The Calm Before Thanksgiving

I had told my daughter, weeks before this past Thanksgiving, that I would take time off in order to take her hiking again during her holiday break. As luck would have it I was able to get the Monday before Thanksgiving off which gave me a nice three day weekend. I had planned to take her out for two days so we could explore the closest state park a bit more than we had during previous visits. Only, that Friday is when everything happened, and our weekend was thrown into a bit of chaos. 

However we were able to salvage some of the plans. We were able to invite two of my daughters friends along for a day trip. That Monday, my friend dropped off her daughters early in the morning, and we headed off to explore. We didn't focus on what was going on in our life at the time. Instead they all ran around, and climbed through trees. They played in the water, and were able to see dinosaur footprints. As we hiked the trails they talked about the flowers, the fish, and the animals. They giggled over chips, brownies, and water. I heard them talking about school, and how much fun they were having on break. After a few hours we made it up to the "peak", and sat at the edge over looking the whole park. They talked about how little everything seemed, and how big the trees were. They talked about how cool it would have been to see dinosaurs in real life. When we finally headed back down to our car it was well after 2 pm, and all they could talk about was food. We had a late lunch at Burger King per their requests. Read demands. And once our bellies were full we started the drive back home. They made it about thirty minutes before they all fell asleep in the back seat. Content. 

And do you know what was so amazing? That even though my daughter, and I were going through something that was unpleasant we were able to have a good time. My daughter laughed, and smiled. She enjoyed skipping up a hill, hand-in-hand, with her two best friends. They were all so happy just being little kids. Running around outdoors. There was still so much more for them to explore they explained. It was a wonderful day for all three of them. They still talk about it, months later, and ask me if I'll take them again soon. Overall, it was a wonderful day. One that I look back on, and see the silver lining of what we went through. I can still hear the giggles, and the splashes. And I remember the big hug that I received from my little as she proclaimed "Mom, you're the best! Thank you for letting the girls come spend the day with us!" It made me feel happy. It made me feel like no matter what happened next everything was going to be okay. There was a moment on that drive home when I looked at all three of them sleeping,  leaning on each other, and I knew that my daughter and I were going to be okay. That we would be able to get through this because we had so many good people in our lives. And that day was exactly what I needed to feel some peace. To feel some calm that I wasn't quite sure I needed until that very moment. 

Summer I & II

I stated before that I'm currently taking summer classes. I knew going in that they would be intense, but I did not realize they would be this intense. There are no breaks, and I have homework every night of the week. Summer II started the day after I took my final for Summer I and it has just been a nonstop roller coaster ride. That is why I have been absent for so long, so here is a quick update:

On Father's Day weekend the little and I traveled with my brother and sister-in-law (officially; post for another time) to Carlsbad, NM and Guadalupe National Park. I have pictures and as soon as I am able to I will post those. It was so so so lovely. We had a lot of mishaps on the way (another post for a later time), but it was so worth it to be able to see such amazing things. And since we barely had any cell service, none at the national park, our phones were reduced to camera's. IN. THE. BEST. WAY. POSSIBLE! We were able to check in with every one at the beginning and end of each day which was all we really needed. Even that required us to walk a ways. I can't even begin to describe how exhilarating it was to be out there. We didn't get to hike up Guadalupe due to our delays, but we did get to hike one of the trails. There is something to be said for stillness; quiet. We were all together, without phones, and once we made it to the end of our trail we all just sat and took it in. For about 2 minutes before Em decided she needed to do more. Still, it was great. I hope to write about it in more detail as well as show you guys some photos soon. Until then, here's one of the little at Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico.

We gave my husband a weekend to himself to have a boys weekend, and then we returned on Father's Day. The following weekend he was off to California and then Laughlin, NV for his best friends wedding. He came back intact, but when a pretty swollen leg from a nice jet ski trick gone wrong. Also, let me just say that LAX is a nightmare, and never again (I hope) will any of us ever have to fly into that airport. My husband arrived two hours before his flight, and the lack of assistance, as well as major wait times caused him to miss his flight. He was put on standby, and miraculously was able to be home by 4 pm. Though because it was such short notice, I wasn't able to pick him up until 6 pm. Anyways, he made it home safely, and I'm grateful for that. 

Since then, we haven't done much. A few flea market visits here and there. We had a nice get together on the fourth of July with my husband's side of the family. The parade was pretty awesome, and they had a few games, and bounce houses that Em was able to ride. We ate dippin' dots for breakfast, and she was able to play for a few hours with a lot of other kids. Some that she'll be seeing at school this fall. The highlight of her day was seeing her former preschool teacher at the fair. I've never seen her run so fast to give hugs before. We've gone to see movies, and we've had dinner with friends. Our little tried out a gymnastics camp and has decided she'd like to continue so those classes will start at the beginning of August. Also, after our camping trip Em's been asking to go "out to the mountains" again, though this time I think we'll stick closer to home. There are some great places nearby that I want to check out and it would also be great if we could take the four-legged babies as well. They are easier climbs with some great views so I feel like we might be in for a day-trip soon. My husband insists we go camping so I'm sure it will be followed by an overnight trip soon after anyway.

