I have to make the confession that this is a Mother's Day I have not been looking forward to. I enjoyed the years of homemade cards and being taking out to dinner on Mother's Day to Rax Roast Beef by excited little boys (actually a great place to go on Mother's Day because we had the place to ourselves!). Then one by one they left (as they should) and had families of their own to celebrate with. My mom and Bill's mom passed on but we still had two boys left at home and they did their best to make mom feel special. Until this year. In September Shawn left the nest to begin life with Andi and this Mother's Day they will be "parenting" a group of teens in Florida on their OBCA senior trip...a happy reason not to be here. And Ryan is on the other side of the world putting his life on the line to help preserve freedom. That should be a happy reason not to be here, too, but I still feel a little sad.
It was easy to start having a pity party of one but I am choosing to count my blessings this Mother's Day. How glorious to know God chose me to be the mom to five men who, though far from perfect, make me proud to be their mom (because I was far from perfect mom!) And the three who are dads to my 15 (going on 18) perfect grandchildren give me joy in the matchless grace of Jesus as I watch them take parenting to the next level. I couldn't have chosen better daughters than the ones God has given me through love, although not birth!
And, of course, this day makes me think of my mom. The greatest thing she gave me was unconditional love. I don't think there was anything she would have given me, if it was in her power to do so. Okay, so I didn't have a clue how to do laundry or clean a house when I got married because, being herself thrust into adulthood before fully grown, she desired a carefree childhood for her daughters. I have had 39 years and six men to practice that on. Happily, I did have some experience cooking, not because my mom taught me (she ruled in the kitchen!) but because she gave me such a love of good home-cooked food that I wanted to do it myself. And she was gracious enough to allow me to ban her from the kitchen as a teenager so that I could pore over cookbooks and spend whole Saturdays putting together a meal for our family or my friends (while she would poke her head in and laugh at me for chilling the pie dough...or comment, "Oh you cut your tomatoes THAT way?') She loved me as a child by feeding me what I wanted, not necessarily what was best...Campbell's alphabet soup instead of her homemade vegetable beef soup or canned ravioli instead of steak...baking just the filling of stuffed green peppers because I didn't like them. And I guess it didn't hurt because I am no longer a picky eater (once I started having to cook for myself!) Showing love through her culinary talents was what she did best and we all loved being loved with her Sunday roast beef dinners (never varied...roast beef and gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans...cooked for hours, corn, rolls, Watergate salad and some kind of pie), her pots of vegetable beef soup when anyone was sick or grieving (the one thing of hers that I can do well), and all kinds of pies. We found that we had to be careful in telling her we loved something because it would be served until we couldn't stand the sight of it anymore. Bill found that out when he came to dinner when we first started courting. He raved over her tomato gravy...and we all knew what was going to be served whenever he came to call after that. And I found out that it was a mistake to rave about someone else's cooking (especially when I had been to Bill's house for dinner). I came home after having Bill's chicken pot pie for the first time...and the first time I had ever had that dish...singing the praises of her cooking. Well, mom learned how to make chicken pot pie and we saw lots of it in the weeks thereafter! And I can never eat Kentucky Fried chicken without thinking of my mom's. I have given up after many failed attempts to duplicate hers. It was every bit as good as KFC's even though she skinned her chickens before frying. I have never been able to figure out how she got that crisp coating just right, not too brown and not soggy. I look forward to it in Heaven without the calories!
Being a mom is so tough for this reason: it is so intense for so many years and then you have to let go and shoot those arrows out into the world. I have to admit I liked the intense years much better than the letting go ones! But God is so good and His grace has been so abundant in my life that I praise Him for the experience of motherhood and the joy of watching them take off! (Grandchildren ease the pain immensely, too!)
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Prayer for a Son
Okay, on this anniversary of one year since my last post I felt I had more to say than could be posted on a Facebook status. My heart is full this morning as my baby boy is on a plane flying into Afghanistan, into the thick of a battle. He is excited and has been excited since joining the army almost three years ago for this day. I have been less so! As a little boy he loved playing army more than any other activity, even having army themed birthday parties to which all his friends had to come dressed in their army fatigues and have "battles" in the woods where we lived. When he first talked of joining the army we feared that this was just his little boy fantasy being lived out. At one point I said to him, "Ryan, you won't be playing with play guns anymore, or paintball...they will be shooting real bullets at you!"
