had to drive to South Carolina. They left around noon. We were not in the mood to sit around or to go out on some big adventure. So we went to the fish hatchery. Joshua really enjoyed it. There were these long cement pools were they put the fish. After they grow they release them into the river that runs along the hatchery. It was again about 105 degrees. Josh made Matt walk all the way down one side and up the other. It was about the lenght of a football field. We then went down by the river. The temperature dropped a good 25 degrees and the water was cold. Later that night we went to dinner were Josh told a group of young girls they were all "beautiful ladies." It was an eventful day.
On Friday we went to the spring and the guys swam. It was fun. They had a rope tied and they could swing out and jump. Of course my dare devils did it! Adam didn't want to try but enjoyed the swimming. Here's a picture of Ben swinging.
This was a county park and you didn't have to pay anything to go. The kids had a great time and I think Matt really enjoyed swinging from the rope also! Wonder if Grandpa could hang one of these babys up for the pool!
This was our last day in Arkasas. We decide to take two days to go home. Smart idea, maybe I will give better directions if we are well rested on our drive home.
We leave at about 9:00am on Saturday. We plan to only drive for 5 or 6 hours. We make it to Illinois and stop at the rest area. Maybe all rest areas are like this but we loved this one. We went in and there were two ladies working at the desk. I don't really go to rest areas, so I was surprised that they were there. One of the ladies asked Matt if she could help him find information on anything. He asked if she had any on campgrounds. She showed him the info, called the campground and booked us a site. We got a discount at the campground because we booked from the rest area. Holy cow talk about service! I was releaved that we were not going to be looking for signs for campgrounds along the road. So this is a big shout out to the Illinois rest area people...THANKS FOR SAVING MY SANITY!!!
Now with a map to the campground we head out to Effingham. Ok so that is a pretty funny name for a city. We still laugh about our stay in Effingham. The campground was very easy to find. They had a great little playground area for the kids. I was pretty happy with the showers. Other than being at our Aunt and Uncle's I've been taking a shower in the camper and it's not that big. I was happy to have a good shower after a long day on the road.
We make it home the next day and I tell you I was so happy to see the Pure Michigan sign on 23! The best part of the last 10 miles was the boys doing the aaahhhhh thing over the bumpy part on 23. Matt and I now do it every time we travel that part of the road.
We had an amazing time on our trip. I think I said thank you to my husband just about every day over those 18 days, with the exception of the few travel days. We were so blessed that everything worked out and God made it possable for us to do this vacation. I have an Uncle who often says there is no greater artist that God and I was so very happy that my children got to see what a beautiful land He gave us. Thanks for reading this story of our first big National Parks camping trip. I hope that you enjoyed reading it. I'll leave you with one more picture of the trip.
Ben took this one when we were on our over priced train ride. Not a bad picture for an 8 year old. We look kind of worn out but we're still smiling.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The wedding, Dam, and Branson.
So the rest of our vacation went like this...
Saturday Rebecca got married! We had a great time and we taught those in Arkansas how we do it in Michigan!! They don't dance. I was shocked when I heard this. My thought was that maybe it was Bobbys family that don't dance. Not really sure, but the DJ said it was the first time they ever saw men dance the dollar dance with the groom. Boy did we ever show them how we do it! Joshua "taught" his cousins grandma how to dance. Everyone had a great time.
to be continued...
Saturday Rebecca got married! We had a great time and we taught those in Arkansas how we do it in Michigan!! They don't dance. I was shocked when I heard this. My thought was that maybe it was Bobbys family that don't dance. Not really sure, but the DJ said it was the first time they ever saw men dance the dollar dance with the groom. Boy did we ever show them how we do it! Joshua "taught" his cousins grandma how to dance. Everyone had a great time.
As planned we moved the camper to Uncle Rob and Aunt Tammy's house on Monday. On Tuesday we went to see some of the area. We went to Bull Shoals dam, and to the state park. That night we had a fish fry.
On Wednesday we went to Branson. Yup, back to Missouri. We wanted to take Adam to the Titanic museum. We looked up some other attractions and planned to go on a train ride also. It took about 1 1/2 hours to get there. We went with Matts parents, sister and niece. We got there got our tickets for the train and found the museum. We ate lunch at Shoney's. This is the first time my kids have ever been to a buffet other than a chinese one. They loved the fact that you could get your food and not wait. I'm not really a big fan but it was fast and everyone was happy. We went on our train ride. It was nice but not worth the $115 we spent on it. We then went to the museum. That was worth evey dime we spent on it! It was much cheeper than the train and so much more enjoyable. My son Adam LOVES Titanic. He saw the movie when he was about 5 years old. He has seen the original black and white film. He loves the documentary films. His gramdma gave him the sound track to the movie last year for his birthday. He was really excited to go to the museum. We spent about 3 hours going through it. This was one of the few things that I really wanted to do on this vacation and I was so happy that he got to go! We were not allowed to take pictures in the museum but I did get one of the building.
Pretty cool huh!
When we got back to Unce Rob and Aunt Tammy's we found out that Jennifer had to fly back home unexpectedly the next day. The kids were not happy about this at all. They had just met their cousins for the first time and didn't want to say good bye yet. The good news though was that they are going to be in Utah now and not England. We can roadtrip to Utah ( they have National Parks) but we couldn't pull the camper to England.
to be continued...
Arkansas or bust!!!
I've been busy getting the kids ready for school, and with bats, both subjects for next week maybe...anyway here's the next segment of vacation.
Remember how I said we were going to start no later than 8am. Yeah so at 9:30 we head out. Crap we got a late start. Well it's a 10 hour drive so 7:30 will be our arrival time. We get back on the expressway and head west. This is the day that we've been dreading. This is going to be our long drive day. The others were just preping us for this drive.
I got the directions from google and our gps is now fully charged. We don't use it much so that the battery won't die on us. We plan to just stop at the rest area to eat lunch. We don't plan on any stopping or site seeing on the way. We know that when we get to Arkansas we'll just set up camp and go to bed.
So we travel the same road that we took from Nashville to Maryville. We see the same giant cross along the road. We pass the power plant that I say we should look into moving by. We really enjoy the ride. The kids are doing great again with their games and movies. After about 4 hours we stop to eat lunch. It is again over 100 degrees out. We make our sandwiches and eat as fast as we could. We do not want to sit at the picnic tables or in the camper. We eat and are on our way again.
