Camping Part #2

Day #2 (and technically #3 as well -- since we woke up & basically left w/in a couple hours I'll include it in this post as well) was quite an exciting day once it was all said and done.

We woke up very early (it was quite cold that 1st night...or at least I was -- I should have slept in sweatpants). Anne Marie was just so excited she was able to wake up in the tent! Mike and I headed out to start breakfast -- remember how I said I did much better w/ my cooking? For breakfast I had pre-boiled eggs before we left and brought a pack of that pre-cooked bacon. So we had bacon eggs and cheese sandwiches. I also had a huge bag of fresh cut fruit.

Mike was making our yummy breakfast.

Anne Marie Loving her breakfast!

After being at the campground for a day, the squirrels finally realized we were there to stay for a while and they also started to realize we had a 3 year old girl that was willing to give them her table scraps. (They LOVE popcorn by the way) They were quite cute -- and not shy at all. They hung out around our chairs and tent quite a bit! Anne Marie asked if she could "pet" them. I tried to explain to her it was not quite like our cats.

After breakfast Mike and I decided to call our friends Scott, Jennifer & Maggie. They only live about 90 minutes away from where we were camping. We thought that maybe we could meet them in a town between. It just so happened they were coming very close to the town we were near for a doctor appointment, so they were able to stop by for a visit. It was so nice to see them! And, if we would have gone to that "other" camp site we originally wanted to go to, it was in a totally different direction, so we wouldn't have been able to see them! The girls played on the playground, ate some snacks, and we were able to visit for a bit.

After our friends left, we decided to take a short bike-ride. There wasn't a lot of trails around the camp area, but enough to get my legs a little tired & Anne Marie seemed to enjoy it.

Then, it was time to make dinner. I was actually very proud of us! We had grilled Italian pork-chops, grilled corn on the cob & couscous! I actually only chose this because I was trying to take what we could from home to save money, so it's what worked. It was actually quite good & it proves you can have a good meal on a small outdoor fire-pit while camping!! (No need for PaPa John's delivery here folks! -- haaaa!! ) We still made S'mores after it got dark. But this is when our day actually got REALLY "exciting".

About dinner time, a new family pulled into the tent-camping area. They were a grandmother & grandfather w/ 3 grand-kids & two VERY loud & obnoxious dogs. The family was loud & the dogs tried to attack everything that walked by. I looked at Mike and said -- "ok, I"m ready to go". He said that it was late, almost time for bed, and we'd be leaving the next day, so we could deal with it for a short while. We watched them put up their tent (or try) it took quite a while. I noticed the grandfather was having a bit of trouble and had to take quite a few breaks while getting things set up. We could even hear him breathing from our sent site. I told Mike I was really worried about him! We ended up putting Anne Marie to bed, and decided to sit by the fire & eventually play cards by flashlight. About 11:30 that night we heard the grandmother say something was wrong. I asked Mike if we should help. He said not to worry about it. Then all of the sudden we saw the grandfather sitting in his van & 5 minutes later he collapsed & fell to the ground. She screamed for help & Mike was the 1st one to make it to their tent. He was very ill, he was on dialysis, had high-blood-pressure & he had sleep apnea as well as asthma. Mike was able to lift him back in the van to try to wake him. Then one other man ran from the camper area & told Mike they would have to lay him back on the ground & preform CPR. Well, I was still at the tent w/ Anne Marie watching -- about 45 minutes later after an ambulance, EMS vans and fire-trucks came to rush him to the hospital Mike came back to tell me the story of how they thought they lost him, but the EMT's were able to get a pulse when they got there. It was so scary, but I was so glad that Mike and this other gentleman were there to help! Maybe God knew that Mike and this man needed to be there that night?!?! This poor family was still at the hospital the next morning & last we heard as we were leaving was that he was in a coma @ the hospital. I pray that this man makes it out & his family is surrounded by people that can take care of them. What a sad night! But, Anne Marie slept through the ENTIRE thing, I was shocked, with the screaming grandmother, the barking dogs, the sirens, the noises, she never woke up! Thank the Lord, because that would have been scary! I could only think of those poor grand-kids that were there. A VERY NICE lady at the campground agreed to take the 3 kids and watch them until a family member could drive to the campground to pick them up! It's amazing how a group of strangers can come together to help people in need.

Now, on to a more light hearted story. Our new "friend" Mr. Squirrel left Anne Marie presents in her chair each day. Day #1 was some type of shells from a nut. (I didn't get a picture) but Day #2 was MUCH more picture worthy.... see above? Know what that is? I told Anne Marie what it was & she said "that is a bad squirrel!" HEEEEE :o)

Well, it was finally time to pack up! Anne Marie was VERY SAD we were having to leave, she begged to stay, but we promised that we would do it again!!

So, all & all our 1st camping trip was quite successful! A little scary and times, but quite good.