However, I was happy to see Ryan's prayer life mature as he struggled with this issue. He decided to wait on the Lord instead of rushing to the recruiters and at one point, said to me, "Mom, I am trying to figure out what the Lord wants me to do, but I am just a kid and I don't know how to figure out what the Lord is saying." He finally decided to join the Maryland National Guard because he just couldn't shake the desire and decided it must be of the Lord. When he finally decided he couldn't wait anymore to be in the thick of things he volunteered to join another unit being deployed to Afghanistan. While not wildly excited about this turn of events, I have had an incredible peace that only could come from God.
Then, one day on the phone while in training for his tour of duty, Ryan shared his heart with me. He said that he knew that he was going into the world and could get involved in sin. He could ruin his reputation and it wouldn't really matter because he would never see these guys again. But then he realized that he didn't want to ruin God's reputation and so he made it known as soon as he arrived with his new unit that he was a Christian because he knew in this way he would be held accountable as they watched his life. He has had many opportunities already to witness to his buds (and earned the nickname of Preacher) as they saw that his life and family and relationship with his girlfriend were different from theirs. I still wasn't excited...but encouraged.
This morning at 3:00 am (excuse me, that's 0300 hours) Ryan boarded a plan and headed into Afghanistan. He will be in the thick of heavy battle, driving some kind of vehicle. While I have not been worried or upset but peaceful, held by all the prayers of the saints, this morning as I read God's Word, I became more than peaceful. I became excited. My routine is to read a Psalm each morning and then go to prayer before reading my Bible portion for the day. In God's amazing way, this was the Psalm for today. Psalm 61: "Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy....So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day." I started getting excited and my prayer was that God would do miraculous things as Ryan is in the heat of battle so that all would see what an awesome God he serves. Then in my portion of the Bible reading that morning I read in Matthew 5, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." I am struggling how to put this into words what I am feeling so it is not misunderstood. God gives us children not to make us feel good or give us "toys" to play with. They are our arrows to shoot out into a needy world, a light to carry the gospel. So I guess I am looking at Ryan as being the light God is using of mine and I am putting him on a stand (the mountains of Afghanistan) to shine God's light to all who can see it. So suddenly instead of just feeling peaceful and resigned to God's will, I am excited to see what glorious things God is going to reveal and do.
I know this won't last and I will have times of testing and concern and I so covet the prayers of the saints during the time but I know God is building my faith and the faith of my family, especially Ryan, this year and I trust Him to be God and show Himself strong for His honor and His glory!
However, I was happy to see Ryan's prayer life mature as he struggled with this issue. He decided to wait on the Lord instead of rushing to the recruiters and at one point, said to me, "Mom, I am trying to figure out what the Lord wants me to do, but I am just a kid and I don't know how to figure out what the Lord is saying." He finally decided to join the Maryland National Guard because he just couldn't shake the desire and decided it must be of the Lord. When he finally decided he couldn't wait anymore to be in the thick of things he volunteered to join another unit being deployed to Afghanistan. While not wildly excited about this turn of events, I have had an incredible peace that only could come from God.
Then, one day on the phone while in training for his tour of duty, Ryan shared his heart with me. He said that he knew that he was going into the world and could get involved in sin. He could ruin his reputation and it wouldn't really matter because he would never see these guys again. But then he realized that he didn't want to ruin God's reputation and so he made it known as soon as he arrived with his new unit that he was a Christian because he knew in this way he would be held accountable as they watched his life. He has had many opportunities already to witness to his buds (and earned the nickname of Preacher) as they saw that his life and family and relationship with his girlfriend were different from theirs. I still wasn't excited...but encouraged.
