B and L start 4th grade today. Not sure how that happened. Just yesterday I took this picture of them on their first day of kindergarten:
They’re growing up. Seems like they are getting less cute and more beautiful. Makes my heart stop:
Ellie starts preschool next week. So life keeps rolling right along. I’m determined to breathe deeply and take it all in. Sigh.
Linking up today with Darcy from My 3 Boybarians and her Sweet Shot Tuesday feature:
It’s no secret that I hate the county fair. I go for the sake of my kids, otherwise I would not set foot on those grounds. We took the kids last night and I was having some serious issues with it. My husband, the kind guy that he is, informed me I am worse than the kids when it comes to my attitude. In an effort to redeem the time and not be a total grump about it, I took my camera and clicked away all night. I didn’t get a lot of great shots, but I thought this picture was kinda cool:
So I survived another year at the county fair. Here’s hoping we’re out of town next year.
I wrote this post last week but almost didn’t publish it because of the pictures. I just got a new lens for my camera and I’m still very much on a learning curve with it. I decided to go ahead and hit “publish” because I’m still trying to record the events of this family regardless of the quality of my pictures. Always learning, always striving to do better. . .
B and L were at camp all week, so I spent a lot of time with Ellie. One day we made chocolate covered strawberries:
On Friday we made our way to Rosedale to pick B and L up from camp. They had the best time! We were ready to have them home again!
We really enjoyed the program the campers had prepared and B and L loved being up front singing! Made me proud! Can you find them in the front row? They’re the two that are a foot shorter than everyone else:
After the program, the campers were dismissed and both girls came running to find us. When Bryn saw us, she started talking so quickly we couldn’t keep up!
Sisters Reunited:
The older girls loved a week at camp, and I enjoyed a quiet(er) week at home with the littlest.
This is me on a normal day:
I normally don’t consider myself much of an outdoors person. In fact, I’ve been accused of being high-maintenance. I like electricity, running water and toilets that flush. If that makes me high maintenance well then, yes, yes I am. Remember this experience from last summer? Suffice it say I’m not so keen on camping.
But, BUT! I had such a fabulous time this weekend that maybe, just maybe, I’m changing my mind just a teensy bit. I was invited to participate in a white water rafting trip in West Virginia with 3 other women. Believe it or not, despite my claims to be not-so-outdoors-ey, white water rafting is something I’ve always wanted to try. So when this opportunity came up, I jumped on it, and just a few weeks later I was on the road headed to the rapids of West Virginia!
Here’s how I like to camp:
Yea, that’s right. I’ll go rustic with a flat-screen t.v, leather furniture, and granite counter-tops. And just to make sure we’re comfortable, how about a hot tub. That’s what I like to call roughing it.
We found our way to River Expeditions campground and I was immediately struck by how clean the grounds were. The bathhouses are lined with marble tiles (nope, not kidding), and the grounds were well kept and clutter free. If all camping looked like this, maybe I wouldn’t hate it so bad. Just in case you can’t get on board and call this “camping,” you’ll be happy to know that primitive sites exist as well. Feel free to haul your tent and gear and set up camp a little more traditionally if that’s more your style.
One of my favorite parts of the weekend was walking around and taking in the scenery. I had a chance to experiment with my new camera (I did it! I took the plunge into the world of DSLR!). My friend Tiffany took this shot of me:
Saturday morning after a few cups of coffee we made our way to the bus waiting to take us to the river. I was so naive. I was busy talking with my friends and not giving a whole lot of thought to what I might be in for.
Here’s a little glimpse of my day:
Oh. My. Word. Honestly, if someone had told me I was about to get plastered by Class 5 rapids, I don’t know if I would have done it. Ignorance is bliss, right? It wasn’t until I was already on the boat, far, far, away from land that I heard our guide say anything about Class 5. It was crazy, ya’ll! CRAZY! It was also the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my life.
The rapids were exhilarating, the scenery was gorgeous, but I have to give credit to this guy:
Brad was our guide, and I don’t know if it’s possible to get a better one. He was the perfect mix of professionalism and fun. He had his hands full with my girlfriends and me! But he handled us well and I had complete trust in his ability to read the river and get us to the end safely, which is exactly what he did.
One more thing: we were assigned to a boat with 5 total strangers. By the end of that ride, we were friends. Experiencing something like that and looking out for each other has a way of bonding us, and that’s just what happened. After we were off the river, we got cleaned up then built a bonfire with our fellow passengers. For just a few hours, I was able to forget about life and the everyday pressures, and enjoy being in nature with some really amazing people. Oh. And I laughed a lot. A whole lot.
By the time we hit the road on Sunday morning, I was already planning my next trip. I want to take my brother along. So for those of you who know my big brother, please do your best to make him come with me. I keep getting the feeling he’s avoiding me. Ya big CHICKEN! Bawk! Bawk!
Thank you Brad, and all of you at River Expeditions for giving me an incredible day on the rapids. Can’t wait until my next trip!
Summer time is for. . .
Braids and sundresses:
Splashing in the pool:
Blowing bubbles:
Climbing the tree in the front yard:
Really high:
And loving it:
Or crying because you’re only 5 and can’t quite keep up:
Living life and loving it right now!