After about an hour we get to where we need to turn off the expressway and head northwest to Arkansas. The whole reason for our Arkansas trip is a wedding. Matt's cousin was getting married. Matt's uncle moved to Arkansas about 5 years ago after retiring from the Air Force. They traveled across America at that time and found that they loved Arkansas. It really is a beautiful place. We planned to spend the rest of our trip there. The part that we were really looking forward to was spending the next week with family. Matt's cousin that we haven't seen in a long time was going to be there. The last time we saw her was before Adam was born. It was the summer of 2000. Matt couldn't wait. She had never seen our kids and we had only seen her oldest boy who was only 3 months old at the time. We planned to stay at a campground for the first four nights and then go to Unlce Rob's for the rest of the week.
On one of my phone calls with Uncle Rob he had said how there are no expressways in Arkansas. I guess I never really paid much attention to it or that it didn't really matter at the time. So we finally get to the Tennessee border and cross into Missouri. Missouri ?!?! Yup Missouri. We will only be in Missouri for 1 1/2 hours then we'll go into Arkansas and then back into Missouri then back into Arkansas. WHAT?!?!?! I had read these directions a few times, but I guess I must have just "looked them over" because that's just plan crazy! We stop to get something to eat at Pizza Hut in Missouri. It's about 5:30 now and I figure we have about 2 maybe 3 hours to go. Ok so maybe I was wrong and we'll be there by 8:30. So as I said it was over 100 degrees out that day. We go into Pizza Hut and one of the AC units are broke. Good times! It was about a cool 98 in the dinning area. We ate as fast as we could and got out of there fast. We were back on the road in about 45 mins. We were all still in very good moods and was enjoying the ride.
So picture being on M50 or 223 for about 4 hours. Up hills, down hills, around curves and though some flat lands. The drive was nice until we left Missouri, entered Arkansas, and left Arkansas and entered Misslouri. By this time it was 8:30. We were now back in Missouri and not sure why the heck we left Arkansas once we got there. Hey Unlce Rob said that the roads were crazy down here and they looked like the men were drinking when the made them. Yeah that's exactly what it's like. You drive for 4 hours and only go 150 miles. The thing that really gets you going is the fact that you go though one little town and the speed limit goes 60 to 45 to 25 in all of a mile. You leave that little town and you do 25, 45, then you see 60. Ten minutes later you have another little town and it goes back down again.
We've now been on the road for over 10 hours and we are really starting to get tired. Matt and I start to talk about how great it would've been to live in the country and have some animals. Then our conversation startes to sound a lot like it did on our drive to the Smokys. It's starting to get dark and Matt is getting upset because he don't want to have to find the campground in the dark. I call the office and leave a message only this time the man calls me back. I tell him where we are and he says to call him when we see the Welcome to Arkansas sign. So after about another 45 minutes and me becoming a "dream killer" for my husband, We turn onto the road that the campground was off of. I call the guy back and he stays with me untill I see the sign for the campground. I tell him that we turn and he says "ok now it'll be about another 9 miles and about 40 minutes." WHAT!!!! I hang up and Matt is really mad now. Not only am I a dream killer but I can't give directions or pick a good campground. This sounds just like the last few miles of our last day long drive.
We make it in about 30 minutes and the guy is waiting with a flashlight to help us get in our site. Matt asks if there is a pull though. No they only have four sites. The guy goes up to the window to talk to Matt and smells like a bar. He is trying to give Matt directions on how to back into the spot but keeps saying you got to go this way or that way. I get out because I don't want my husband to kill the crazy drunk man. I get us backed into the site and we get set up. It is now 10:20. Our 10 hour drive was really 13 hours. We were very tired and Matt really didn't like any of us by this time. He wasn't happy that I got a campground that was so far away from everything and everyone. We did what we could that night and went to bed.
Want to see what we saw the next morning???
Remember how I said we were going to start no later than 8am. Yeah so at 9:30 we head out. Crap we got a late start. Well it's a 10 hour drive so 7:30 will be our arrival time. We get back on the expressway and head west. This is the day that we've been dreading. This is going to be our long drive day. The others were just preping us for this drive.
I got the directions from google and our gps is now fully charged. We don't use it much so that the battery won't die on us. We plan to just stop at the rest area to eat lunch. We don't plan on any stopping or site seeing on the way. We know that when we get to Arkansas we'll just set up camp and go to bed.
So we travel the same road that we took from Nashville to Maryville. We see the same giant cross along the road. We pass the power plant that I say we should look into moving by. We really enjoy the ride. The kids are doing great again with their games and movies. After about 4 hours we stop to eat lunch. It is again over 100 degrees out. We make our sandwiches and eat as fast as we could. We do not want to sit at the picnic tables or in the camper. We eat and are on our way again.
After about an hour we get to where we need to turn off the expressway and head northwest to Arkansas. The whole reason for our Arkansas trip is a wedding. Matt's cousin was getting married. Matt's uncle moved to Arkansas about 5 years ago after retiring from the Air Force. They traveled across America at that time and found that they loved Arkansas. It really is a beautiful place. We planned to spend the rest of our trip there. The part that we were really looking forward to was spending the next week with family. Matt's cousin that we haven't seen in a long time was going to be there. The last time we saw her was before Adam was born. It was the summer of 2000. Matt couldn't wait. She had never seen our kids and we had only seen her oldest boy who was only 3 months old at the time. We planned to stay at a campground for the first four nights and then go to Unlce Rob's for the rest of the week.
On one of my phone calls with Uncle Rob he had said how there are no expressways in Arkansas. I guess I never really paid much attention to it or that it didn't really matter at the time. So we finally get to the Tennessee border and cross into Missouri. Missouri ?!?! Yup Missouri. We will only be in Missouri for 1 1/2 hours then we'll go into Arkansas and then back into Missouri then back into Arkansas. WHAT?!?!?! I had read these directions a few times, but I guess I must have just "looked them over" because that's just plan crazy! We stop to get something to eat at Pizza Hut in Missouri. It's about 5:30 now and I figure we have about 2 maybe 3 hours to go. Ok so maybe I was wrong and we'll be there by 8:30. So as I said it was over 100 degrees out that day. We go into Pizza Hut and one of the AC units are broke. Good times! It was about a cool 98 in the dinning area. We ate as fast as we could and got out of there fast. We were back on the road in about 45 mins. We were all still in very good moods and was enjoying the ride.
