(43-320) Playing Games

Our camping trip was a little too short but very sweet.  We spent two and a half days relaxing in the high country. Now we're home, showered, and semi-un-packed;  and believe it or not, I can't wait to go camping again. 

One of the things that I like best about camping is the time it affords us to play games.  I LOVE playing games of all kinds, although it's not something that we've had a lot of time to do lately.  Because I'm such a big (yes) HUGE fan of continuity; in keeping with the short but sweet theme, today I'm going to "Give ya five" of my  All-Time Favorite Games:

1.  Backgammon - I learned to play when I was about eight years old, and as long as I have a willing opponent, I could sit and play for hours.

2.  Scrabble - Lover of words that I am, this must seem like an obvious choice.  But if you're ever played Scrabble, then you know that it's not just about the words, it's about the placement of them as well, and since I'm a big strategist, this game suits several parts of my brain.

3.  Farkle - If you've never played this game, run don't walk and download the free directions.  All you need are six dice and you're in for hours of fun.  This is a game of luck and chance and if you're someone who enjoys games; this one is not to be missed.

4. Rummikub - Another oldie but goodie.  I learned to play Rummikub when I was about ten I think.  I liked the idea of playing the tile game since it reminded me of Mah Jong, which my mom played weekly.  This is a great game to play with other adults or kids.

5.  Poker - I'm not the best poker player by far - mMostly because I have a terrible Poker face.  But I really appreciate the variety of this game.  There are so many different games under the Poker umbrella, I don't think that I could ever tire of it.  

Before we left Payson we were going to stop and get Pizza with our friends; provided that we could dine on the patio, since we had Hershey with us.  The patio was full so we decided to grab fast food instead and get together for Pizza tonight.  I'm gonna bring  my games, so that we can put the perfect finish to a wonderful weekend.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-318) Three Times The Charm...

Today I posted my Facebook status as “All packed up, just waiting for the Messer's so we can go camping!!!!! YES, Camping!!!!!  ” And my friend Thom responded “finds this cool, yet amusing at the same time!”  To which I replied ”I can understand why you'd say that Thom. I feel the same way! LOL"

I know that it’s difficult for people who knew me back in the day, to picture me not only camping, but enjoying it; but ya know I do. Now just in case you’re new to “The Ride”, or by chance you’ve forgotten; camping for my family includes a tent that fits two Aerobeds comfortably, and my Aerobed is a high rise that I would gladly sleep on anytime, anywhere. I bring my pillows and plenty of blankets and pardon the pun - but I’m a happy camper.

In a number of previous posts, I told you that I wasn’t sure if camping was worth all of the work that goes into packing, and setting up for a trip; but then I always wind up saying that it is. So this time I was determined that things would be different. I didn’t want to pack everything up last minute and be exhausted before we even headed out, so a few days ago I told my kids what kind of clothes to gather up, so that we could start packing. Well best intentions be darned. The kids got their clothes together, but I didn’t, nor did Luis. And as far as the rest of our necessities, yup, those got packed up this morning. I tried to be proactive and I made a list of everything that we needed to bring, so that I could check them off as I packed them up. I thought about posting the list of everything from Cherries to a can opener, but you probably don’t really need to see it. Suffice it to say that after 4 straight hours of packing; we were ready to go.

We arrived at Houston-Mesa campground in Payson at about 430; and I couldn’t help but think, three times the charm. On two other occasions we had reservations at this location, and both times we had to cancel. Once we arrived, I was so glad that we had given this campground another try because it is beautiful. It’s a lot more woodsy than Pine Grove, and the campsites are lovely. The clearing for our tent is under a canopy of trees, the picnic table is in a shaded area, and our particular site has two large logs which just add to the ambiance.                                                                     

As soon as I was able to take in our surroundings, I was once again convinced that camping is worth all of the work that goes into it. I love being with my family and friends and enjoying nature. Yes, you read that correctly “old” friends, I said “enjoying nature.” No I’m not going hiking or anything radical like that, but I think that there’s something about camping that just makes everything BETTER. Luis makes really good burgers at home; but at camping – they’re GREAT! I’m at peace when I’m camping, and no one can be more surprised to hear me say that, than me.

It’s now time for Smores and the computer isn’t conducive to that activity, so I’m going to say good night.
Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING                                                             

                                                                                                             

(43-235) The Verdict Is In...

Well, it's official.  On Friday I wrote "Pros & Cons Of Camping," and I told you that I still wasn't sure if camping was worth all of the prep and hard work that's involved.  But, the verdict is in; and after spending a night camping in the White Tank Mountains, I can now say without a doubt; that for me, it definitely IS worth it.

Now let's take a U turn.  If you've read "Pros & Cons Of Camping," then you know that we had planned on camping at Lake Pleasant this past Thursday night, but since they were full; we went up to the White Tank Mountains instead.  We arrived at nightfall and the camp host scared my kids out of staying there when he mentioned the Diamond Head Rattle snakes that were abundant in the area.  Our friend Jenny and her kids didn't scare as easily; and they decided to stay.  I promised that we'd come back out the next day; AT LEAST for the day; and I had every intention of keeping my word.

We got a very slow start on Friday; and around 230 we headed out to the White Tanks with all of our camping gear packed; in case we decided to stay.  We arrived around 3pm but Jenny and her kids were no where to be found.  We spoke to the camp host; (the same one who'd frightened my kids the night before;) and he was in a much more helpful mood.  We asked him how to get to the waterfall trail playground; because we thought that our friends might be there.  He gave us directions and told us that there were quite a few campsites available today; one right next to Jenny's even; in case we wanted to stay.

We talked about it for a minute and decided to pay the $17 fee to stay the night.  We reasoned that by paying now, we could reserve the spot next to Jenny's;  JUST IN CASE we decided to stay.  We found the waterfall trail playground; but our friends weren't there.  We were unable to contact them by phone; so once again we discussed the situation.  Our kids all agreed that everything looked much better in the daylight,  so we decided that we should set up our camp and spend the night.

Luis and I put up our tent.  YES, you read that right.  Luis AND I, put up our tent; in what seemed like no time at all.  We unloaded our supplies while the kids went to the playground that was within eye shot from our campsite; and we enjoyed being outdoors.  YES, WE enjoyed being outdoors.  Once our camp was set up, I had to go into town to buy some pillows; because we had forgotten to put ours back in the car before we left home.  As I was driving down the mountain, I saw Jenny driving back up; and shortly thereafter I saw her husband, David driving up as well.

It only took me about 15 minutes to get to Sam's Club.  I bought a bunch of new pillows and drove back up to camp.  By the time I got there, Luis had the grill going and burgers cooking.  He had a pot up to boil water for corn on the cob; and we were finally able to spend some time relaxing with our friends. 