This morning at 3:00 am (excuse me, that's 0300 hours) Ryan boarded a plan and headed into Afghanistan. He will be in the thick of heavy battle, driving some kind of vehicle. While I have not been worried or upset but peaceful, held by all the prayers of the saints, this morning as I read God's Word, I became more than peaceful. I became excited. My routine is to read a Psalm each morning and then go to prayer before reading my Bible portion for the day. In God's amazing way, this was the Psalm for today. Psalm 61: "Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy....So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day." I started getting excited and my prayer was that God would do miraculous things as Ryan is in the heat of battle so that all would see what an awesome God he serves. Then in my portion of the Bible reading that morning I read in Matthew 5, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." I am struggling how to put this into words what I am feeling so it is not misunderstood. God gives us children not to make us feel good or give us "toys" to play with. They are our arrows to shoot out into a needy world, a light to carry the gospel. So I guess I am looking at Ryan as being the light God is using of mine and I am putting him on a stand (the mountains of Afghanistan) to shine God's light to all who can see it. So suddenly instead of just feeling peaceful and resigned to God's will, I am excited to see what glorious things God is going to reveal and do.
I know this won't last and I will have times of testing and concern and I so covet the prayers of the saints during the time but I know God is building my faith and the faith of my family, especially Ryan, this year and I trust Him to be God and show Himself strong for His honor and His glory!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A No Picture Blog
I haven't been blogging because for some reason my computer isn't reading my camera card. But today I am inspired to write because I just read Andi's blog and thought blogging isn't just about pictures but our thoughts.
I have also been trying to be more diligent about my devotions. And I am trying to be more purposeful as I am convicted by the book Idols of the Heart and our Sunday School class, taught by Brent. Talk about humbling--to be weekly convicted by your child! I find that even doing my devotions had become an idol, something that made me feel better as I checked of the daily reading. It seems every time I turn around these days I am finding an idol in my life and it can be very discouraging. I find that Sunday morning worship is becoming more and more important to me as I find balm for my soul in singing about God's mercy and grace and love to me, in spite of the sin I commit over and over. And I find my prayer times are deeper as I cry out to God. I guess I thought I would be farther along in my spiritual walk as I approached the age of 60 and am ashamed to admit some of the things I am convicted of should be far behind me.
I praise God that He made me just as I am, warts and all and that He loved me, even in my sinful condition, enough to die for me and daily pours out His grace to me. And especially that He gave me the perfect husband who loves me as Christ loves the church, unconditionally. I am not where I should be but I'm not where I was either (at least a centimeter farther along!)
I have also been trying to be more diligent about my devotions. And I am trying to be more purposeful as I am convicted by the book Idols of the Heart and our Sunday School class, taught by Brent. Talk about humbling--to be weekly convicted by your child! I find that even doing my devotions had become an idol, something that made me feel better as I checked of the daily reading. It seems every time I turn around these days I am finding an idol in my life and it can be very discouraging. I find that Sunday morning worship is becoming more and more important to me as I find balm for my soul in singing about God's mercy and grace and love to me, in spite of the sin I commit over and over. And I find my prayer times are deeper as I cry out to God. I guess I thought I would be farther along in my spiritual walk as I approached the age of 60 and am ashamed to admit some of the things I am convicted of should be far behind me.
I praise God that He made me just as I am, warts and all and that He loved me, even in my sinful condition, enough to die for me and daily pours out His grace to me. And especially that He gave me the perfect husband who loves me as Christ loves the church, unconditionally. I am not where I should be but I'm not where I was either (at least a centimeter farther along!)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Wonderful Men in My Life
I have been so blessed to be surrounded with such wonderful (although sometimes wacky) guys. This is handsome son, Shawn, all ready to leave for Zach and Amanda's wedding.
And this is with my baby, Ryan, ready to board a plane that takes him back to Ft. Knox, Kentucky to continue his basic training. I miss both these boys (sometimes I think Shawn lives somewhere else--but occasionally he rushes past me with a cup of coffee in his hand in the wee hours of the morning so I know he still lives here.)
And then there is Eric and the woman who replaced me! But I am not bitter that she stole him away since she provided me with three handsome grandsons and a very girly granddaughter.
Of course, then there is Brent, the first of my sons to be stolen from me--but Tiff was quickly forgiven because she gave me my very first granddaughter and then three wonderful grandsons.
My firstborn, Carl, who shares our love of camping, is forgiven for moving so far away because he keeps giving me delightful grandchildren, including a granddaughter (are we seeing a theme here?)
Oliver, the newest man of my life, keeps things lively!