So that's been our summer so far. Pretty simple and boring, I know. I didn't realize that summer classes left you with zero time to do anything else. I doubt I'll be doing this again for awhile. My mother has suggested we take a trip up to the LEGOLAND Center so she's working the details on that out. I still want to visit the Omni, which might be something that we do in August once things have slowed down for us. Other than that, not much else is new. Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer break though! Until next time! :) 

A Kayaking Trip

I think it was two weekends ago when my brother, Kim, and Olivia had the bright idea to take an all day/overnight kayaking trip. Why was this such a bright idea? Well because even though the forecast that day was all sunshine and heat we were going to have thunderstorms roll in that evening and they would continue for the rest of the week. My brother knew about this, but apparently forgot to mention anything to the others.

I was volunteered to drop them off with some limited supplies and a tent about an hour north from where we live. With everything that had been going on I definitely welcomed the distraction. So off we went and once we arrived Emery was able to get into the water for a bit. Emery is definitely a water baby. She loves it, and will do anything to get in it. So even though our trip was short she definitely had a blast getting her feet wet and going for a little ride with her uncle.

After we got home, the rain started. I received a text message at 1 am letting me know that they had set up camp under a bridge like a bunch of "homeless people" and they wanted me to pick them up as soon as possible the next morning. I was instructed to bring Tylenol and lots of towels. Emery and I set off at 7 am to go find them and let me just say that they were a sight! Apparently, this kayaking trip tested friendships, and relationships. Hearing the stories they came back with you would have thought they had to survive on a deserted island for weeks!

Still they had a blast and next time around I've been invited to join. Though, I'm sure I'll check the weather forecast before I accept and make sure sleeping bags are being brought along. Anyway, here are some pictures from the beginning of the journey for you guys to enjoy.

A Night At The Carnival

The carnival was here for a whole week. On the second weekend, Emery asked if we’d take her at the last minute so I did. We were joined by my brother and his girlfriend before they headed off to see a movie. Emery and I ended up staying out until 11 pm, and afterwards we stopped at Taco Bell because she insisted on having a burrito. And it was one of the few places open in town. While we waited for our food this group of friends came in, and one of the guys instantly took to Emery. He played “hide and seek” with her and even had her giggling by making a bunch of funny faces. I wish I had a picture of them because it was so cute how Emery was so taken with this guy. This hardly EVER happens with anyone. She’s pretty shy and stand offish with just about everyone. Eventually we had to head out and she said her goodbyes to the group. A few of the workers had been watching their interactions, and she made sure to say goodnight to them too. As we headed home, Emery sighed and said “Mom, that was fun.” right before dozing off. And it really was a perfect carefree and fun night.

The Day We Went To The Zoo

Last week I had Good Friday off from work so we decided to head to the Fort Worth Zoo. Now, I’m an animal lover and Emery has been showing such interest in them lately (thanks to Dora & Diego) that I just knew she’d enjoy it! We woke up early to go have breakfast, and then see my mother-in-law before heading up to the city. Once we stopped by we found out that my sister-in-law was off from school so we invited her to join us, and Emery got even more excited for the road trip.

The map I printed out beforehand made the place look huge and a bit daunting. But once we got there I saw that it wasn't as big as I thought it would be. We made our way through the entire zoo in about 4 hours. This includes stopping for pictures, rides, and having lunch. The entire drive Emery kept saying she wanted to see Kangaroo’s and I was really hoping we'd make it to that section before she started to get tired and cranky. Thankfully we had plenty of time to see all of the animals (minus the insects because I just didn’t want to see those) without incident. And true to her three year old word, Em was pretty excited when we finally saw the Kangaroos! They were pretty lazy the entire time though; just lounging about. She still loved it though. She even had a blast watching the penguins and getting to pet a lizard! Overall, it was such a fun visit and Emery keeps asking to go back!

As much fun as we had the animal lover in me was really sad. Some people don’t really get the whole “captivity” thing and don’t notice anything wrong, but we could see the stress coming from some of the animals. The pacing, and swiping at people coming from the White Tiger. The way one of the chimpanzee’s REFUSED to look at humans. He literally did everything with his back turned. Some of the big birds kept swooping down, squawking, and trying “snatch” at people walking underneath the netting. And the coyotes had an area about half the size of my entire house to “run around” in. Like I said, it was a bit sad. But what can one do really? Most of these animals couldn’t be returned to their natural habitats simply because they’ve all been born in captivity. Most wouldn't know how to survive, and some would be shunned.

Wordless Wednesday