It didn't take me long at all; to acknowledge to myself that all of the prep that's involved in camping, really is worth it for me.  I've never been what I or anyone else for that matter, would call an outdoors woman; but I really do like the time that I spend camping with my family and friends.   The view from our campsite was unlike any other that we've had before, because we could see all of the city lights; and it was beautiful.  We sat around the fire, while the kids played Telephone; and made Smores and it was great  to breathe the fresh air.

We went to bed around 1030, and discovered that our Aerobed had lost some air.  Luis re-inflated it; and we thought the problem was resolved; until around 2am when I got back from taking Hershey for a walk; only to discover that our bed had once again lost a considerable amount of air.  Luis deduced that there must be a small hole; and we had no choice but to rough it with the bed as it was.  By morning my butt was sunk to the ground; but it was still as wonderful as ever to wake up in my tent; and feel the cool breeze.

Just in case you're really taken aback by this post; let me assure you that it wasn't written by a guest blogger.  Believe it or not,  it's all me.  The me that I've become over the past 43 years.  The me who has grown to appreciate the comfort and the solitude that being out doors can offer.  The me who can't wait to go camping again.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-233) Pros & Cons Of Camping

A couple of weeks ago, my friend, Jenny M, asked me if I'd like to take the kids camping at Lake Pleasant for a couple of days during Spring break.  I thought that sounded like a good idea; until it became more apparent to me that she meant SHE and I take the kids camping.  As in, no husbands; and I jovially reminded her that this was ME she was talking to.  As much as I enjoy camping.  Yes, OLD friends; you read that right.  I said as much as I ENJOY camping; and yes I mean REAL camping with a tent; but admittedly, I wouldn't go without my Aerobed; nor would I go to a campsite that doesn't have flush toilets.  But the fact that I sleep in a tent; and spend time outdoors; now that's gotta count for some camping credits; but I digress.

Jenny told me that Luis was welcome to join us; but David had to work on Friday.  I didn't think that Luis would mind camping with just the women and kids; and sure enough, I was right.  Luis happily agreed to go; and for some reason that I still don't understand; I didn't make the big  deal planning, shopping and packing for this trip, that I usually do; but, I can tell you that this was a mistake.  Yup, a big mistake; (say it with me,) HUGE mistake; because I was rushing my kishkas out; (Kishkas ~ guts for anyone unfamiliar with that Yiddish term;) and I was exhausted by the time we left for camping. 

Now let's take a U turn.  While the kids and I were having lunch today, Jenny left me a message, saying that she had been in Wal-mart and it seemed that a lot of people were buying camping equipment; and that perhaps we should consider what we would do if there were no spots available for camping at Lake Pleasant, since it's a first come, first served camp site and not one that takes reservations.  I suggested that we try Lake Pleasant first and if they didn't have room we could go to the White Tank  mountains; and Jenny agreed.   I tried to call Lake Pleasant to see if someone could tell me if there was still availability; but I had to leave a message.  I then called the White Tanks and a lovely woman, checked and told me that there was still plenty of room.

I shared this info with Jenny; and we agreed to take a chance and try Lake Pleasant.  As I was trying to pack up our clothes, our  food supplies, our cooking utensils, our hygiene products and medications AND make potato salad; I found myself thinking yet again, "Is this really worth it?"  Yes all of the doubts that I'd expressed about camping in, "To Camp Or Not To Camp..." just resurfaced.

Jenny called and said that she would be on her way to the lake by 5pm.  I told her that I needed at least another half hour to get ready; because in between all of the things that I'd been working on; I spent over 40 minutes at the Orthodontist with Nicky.  Jenny and I agreed that she'd call me if there were no spots available at the lake; and if there were; she'd find two.  Just before 6pm we finally turned off of our street.  We'd only gone back to our house twice since pulling out of the driveway; because of forgetting everything from Hershey's food; to a can opener.  A knife, a cutting board and Kelsie's allergy medicine.  We finally hopped on the highway, destination rest and relaxation; and within seconds of getting off our first exit; Jenny called to let us know there was no room at the Inn.

We immediately put plan B in action and headed towards the White Tank mountains.  I was slightly apprehensive about the White Tanks, because with all of my rushing around, I still had to write and publish my blog; and since I'd never been there before and I had no idea how far the nearest McDonald's or Starbucks was; and I would need to go to one for Internet access.   It didn't take us very long to get to the White Tanks; and just as we arrived at the entrance; Jenny pulled up right behind us.  I asked the kindly gentlemen that greeted us if there was any availability and he told me that he thought they had two spots left.  I told him that we in fact needed two spots and he contacted the park host to confirm.

The park host told him to send us up and he'd show us the spot.  We were told to drive about three miles; and as we stopped to use the restroom; we saw a young deer.  We continued on our journey and met the less than charming, park host; who advised us that he'd had a very long day and worked very hard.  He told us that he had two spots left in the trailer parking area; but he felt that he should wait to see if a trailer came in within the next 55 minutes; before giving them to us.  He seemed very reluctant to permit us to stay in the trailer area; even though it was well within the rules; and took us to a restricted area, where he said we'd be welcome.  The sun was setting, and the scenery was beautiful but it was his over enthusiastic warning about snakes, that sent my kids into a tailspin.  The host said that there were a lot of Diamond head rattle snakes there; and I must admit, that scared the bejeezus outta me.  This is when I started weighing some of the pros and cons of camping.  Hmm, Con - I rushed around like a loon trying to pack up.  Con - the work that it takes to load, unload and set up camp; not to mention breaking it down too. Con - having to put up our tent in the dark.  Con - SNAKES.  Pro - when not unpacking, setting up or breaking down; camping is relaxing.  Pro - the peace and quiet. Pro - the cool breeze.  Con - three crying children, who are afraid to stay at this campground because the camp host has scared the crap outta them with his vigorous, warning about the snakes.

At this point; I'm still not willing to make a final determination about camping being worth it.  But, I can tell you that after all of our hard work and preparation; we decided not to camp tonight.  Nope; not gonna do it.  Not gonna have crying kids, miserable and afraid; so instead, we went home.  Jenny, brave soul that she is, decided to stay; and I apologized profusely.  I know that her kids were very disappointed that we weren't going to stay; but I said that we would come back the next day; and MAYBE we'd decide to stay then.  Jenny's kids  replied "OK, but come early!"  I KNOW that my kids feel badly about disappointing their friends; and I was very happy to see that they recognized and owned that; but I explained that if they were afraid and uncomfortable, they couldn't chose to stay just to avoid disappointing their friends.  My kids seemed very relieved to be heading home; even if it only was temporarily; and, I must admit, that for the sake of keeping my commitment to writing "The Bumpy Ride" daily this year; it was the best decision for me too... for now.