So picture being on M50 or 223 for about 4 hours. Up hills, down hills, around curves and though some flat lands. The drive was nice until we left Missouri, entered Arkansas, and left Arkansas and entered Misslouri. By this time it was 8:30. We were now back in Missouri and not sure why the heck we left Arkansas once we got there. Hey Unlce Rob said that the roads were crazy down here and they looked like the men were drinking when the made them. Yeah that's exactly what it's like. You drive for 4 hours and only go 150 miles. The thing that really gets you going is the fact that you go though one little town and the speed limit goes 60 to 45 to 25 in all of a mile. You leave that little town and you do 25, 45, then you see 60. Ten minutes later you have another little town and it goes back down again.
We've now been on the road for over 10 hours and we are really starting to get tired. Matt and I start to talk about how great it would've been to live in the country and have some animals. Then our conversation startes to sound a lot like it did on our drive to the Smokys. It's starting to get dark and Matt is getting upset because he don't want to have to find the campground in the dark. I call the office and leave a message only this time the man calls me back. I tell him where we are and he says to call him when we see the Welcome to Arkansas sign. So after about another 45 minutes and me becoming a "dream killer" for my husband, We turn onto the road that the campground was off of. I call the guy back and he stays with me untill I see the sign for the campground. I tell him that we turn and he says "ok now it'll be about another 9 miles and about 40 minutes." WHAT!!!! I hang up and Matt is really mad now. Not only am I a dream killer but I can't give directions or pick a good campground. This sounds just like the last few miles of our last day long drive.
We make it in about 30 minutes and the guy is waiting with a flashlight to help us get in our site. Matt asks if there is a pull though. No they only have four sites. The guy goes up to the window to talk to Matt and smells like a bar. He is trying to give Matt directions on how to back into the spot but keeps saying you got to go this way or that way. I get out because I don't want my husband to kill the crazy drunk man. I get us backed into the site and we get set up. It is now 10:20. Our 10 hour drive was really 13 hours. We were very tired and Matt really didn't like any of us by this time. He wasn't happy that I got a campground that was so far away from everything and everyone. We did what we could that night and went to bed.
Want to see what we saw the next morning???
These little guys were right in front of our camper.
This was the firepit. There were only four sites and they shared the firepit.
They rented out these cabins. We didn't spend any time at the campground so this is really all the pics I have.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The Y and a bear.
So the only things that I really wanted to do in Tennessee was swim in the mountains and see a bear.
My parents lived in Maryville, Tennessee when I was born. They get all smiley and google eyed at times when they talk about living there. As a kid I often asked why they moved back. I really don't remember their answer but I know why now. Anyway, my parents often talk about spending all their free time in the mountains. They didn't have much money and the park is free. What a better way to spend your weekend than picnicing and swimming in the mountains.
So our Tuesday started with really no plans at all. Matt wanted to ride the skylift in Gatlinburg and I just wanted the boys to see a bear. We headed to Gatlinburg. If any of you have ever been there you know what I'm talking about when I say it was CrAzY busy!! Gatlinburg is a beautiful little town settled in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. However it is so commercialized that it will drive you insane! There is one road into town. It is so busy that it takes you about 30 minutes to get from one end of town to another, and the town is not big at all. On our way in I told Matt about the public parking lot and the shuttle that you can take. He of course didn't hear me. So now we are driving in the heart of town and trying to find a place to park. I see another sign for parking, not a city owned lot of course, and we turn. $10.00! TEN dollars! It was 10 bucks just to park! We are only getting lunch and riding the skylift! Ok..so this is the one thing Matt wanted to do here...$10..ok! We came here about two summers after we got married and we couldn't afford to ride it then. He really wants to do this. I want to too but am sort of the one who always says ...well we really can't afford that...
We eat lunch at McDonalds, McNasty is what Matt calls it, and then proceed to the skylift. We do see this really cool granite ball floating on water and we stop to play for a minute.
My parents lived in Maryville, Tennessee when I was born. They get all smiley and google eyed at times when they talk about living there. As a kid I often asked why they moved back. I really don't remember their answer but I know why now. Anyway, my parents often talk about spending all their free time in the mountains. They didn't have much money and the park is free. What a better way to spend your weekend than picnicing and swimming in the mountains.
So our Tuesday started with really no plans at all. Matt wanted to ride the skylift in Gatlinburg and I just wanted the boys to see a bear. We headed to Gatlinburg. If any of you have ever been there you know what I'm talking about when I say it was CrAzY busy!! Gatlinburg is a beautiful little town settled in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. However it is so commercialized that it will drive you insane! There is one road into town. It is so busy that it takes you about 30 minutes to get from one end of town to another, and the town is not big at all. On our way in I told Matt about the public parking lot and the shuttle that you can take. He of course didn't hear me. So now we are driving in the heart of town and trying to find a place to park. I see another sign for parking, not a city owned lot of course, and we turn. $10.00! TEN dollars! It was 10 bucks just to park! We are only getting lunch and riding the skylift! Ok..so this is the one thing Matt wanted to do here...$10..ok! We came here about two summers after we got married and we couldn't afford to ride it then. He really wants to do this. I want to too but am sort of the one who always says ...well we really can't afford that...
We eat lunch at McDonalds, McNasty is what Matt calls it, and then proceed to the skylift. We do see this really cool granite ball floating on water and we stop to play for a minute.
Here's Matt and Adam riding the skylift. They loved it! Ben and Josh did too, but I couldn't get a good picture of them.
So after the madness of Gatlinburg we drove to Cades Cove. If you've never been there I strongly suggest it! The Smokys are the most visited of all the National Parks. I have a personal tie to the area but that aside it is truely breath taking! I have so many pics that I would love to share but just don't have the room on here. Anyway, we drive to Cades Cove and take the loop. We see the mountains and a few deer. The river that runs through the mountains is just beautiful! We stop and let the kids put their feet in the water and this is the view looking at the water.
I can see how my parents fell in love with this place!! The water was cold, but felt great on everyones toes. It was refreshing on that 100 degree day! Next stop Cades Cove!!! By this time I was starting to feel a little crappy, but I'm taking my boys to Cades Cove so buck up sister!
