Fall Camping

Gathering Wood

We go camping every Spring and every Fall.  We used to go to one particular place (Cedar Lake), but have changed our routine to include Robbers Cave (Jesse James supposedly hid out here back

in the day).  Since this was our Fall trip, we went to Cedar Lake.   It's a really small lake (90 acres) without a lot of traffic, so we didn't anticipate any problems getting our favorite spot.  T went before us because he took the whole day off and I didn't get off until 11:30.  Reese and I hit the road about 1:00.  The plan was for us to find T once we arrived, but we drove around and around and he was no where to be found.   

To be fair, there are 2 different camping areas on the lake and we were looking on the wrong side.  We finally found him in a spot we'd never camped before.  We arrived in time for Reese to help set up the tent and get all the food ready for dinner.  She really enjoys sweeping out the tent which is one chore I'm happy to relinquish. 

Silly String!

We spent a few days relaxing and enjoying the great weather before we had to head home.  Reese really loved the playgound, so we went every morning.  We also took her sidewalk chalk, so we had plenty of time for drawing and hopscotch.  It was another successful trip...can't wait till Spring!

Giving Thanks

Well, Thanksgiving is upon us and I've been thinking about what I'm thankful for.  I read several great posts on Thanksgiving that really made me stop and think.  I seem to get so concerned about what I need to take to the inlaws for dinner/snacks that I forget to stop and think about simply being able to be there.

My parents and inlaws are all in their 70's.  Who knows how much longer we'll have them around?  This year I'm trying to stop thinking about pie long enough to be thankful everyone I love is still around for me to tell them.

I have a beautiful daughter, a loving husband, a take-charge sister, great parents and the best inlaws anyone could ask for.  For that, I'm very thankful and today I'm going to let them all know.

Here's hoping everyone enjoys their family and takes a minute to let them know how much they mean to them.

Wordless Wednesday

Ready for Bedlam!!

Family Cavin

Every fall, we try to go to a cabin with all of T's family.  The original thought was to celebrate our niece's birthday, but it's now turned into a bithday/family getaway.  We try to find a cabin centrally located, but we ended up with a 3+ hour drive this time. 

Reese kept telling everyone that we were going to the family cavin - guess that's the way she heard it when we said cabin.  She also says we're going in Mommy's SUB.  If she's still saying cavin when she's 6, I'll make sure she knows what the real word is - for now, I'm just going to enjoy the cuteness of some of her mis-pronunciations.

Just to be clear, no one in our family owns a cabin, we just called it that since the whole family was going to be there.  But, getting everyone together is a feat in itself - the birthday girl didn't even arrive until late Saturday night.  She's involved in drumline and couldn't come until her Saturday performances were completed. 

We ended up having an awesome time with the little ones fishing for the first time (T pretended he didn't have anything on the line and got Reese over to reel in the fish).

Can you even SEE the fish?

We had salmon that night for dinner and Reese was led to believe we were eating the fish she caught at the pond - there's no way her couple of teeny fish could have fed that many people unless we were experiencing a miracle (loaves and fishes anyone?)

 The weekend went by way too quickly but everyone had a great time - I'm happy that Thanksgiving is right around the corner so we can spend more time with everyone!

Random Thoughts

When Reese and I walked out of daycare last night, she saw an airplane crossing the sky and said, "look, it's a shooting star".  Never one to pass up the opportunity for a free wish, I quickly agreed.  "Wish," she said.  I instantly thought of a wish and continued on with her to the car.

"I said you need to wish," she declared.  I tried to explain that we usually wish to ourselves, but she was having none of it so I voiced my wish aloud.  "I wish that Grammy will continue to feel good," I said as I looked down at her.  She looked up at me for a second before saying, "I wish we could go to Chik-fil-A."  Her wish came true...now let's hope mine does too.

I had a dream last night where someone close to me (I never saw them, just knew they were someone important in my life) had a new baby girl.  She chose to name the baby Faunley.  Why???  When the baby was born, was she fond of it?  Does she like baby deer?  I have no idea, but I did tell her that I was going to call the baby Finley because I thought Faunley was a stupid name.  Right then the alarm went off, so I have no idea whether or not I lost a friend last night.

My Mom starts her first of 10 radiation treatments today and I'm scared.

We're going to a Scentsy party tonight.  I've seen cars all over town with the Scentsy logo on them, but don't  have any of their stuff.  It should be fun because kiddos are invited - Reese and I are looking forward to going.  I'm sure I'll be suckered into spending more than I'd like to, but will justify it to myself by saying I'll give some of it away as gifts - sure you will K.

I had a dream (I've been doing ALOT of that lately) where I met a blogger face to face, but she said we couldn't be friends because we weren't the same religion - ouch!  Now my dreams may may have cost me 2 friends.

I never knew (until I started this blog), how sad it is to check in and see 0 comments.  I know I haven't done anything to promote my blog, but seeing that someone's been here makes me happy.

All of these thoughts have been rattling around in my brain, so I thought I'd just get rid of them.  Thanks for listening!

Wordless Wednesday

Meatballs never turn out the same if made without your lipstick!