What can I say?  It's been A DAY!  I am utterly exhausted, and I barely made it through telling this story; but I am very interested  to see how things will look in the light of day tomorrow.   Perhaps the pros will outweigh the cons and we'll camp after all.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

To Camp or Not To Camp...

Do you ever feel like you are making nothing but excuses? Well, typically I don't; that's just NOT how I roll. I'm a do what I say I'm gonna do, keep me word, you can count on me kinda girl; though lately - not so much. Lately I have been feeling like The Queen of EXCUSES even though most of them are made to myself oh and yes, of course to the readers of "The Bumpy Ride," which troubles me no end. Geez, wasn't it ME, who just a few short months ago was writing that I wanted to try to commit to writing 2 posts a week? Um, yes it was. And now, not only aren't I giving you 2 posts, I'm not even giving you one. Well BELIEVE me, it's not for lack of wanting to (yup, say it with me... "HERE COME THE EXCUSES.") Trust me when I tell you that no one wants me spending time on "The Bumpy Ride" more than I do. I've told you before that I want to write so badly that I physically YEARN for it. Which is why I probably could have produced a fabulous lay out for "Scrapbooking from The inside Out" this month, since the theme for September is yearning ~if only I could find the time. Now of course I know that we are ALL busy, so before you say "Queen get over yourself;" let me provide you with a few more of my excuses...

A couple of months ago I wrote a post about me and the kids going to Sweet Tomatoes and I mentioned that Luis was at a class, though I didn't say what for. Truth of the matter is that back in the spring Luis got a second job and has been working part time as a pharmacy tech; so he is now working Mon-Thurs until 10pm. I am so proud and grateful for my hard working husband, but that means that even though he is the one with the second job; I now have a lot of second jobs too. Basically it feels like I am a single mom Mon-Thurs and lord knows I give props to all you single moms out there; but for someone who is used to having an active partner it is a big adjustment on time. I'm still working my regular 40 hour job, but I'm now responsible for 3 meals a day for 3 kids, all school drop off and pick up, all homework, all housework, and all other parental duties that 2 usually share. Now, PLEASE don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining AT ALL; I'm just giving you my excuses for my lack of time -remember? Anyway, in addition to the fam, I have been working at soccer registration for 3 weeks now and seriously by the time I finally stop doing everything that I am REQUIRED to do in a given day, it's either write "The Bumpy Ride" or do laundry; so clearly I haven't had much of a choice. Now typically I think that I am a pretty good time manager but the reality is that you can't manage something that you don't have. So blah, blah, blah, whine, whine, whine; now you know where I've been, and I do make this promise ~ more to myself really, than to anyone else, but by hook or by crook I AM GOING TO WRITE! I said that this was my year to create AND I MEANT IT; because I am a do what I say I'm gonna do kinda girl! Nuff said.

Now, with all of this extra work for everybody, we thought a get away was certainly in order, so a couple of weekends ago we got the heck out of Dodge and went camping with The Kalka's. Ahh camping! Camping is something that sounds so good when you think about doing it; but then you have to start shopping for it and packing for it and all of a sudden you realize that camping isn't really as relaxing as you think it's going to be. So in addition to all of my other TIME consuming activities I had to fit camping shopping and camping packing into the mix and by the time we got up there I was exhausted. While we headed off to do the dishes, I actually commented to Michelle K "ya now, camping is a lot of work and I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it? Don't get me wrong; I still love the peace and quiet. I love being in the Pines, I LOVE sleeping in my tent but as far as vacations go, there are definitely things that you could do that would cost the same and require a lot less work." And I started thinking "To camp or not to camp...?" So Michelle and I carried all of our dirty pots and pans etc. over to where we thought there was a faucet that we could use. Upon finding the faucet we found a sign that said that we could take the water but we could not clean our dishes there. Now here was the dilemma... the guys had forgotten to bring a water carrier which is why we schlepped the pots and pans to the faucet. In order to transport water we now needed to fill our biggest pot with it, but then it was far too heavy for us to carry back and so I made the Lucyesque decision that we were going to run a covert pot and pan washing operation in the bathroom where there was ALSO a sign telling us NOT TO WASH DISHES IN THE SINK. OK, well you know me; I am Queen of FOLLOWING THE RULES, but this time I just used a loose interpretation of them and I told Michelle "OK, here's what we're going to do. We won't blatantly disregard the rules and wash the pots and pans in the sink; instead I am going to use the clean water that we just got and wash everything in the bathroom stall." After laughing at me for a couple of minutes, Michelle agreed and kept watch outside the bathroom door. She told me that our code word was "Not you fat Jesus," compliments of "The Hangover;" and if I heard her say that, it would mean someone was coming. I managed to get everything all washed up and even though I heard her say "Not you Fat Jesus" a couple of times; no one actually bumrushed our show. We toted all of the SEMI clean pots and pans back to our site and sent the guys for more water so that we could boil it and give everything a good rinse. I know, you probably NEVER want to go camping with me now; but remember there is supposed to be a certain element of roughing it when you camp and thankfully no one got sick. Now when all was said and done with this fiasco I definitely was leaning towards - NOT TO CAMP; but I have to say that for all the hard work, when you actually get to sit down, relax and enjoy your family and friends, it is more relaxing than any other time I can think of. It is so nice to get back to basics and see the kids run around and play. It is so nice to sit by the fire and talk and sing songs and we even threw in a G rated family version of truth or dare; that I don't know if Lyndzi will ever recover from. First of all I don't know what kind of truth or dare they play in Mexico, but when it was my turn Luis said "oh, I have a question for you;" so of course our ears perked up and I even had hopes that the question would be blog worthy, but then my husband said "True or false the earth is 5 million miles form the sun?" "Um, what?" "Can you repeat that?" And he did. He was serious. And so I responded "I don't know." That's right; me, NOT the Queen of SCIENCE said "I don't know; so rather than guess and look stupid I'll just tell you that I don't know." What the ??? I honestly didn't think that Luis had married me for my knowledge of science, but THIS,of all questions that I should have to tell the truth about??? OK! So it was clear that even though no one else was asking a question in this manner, Luis wasn't paying attention and then score 2 for Luis. The kids and I got together and decided to ask "Luis, Do you love Hershey?" And we asked this because he always says that he likes her but he doesn't love her and we really thought this was going to be the time that he told THE TRUTH and admitted that he loved her, but alas, he said "NO! I like her but I don't love her" and then Lyndzi got this mortified look on her face and started crying; "You don't love her???" She just couldn't believe it and thought it was the saddest thing that she had heard. I felt so bad for my part in orchestrating such a revelation; but what was I to do..."Smores anyone??"