And my #1 guy, the one guy who has promised never to leave me--my honey for the past 41 years! Here we are on a wonderful weekend in Williamsburg, finding that there is life after kids!All kidding aside, I am very grateful for the four wonderful women the Lord has brought into my sons' lives. Thank you for being the best helpmates they could have found!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Williamsburg Fun
Last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity of taking Caitlin to Williamsburg for her 11th birthday. October was very busy and so it worked out that the only available week that worked for both families was her actual birthday--what a special treat!
She and her brothers, Grant, Jacob and Quinn spent the night because Tiff and Brent were involved with taking the Explorer girls rock climbing. We had a wonderful evening all together making caramel apples and eating ice cream (after dinner, of course!). The boys had a camp-out in the back yard with Dad-Dad in our new pop-up but Cait and I retired early (9:00 p.m.) to the guest room to watch a movie, "Girl of the Limberlost", one of Cait's favorites and fall asleep. However, we were both so excited about the trip that I think it was close to midnight before we actually got to sleep.
I woke early and dressed and waked Cait and we were off at about 5:30 a.m. Caitlin was excited to see the sun come up which wasn't until after 7:00 a.m. I had hoped we could make it all the way to Williamsburg before we had breakfast but we made it to Richmond at about 9:00 a.m. and decided we were too hungry to go any farther. (I think this was because I talked with Dad-Dad on the phone about that time and he was telling me all about the pancakes he was making the boys.) We found a Perkins Restaurant and ate there--huge breakfasts for both of us. Cait got a bit of attention because she had dressed in her colonial garb when we had stopped earlier for a bathroom break.
Our first stop in Williamsburg after we had purchased our tickets and made reservations for the ball at the Capitol that night was a leisurely walk from the Governor's Palace to the Public Hospital, which houses the DeWitt museum. We browed through some paintings and clothing displays and then spent some time looking at the toys and dollhouses on display. They have some really neat exhibits and activities for kids, including a scavenger hunt for pictures of snakes and a really cool exhibit of pictures and art objects that they have arranged around a room telling a story about a dog who is visiting the country to find his cousin.
Cait was very anxious to take me to the Yankee Candle store and had been telling me all about it, so we headed there next. It turned out that our motel was located just across the street! Wow! What a place. There were all kinds of activities for kids, face painting, pumpkin decorating and what Cait was excited about doing, candle dipping. We each chose a candle and dipped it in different colors of hot wax until we had what we wanted. There was also a Christmas room where it actually snows every five minutes!
We then checked into our motel and donned our bathing suits for some time in the pool before changing for the evening ball. Caitlin had seen Carrabbas's next to Yankee Candle so we decided to dine there. We arrived at the Capitol very early and I was concerned because it was a bit chilly and the program didn't begin until 7:00 p.m. God was so good! Cait had been very nervous about the dance and although I kept assuring her that she would have a good time and didn't have to participate if she didn't want to, she was still a bit apprehensive. Well, lo and behold when we approached the Capitol there was a group of children in costume dancing. It turned out to be two homeschool families, one from Tennessee and the other from Cary, North Carolina (and I am sorry Kimberly we left without getting their names or addresses). The moms were sisters and they were doing a field trip to Williamsburg together. Even the moms were in colonial garb so at first I thought it was part of the program. Well, they invited Cait to join them and they had a wonderful time keeping warm and having fun. As more people joined they kept adding kids and it was just so cool to see these homeschool kids reaching out to others. Of course, this broke the ice for Caitlin and suddenly she had two friends! When the program began and they asked for volunteers Caitlin was grinning and waving her hand in the air with the others. She was chosen to dance at the second opportunity and just beamed the whole time. When NiNi finally was chosen for the final dance (and became the head couple, which meant that I had to choose the song--actually the lead man whispered it to me and I just had to repeat it but it was a French title and I had to call it out for the whole assembly to hear).
No pictures could be taken during the ball but afterwards the actors were on the portico and I was able to get a shot of Cait with one of the ladies. She fits right in, doesn't she? (Good work, Tiff!)
On Sunday we had devotions in our room together. I was so impressed by Cait's familiarity with God's Word--good work Brent and Tiff! We read Proverbs 31 and talked about it and she told me it was her favorite book of the Bible and that two verses were underlined three times in he Bible. Great start to being a godly woman!