We get there and take the loop. We see the houses and churches but no one wants to get out and look. As a kid we always got out to walk up and see everything. It's so hot that no one cares what is in the houses! We see some deer and thats about it. The boys are starting to get board with our drive. Pretty soon we see a few trucks pulled over and people looking in a field. We stop and Matt asks whats going on. A BEAR!!! WOOHOO!!! This is the one and only thing I wanted the kids to see, other than the river!!! Want to see a picture??
ummm...Yeah so do I. He's there, I swear he's there! I wish I knew how to zoom in or better yet I wish I took the picture, but I know he's there! He was standing up on his back feet and looking around then he would drop back down. Ben was the only one who says he saw it . I can be a happy girl the rest of this trip. The kids got to see a bear and got to put their feet in the river. Life is good!!
We got back to the camper at about 6:00 and I go to sleep. I'm really not feeling well and start to think I have strep. Not a good thing when your on vacation! Matt cooks dinner, get the boys to bed and does the laundry!! Holy cow do I have an awsome husband or what!!!
Next day I feel a bit better. We spend the morning driving go carts, playing putt putt and riding bumper boats. The boys really needed to have a little fun and boy did we have fun!! After lunch it's back to the mountains we go! We pack up our swim stuff and head to the "Y"!! There is a place in the mountains where two rivers meet and head down. They call it the Y. At least they did when my parents lived there. It was great!!! After swimming Matt stops at Kroger for some Mucinex-D. Yeah, I feel crappy again!
Our time in Tennessee was great, but not long enough! I never got a chance to see any of my family that is there. We didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked there so I guess we'll just have to go back sometime. We did however do all the things that we wanted to. My kids got to swim and see where their grandparents fell in love. They got to see a bear even though the picture didn't turn out great and my husband got to ride the skylift! This is turning into the best vacation ever!!
On to Arkansas! It's a ten hour drive so we plan to leave no later than 8:00 a.m. We should arrive at about 6:00 p.m. right?!?!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Oh no....day 4.
So our fourth day was going to be traveling to Smoky Mountain National Park and enjoying some of the mountains before dinner that evening.
After our meal we went to check on the camper. It was finished and we only had to fork out another $150 bucks! BLAAHHH! We go around to hook it up and the guy was waiting there. He then tells us the good news! Hey your roof is shot!! So we kind of figured. It was one of those things that you know but you never really say it out loud because than you have to do something about it. Well that bathroom floor has been getting soft for a few years and this year we've noticed some water on the floor in the kitchen area. Great Just what we need! The guy says that the materal is around $500-$1000. It will cost about $4000 for Camping World to do it. Well buddy, we are on our way to Tennessee so we'll do it later. ;)
We finally get started out. It's now 3:30. This was the time we had planned to be there. Well there is a time change from where we're at so really it's only 2:30. With fingers crossed we head south!
Instead, we had an appointment to get the camper fridge fixed. We had to be out of our camp site by 11:00 a.m. Monday morning. We left and went to Camping World in Bowling Green Kentucky. We had a lot of time to kill so we took the kids to a Chuck E. Cheese. It was in a mall so I left Matt and the boys to do some shopping. Our appointment was at 1:00 so we then dropped it off and went to have lunch. We went to a Denny's. We have not be to a Denny's in years. As a matter of fact I don't think my kids have ever been to one before. So we ate and had a grand time. Ummm, yeah, not really! The kids were mad because they wanted McDonald. Everyone was in a bad mood and no one enjoyed their meal. Ok so maybe I did enjoy my burger and the fact that the kids were being kids. The best part was the old lady who was dressed in her Sunday best, on a Monday...at Denny's. She was so very prim and proper that I was feeling like I should be ashamed for wearing shorts to dinner. She was a hoot to watch after awhile. She kept looking at the kids like they had two heads. Mind you they weren't really doing anything wrong, they just weren't happy. So the lady made my dinner fun after a few minutes of watching her. I finally figured hey what the heck it's DENNY'S!
After our meal we went to check on the camper. It was finished and we only had to fork out another $150 bucks! BLAAHHH! We go around to hook it up and the guy was waiting there. He then tells us the good news! Hey your roof is shot!! So we kind of figured. It was one of those things that you know but you never really say it out loud because than you have to do something about it. Well that bathroom floor has been getting soft for a few years and this year we've noticed some water on the floor in the kitchen area. Great Just what we need! The guy says that the materal is around $500-$1000. It will cost about $4000 for Camping World to do it. Well buddy, we are on our way to Tennessee so we'll do it later. ;)
We finally get started out. It's now 3:30. This was the time we had planned to be there. Well there is a time change from where we're at so really it's only 2:30. With fingers crossed we head south!
We make it to Nashville in about a hour. So smooth sailing! Yeah right! There was a traffic jam. I guess it wasn't that bad but it put us behind by about an hour. After that we had a great time looking and taking in everything. The kids were again playing their ds or watching movies. There really is nothing like the electronic babysitter! Matt and I had tons of time to catch up on things. I must say I never get tired of being with my husband! We even passed a power plant on a river and talked about how great it would be to live on the river and him just drive the boat to work everyday!! It was a great drive!
Soon I started to realize that we were still a few hours from the campground and they could be closing the office. I couldn't find the number so I had to call my SIL and get it. Matt started to say how we needed a smart phone for such things. "I mean we could have used it to find Camping World too." So now I call and there is no answer. I leave a message and hope they call back. Now Matt isn't so chipper anymore. We needed to stop and eat! So he pulls into a Taco Bell and as soon as he does I say I don't think we can get out of here. Well he pulled right in and I mean ALL the way in! Yep...no way out! The gas station and the taco bell parking lots had a spot were the connected. It was only a small little opening but if we could back into it we would be able to get out. So we did it!!! WOO HOO!