In his defense, Luis did explain (to the adults) that when he was a boy he had a dog that he loved very much and he hurt so badly when the dog died, that he didn't ever want to get that close to a pet again; and how could we fault him for that?

Yes, this camping trip had been a time for many discoveries. Michelle and I even toyed with the idea of opening our own private investigation company after we conducted our own mini surveillance on a gentleman that she and Mike found to be suspicious. Michelle and Mike had noticed this guy when he was walking his dog past our site. They thought that he had observed our kids for a little too long and they were concerned that he might be a danger to them. Michelle and I decided to play amateur detectives and we drove Mike's truck around the campground a few times to gather pertinent information. When we pulled up near the rest room, we had a clear view of our suspect. He was by himself, but yet he had 2 chairs and 2 bicycles which Michelle was convinced were being used as decoys to give the appearance that he wasn't alone (even though she believed he was.) We wanted to get his license plate but we were too far away. I said "If only we had some binoculars" and voila, there they were. Michelle had found some in in Mike's trunk (I'm guessing because of sporting events; but I didn't want to ask.) Anyway, The binoculars worked GREAT! I got the license plate number, gave a full report on what he was making for dinner and then I proudly announced that I didn't think this man was alone because his tent looked too complicated to put up by himself and Michelle seemed impressed by this deduction. We drove back to our site and I decided to continue our surveillance with a technique that I called "Walking the dog;" and so Michelle and I took Hershey for a walk because I expected that she would see HIS dogs, start barking at which point I would apologize to him and a conversation would ensue and we could then get a better idea of what he was up to. My plan did work, although it was his dogs who barked and not Hershey. He and the woman he was with (see I told you he wasn't alone;) started talking to us and we concluded that our imaginations had gotten the better of us and they were perfectly nice and harmless people. Case SOLVED.

I would say that despite some hard work, our camping trip was an overall success and a good time was had by all. So is camping worth it? The jury is still out on that one; but I guess I will continue to take these camping trips until I can decide for sure either way and I will be certain to let you know. In the meantime I am going to do my best to get this blog back on track. I can tell you this, it's not so much that I WANT all the posts to be long; it's just the way they are. Anything that seems worthy of writing about, just seems to take me while. Queen of brevity I am not. No one has EVER accused me of being brief or providing too little information or leaving too much to the imagination; that's just not the kinda girl I am and that's just not the kinda blog this is.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

Camping - take 3

Ever since our last camping trip in October, we have been looking forward to going again. Michelle (legally) K and I made reservations all the way back in February for a weekend in June at Pinegrove (19 miles from Flagstaff) and for a weekend in July at Houston - Mesa (North of Payson;) and this past weekend was the Pinegrove trip.

Now I know that there are still many people who are still stunned by the fact that I actually enjoy camping, and this was evidenced on Facebook when on Friday morning I posted my status as "Paige Howell Ramos is going camping...Yes, camping!" and I received the following responses:

- Now c'mon Paige. Let's not be telling stories! Let me guess, camping at a hotel?
- "roughing it" at the Marriott??? ;-)
- I think it means she's bringing a sleeping bag to sleep on the king sized bed! :P
- In a motel?
- You mean a place where there's no bathroom???

Funny friends, but who can blame them; me camping is STILL an idea that I'm not quite used to and yet I LOVE IT.

We were all very excited to be getting out of town and trying our hands at camping again. As is customary, we were running late (so I refer you back to my 100 things about me list - #58 " I HATE being late; though all too often I am.") We were supposed to meet at 10 called to change it to 1030 and then again to 1045 because we had to call in last minute Asthma meds for Nicky, who wasn't feeling well. Thankfully the Kalka's were easy going and very gracious about our delays, EVEN when we FINALLY arrived and announced that Luis had forgot to put ALL of our sweatshirts in the car and needed to return home (20-25 minutes; EACH WAY.) It was absolutely unavoidable as the temperature was expected to be about 39 degrees in the evening, so Mike and Luis went back to my house and me, Michelle, the kids and Hershey hung out outside Carl's Jr. awaiting their return. An hour later we were finally on our way. We stopped for lunch at Camp Verde and I think that we even commented on how smoothly things were going now (or at least I thought it.) Michelle and Luis switched places and Mike and I drove. We made it to BEAUTIFUL Pinegrove around 330 and proceeded to unload and set up. Everything was going well and so Michelle asked me to go with her to get some water. I agreed and she asked me to drive but when I went to look for my purse/keys I couldn't find them and began to panic. We realized that I had left my purse in Camp Verde when we had lunch. Michelle got the number and by the grace of God, they actually had my purse. I suppose that karmically this could be considered pay back for my frequent efforts to promote the greater good .

At 5 , me, Michelle and my girls hightailed it back to Camp Verde with Michelle at the wheel; because she was afraid for me to drive without my license considering the way my luck had been going. We played a few rounds of Six degrees of Kevin bacon to pass the time and then retrieved my purse and its contents, completely intact. I asked Jose (who had held my purse) if someone had turned it in and he told me that he had found it when he was cleaning up. I gave him $10 as a small token of my appreciation and bought some ice cream for my crew as a thank you for their company; and yet again headed back to Pinegrove with Michelle at the wheel.

By the time we got back it was 715 and Luis had our camp all set up and the grill ready to go. I prepared the corn and beans (and by prepared I mean boiled them;) and we sat down to eat sans the Coke Zero that Luis left at home - so that was 3; as Mike pointed out and we were hopeful that nothing else had been forgotten.

We finished dinner and had a wonderful evening. We sat around the fire making Smores with the kids and as is one of our traditions, I suggested that we go around our circle and tell something that we are thankful for (because I do believe that we always have something to be thankful for and should express our thanks every day.) Well I was of course thankful to have gotten my purse back, thakful to be camping with our extended family, and I had to give a GREAT big thank you to Michelle for driving me back and forth to Camp Verde. The others were thankful for family and food and then we got to Max (Michelle and Mike's son;) who said that he was thankful for Bacon and his family (exactly in that order.) We laughed and laughed until it was time for bed.

We got up and made breakfast and then Michelle and I did what any campers would do ~ we went to Walmart. OK, OK course I know that's not what ANY campers would do; but we had a coffee issue and by issue I mean that we were in dire need of coffee as our generator wasn't strong enough to power the coffee maker that we had brought; not to mention I still needed Coke Zero (or some diet, caffeinated beverage) and somehow we were also running low on plates, cups and water (and yes, we had been there less than 24 hours) and I was sure that we had brought more than enough of all 3 of those items, so don't ask me where they all disappeared to.