We spent the whole day in Colonial Williamsburg on Sunday--our first stop was purchasing tickets for a carriage ride, which we both had been anxious to do. Cait opted to ride the stagecoach over the open carriage as it was twice as long a ride. Our driver was quite a character and kept up the conversation. We learned all kinds of little tidbits about living in Colonial Williamsburg. He even sang us a song, "O Brittania" which I was able to video as we traveled along.
For lunch we ate in Chownings Tavern which was fun--this was the one tavern I had never been to before. The only other tavern opened that day was very crowded and Cait was getting hungry but it turned out to be a good choice as it is a little more casual and she was able to get a sandwich and soup. She asked me why the waitress kept calling us, lovey. She had a British accent and I think probably was genuine. She graciously agreed to take a picture of us.
We did a little more touring, visiting just about every shop in the area, I think! At 3:00 there was a program at the museum so we headed back there. It was a fun ending to the trip. It centered on a new display they have of quilted clothing, much of it petticoats so we learned some interesting things about under garments in the 18th century. She talked a lot about ladies' pockets and we saw some beautifully embroidered ones. At the end there was an activity for kids which we brought home with us. It was a paper with the outline of a pocket that Cait could decorate and on the back was instructions for making a pocket--so now Tiff has another project to work on!
This was an absolutely wonderful experience--I had as much fun as Caitlin so it was a treat for me as well as her. Although she did have me locked up at one point--I don't have the name Meany NiNi for nothing!
She and her brothers, Grant, Jacob and Quinn spent the night because Tiff and Brent were involved with taking the Explorer girls rock climbing. We had a wonderful evening all together making caramel apples and eating ice cream (after dinner, of course!). The boys had a camp-out in the back yard with Dad-Dad in our new pop-up but Cait and I retired early (9:00 p.m.) to the guest room to watch a movie, "Girl of the Limberlost", one of Cait's favorites and fall asleep. However, we were both so excited about the trip that I think it was close to midnight before we actually got to sleep.
I woke early and dressed and waked Cait and we were off at about 5:30 a.m. Caitlin was excited to see the sun come up which wasn't until after 7:00 a.m. I had hoped we could make it all the way to Williamsburg before we had breakfast but we made it to Richmond at about 9:00 a.m. and decided we were too hungry to go any farther. (I think this was because I talked with Dad-Dad on the phone about that time and he was telling me all about the pancakes he was making the boys.) We found a Perkins Restaurant and ate there--huge breakfasts for both of us. Cait got a bit of attention because she had dressed in her colonial garb when we had stopped earlier for a bathroom break.
Our first stop in Williamsburg after we had purchased our tickets and made reservations for the ball at the Capitol that night was a leisurely walk from the Governor's Palace to the Public Hospital, which houses the DeWitt museum. We browed through some paintings and clothing displays and then spent some time looking at the toys and dollhouses on display. They have some really neat exhibits and activities for kids, including a scavenger hunt for pictures of snakes and a really cool exhibit of pictures and art objects that they have arranged around a room telling a story about a dog who is visiting the country to find his cousin.
Cait was very anxious to take me to the Yankee Candle store and had been telling me all about it, so we headed there next. It turned out that our motel was located just across the street! Wow! What a place. There were all kinds of activities for kids, face painting, pumpkin decorating and what Cait was excited about doing, candle dipping. We each chose a candle and dipped it in different colors of hot wax until we had what we wanted. There was also a Christmas room where it actually snows every five minutes!
