A Mini Hiking Trip with the Girls

This school year I started implementing a reward system for Emery when it comes to her grades. The first six weeks she made the A-Honor Roll so she chose the option that involved a sleepover with two friends followed by breakfast at a place of her choosing. There’s never really any pressure because, for the most part, I let her know that I just want her to try her best. That’s what’s important to me. However, our little system has given her a bit of an incentive to ask for help when she’s struggling with a certain subject or problem. Because she really wants to earn that prize at the end. So, at the beginning of each six weeks, she and I come up with two new reward options which give her a goal to work towards. At the end of the six weeks, when I get her report card, there are two rewards she can pick from to “cash-in” based on those grades.

For the second six weeks, she made the A-B Honor Roll. She came really close to all A’s with one 89. So, her choices were to either go see a movie or go hiking with two friends. And well, my daughter loves the outdoors. So, we headed out to a local state park. Thankfully, we had some pretty amazing weather. The girls had a blast hiking some familiar trails and crossing the river barefoot. Multiple times. They spent the afternoon talking about the fish, and what it must have been like for people years ago that lived in those areas. They laughed and talked about school. What subjects they liked, and what they didn't. As they sat on a rock Emery said, "You know, we all have friends at our schools. But I hope we stay each other's best friends forever." There were a few instances when they all walked ahead and asked Emery how she was feeling about her dad. And of course, she looked back in hesitation but I nodded letting her know it was okay to tell them. They spoke about it briefly before heading over to more rocks. Hugs all around. And just seeing that made me happy. It's nice to know that these girls all care about each other. That Emery has two friends that listen to her when she's sad or happy. That they get to come along on our adventures and share stories. But most importantly, I'm grateful that Emery has all of this. That she has an abundance of family and friends who love her. 

As we left for the day I thought that this should happen more often for her. I want her to continue to enjoy exploring the outdoors. I want to give her and her friends the opportunity to go outside, share secrets, and spend time with one another. As often as possible. So, it looks like this may turn into a tradition. Grades or not, I want to give her as many more of these moments as I can. 

Wordless Wednesday

Caddo Lake State Park

On May 18th Emery, and I headed up to Mount Pleasant for a girl’s weekend. The following day we would all head out for a day of hiking at Caddo Lake State Park in order to celebrate my nephew turning one soon. Yes, while most people celebrate with cake and a party we decided to get out in 90-degree weather for a hike instead. Originally, my brother had wanted to summit Guadalupe Peak since our last trip didn’t allow for it. But seeing as how he wasn’t here we had to improvise. So, the following morning we all got ready to make the hour and a half drive to Caddo Lake. 

Now, in order to not make this one long ass post let me just give you the rundown. This park is open daily, and the cost to get in is $4 per person. Kids 12 years and under are free. Likewise, if you have a military pass-- which we did thanks to my brother. Now, if you’re an avid hiker that likes to have various trails available to you this park doesn’t really offer that. Caddo Lake is mainly for camping, fishing, paddling, and offers cabin rentals. They're available for small groups as well as for larger events such as reunions. I believe, based on the maps, that Caddo has a bit less than 3 miles of hiking trails available. However, I felt like this was perfect for a day trip. It allowed us to explore the majority of the trails, and still have enough time to rent a canoe in order to explore the Saw Mill Pond which I highly recommend. The canoe rental was, I believe $10/hour, and seated three to each canoe. The life vests were available there at no extra charge too. We took turns paddling out, and honestly that isn’t a bad price. We were all able to take a turn around the pond. Also, fair warning, this park does have alligators. My sister-in-law had previously told us about them, but also assured us that we wouldn’t encounter one. So, we didn’t see any on our visit, which Emery was totally disappointed about. I, on the other hand, was totally okay with it. They do have designated swimming areas for us humans, which we didn’t see on our side, but always make sure to ask at the office or check the website for warnings.