Michelle and I drove into Flagstaff and went to Walmart. We were scurrying (yes, I said scurrying;) through the store because we didn't want to waste too much time and just as we were grabbing a playground ball I stopped dead in my tracks and said "Oh my god; Michelle look." And standing right there in the Flagstaff Walmart were Darth Vader, Chewbacca, A Storm Trooper, An Imperial Pilot, Darth Maul, and Boba Fett. We couldn't believe our eyes. We had struck the Star Wars mother lode and we knew that Nicky and Max were going to be so disappointed that they had missed it; so we did what any good moms would do and we took pictures with them with our make up free, camping faces. (Hence no picutes are beinbg posted on the Bumpy Ride.) When we got back to camp we said "Guess who we ran into at Walmart?" And after everyone made their guesses we said "No, them; " and showed the pictures.

We thought that we would finally be able to get down to the business of relaxing, but alas it was lunchtime and children and husbands wanted to be fed. After lunch Michelle and I played Scrabble, and because I know that she would want me to tell you this and because she has every right to boast; I will publicly announce my defeat as she beat my butt by about 100 points and she then declined any other invitation to play Scrabble with me because she wanted to revel in her win. She did; however, let me teach her how to play backgammon.

Dinner time rolled around and at 8pm the campground was offering a program called "Bear facts" which Michelle and I got out of going to by pointing out that someone had to clean up the dinner stuff, so the guys opted to take the kids to "bear facts" ~ HALLELUJAH! I mean I don't love camping enough to have sat through a presentation like that; however, when they returned Mike and Luis informed us that in the course of the time that we had been there, we pretty much had done EVERYTHING you could possibly do to ATTRACT a bear. We had poured bacon grease on the ground, we had a barking dog and we had what sounded like our own snoring bear ~ Mike. Once this was explained I just had one thing to say "Nice knowing ya." I was slightly relieved to find out that the closest bear was spotted 2 miles away and that a bear hadn't come into the campground for 30 years - but hey; how lucky could I expect to get in one weekend? I had already gotten my lost purse back; so I thought we were bear bait for sure.

We awoke - THANKFULLY, Sunday morning; had a light breakfast and packed up for home. We were definitely sorry to be leaving the serenity of the pines, but reality called.

It's funny but as relaxing as it is; camping is A LOT of work; and somehow you don't seem to mind and it's all worth it because when you are able to relax and hang out, it is that many more times peaceful and relaxing than anywhere I've ever been.

"I'm hoping that our next trip will leave more time for fun and relaxation and less time for mishaps," said the Queen of MISHAPS. And yet mishaps included, it was still a GREAT trip all around.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

What Have I Become?

I'm actually a day ahead of schedule this week. I've committed myself to writing my blog every Wednesday (at the least) but as the 29th is The Big Guy's birthday; and by The Big Guy I mean Luis - I thought I'd try and get this out today.
So now, I'd like to call your attention to the photo above. This photo, God help me; is actually a picture of my feet on our last camping trip (Columbus Day weekend.) "And the chorus gasped!!" And by the chorus I mean ANYONE who knew me prior to my first camping trip in June 08'. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. In my day; and by my day I mean the 80's, 90's and heck - present day; I'd like to think (barring this faux pas;) I was quite the good dresser. Some might even say JAPPY; OK; yes, some did say JAPPY. But as I liked to say back in the day (College, mostly) I had JAPPY clothes but not a JAPPY attitude. And just as a refresher, for those of you who do not remember or are not familiar with the term JAPPY - it is a derivative of JAP - Jewish, American Princess.
OK, so I'm sure you must be wondering (because HELL, I am) what in the world would possess me to wear socks with these flip fops. And the answer is.... The Big Guy, decided to wear my Hot Pink Crocs, and it was cold. Necessity was the mother of invention and hey, it worked. My feet were comfy (and warm.) I was so appalled by myself, and the fact that I even considered this footwear, that I HAD to take a picture to share with you; because you all know how much I LOVE making an ASS out of myself in public. Rest assured that I did remove the socks in the car, BEFORE we went into the local Sam's club. God knows, I wouldn't want anyone in the real world to see me attired like this. Luis on the other hand planned to wear my Hot Pink Crocs into Sam's until I mentioned what a real man he was for doing so; and he thought better of it and decided to trade back with me. Yes of course ALL of this means that Luis and I can share shoes; just yet another pathetic part of my life - The curse of the extraordinarily, long feet. (Yes, I know - at least I have feet...) Too bad The Big Guy isn't a cross dresser; then I might actually get to wear some cute shoes. And the crowd just gasped again "Did she say - Too bad her husband isn't a cross dresser?" In theory people, in theory - it's too bad. I'm actually VERY thankful that he is the lovable, Hunky, Big Guy that he is. We had a GREAT camping trip with the Kalka's. That would be Michelle ( The other day I did hear her trying to convince her husband to change his last name to hers in stead of her becoming legally) K's family. (God I crack myself up sometimes.) We went to Lake Pleasant; which is about 35 minutes from my house; but it was PERFECT. We saved on gas; it was clean (that's right, I said clean.) It was rocky, as you can tell from the picture, so we were not NEARLY as dirty as when we camped up north. We did trade in some scenery for some cleanliness; but I'm all good with that. We're talking flush toilets people; and no one had to hold the door open so you didn't pass out from the stench. True the camp host could have done a little better job making sure the flush toilets flushed at all times - but I am NOT complaining.
We relaxed, we played Bingo, we made smores - Life was good; until...

I heard my cell phone ringing at about 315am on Monday morning. It was all the way across the tent, and by the time I realized what it was - it stopped. But then, an hour later it rang again "Zip a dee doo dah", Zip a dee ay" I heard; and realized it was the alarm. I got up to turn it off, and I heard something outside our tent. I was FROZEN with fear. I said "Luis, honey, there's someone outside our tent; going through our stuff." And then what I heard, astonished me, It was a loud voice, and it said "Go!" And then it said "Hey, that's ours, leave it alone!" And it took me a second to realize that those sentences had been uttered by my husband. I was shocked. Not because he said them; but because he said them in a deep, white guy voice. White guy? What happened to my "Ricky Ricardo?" I had never heard him sound like this before. I also never saw him get up so quickly before. Usually it takes an act of Congress to wake this man up. Anyway, he started looking outside the windows of our tent. I was SCARED; truly SCARED and then he said...
"It's a skunk. A BIG skunk." Whew- was I relieved. Partly because it wasn't a person rifling through our stuff; and partly because there WAS something out there; so I didn't look like a complete, raving, lunatic.