We then checked into our motel and donned our bathing suits for some time in the pool before changing for the evening ball. Caitlin had seen Carrabbas's next to Yankee Candle so we decided to dine there. We arrived at the Capitol very early and I was concerned because it was a bit chilly and the program didn't begin until 7:00 p.m. God was so good! Cait had been very nervous about the dance and although I kept assuring her that she would have a good time and didn't have to participate if she didn't want to, she was still a bit apprehensive. Well, lo and behold when we approached the Capitol there was a group of children in costume dancing. It turned out to be two homeschool families, one from Tennessee and the other from Cary, North Carolina (and I am sorry Kimberly we left without getting their names or addresses). The moms were sisters and they were doing a field trip to Williamsburg together. Even the moms were in colonial garb so at first I thought it was part of the program. Well, they invited Cait to join them and they had a wonderful time keeping warm and having fun. As more people joined they kept adding kids and it was just so cool to see these homeschool kids reaching out to others. Of course, this broke the ice for Caitlin and suddenly she had two friends! When the program began and they asked for volunteers Caitlin was grinning and waving her hand in the air with the others. She was chosen to dance at the second opportunity and just beamed the whole time. When NiNi finally was chosen for the final dance (and became the head couple, which meant that I had to choose the song--actually the lead man whispered it to me and I just had to repeat it but it was a French title and I had to call it out for the whole assembly to hear).
No pictures could be taken during the ball but afterwards the actors were on the portico and I was able to get a shot of Cait with one of the ladies. She fits right in, doesn't she? (Good work, Tiff!)
On Sunday we had devotions in our room together. I was so impressed by Cait's familiarity with God's Word--good work Brent and Tiff! We read Proverbs 31 and talked about it and she told me it was her favorite book of the Bible and that two verses were underlined three times in he Bible. Great start to being a godly woman!
We spent the whole day in Colonial Williamsburg on Sunday--our first stop was purchasing tickets for a carriage ride, which we both had been anxious to do. Cait opted to ride the stagecoach over the open carriage as it was twice as long a ride. Our driver was quite a character and kept up the conversation. We learned all kinds of little tidbits about living in Colonial Williamsburg. He even sang us a song, "O Brittania" which I was able to video as we traveled along.
For lunch we ate in Chownings Tavern which was fun--this was the one tavern I had never been to before. The only other tavern opened that day was very crowded and Cait was getting hungry but it turned out to be a good choice as it is a little more casual and she was able to get a sandwich and soup. She asked me why the waitress kept calling us, lovey. She had a British accent and I think probably was genuine. She graciously agreed to take a picture of us.
We did a little more touring, visiting just about every shop in the area, I think! At 3:00 there was a program at the museum so we headed back there. It was a fun ending to the trip. It centered on a new display they have of quilted clothing, much of it petticoats so we learned some interesting things about under garments in the 18th century. She talked a lot about ladies' pockets and we saw some beautifully embroidered ones. At the end there was an activity for kids which we brought home with us. It was a paper with the outline of a pocket that Cait could decorate and on the back was instructions for making a pocket--so now Tiff has another project to work on!
This was an absolutely wonderful experience--I had as much fun as Caitlin so it was a treat for me as well as her. Although she did have me locked up at one point--I don't have the name Meany NiNi for nothing!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Camping in North Carolina
What a gorgeous weekend the Lord gave us! We had been planning for months to use this long weekend to travel to North Carolina to camp at Falls Lake Campground near Butner, NC where Kimberly's parents live. We camped here three times before, twice while Carl was in Kuwait and Kimberly was living in Butner. It is a beautiful, but no frills, campground. No campstore or concessions but a large lake and wooded campsites, just our style. The kids loved camping there because we had always found a site on the lake with access to a tiny beach where they could swim right from our campsite. Twice we camped next to a man, named John King, whom the kids became good friends with. (He was almost completely deaf, so he had no problem camping next to a family with several boisterous boys!) The boys were disappointed that he wasn't there this time--once he had his teenaged grandson with him and the boys had a great time wrestling in the water with him.
We had a rough start this time. We left work at about 11:00 a.m. thinking we would be early enough that we would miss traffic. But alas, traffic was slow around Dumfries so we decided to stop and eat at the Cracker Barrel, hoping things would be moving faster when we got back on I-95. It was still slow but our biggest slow down was that we goofed when we got to Richmond. Instead of staying on I-95 so that we could pick up I-85 on the south side of Richmond, we went around 295 and missed I-85. Finally, as we crossed into North Carolina, I pulled out the map and sure enough we should have picked up I-85 two hours back! Ahhhhh! By this time it is 6:00 p.m and we had thought we would be setting up camp by this time. Carl had gotten off work early and had arrived at the campsite and been set up since 5:00 p.m.(with the help of five kids ages 3-9 years!) We consulted the map and found a road that took us across to I-85. It was getting close to 8:00 p.m. by the time we approached our exit and we were very nervous. Not only were we now going to have to set up our pop-up for the first time in the dark, but in North Carolina state parks they close the gate at 8:00 p.m., no exceptions, and no one can get in or out. Carl went to the Ranger Station to explain our problem and was told that if we didn't arrive by 8:00 p.m. we would have to park outside and walk in--and the fact that we had a camper was a shame, wasn't it? Well, we kept calling Carl to let him know where we were and finally arrived at the campground at 8:07 to find Carl waiting with the kids in his van and the gate open! Happily, the camper went up easily with Carl's help. We started a fire and roasted hot dogs and then fell into bed sometime after 10:00 p.m.