We ate quickly and then started out again hoping to get there before it gets to dark. Yeah we didn't. We make it to Maryville at about 8:15. Now the last time my husband was here it was 1999. He doesn't remember what it looks like or some of the land marks of the area. We go by the airport and I ask if he remembers it...no. Ok. We go by the hospital were I was born again I ask...no. We go though town and out another road. We keep going. I know we are going the right way but the gps dies and then I start to wonder. The directions from google are not always great and sometimes I don't see a sign but I know I've been watching. My mind keeps racing but I say nothing because if I do he'll freak out. "Oh hey we turn left here." Shoo that was close! We turn and within a few miles it's dark. Now it's a little after 9:00. We keep going and Matts cheerful mood from that afternoon went to "I can't beleave that you forgot the number to the campground." or one of my favorites "Could you have gotten us any farther away from civilization?" or "Are we even anywhere close to the mountain?" The road keeps going farther into darkness,though twists and turns , ups and downs and finally... I see the road and a sign for the campround! WOOHOO!!! I'm so releaved but I don't let on that I was worried at all. We get there and Matt is griping about what do we do now...they're closed. I guess my husband has never really read the signs that most campground offices have that say if you arrive late you can just check in in the morning. So we find a site and get set up somewhat. It's now after 10:00 and this has been a VERY long day.
Oh hey want to see what he woke up to in the morning???
"WOW this is amazing" That's what he said on Tuesday morning.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Two Days in a Cave.
So here's how the next two days on our "Trip across America" went. Thanks to Melissa for naming our adventure!
Friday night was crazy so I prayed that night to thank God for bringing us to this cute little campground, and for not having my husband die that day. We have always liked the small family owned campgrounds and felt right at home here. They only had 30 sites and that is just what we needed. The boys are free to do more at a small campground than at a large one so they were happy that they could ride their bikes and play without me being right behind them all the time.
Our next tour was in 3 hours so we had some time to kill. We went on a drive through the park. We went on a bike ride were Ben crashed. We made a stop to buy a first aid kit for the truck. We went and ate dinner at the campground. Then finally it was tour time!
It was the Frozen Niagra and it was BEAUTIFUL!! This was the end of our second day! This made everything that happend the day before worth it!
We got back to the campground to find that our fridge had stopped working. Great just what we need. We are going to be gone for over two more weeks we HAVE to have the fridge. We fill it with ice and find out there is a Camping World close by. We get up Sunday morning and head out to find it.
Friday night was crazy so I prayed that night to thank God for bringing us to this cute little campground, and for not having my husband die that day. We have always liked the small family owned campgrounds and felt right at home here. They only had 30 sites and that is just what we needed. The boys are free to do more at a small campground than at a large one so they were happy that they could ride their bikes and play without me being right behind them all the time.
We woke up Saturday and got ready to go to the park. We packed a lunch and plenty of water, it was so very hot!!! The caves were only a 10 minute drive so we started out. I had planned to do two tours and looked for the easier ones for Adam. He would NOT like the 2 hour 600 stair tour. Don't really think I would eather! We got to the park and got tickets for both tours. The first was a self guided tour in the Rotunda. It was a short walking distance to the enterance.
It was about 98 out that day. In the caves it was a cool 58. Our first tour was great and very refreshing.
Ben wasn't so happy because he was getting cold and I forgot to bring jackets. I mean really who would think to bring a jacket when you are sweating from just breathing. So here are the guys in the Rotunda. Pretty cool place if you ever get the chance to go.
Our next tour wasn't untill 5:00 that evening so we had some time to spare. We then hiked, by hike I mean walk slowly because Adam doesn't like to sweat, down to the spring. It was a mile round trip and we figured it would be a nice walk. It really was! On the way down I walked with Adam and then Matt walked with him on the way up. Oh did I mention that it was down hill. Not really a bad hill but for Adam it was very hard.
I was so very proud of him! He just kept going and was smiling through all the sweat. A few time he would stop and sit down in the middle of the trail, but he never gave up! We finally made it to the spring and it was beautiful!
We got back to the campground to find that our fridge had stopped working. Great just what we need. We are going to be gone for over two more weeks we HAVE to have the fridge. We fill it with ice and find out there is a Camping World close by. We get up Sunday morning and head out to find it.
Our third day we got the part for the fridge and a few things at Bass Pro. It is truely amazing how you can be hundreds of miles from home and still want to go to the same stores we have at home! After doing a little shopping we go to another cave. Diamond Caverns is a privatly owned cave. It was our favorite one of the caves. We had a guide for this one and Ben and Josh were fighting over who was going to be closest to him.
This is just a little sample of what Diamond Caverns looks like. This one was everyone favorite. It was a half mile tour. There were a lot more stairs but Adam didn't care. He really loved this one too.
Oh...by the way...Matt couldn't get the part in the fridge. We called and made an appointment at Camping World for the next day. We were planning to be in the Smokys by 3:00 in the afternoon. Our appointment was at 1:00 so there went those plans. Hey no big deal it's only a 5 hour drive...right....
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Day one: Happy Birthday Matt or was it Yogi
My last post was on July 5th. On July 8th we set out on our BIG camping trip. A friend of mine named it "The trip across America" thats how big it was. We traveled though seven different states in 18 days. We pulled our 28 foot travel trailor with us. We love to camp and this was the start of our dream to take the kids to all the National Parks. On our trip we made plans to visit two parks, Mammoth Caves National Park in Kentucky and Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee.
The morning we set out was exciting for everyone! We had everything packed and ready to go the night before. I worked my rear off for about two weeks to get everything perfect for this trip. My house was cleaner than it had been in a very long time. I had saved evey nickle, dime and penny we had for gas. I had stared buying non perishable food and items for the trip a few months ahead. Everything was set and now we are ready to go!!