Just as I never would have thought that I would EVER put my feet into an ensemble such as the one pictured above; I never thought that I would like camping. BUT I have to say it - I LOVE IT!! I LOVE the quiet. I Love the fresh air. I LOVE being with my family; uninterrupted by the TV, or errands and I love getting back to basics with my family and friends - cooking on the fire, and playing games, making smores (Yes, I know that's the second time I've mentioned them- the smores that is - notice no weight loss reported in this blog - hahaha) For me it was heaven. I would have stayed longer if we could have. I know that this confession is a shocker to my Oldies but Goodies; and by Oldies but Goodies I mean my friends; but hey, the times they are a changing and I'm changing with them.
I wish my wonderful, Hot Pink Croc wearing, husband the happiest 38th birthday EVER

Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

Camping In Style

Disclaimer: This is going to be one long RIDE; so you might want to get a drink, get a snack and settle in for a while. Fasten your seat belts....

On July 28, I will turn 41. Boy, how time has flown. I can't believe that just a year ago I was getting ready for my 40th birthday Scraptacular weekend. I've been reflecting a lot over the past few months and I'm happy to say that during my 40th year I've made some very positive changes in my life - namely going to the gym and eliminating carbs at dinner and after (can you say "Broken Record"?) Well, now I've lost 27 lbs so I'm a little more than a quarter of the way to my goal, and I'm just as determined as ever. See, I really am the Queen of DETERMINATION.
I know that many people, ladies in particular have concerns about turning 40 and they tend to want to examine what they've achieved in their life thus far, and compare it to what they thought they would have achieved; I don't personally recommend this. I had no concern at all about turning 40; no, for me the magic number is 43; since both of my parents and my paternal grandfather - Wolf Howell (Yes, that was his real name - Richie Howell's father - go figure;) passed away at the young age of 43. Well not me I tell ya. That's NOT going to be me!! I'm DETERMINED to live well past 43. I've got too much living to do, and 2 more years just won't cut it. When I think about this I always seem to think of that Tim McGraw song "Live like I was dying." I always try to think of what it is that I would want to accomplish in these next 2 years - just in case. This slightly morbid notion does have a way of giving one some awesome perspective; and for this ONE in particular, I have decided that I STILL have many changes to make. I am DETERMINED to become a better person (not that who I am right now is so bad, ) but I want to be more patient, more tolerant, less anxious, less insecure, less fat, less annoyed, less critical, and more self-fulfilled. So you know what that means; more blog, more blog, more blog.
So to those of you who have yet to turn 40, I'm here to tell ya - ain't no thang but a number! Live, Live, Live; reflect and live some more!! Everyone goes at their own pace, and that's what makes our stories different; that's what makes us unique, individuals. I say embrace who you are, where you've been and where you're going AND if where you've been was not so great, then get the hell outta Dodge (if you haven't already) and DON'T GO THERE AGAIN.

Now that I'm down off my proverbial soapbox, I'm sure you're wondering what the hell this blog has to do with camping. Well folks, that's why I call it "The Bumpy Ride;" and away we go...

Some of you may recall that I previously stated emphatically "Jews don't camp." For those of you who don't recall this; it's time to yield. Stop right here - go to my archive and read the July 11, 2007 blog entitled "My Disorder;" then come back. For all others; let's move on. OK, so I previously stated that Jews don't camp; but now, this Jew does!! I LOVED camping and I can't wait to go again; and this was a decision that I made (to camp) and something that I discovered (that I love camping,) when? When I was 40. That's right, another major life change for the Queen during her 40th year. Get it now??

So let's talk camping... Luis and I took our time to purchase our tent, air mattresses and cooler - of course we did ; I'm the Queen of Making sure I got the best deal possible. When all was said and done, we had a FABULOUS 14x15 tent with a screened in patio, (I know it must be absolutely hysterical to my nearest and dearest to hear me use the word "fabulous" to describe a tent of all things.) I got us a smokin' deal on an Aero bed (air mattress royalty.) If you're in the market for an air mattress; whether it be for home use or camping (though you'll need to buy an adapter if it's for camping;) I HIGHLY recommend the Aero bed - it Rocks! Well actually it doesn't which is part of what makes it so fantastic. Luis and I had the pleasure of sleeping on an Aero bed when we visited our friends Hollie & Daniel in Colorado almost 2 years ago. We knew that the Aero bed was the Mercedes of air mattresses - and about the same price. Well, not really; but relatively speaking. Anyway, when we'd seen them in the store, they were typically around $200, but in early June I had the good fortune to see it in Costco for just $130. Knowing what a good deal this was; I bought one immediately; and then as luck would have it, about 2 weeks later I received a coupon flyer from Costco and they were offering the Aero bed from 6/23-26 only for $99 - OMG!! Well, you must know by now that I waited until the 23rd, took my unopened Aero bed and coupon (no receipt) right over to Costco; and after a little persuading (because I didn't have my receipt;) they refunded me for the difference. Woohoo!! Now I truly was a "Happy Camper."

I don't have a story about my coolers; but I will say that for novices, Luis and I packed them up perfectly and EVERYTHING stayed cold for the duration.
Now for those of you who were expecting some crazy story about me falling in the lake or getting sprayed by a skunk or anything verging on the bizarre and outrageous, like what I'm usually up to; I do apologize; but I have nothing to report. I was safe other than tripping over a rock or six. I didn't have anything to complain about, other than the enclosed hole in the ground that they called a bathroom; and I did something that I have done very few times in my life - RELAX!!

For me going camping was a lot like going to "The Pines." The Pines was a hotel in the Catskill Mountains (NY). I liken it to Kellerman's in "Dirty Dancing." My Nana and Papa, would check in on Memorial Day weekend, check out on Labor day weekend, and since I only lived about 2 hours away; I'd go up to visit EVERY chance I got. My major activity at The Pines (other than hooking up with a waiter or lifeguard,) was sitting. LOL Well, not JUST sitting; hanging out, sitting and talking. I'd meet my friends for breakfast, eat and talk; adjourn to the couches in the upper lobby, where we'd sit and talk till lunch; where we'd eat and talk, change for the pool, (sit & talk - occasionally swim.) Shower and get changed for dinner, meet friends in the lobby, sit & talk till dinner. Go to dinner (s&t) walk up to the nightclub - AKA theater where we might see a mediocre performance at best. Let's just say it would not have been unusual to see a "Mambo Madness" type performance or we'd go into the lounge to listen to the vocal styling's of Speedy Garfin and the Garfin Gathering (thought you'd like that BIG V - she was a BIG fan;) then we'd sit on the couches outside the coffee shop where we'd eventually have to go because it had been over 3 hours since anyone had eaten - ha ha ha. Is it any wonder that I had 100 lbs to lose? OK, anyway my point was - camping was a lot like The Pines; a lot of sitting, talking and eating; and I loved it!! I had some wonderful "Scrabble" games with Michelle (It's July and she's still not legally) K, I got to read, play poker, have some cocktails and enjoy my family and friends without having to rush off somewhere - What's not to like? OK, the bathrooms. The bathrooms at this particular campsite were not to like; but next time we will camp in a place with flush toilets. My bed was comfy with a capital C. My "Survivor man" husband showered me and treated me like the Queen I am - OK, yes I said he showered me. Yes, I stood outside naked on a large rock, (it was dark and no one could see; at least I hope so;) and he poured water over me so that I could get clean. My hero!! Luis AKA "Survivor man" (SM) was AMAZING to watch in action. He practically put up our tent by himself at nightfall, in the rain (I had kids to trek to the bathroom.) He blew up our air mattresses to help make our comfy, stylin' camp. He cooked 3 packages of bacon, he made pancakes AND eggs, cooked to order. He chopped wood, took the kids fishing, bathed the kids, bathed me, secured our tent when it rained, he grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for 15 people, he helped me with everything and anything and even got our tent back into its original bag. Watching SM at his best just convinced me more than ever that he truly is "survivor" bound.