The rest of the weekend was wonderful. We love cooking and eating outside and I always take something to cook in my iron Dutch oven. This time I had taken a roasting chicken and looked forward to roasting that on Saturday night. However, when I went to retrieve it from out camping tote, it was missing. Bill was sure it had been packed but we remembered later that we had carried it home from our last camping trip with leftover peach cobbler still inside and had cleaned it out at home. It apparently then had not been packed with all our camping equipment. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs over the open fire that night instead. We still enjoyed cooking pancakes and bacon over the fire--my favorite way to cook when we are camping! Carl made breakfast on Saturday morning using his campstove--delicious eggs and bacon and toast.
It was warm enough for the kids to swim in the lake (not however, warm enough for the adults to do the same!) They had a ball splashing and swimming.
Carl and I took Esther and went out Saturday morning to find the Super Wal-Mart and picked up the rest of the groceries we needed for the weekend and Dad-Dad and the boys had a great time looking through Alex's survival book and then making a lean-to shelter with a tarp and some sticks. They were so excited to show that off to us when we returned and ate their lunch in its shade. They insisted they would sleep there that night. Alex did fall asleep there but Carl moved him to the tent when we all went to bed.
Of course, camping (or any outdoor activity) means finding wildlife and catching it, if possible. The boys caught a little skink and Esther, being a true Trautman woman, found a snake--and caught it. She was so excited about it and the fact that it was small and a beautiful green color (it was a green vine snake) made it all the more attractive as she posed with it in her hair.
On our other trips to this campground we had found some very interesting mushrooms and this trip was no different. Just walking around the campground loop we found many. Dad-Dad encouraged the kids to name them. We found a "fried egg", "popcorn kernel" and a "golf ball on a tee" (this one named by Carl). Isn't it the coolest mushroom?
Kimberly stayed home with little Samuel but joined us for the day after church on Sunday. We had a great time visiting with her and seeing little Samuel taking a few steps. Carl and Dad went out in the evening and brought back pizzas and subs for dinner (not our normal camping routine--but Bill was trying to make up for the chicken fiasco--and at least Carl and Kimberly had a chicken to take home for Monday's dinner!) Dirty, tired and happy kids were packed into the vehicles and headed home at about 7:00 p.m. for showers and bed. And NiNi and Dad-Dad relaxed by the fire and enjoyed the quiet (the entire loop had been filled with families--and they all packed up and left Sunday afternoon, leaving us totally alone on the lake). We took one last walk around the camp loop before it got totally dark. There was a beautiful full moon shining on the lake, which I tried to capture but only got a fraction of its beauty.
And then we retreated to our little pop-up and enjoyed one last night sleeping snuggled under covers with the screens open, enjoying the night breezes and sounds. It was glorious waking up each morning and the first thing you saw was the sun coming up over the lake! I loved every minute of our trip (well maybe not the minute when I discovered I had no way to cook a chicken!). We got up and packed up the next morning and had an uneventful trip home, arriving at our exit at about 6:00 p.m. and decided to call Ryan and have him meet us for dinner at Cracker Barrel. What a nice ending to a perfect weekend.
