So today is the first day of school for the kids. While most parents are celebrating I am lamenting over the loss of lazy days, camping on a whim and summertime fun spent with the kiddos. Trey will have his first day of pre-school tomorrow. He is very excited and I am excited for him.
Today also is the beginning of the madness. When summer was approaching I told the kids we were done with sports because the summer was OUR time. This week alone is filled with swim team, cub scouts (tigers), soccer and girl scouts (juniors). So begin the hectic schedules; shuttling the kids to and from whatever, making time for homework and reading each night and all the other activities and requirements that come with back-to-school!!
How did we spend OUR time this summer? That question is easily answered. Camping!!! If you remember we purchased a class C motor home back in March and probably spent half the summer living out of the camper. The beginning of the summer we spent a lot of time at Cherrystone on the Eastern Shore. Kevin developed a love of crabbing and this place was right on the bay with lots of piers to keep him happy. (We ate A LOT of crab this summer! Yummy!) The kids had a pool with a splash pad, pedal boats, bike trails, activities and discovered lots of other happy camper kids!
If we weren't on the Eastern Shore than you would probably find us on the Outer Banks. Just past the Serendipity House featured in the movie Nights in Rodanthe, are a couple of beach front campgrounds. Ohhh, they are my favorite! If I had chance and opportunity I was there. Working flexi and making my own schedule gave me lots of chance and opportunity. My neighbors thought I had quit work completely and just left in the camper. Although that would have been nice, I did have to come home every now and then to cut grass and work for a couple of days!
Kevin's family came to visit in July. They always rent a great big house in Sandbridge and this year they rented 2. I think there were 28 people in one house and about 10 or so in the other. Whenever you get this much family together it's always a good time. They were here for a week and the only complaint was that the visit just wasn't long enough!
Judy, Kev's Mom, arrived a week before everyone else and we all went to the Outer Banks for a few days. She got to see the famous house and we took her past Corolla out onto the sand, in the search for the wild ponies. She laughed and giggled like a little kid as we climbed sand dunes and drove through the surf. As always, we got lucky quickly, and saw several of the ponies. Two were with their colts and one was even nursing. I love that we have the ponies living wild and free so close by to visit. Another great day spent in 4WD on the beach!!
Kelly Davies and I had planned an extended trip for July-August. My childhood friend and her 3 children, took off with me and my 3 children for three weeks of camping up north. We left and went through PA. to a Yogi Bear campground nestled in the mountains that was fantastic. (The ride was scary- can you imagine a camper going up a narrow mountain, no guard rail road vertical, to the point that we weren't going over 5 miles an hour at 4 in the morning?? Yeah, never follow a GPS in parts unknown without verifying the route on a map!! LOL!) We went from PA to Niagara Falls and through the finger lakes of NY. The area was beautiful and the weather was humidity free and wonderfully cool for summertime. Niagara was awesome and the kids were all amazed at the incredible force and size of the falls. The kids had a blast playing together, sight-seeing and traveling through new places to discover. We had taken Samantha Sue with us and she became ill. Although we had a great time we had to cut our trip short. The plan was to continue north to Maine and then come down the coast but we will have to re-schedule that for next year.
We brought Samantha home and we buried her a week later. She spent 12 yrs with us and was the best puppy ever. We miss her everyday. It took about a week before we had a new best friend to love. One dog can never replace another, but they sure can make your heart smile. A friend of ours had a 4 yo black lab he could no longer keep. Being the dog people that we are and finding ourselves suddenly without one, we welcomed Niko into our home. Niko is wonderful. Loyal, friendly and well-trained. The dog doesn't beg, doesn't get on the furniture (including the beds!), doesn't jump on people, doesn't chew anything left on the floor and he usually only barks when told to speak. He doesn't run off when in the yard and loves to play with the kids. It's having all the benefits of a well-trained lab without going through the puppy hassle. We love him and after a few weeks of constant companionship, camping, letting him swim at the lake or the beach and showering him with lots of attention, I think he doesn't know who he loves the most!! He will obey commands even from my 3 yo and checks on the kids each night before sleeping at the foot of the bed. Sometimes I think he is too well-trained cause I certainly would like him to cuddle every now and then!!
That brings me back to summer's end. Although the kids have now returned to school I am looking forward to a few more trips in the camper before the season ends. We would like to go out in October to enjoy Halloween fun, up to the mountains to see the beauty of fall and of course back to the beach simply because it's the beach. The camper has become our/my escape. We spend time playing games, enjoy our time as a family and being able to leave hectic schedules behind and go where ever we choose is priceless.
Kevin is back in Iraq. The kids miss him dearly and we are all waiting for his return in early December. I am thankful he will make it home for the holidays. I make no promises but with the kids back in school, I am hoping to update a little more often. Maybe even add some pictures. Hope everyone had a great summer!