An Embarassing Moment

I was in the grocery store and ran into an old high school acquaintance, but I didn't know it.  He recognized me...what a thrill - 25 years later and I still look enough like I did in High School for him to recognize me!  I was stoked!!  He had to tell me who he was, but I recognized the name immediately.  I don't want to say I got a big head, but  judging from the rest of the story, I guess I did.  Kelly* and I talked for a few minutes when he asked me if I saw anyone.  I instantly said, "oh, I'm married (while flashing my wedding ring in his direction).  He said, "I mean, do you see anyone from High School".  I was more than embarassed!  I can't even remember if I answered, but I know I slinked away with my tail between my legs!!

* name changed to protect the innocent - can I change MY name too?

Vacation Fun - Part 3.3. - Nassau, Bahamas

Disclaimer:  I can't give Nassau a fair shake because it rained the whole time we were there.

I had never been to the Bahamas before this trip so I was really looking forward to what it had to offer.  We arrived in port and I was very excited to see Atlantis from our balcony.  We were told it was the place to go while we were in port, so we exited the ship and made our way there via water taxi.  We had a great guide who told us all about the homes we passed along the way.

It was still raining when we reached Atlantis, but we still had high hopes, so we exited the taxi and walked the rest of the way to the resort.  Inside Atlantis was magnificent..you could tell they spent a LOT of money building this resort.  After 15 minutes of walking inside we got to the beach exit - still raining.  We walked outside and were told by some guests of the resort how to get to the beach.  They also warned us of all the peddlers lining the beach. We opted not to go to the beach because of the rain and because of the warning.  We caught a taxi/van back to the pier and got back on our ship...disappointing to say the least!

I got some great pictures, but can't say I loved Nassau - go away rain!  Our last port and the most uneventful!  Oh well, maybe next time...



Wordless Wednesday



Vacation Fun - Part 3.2 - St. Thomas

Well, I've been to St. Thomas before and always heard about it being a mecca for discount shopping.  I have to admit that I bought my first camcorder there and thought I got a good deal.

But...I remembered Magen's Bay (the most famous Bay on the island) a little differently than I found it this time.  First off, it cost us $30 (each way) to even get to the bay.  Then, when we arrived, it was WAY different than I remembered.  There was nothing special about it unless you count the over priced food at the one concession/bar area they offered.

We spent the afternoon there and had a great time, but it was because of the company, not the venue.  This beach was a little less pristine than the one in St. Maarten, so we were able to find some shells, but nothing of significance.  We had a good time burying Reese in the sand and T found a few treasures while snorkeling, but it didn't make up for the super expensive french fries, the $7 beer or the cost to get to the bay.

I don't want to sound like we didn't enjoy our time here, but it wasn't anything to write home about.  I got some sun, so that was good!  Next cruise, we may just skip St. Thomas if at all possible...or maybe we shop for our next camcorder :)

The Birds

I used to live in Oklahoma City.  I enjoyed my time there, but decided to move back home when my nephew was born.  I have many fond memories of  my time in "the City" and the birds are one of them.

In the Spring and Fall every year, certain areas of the city had an influx of birds.  I don't know where they spent the Summer and Winter, but they all seemed to congregate in a few select places every Spring and every Fall. 

I worked in "one of those areas", so you had to be really careful walking to your car in the evening.  Most people watch out for strangers waiting to accost them, but we watched out for birds dive bombing us on the way to the car.  With hundreds of birds in the 7 trees we had in our parking lot, it was inevitable that someone was going home with fresh white splashes of color on their clothes or in their hair...and I'm not talking about paint here people!

Well, I've been gone from OKC about 10 years now, but visited last weekend.  Much to my delight,  some things never change - the birds are still there - they're just leaving splashes of color on people besides me!



Wordless Wednesday

Do you see what I see??



We're off to see the Wizard!

Reese picked out her Halloween costume in September, yes, September.  I was asked why I'd be crazy enough to buy a costume so early when she was sure to change her mind.  But, I know my daughter and I know she was NOT changing her mind, so I was comfortable with the September purchase.

There's no place like Home!

Knowing what she wanted to be also gave me ample time to peruse every Halloween store in town for the perfect complimenting costume for me.  Let me just say that hers was the easy one.  She wanted to be Dorothy from Candace (cracks me up so much I never corrected her) and I was to be the Wicked Witch.  I never realized just how sexy witches are believed to be.  For every semi-wicked witch I found, I saw 15 "sexier" versions.  Now, don't get me wrong - being a cheap witch, a mystical witch, a demon witch or a sorceress witch has it's venue, just not as Dorothy's sidekick.  I had no idea it would be so hard just to find a "plain" witch costume.

I finally had to order it online.  But, I had plenty of time since we started in September.  We dressed up and went to HallowZOOeen and had an awesome time.  We even had someone ask to take their picture with us!  We handed candy out Halloween night and Dorothy thanked each trick-or-treater for stopping by.  We closed shop about 9:00 which was late enough for all of us.  Halloween was a smashing success and I'd venture to say I was with the most awesome "Dorothy from Candace" who ever existed.