We had a rough start this time. We left work at about 11:00 a.m. thinking we would be early enough that we would miss traffic. But alas, traffic was slow around Dumfries so we decided to stop and eat at the Cracker Barrel, hoping things would be moving faster when we got back on I-95. It was still slow but our biggest slow down was that we goofed when we got to Richmond. Instead of staying on I-95 so that we could pick up I-85 on the south side of Richmond, we went around 295 and missed I-85. Finally, as we crossed into North Carolina, I pulled out the map and sure enough we should have picked up I-85 two hours back! Ahhhhh! By this time it is 6:00 p.m and we had thought we would be setting up camp by this time. Carl had gotten off work early and had arrived at the campsite and been set up since 5:00 p.m.(with the help of five kids ages 3-9 years!) We consulted the map and found a road that took us across to I-85. It was getting close to 8:00 p.m. by the time we approached our exit and we were very nervous. Not only were we now going to have to set up our pop-up for the first time in the dark, but in North Carolina state parks they close the gate at 8:00 p.m., no exceptions, and no one can get in or out. Carl went to the Ranger Station to explain our problem and was told that if we didn't arrive by 8:00 p.m. we would have to park outside and walk in--and the fact that we had a camper was a shame, wasn't it? Well, we kept calling Carl to let him know where we were and finally arrived at the campground at 8:07 to find Carl waiting with the kids in his van and the gate open! Happily, the camper went up easily with Carl's help. We started a fire and roasted hot dogs and then fell into bed sometime after 10:00 p.m.
The rest of the weekend was wonderful. We love cooking and eating outside and I always take something to cook in my iron Dutch oven. This time I had taken a roasting chicken and looked forward to roasting that on Saturday night. However, when I went to retrieve it from out camping tote, it was missing. Bill was sure it had been packed but we remembered later that we had carried it home from our last camping trip with leftover peach cobbler still inside and had cleaned it out at home. It apparently then had not been packed with all our camping equipment. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs over the open fire that night instead. We still enjoyed cooking pancakes and bacon over the fire--my favorite way to cook when we are camping! Carl made breakfast on Saturday morning using his campstove--delicious eggs and bacon and toast.
It was warm enough for the kids to swim in the lake (not however, warm enough for the adults to do the same!) They had a ball splashing and swimming.
Carl and I took Esther and went out Saturday morning to find the Super Wal-Mart and picked up the rest of the groceries we needed for the weekend and Dad-Dad and the boys had a great time looking through Alex's survival book and then making a lean-to shelter with a tarp and some sticks. They were so excited to show that off to us when we returned and ate their lunch in its shade. They insisted they would sleep there that night. Alex did fall asleep there but Carl moved him to the tent when we all went to bed.
Of course, camping (or any outdoor activity) means finding wildlife and catching it, if possible. The boys caught a little skink and Esther, being a true Trautman woman, found a snake--and caught it. She was so excited about it and the fact that it was small and a beautiful green color (it was a green vine snake) made it all the more attractive as she posed with it in her hair.
On our other trips to this campground we had found some very interesting mushrooms and this trip was no different. Just walking around the campground loop we found many. Dad-Dad encouraged the kids to name them. We found a "fried egg", "popcorn kernel" and a "golf ball on a tee" (this one named by Carl). Isn't it the coolest mushroom?
Kimberly stayed home with little Samuel but joined us for the day after church on Sunday. We had a great time visiting with her and seeing little Samuel taking a few steps. Carl and Dad went out in the evening and brought back pizzas and subs for dinner (not our normal camping routine--but Bill was trying to make up for the chicken fiasco--and at least Carl and Kimberly had a chicken to take home for Monday's dinner!) Dirty, tired and happy kids were packed into the vehicles and headed home at about 7:00 p.m. for showers and bed. And NiNi and Dad-Dad relaxed by the fire and enjoyed the quiet (the entire loop had been filled with families--and they all packed up and left Sunday afternoon, leaving us totally alone on the lake). We took one last walk around the camp loop before it got totally dark. There was a beautiful full moon shining on the lake, which I tried to capture but only got a fraction of its beauty.
And then we retreated to our little pop-up and enjoyed one last night sleeping snuggled under covers with the screens open, enjoying the night breezes and sounds. It was glorious waking up each morning and the first thing you saw was the sun coming up over the lake! I loved every minute of our trip (well maybe not the minute when I discovered I had no way to cook a chicken!). We got up and packed up the next morning and had an uneventful trip home, arriving at our exit at about 6:00 p.m. and decided to call Ryan and have him meet us for dinner at Cracker Barrel. What a nice ending to a perfect weekend.
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