Camping - Part #1

Well, Mike just happened to get a couple days off last week and we were thinking about what we should do.....and when we asked Anne Marie - we should have known... "CAMPING!" she said. So, we thought well, it isn't expensive, the weather was supposed to be great and we told her we would, so in one day we made our list, packed our gear, got food pre-prepared and got ready for our very 1st camping trip (at least since I was a little kid anyway). And may I just say, this trip was meant to be. Believe it or not, God wanted us to be at this campsite, I just know it!

We were trying to visit a different area, but they would not take "same-day-reservations", so I was too afraid to drive 1hr + & get there to find out there were not sites left (there were only 2 when I called 1st thing in the a.m.) So, we decided to go to our 2nd choice that we found online. It was a KOA campground. Do you remember in my post about buying a tent how my dad would have been so proud of us? Yea? Well, not so much! This is not my daddy's camping let me tell you!

We get there and there is a cute little store w/ EVERYTHING you might ever need while you're camping. (it was a 2 minute walk from our tent) There was a swimming pool w/ lounge chairs & kids floaties to borrow. There was a playground for the kids. The bathrooms were a hop-skip & jump from our tent, they were well lit, heated, VERY clean, had hot/cold showers, they were even wallpapered & had silk flower arrangements on the sinks!! There was a man who would ride around on a golf cart & deliver your pre-purchased fire-wood & other items from the store. I even saw him pick up someones trash & take it to the big bins. There was phone service w/ our cell phones & they even offered free Wi-Fi (we did not take our computer!). We even saw 4 campers get PaPa John's Pizza delivery while we were there!

Back to part #1 of why we were supposed to be there. (We'd like to think becuase God wanted to make it easy on us the 1st time around...but really....) because we met a little boy on the playground that saw Anne Marie and said "Hey! My sister is from China!" Then we were able to meet their parents, (and the little girl) and have a nice little chat with them about China, adoption and the adoption ministry we've started at our Church! Part #2 will be w/ tomorrows post, so don't forget to check back!! (don't you hate when people do that?)

Anyway... on to pictures from our 1st day......

Daddy & Anne Marie getting the tent set up.

TaaaaDaaaaa!!!

Taking a little dip in the swimming pool. It was nice (not heated) but nice, clean, had chairs to sun-tan in, and even fun pool toys/floaties for the kids to use!

Then, it was on to the playground to have a little fun. We met our friends from Chicago (the adoptive family) there..Anne Marie loved the big slide - and fire-man-climbing-station!!

We all brought books! This is daddy still reading to Anne Marie once it got too dark. One nice thing about camping is you actually get to catch up on all that reading you've been meaning to do! I read more in 2 days than I have in the last month!!

After a basic dinner of grilled hot-dogs, veggies & dip & chips we made s'mores - Anne Marie's favorite part!! (Check back to see our "gourmet" meal tomorrow night..heee)

And finally -- sleeping in the tent. She was so excited about getting to sleep in the tent that it took her a little while the 1st night, because she would talk & sing & laugh. It was so sweet. I wish I could have recorded the whole thing w/ voice. I'll just have to remember it. It was so cute that some people we met in the bathrooms the next day said they could hear her singing and thought it was too cute. (We hope they meant it...haaa!)

Our Kind Of Camping....

* 2 Nights Tent Campsite = $29/night

* Food For Outdoor Grilling = $18

* Gas For Our Trip = $10

* Sunscreen & Bug-spray = $12

* Finding a Campground that will deliver your pre-purchased firewood to your tent via cute little man on a golf-cart = PRICELESS!

(And we found out, PaPa John's Pizza also delivers after seeing 4 - yes FOUR - other campers getting pizza deliveries!!! haaaaaaaaa!!)

(Last week Mike was able to take a couple days off, so we took Anne Marie on her new "dream" trip - camping. We had a blast - I'll give a few updates in the next day or so!!)

2nd Part Of Our Weekend!

We drove to VMI with Mike's parents to celebrate the 4th of July. They always have a huge Hot-Air-Balloon festival, food, fun & fireworks.

Anne Marie was so excited to watch the Balloons being brought out on the trucks, and laid out all over the field right next to where we were sitting. She sat w/ Grandma to watch everything that was going on.

Then, she would venture to the roped-off area to get a closer look. There were TONS of hot air balloons. And they would fill them a few at a time, so it was quite a sight.

Mike's parents informed us that they were going to pay for two tickets for 2 people to ride in the hot air balloon they had set up to do tethered rides. We elected Mike and his dad, but when his dad decided he didn't want to go, I was more than happy to go in his place :o)

So, we sat there as they were filling the balloons trying to figure out which one would be the one we would go in. There was 2 that were set for tethered rides, all the others were set to take a 30 minute ride over the city (much more expensive ticket!!) Anne Marie decided that "mommy, you and daddy need to go in the pink & purple one!!"

This was one of my favorite balloons, but it was taking the 30 minute ride!