We left Bob Evans at about 8:30 that morning and by noon we were crossing into Kentucky. Now we get off of 75 and start for the caves. It was an easy drive for us. We all had been in good moods and the boys had enough stuff to keep them busy. We got to the caves at about 3:30 our time. I had reserved a site at the Jellystone campground and was very excited to finally get there. We checked in and the kids were excited to see the pool and water slide. We got our site number and the usual check in stuff. We then proceeded to the site. Hey...did I mention that our camper is 28 feet? Well our site was not really big enough for the camper to sit on the site very well. It was on a slope. Not usually a big deal right??? Well did I mention that our camper sits low to the ground??? I know your thinking ok...so. Well our gray and black tanks were sitting on the rocks. That wasn't going to work. I went up to see if they had another site that would fit us better. They didn't but they did send someone out to see if they could help. K...so...the man they sent is telling us how this site is one that EVERYone fights over and how it's SO great because it's and end site. "We're sorry for all the confusion it's Yogi Bears birthday." This is something That was said to me about three times now. So now it is raining..not just a little rain, but a BIG... HUGH... FAT.... HARD RAIN!!! We get the camper almost leveled, still on the rocks somewhat and HOLY S**T it starts to slide on Matt. He started to push back and it stopped. The man that they sent is no longer around to help. I back the truck up to see if we can move it up some to level it out better. It's still raining and we make the kids stay in the truck. We get it in a differant spot and think that we are set. The hitch on the trailor is almost in the road but hey it might work. We get it unhooked...still raining big fat rain. We are now thinking ok maybe we'll be okay. We really aren't going to spend that much time here anyway. The big light pole that's in front of our door will be ok as long as we don't want our awning out. I guess that we really don't have to all sit around the campfire at once. I really don't want the kids to sit in the road in their chair and I don't want to eather. Matt gets the last of the jacks set and....it slides again!! By this time we are so wet that even our underwear is sticking to us. We looked like we just had the big bucket at Splash Universe dump on us for about two hours. Matt was cussing like a sailor and I was about in tears. The camper almost ran over my husband two times...on his BIRTHDAY no less! We hook it up and drive to the office again. We went in and asked if there could be anyway we could switch sites or if anything opened up in the last two hours that we were trying to set up. "No sorry it's Yogi Bear's Birthday." WHAT THE BLEEEEP!!! At this point I say something that I NEVER EVER do! I look at the lady and say" We just drove over 400 miles with an Autistic child in the back of the truck. If you don't find me another spot then I want my money back and I'll sleep on the side of the road!" I think the rage in my eyes must have been enough because she gave me a refund and then told me there was a campground just down the road. "I don't know if they have a site and I don't think they have a pool but it's a shot" were the words she used. I just looked at her and said "well we can always find a rest area to sleep in if need be." As we drove out I gave Yogi a little happy birthday salute.
We find the other campground and as we pulled in Matt wasn't so sure he wanted to stay. We got out and went in the office. A very kind looking man with a beard was behind the desk. The office was small and cozy. There was a cross hanging on the wall next to a picture of the Lords Prayer. I knew this was the campground for us. The man was smiling and was listening to us vent about the Jellystone. Did I mention that it stopped raining? We were soaked to the bone but felt like we were at home. He gave us a large site on the corner. We had electric, water, and sewer for $70 less than the other place. We got thing all settled and he came around to check on us. He noticed that he over charged us because we only need 30amp service. We didn't care we were so happy to finally get dry clothes on. He then gave us fire wood to make up for the over charge. We finally went to dinner at 7:30. Ben was so happy to finally get his dad a birthday dinnerand a free dessert. This was the end of day one!
The morning we set out was exciting for everyone! We had everything packed and ready to go the night before. I worked my rear off for about two weeks to get everything perfect for this trip. My house was cleaner than it had been in a very long time. I had saved evey nickle, dime and penny we had for gas. I had stared buying non perishable food and items for the trip a few months ahead. Everything was set and now we are ready to go!!
We left Bob Evans at about 8:30 that morning and by noon we were crossing into Kentucky. Now we get off of 75 and start for the caves. It was an easy drive for us. We all had been in good moods and the boys had enough stuff to keep them busy. We got to the caves at about 3:30 our time. I had reserved a site at the Jellystone campground and was very excited to finally get there. We checked in and the kids were excited to see the pool and water slide. We got our site number and the usual check in stuff. We then proceeded to the site. Hey...did I mention that our camper is 28 feet? Well our site was not really big enough for the camper to sit on the site very well. It was on a slope. Not usually a big deal right??? Well did I mention that our camper sits low to the ground??? I know your thinking ok...so. Well our gray and black tanks were sitting on the rocks. That wasn't going to work. I went up to see if they had another site that would fit us better. They didn't but they did send someone out to see if they could help. K...so...the man they sent is telling us how this site is one that EVERYone fights over and how it's SO great because it's and end site. "We're sorry for all the confusion it's Yogi Bears birthday." This is something That was said to me about three times now. So now it is raining..not just a little rain, but a BIG... HUGH... FAT.... HARD RAIN!!! We get the camper almost leveled, still on the rocks somewhat and HOLY S**T it starts to slide on Matt. He started to push back and it stopped. The man that they sent is no longer around to help. I back the truck up to see if we can move it up some to level it out better. It's still raining and we make the kids stay in the truck. We get it in a differant spot and think that we are set. The hitch on the trailor is almost in the road but hey it might work. We get it unhooked...still raining big fat rain. We are now thinking ok maybe we'll be okay. We really aren't going to spend that much time here anyway. The big light pole that's in front of our door will be ok as long as we don't want our awning out. I guess that we really don't have to all sit around the campfire at once. I really don't want the kids to sit in the road in their chair and I don't want to eather. Matt gets the last of the jacks set and....it slides again!! By this time we are so wet that even our underwear is sticking to us. We looked like we just had the big bucket at Splash Universe dump on us for about two hours. Matt was cussing like a sailor and I was about in tears. The camper almost ran over my husband two times...on his BIRTHDAY no less! We hook it up and drive to the office again. We went in and asked if there could be anyway we could switch sites or if anything opened up in the last two hours that we were trying to set up. "No sorry it's Yogi Bear's Birthday." WHAT THE BLEEEEP!!! At this point I say something that I NEVER EVER do! I look at the lady and say" We just drove over 400 miles with an Autistic child in the back of the truck. If you don't find me another spot then I want my money back and I'll sleep on the side of the road!" I think the rage in my eyes must have been enough because she gave me a refund and then told me there was a campground just down the road. "I don't know if they have a site and I don't think they have a pool but it's a shot" were the words she used. I just looked at her and said "well we can always find a rest area to sleep in if need be." As we drove out I gave Yogi a little happy birthday salute.