On the day that we went it was hot out. And humid as hell. However, the trees are so tall that they blocked a lot of the sun while we were hiking. It felt about 5 degrees cooler than what it was which turned out to be really nice. There were certain areas where a breeze would come through and help cool us down which was much appreciated by all of us. Just don’t count on having that happen a lot. And since the trails are pretty short I didn’t see any water stations along any of the routes so make sure that you bring your own water. Bring your own snacks if your peck-ish too. Also, there are three restroom areas but definitely go potty before you head out as the location of these bathrooms are on complete opposite ends of the park. Other than that, it’s pretty easy to navigate your way around. And the views were pretty great as well. I definitely recommend Caddo Lake for those of you with families that just want to get out for a day trip, or overnight camping. Or if you just want to spend some time outdoors with some friends for the day. This place is also pretty perfect for those that are new to hiking too. Like me! The trails offer just enough challenge to make you feel like you're really getting in a work out. 

Overall, I really enjoyed our visit. Emery had a blast running on the trails, and she was able to help paddle the canoe which she enjoyed. There weren’t a lot of people out when we were there, but in a more secluded camping area we were able to see a lot of tents set up so we know there were quite a few others out there. It was very peaceful, and quiet for the most part too. Now, the pond does lead out to the actual lake, and according to the park website it has over 50 miles of paddling trails. However, I can’t tell you much about that because we didn’t attempt it. There were too many other boats on the water in that area, and with it having a steadier current we weren’t sure how we’d manage with the kids. We all had a great time though! By the end of the day we were ready to head back home for some dinner. Our plans of late night movies, and junk food quickly turned into showers followed by bedtime. The kiddos were both tuckered out, and so were the adults which made it pretty easy to just call it a day. Now, we can’t wait for my brother to come home in order to go out there again. Next time around  if we have more time, and more people we just might venture out a bit further out.

Wordless Wednesday

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. 

Wordless Wednesday

Dinosaur Valley State Park

On December 29th we were invited to go hiking at Dinosaur Valley with my sister-in-law, and some of her side of the family. I'll be honest when I say that we hardly ever venture out. We "hike" around local little places such as the lake. We go running down back roads. But we've been a one income family for awhile now too so even if I wanted to go explore some new places I'm always concerned about gas, and food. This time, I chose not to worry about it. We would be spending time with family, and the park didn't charge entry fees for children under a certain age. Right on. So after having breakfast with a friend Emery and I made our way out to Glen Rose. 

It's about a forty-five minute drive from our house. I remember visiting this place when I was in Junior High for a field trip. But that was a long time ago, and the only thing that felt familiar about the place when we were exploring were the stairs. Everything else about it felt new, and we only managed to explore one trail. The park had maps of several other routes posted at each entrance so I'm hoping to go back soon, and explore a few other trails. Along different routes there are plaques that give you some information about the animals that live there along with information about the different plants/trees. Campsites are also available, and they even have a playground for the little ones which I thought was really cool. There's a river which was a bit too cold for me, but didn't seem to phase others that ran right through the route we took. What seemed to be the main attraction for younger kids were the dinosaur tracks/prints that you can look at, or stand in which Emery found to be really cool. It's also a pet friendly park so we took Maven along with us. Though it wasn't a bad move on our part there were instances when I walked us away from other hikers, and their kids or pets. Maven isn't always on her best behavior when it comes to other dogs, and sometimes people don't like strange dogs around their kids. Much less a pitbull. It was easy to get us far enough away from others, and she still managed to get in a good walk. I think Maven enjoyed the park as much as Emery did. Both of the girls fell asleep on the ride home. 

Dinosaur Valley definitely had some great views, and I really enjoyed the walk. It wasn't too difficult, but there were sections that we had to climb over rocks or steep hills. Emery was in her element the entire time, and she really enjoyed getting to jump into the water. Brave, brave girl. My guess is that late spring/early summer will be an even better time to go out if you're wanting to do some swimming while visiting. Overall, I'd say that this park was a great way to do some hiking, and get us outdoors. It's also a great way for kids to learn some more about the animals that have been here before us as well as the current ones that call this park their home. Emery has been begging to go back out there so the next time we have some good, warm, weather I plan on doing just that.