This ended up being our balloon. (Anne Marie was very sad that we didn't get the pink & purple one, because as she said "pink is my favorite color") But I think w/ all the excitement she got over it fairly quick.

Mike and I just inside the balloon. The cute little "guide-man" (I don't know what you are officially supposed to call them) looked like Santa - he was so cute!! It ended up starting to rain as we were getting in, so he decided that we would be the last ride for him that day (whew!! I would have been so sad if we waited in line for an hour & didn't get to go!!)

This is us on our way UP (picture from Mike's moms camera)

This is from our view looking down over the crowd on our way up -- if you look right in the middle, behind the lady on the blanket, you'll see Mike's dad & Anne Marie in chairs waiving at us! It was a very cloudy picture -- but you can still see them.

This was our view (not up quite as high as the other) of the college.

Mike filming right after we landed back down. I told him I would LOVE to have one of the "real" 30 minute rides next year --- and maybe everyone could pitch in for my b-day and get me a ticket!!!

But as I stated, it started to rain, so we had to head home before the fire-works started -- I'm sure they were awesome, so next year, we'll try again!!

1st Part of Our Holiday Weekend!

On July 3rd we decided to head "over the mountain" to visit our "best buds" that live about an hour away. We knew that the next month was going to be CRAZY for both families, so we wanted to try to get together before "crazy" started & made sure we spent a little time together before our friend Avery headed off to kindergarten in August. (Can you believe that school starts the 2nd week of August?? Not fair!)

Anne Marie & her buddy Avery - dressed alike - her mommy and I tend to shop @ the same exact stores @ the same exact time (usually with each other) It makes for GREAT photos!!

Before dinner, the girls decided they would dress as ballerinas and put on a "show" for us. I think I know what someone is getting for Christmas this year ... she's been obsessed w/ Angelina Ballerina, so this might be a cute idea!!

They live in a neighborhood w/ a lake -- so after dinner, it was on to the lake for a quick swim for the girls !

A little swimming.....

A little playing in the sand....

Our girls wrapped up in towels...

A LOT of FUN!!

The next morning, Avery's mommy had to meet with her running club in town, so we got dressed & met her in town for breakfast after her meeting. (Has anyone every had Panera Bread's cinnamon crunch bagels??? YUM!!!) The girls dressed in red-white & blue since it was the 4th & wanted to play at the fountain a little before we parted ways.

Thanks for a GREAT weekend guys.....maybe we'll see you again sometime in August!!

Never say Never BEFORE You Have Kids!

This past weekend I had a "GREAT" idea. We could pretend we were camping in the back yard - we'd grill out, we'd make s'mores on the grill and put up the ladybug tent. Then at dark we'd head into the house for our nice comfy beds.

So I started telling Anne Marie all about my great idea. We started by putting the tent up during the day, and we'd wait until later that night to do the rest. As we were putting up the tent & talking about what camping was, she decided that we needed to sleep in the tent like "other people" do when they camp. We explained to her that you had to have a bigger tent to sleep in - one like some friends of ours had. She proclaimed "I wanna tent to sleep in, PLEASE!!"

Mike and I ALWAYS said that we would never own a tent, we didn't really like the thought of sleeping outdoors. (Not since we were little kids anyway) But through much discussion, begging from our daughter & a sale at Target, we bought a tent. I was shocked (not as much as Mike was) My Dad would be so proud of us!!

We already had an air mattress, so we could sleep on that. And we'd just make a comfy bed for Anne Marie. We got everything together to cook out, make s'mores & sleep in our back yard. Now, we knew we were to teach Sunday School the next day, so we brought the book & Bible into the tent w/ intentions on doing our study & waking up early enough to get things ready for Church.

Well, let me just say -- ALWAYS check to see if you have small pin holes in your air mattress before it's dark & you're daughter is already asleep beside you!!

We did our study and made it to Sunday School --- however --- OWWW-- our aching backs!! We are too old to sleep on the ground..haa!

Anne Marie had the TIME OF HER LIFE! She's ready to go "camping for real" (in a park near our house w/ a lake that we told her about) So, we're trying to pick a weekend that might work for us to go. I swear I NEVER thought we'd own a tent, sleep in it over night, and be planning a weekend getaway in a campground! (But we will buy a new air mattress before doing so!)

Our Lady Bug tent that wasn't quite big enough.

Putting up the new "4 person" tent (and can I say - it would be tight to fit 4 adults w/ any of their "stuff" in there!!)

Roasting our Marshmallows for our S'mores!

Anne Marie enjoying her yummy treat!

All ready to sleep in her new tent (notice #1 - she still must have Jack the dog & Ling her baby while camping #2 - the Bible & study book - really we did it! #3 - her mouth still full of chocolate -- I didn't notice until after I took the picture!)

My two sweeties pretending to sleep.

Aching backs or not it was actually kind of fun ... and who knew ... kids can make you do the craziest things & you can have more fun than ever thought imaginable!!