Before we even left the campsite I was already trying to plan our next camping trip. Heck, I would have gone again that weekend but I knew we wouldn't be able to get a reservation due to the holiday so we're now planning to go on August first because July is a busy month for us. Not only will I celebrate my birthday, but Luis and I just celebrated our 14th anniversary. Upon reflecting I am thankful for every day that we've had together during my 40th year as well as ALL others. I have come to the realization that no one is perfect (especially me,) and marriage is the toughest job that you'll ever have; but at the end of our very busy days it's all worth it and I'm glad that we've got each other . I have a feeling that we've got many more camping trips ahead of us; and you just have to know that an accident or mishap is bound to happen - so please stay tuned.

Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

My Disorder...

On Friday night I was talking to my brother on the phone and he asked me if I had blogged about my disorder yet. I laughed and replied, "I don't know that I plan to - it's embarrassing." Then I thought to myself, well, perhaps I will; I mean it's not like I don't write about embarrassing stuff (about myself) all the time. I mean if I can tell you about being a lazy ass and getting a check stub caught in my teeth, I can tell you that 2 weeks ago I had a double skin infection on my abdomen (so to speak) that was both fungal and bacterial; it was painful as hell, required 2 excruciatingly embarrassing Dr's appointments which resulted in me being given 2 different creams, strong antibiotics and instructions to let it air in the air as much as possible. Translation: sit naked under the fan as much as possible, and with that; the Dr. wrote me out of work for a week. OK so I freely admit, this WAS NOT a pretty sight; and I just thank god that my children aren't old enough yet to be completely horrified by the spectacle of their mom sitting half and sometimes totally naked on the couch for a friggin week - OY! One of my worst nightmares. Have I previously mentioned that I DO NOT know how to relax? I am constantly on the go and just don't seem capable of actually relaxing. Don't get me wrong; I often do things that I love and make me happy, it just never seems that I am relaxed while doing them. I love to scrapbook, but then I agonize over how long it takes me to come up with the perfect layout. If I'm sitting on my couch watching TV it's usually because I am folding laundry or paying my bills; so being told to take care of my "disorder" in the manner that it needed to be taken care of, was quite contrary to how I live my life - but I did it, and of course I went back to work earlier than I was supposed to because I am the Queen of Responsibility and I knew that I had too much work to do to be at home. My "disorder" had completely cleared up (which my 5 year old daughter told me was because of her. When I asked how it got better because of her, she explained that she asked God to come and make my "douchie" better. Douchie has evolved into our family word for VaJJ; ) so I went back to work. Well kinda. I worked from home on Monday, went in Tuesday, worked from home on Wed which was the 4th and right before we left for our friend's house, I started to get a wicked sore throat. My sore throat woke me up at 215am at which point I considered going to my office but I thought my bosses would freak when they saw my time clock, so I toughed it out and went in at my customary 530 am. Then, on Thursday night I was giving my daughters a bath and when I went to dry my older daughter off, I noticed that she had a bad rash and dare I say it, a yeast infection? She's five. No five year old should have to endure the agony that is a yeast infection. I called the pediatrician in the morning and she assured me that this was quite common in the summer w/ swimsuits and all and she told me how to help my daughter. Well, I don't know if it was the power of suggestion, or dealing with all of the yeast, but all of a sudden I found myself feeling itchy. It was at this point that I feared I was a hypochondriac and asked my daughter to talk to God about making her douchie better. I told her that God must be wondering what was going on with the Douchies in our house. When the sore throat woke me up at 630 am, I knew I would be paying yet another visit to my Dr's office though I was totally embarrassed to have to be seen again so shortly after my "disorder." I attempted to swallow my pride - but god my throat hurt. I packed up the kids and went in for my appointment. The nurse or assistant or whatever you call them, went to do a throat culture. I panicked for a moment remembering my childhood when it took 3 nurses to hold me down for a throat culture; but as my kids were in the room, I suddenly put my fear aside and became Super Mommy, UNTIL the nurse took so damn long to get the culture that I was kicking and gagging and reached for her arm to stop her. She pulled out (not something you hear often - ha) and informed me that she had to get the culture from my tonsils. I then informed her "I don't have any." OK my confidence in her was a little shaken. She attempted the culture again, which culminated in me gagging like my 8 year old would. I composed myself and asked if they were going to want a urine sample because I NEEDED to go give one. She said "OK, leave it just in case." When my PA - Susie came in; she told me that I didn't have strep; which I thought was a good thing, but she explained "not really; because if it was strep I could give you an antibiotic and for a virus I can't." She then proceeded to look at my throat and I kid you not she looked in, and jumped back (just picture Kramer from Seinfeld in this role;) she said "Oh my god! I don't know how that culture came back negative, but I'm treating you for strep." She said that the rapid test was negative but she was sure that if it was sent to a lab it would come back positive. She then diagnosed a lovely sinus infection in addition to the strep?, and checked the urine screen to confirm a urinary tract infection as well. Although I was dismayed at my luck, I was actually relieved to find out that I in fact was NOT a hypochondriac and I had legitimate, founded ailments. So I won myself a big ole shot in the tush and 2 weeks worth of antibiotics. See what happens when you stay home for a week and do nothing. My body obviously didn't know what to do with itself so it manifested all 3 illnesses. Well since I can't relax, there was no way I was going to let strep?, a sinus infection or UTI stop me; and we kept to our schedule as if nothing had happened. Saturday night we went to my friend Lisa D's and then Sunday, since my husband had taken a rare day off from work,we went up North with our friends David, Jenny and their 3 kids; to beat the heat and spend the day outdoors. Can you say Bumpy Ride? For as long as I can remember, I have held the VERY strong conviction that Jews don't camp. I believe that we probably spent so much time crossing the desert from Egypt to Israel, that an aversion to camping is something that is now passed down in each Jews genes. If any of you are Jews who camp; feel free to contradict me; but I will say that my theory has also been supported by my husband's boss; who is also Jewish. My husband was at work one day and a conversation about camping ensued. My husband said "my wife says Jews don't camp;" to which his boss replied "she's right." Well about a year ago we went up to the lake for my son's Boyscout cookout. Really it was a Boyscout overnight camping trip, but