We find the other campground and as we pulled in Matt wasn't so sure he wanted to stay. We got out and went in the office. A very kind looking man with a beard was behind the desk. The office was small and cozy. There was a cross hanging on the wall next to a picture of the Lords Prayer. I knew this was the campground for us. The man was smiling and was listening to us vent about the Jellystone. Did I mention that it stopped raining? We were soaked to the bone but felt like we were at home. He gave us a large site on the corner. We had electric, water, and sewer for $70 less than the other place. We got thing all settled and he came around to check on us. He noticed that he over charged us because we only need 30amp service. We didn't care we were so happy to finally get dry clothes on. He then gave us fire wood to make up for the over charge. We finally went to dinner at 7:30. Ben was so happy to finally get his dad a birthday dinnerand a free dessert. This was the end of day one!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
So tonight I weeded my garden. Not one of the things that are high on my to do list. My husband and I were in the garage having a beer and talking. We haven't had much time lately to just talk. We were actually taking about what we needed to put in the camper, but hey we were talking right! He went out the back garage door to the ally. My garden is behind the shed and next to the garage. We stood there for a minute and then we just started pulling weeds. We did one row and he stood up. I kept going and said that I might just finish because it was cooler out now. Before I knew it he was weed eating around the back of the house, garage and shed. Ben came to help me. It took all of about 15 minutes to do the whole thing. They were so easy to pull because the ground is so dry.
This garden is small. I have 8 tomato plants, a cantalope, 5 pepper plants, a row of beans, and 1 plant each of three types of squash. I love to can tomatoes. I hate to can beans, but love to eat then raw off the plant. I freeze the green peppers and use the hot peppers in salsa. The squash we eat and love every meal the we get out of it. I can feed my family of 5 off the tomatoes for a whole winter. This is something my mother did and her mother before her. I feel connected to my grandma when I can. I used many of the same jars she had. She passed when I was only 7 and I don't remember much about her. Most of the things I know are stories that my mom, aunts, and unlces tell me. Most of the jars that came from her are jelly glasses and those are my favorites! She had some of the most beautiful jelly glasses I've ever seen.
My mother came from a very poor family. She was the youngest of eleven children. From things she tells me life was not easy. Then again life isn't easy for anyone. Her dad was born in 1903 and her mother was born in 1907. They had a young family during the Great Depression. They grew all their own food. For them gardening was a have to not a want to! They had a lot of mouths to feed. Everyone had to work to get through daily life. They didn't have indoor plumbing and they certainly didn't have a car. I don't really know if Grandma loved to garden and can the way I do.
Life was very different back then. The things that are part of everyday life for us was a luxury to them. When I work in my little garden and I can the produce that cames out of it, I have pride. Pride that I grew the food. Pride that I know how to preserve it so that my family can enjoy it all year long. Pride in knowing that the art of canning and growing came from my parents and grandparents. Pride in a job well done.
My dads mom will be 84 in September. The garden has always been something that she had to do to feed her family too. However I get to hear her stories and I know just from listening to her that she has a passion for it. She has a garden about three time the size of mine. Every spring I tell her what I plan to grow and she tells me about her plans. Every summer for the last 5 or 6 years she tells me that this is her last year planting. I know better. It has kept her looking forward to the next day, week, and month to see what has grown. I know that as long as she can walk she will plant. I hope that my love for it is as strong as her. My maternal grandma did it, but I never got to see if she had a passion for it like my paternal grandma. I hope that someday I'll be able to pass on the jars from my maternal grandma. More inportantly I hope to pass on the passion of gardening that my Meemaw has passed on to me. Tonight when Ben came out and asked if he could help I was so happy! I feel blessed to be able to teach my children how to care for a garden. I would love to teach them how to can. My husband helps me if he's home so maybe they can help their wives. With the fast pace of todays society I hope that they do carry on this on little thing that has been a big part of my family. It's funny how a little thing like pulling weeds can make someone feel so good.
This garden is small. I have 8 tomato plants, a cantalope, 5 pepper plants, a row of beans, and 1 plant each of three types of squash. I love to can tomatoes. I hate to can beans, but love to eat then raw off the plant. I freeze the green peppers and use the hot peppers in salsa. The squash we eat and love every meal the we get out of it. I can feed my family of 5 off the tomatoes for a whole winter. This is something my mother did and her mother before her. I feel connected to my grandma when I can. I used many of the same jars she had. She passed when I was only 7 and I don't remember much about her. Most of the things I know are stories that my mom, aunts, and unlces tell me. Most of the jars that came from her are jelly glasses and those are my favorites! She had some of the most beautiful jelly glasses I've ever seen.
My mother came from a very poor family. She was the youngest of eleven children. From things she tells me life was not easy. Then again life isn't easy for anyone. Her dad was born in 1903 and her mother was born in 1907. They had a young family during the Great Depression. They grew all their own food. For them gardening was a have to not a want to! They had a lot of mouths to feed. Everyone had to work to get through daily life. They didn't have indoor plumbing and they certainly didn't have a car. I don't really know if Grandma loved to garden and can the way I do.
Life was very different back then. The things that are part of everyday life for us was a luxury to them. When I work in my little garden and I can the produce that cames out of it, I have pride. Pride that I grew the food. Pride that I know how to preserve it so that my family can enjoy it all year long. Pride in knowing that the art of canning and growing came from my parents and grandparents. Pride in a job well done.
My dads mom will be 84 in September. The garden has always been something that she had to do to feed her family too. However I get to hear her stories and I know just from listening to her that she has a passion for it. She has a garden about three time the size of mine. Every spring I tell her what I plan to grow and she tells me about her plans. Every summer for the last 5 or 6 years she tells me that this is her last year planting. I know better. It has kept her looking forward to the next day, week, and month to see what has grown. I know that as long as she can walk she will plant. I hope that my love for it is as strong as her. My maternal grandma did it, but I never got to see if she had a passion for it like my paternal grandma. I hope that someday I'll be able to pass on the jars from my maternal grandma. More inportantly I hope to pass on the passion of gardening that my Meemaw has passed on to me. Tonight when Ben came out and asked if he could help I was so happy! I feel blessed to be able to teach my children how to care for a garden. I would love to teach them how to can. My husband helps me if he's home so maybe they can help their wives. With the fast pace of todays society I hope that they do carry on this on little thing that has been a big part of my family. It's funny how a little thing like pulling weeds can make someone feel so good.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Stress
So am I losing my mind or what? This is a honest question. I seem to forget EVERYTHING lately. I'm not sure anymore if I'm coming or going. I have over scheduled myself so much in the last two weeks that I didn't even know what day it was today. My wonderful husband got up this afternoon, looked at the thingy majig on the table and asked if I went to get the part for the camper fridge. Well of course I didn't! I completely forgot! Why would I remember something like that?!? Next he asked if I had got his meds refilled. Well, I did try to do that on Sunday (actually it was my sis-in-law,but hey whatever), but they needed to call the doctor. I called them back and of course they haven't heard from the doctors office yet. I mean really!! After Josh's tee ball game, the boys and I go to Kroger in Lambertville to get the meds. We also have to return a Redbox video game that Josh rented last night. We go, return the game, and get a dino egg out of the vending machine. As I'm pulling out and see a pharmacy tech getting into their car I remember why we drove to Lambertville anyway! I forgot the dang med!!! This is only a small example of how I think I'm losing my mind.
Tonight was our last baseball game. I am so happy that it's over! Don't get me wrong, I love watching my boys play. They are so funny sometimes. I'm not so sure that baseball will be their thing. Ben is still afraid of the ball. He lets it go past him everytime. He would reather chase the ball than catch it. Josh is just plan bored. I'm not sure if it's because tee ball is a boring game or if he just doesn't like it. Tonight he got a hit, a good hit, and when he got on first base he sat down and started to put rocks on his head. When he's up to bat he talks to the coach who is pitching the whole time. His mouth never really stops. Now that baseball is over the Summer should slow down right?! Well....
Vacation Bible school is this week. I'm the director. That means I have to plan everything. I have to get everything. I make sure the leaders have everything. Make sure we have everything for the crafts and for snack. The biggest thing I have to do is be responsible for all the kids who are there. It may sound like this is me complaining. It's not, I LOVE every minute of it. I love the kids who come and are excited about hears the lessons and doing the crafts. I love to hear the kids learn the songs that thay sing. I love when a child who never hears much about Jesus remembers their Bible verse for the day. I love that I get to spend time with my dear friend, who is also my right hand, everyday! I love the memories of my times at VBS as a child and how much I loved going everyday. I love being the director for VBS. I'm am a bit of a control freak about somethings so this fits me well. So, I forgot the baskets this morning for Mary to serve bread out of...
We are going camping next month. It's going to be a big trip and I've been kind of stressed out about it. One night last week I was up all night puking. I was so worried that we were not going to be able to go that I was making myself sick. I was stressing about the money it's going to cost to do the things we wanted to, and about the price of gas. I was a mess. I had been helping put new roof on my in-laws house for the last two days. Yes, I was on a roof taking shingles off and helping put new ones on. My house looked like hurricane Jensen had been though it. I was feeling defeated. My mom came and helped me get things back in order. I really don't know what I'd do without her sometimes. I will say that I enjoyed doing the roof and helped all last week and weekend.
Though all of this stress I realized something. Something that I know deep down in my soul. Something that I had used to get though a lot more than just baseball, VBS, and a camping trip across four States. This something is more powerful than anything you could ever imagine. The Word of God. That no matter how much I worry, God already has it all worked out. I'm not usually that much of a worrier, but his time holy hannah have I been worried. These things that have been stressing me out are minor. They are things that I could very easily said no too. These things are all things that I WANT to do. I could never imagine not wanting to see my boys play a sport. I want to be the director for VBS, and I REALLY want to go on vacation with myhusband family. Through all of this I'm reminded of my favorite verse from the Bible. The one that I go to all the time:
Matthew 6:33-34 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I know that what I'm stressing out about is all stuff that if it's Gods will then it will happen. I no longer have the stress, but I still seem to be losing my mind at times. I think that comes from having three boys with me everyday. That too is something that I would never change.
Tonight was our last baseball game. I am so happy that it's over! Don't get me wrong, I love watching my boys play. They are so funny sometimes. I'm not so sure that baseball will be their thing. Ben is still afraid of the ball. He lets it go past him everytime. He would reather chase the ball than catch it. Josh is just plan bored. I'm not sure if it's because tee ball is a boring game or if he just doesn't like it. Tonight he got a hit, a good hit, and when he got on first base he sat down and started to put rocks on his head. When he's up to bat he talks to the coach who is pitching the whole time. His mouth never really stops. Now that baseball is over the Summer should slow down right?! Well....
Vacation Bible school is this week. I'm the director. That means I have to plan everything. I have to get everything. I make sure the leaders have everything. Make sure we have everything for the crafts and for snack. The biggest thing I have to do is be responsible for all the kids who are there. It may sound like this is me complaining. It's not, I LOVE every minute of it. I love the kids who come and are excited about hears the lessons and doing the crafts. I love to hear the kids learn the songs that thay sing. I love when a child who never hears much about Jesus remembers their Bible verse for the day. I love that I get to spend time with my dear friend, who is also my right hand, everyday! I love the memories of my times at VBS as a child and how much I loved going everyday. I love being the director for VBS. I'm am a bit of a control freak about somethings so this fits me well. So, I forgot the baskets this morning for Mary to serve bread out of...
We are going camping next month. It's going to be a big trip and I've been kind of stressed out about it. One night last week I was up all night puking. I was so worried that we were not going to be able to go that I was making myself sick. I was stressing about the money it's going to cost to do the things we wanted to, and about the price of gas. I was a mess. I had been helping put new roof on my in-laws house for the last two days. Yes, I was on a roof taking shingles off and helping put new ones on. My house looked like hurricane Jensen had been though it. I was feeling defeated. My mom came and helped me get things back in order. I really don't know what I'd do without her sometimes. I will say that I enjoyed doing the roof and helped all last week and weekend.
Though all of this stress I realized something. Something that I know deep down in my soul. Something that I had used to get though a lot more than just baseball, VBS, and a camping trip across four States. This something is more powerful than anything you could ever imagine. The Word of God. That no matter how much I worry, God already has it all worked out. I'm not usually that much of a worrier, but his time holy hannah have I been worried. These things that have been stressing me out are minor. They are things that I could very easily said no too. These things are all things that I WANT to do. I could never imagine not wanting to see my boys play a sport. I want to be the director for VBS, and I REALLY want to go on vacation with my
Matthew 6:33-34 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I know that what I'm stressing out about is all stuff that if it's Gods will then it will happen. I no longer have the stress, but I still seem to be losing my mind at times. I think that comes from having three boys with me everyday. That too is something that I would never change.
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