I told the scout leader that my husband would have to work during the day (true) and that we didn't have any camping equipment (true) and that I really didn't consider myself a camper (Damn straight!) I had proposed that we come up for dinner and she said this would be just fine; and that she wished she could just go for dinner too because she didn't really like camping. Well, when we got there, I was truly amazed at what I saw. Tents, nice tents with air mattresses and many comforts of home. There was no sleeping on dirt with bugs crawling on you as I had previously imagined. This actually looked OK. And to my disbelief I found myself saying to my husband "Now, if we could go camping like this - tent, air mattress etc. I think I'd camp." Oh my god - is this the first step to conversion or what? OK, be calm, be calm. That was over a year ago and we have yet to invest in as much as a lantern. Though we have thought about it; especially because we now know a few families who like to camp; and we have said that we would be interested in trying it out. In August we're planning to go to Disneyland with David and Jenny's family; and we were hoping to spend a night or 2 in San Diego while David and Jenny stay there in their camper. They said that they have all kinds of tents and stuff that we could borrow, so I called the campground to find out how much it would be to get a space for a tent, and suffice it to say that $236 is a little too much for me; when I was only thinking of camping as a cheaper alternative to a hotel. Hell no, for $236 I'll take a real bed, a shower, cable and some little shampoos that I can steal from the hotel - thank you. But I digress (back to Sunday...) We took a scenic drive to Prescott, then Williams, had lunch at a really good pizza place worthy of my NY pizza snob palette and headed on to Flagstaff. We had planned to take the sky ride, which is really the ski lift at Snowbowl in the winter. Our destination was what my husband told me was the highest point in Arizona; 11,000 feet above sea level. I was all for it - UNTIL I saw the sign warning that if you were pregnant (not) or had a heart condition (not to my knowledge) you may want to reconsider taking the ride. OK, so I didn't have either of these things to worry about but that didn't stop me from panicking. I almost backed out, using my sinus infection as my excuse - don't ask me what I was thinking. Did I think my nose was going to explode - I dunno, I just know that I got nervous and I had left my asthma inhaler and my Xanax in the car and there was not enough time to go get them because the ride was going to be closing in a few minutes - of course. I agreed to be a trooper instead of Queen of the Wusses, and got on the ride with my 3 year old daughter and proceeded to have a full blown anxiety attack. I remember thinking; I wish that she and I weren't in the last lift of our group. I wish that I was in front of my husband so that if my head blew up or I collapsed, he'd know about it; but unless he was secretly Spiderman and going to be able to throw a web and make it over to my lift - really, what would it matter? I kept telling myself, "relax, take in the beauty "- yah right. My 3 year old wanted to know why there were so many fallen trees. She told me that she thought evil witches had made them fall down. I think it was my sheer delight in having such rare, private moments with her that actually wound up calming me down. All of a sudden I gave in to my fear and relented. I thought if I am going to die here and now, it's God's will. Pretty heavy for a simple ski lift, but alas this is my busy mind at work. My husband kept looking back to check on us and more than 3/4 of the way up he shouted "we're almost there." I sighed with relief as we continued to climb the mountain and then - WE MADE IT!! I was alive! I did it! I was proud and able to really enjoy the beautiful view. I knew that the ride down would be MUCH better than the ride up because I now had nothing to fear and I was riding with my 8 year old son and 5 year old daughter who were not going to shake the lift or climb around as my 3 year old had tried to. I took in the beauty,the quiet and revelled in the sound of the wind blowing. It was a good day; but it wasn't over yet... After we got off the mountain, we headed over to a lake (as if I hadn't had enough outdoors for one day.) My husband had remembered to bring fishing poles for the kids, but forgot to get some hooks. Oh well, I thought, I guess we'll just have to enjoy another beautiful view for a few minutes and get the hell outta Dodge; BUT NOOOO, my resourceful man went scavenging by the lake and found some hooks that people had dropped. Next thing I knew he was digging for some worms so the kids would have bait. There was no turning back now. I knew it was going to be a while so we got out the folding chairs and tried to make ourselves comfortable. My son had made his way onto a rock and was sitting peacefully enjoying the view. He asked if her could take his flip flops off so he could put his feet in the water and I said "OK." Jenny's girls (also 3 and 5 like mine) then asked if they could put their feet in the water, but Jenny said "No." Her 5 year old seemed to take it well, and walked away and got her new shoes caught in the mud. She wanted to rinse off, but it just didn't seem possible. I suggested "in my infinite outdoors/camping wisdom" that she just have her daughter put her foot in the water shoe and all. I guess Jenny didn't think that my idea was so bad because she proceeded to climb out onto the rock that my son had been on, lifted her daughter over, and rinsed off her shoe. Well, I guess it didn't matter to the 3 year olds how or why Jenny's 5 year old got to put her foot in the water, just that she did; and with that, my 3 year old, got herself stuck, and I mean stuck in the mud. Devoted mom that I am; I immediately tried to get over to help her because she had now announced that she had to pee and my husband was convinced that she WOULD NOT make it to the bathroom. In rushing over to my daughter's aide, I too got STUCK in the mud. Now picture this, I'm stuck, can't move and I'm trying to get her underwear off, and help her pee in the water. I think this is when David started taking video on his cell phone. My daughter peed, and I rinsed her off, but I then wanted to rinse myself off; so I dislodged my foot and attempted to climb out onto a rock and ALMOST fell right in - I am NOT the Queen of Balance. I realized that this wasn't a good plan, and stepped back out of the water INTO the mud. I thought I'd give it the old college try one more time and repeated my effort to climb out to the rock and dip me foot in the water; but I still wasn't feeling confident and climbed back out into the mud again. OK say it with me "Jews don't camp." I'm not even convinced that we (I ) shouldn't be banned from outdoor activity altogether. I made it out of the mud and my prince of a husband let me sit in my chair and he took my flip flops into the water and cleaned them off for me; as well as my feet - god do I love that man. Then the man that I love told me that he was surprised that I didn't fall right into the lake and that if that would have happened he would have laughed his ass off. I had to agree, I thought I was going in, and I would have laughed too. I think that David and Jenny might want to reconsider any future outdoor activities with me; as when it comes to "disorders," my dual skin infection may just have been the tip of the iceberg - but hey, I am good for a laugh.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING