Campers Left Out In the Rain

I mentioned how our camper was saved from sure and total devastation in my last post. I can assure you that's not an exaggeration. I'll set the scene before I tell you how it was saved. I know I've posted pictures of our usual camping spot. I'm too lazy to dig up one to refresh your memory, so picture a high embankment - maybe a fourteen foot drop to the water below with five or so feet of ground between the camper and the edge. We would have never camped there when the kids were little, but now that they're older and mostly sleeping in their own tents, we're able to pick such a beautiful spot.
Anyway. It rained Saturday night, raising the creek enough to prevent the kids from getting in and turning the water to chocolate milk. My sister and brother-in-law had some problems with mice so they were being extra vigilant during the packing up process. We had other things to take care of at home, and decided we'd leave the camper and go back for it one evening this week. (We were close enough that there was no way to get ours out without them moving theirs)
The week kind of got away from us - as short weeks often do. Thursday, we remembered the camper was still creekside. We decided we'd stop by last night and haul it out. No problem. Only...it's been raining here non-stop since Tuesday with only brief intervals of sun. Thursday night we had a torrential downpour that lasted for hours. Around midnight, B woke me up and said he was heading up to move the camper because he was worried.
He got up there, backed in and then shined his flashlight on the creek that should be several feet below. Only it wasn't. The water was only about a foot from the ledge. He hooked up, and as he pulled out, the water was crossing a low spot in the road ahead. Needless to say, we felt like we'd dodged a bullet.
By the next morning, we knew we had. My brother-in-law called and said the water was up to the picnic tables and had taken out the woodpile by the fire ring. Those places are a good three-hundred feet from where we camp. We would have lost our camper for sure - it would have either been filled with water, or considering where it was parked, tumbled into the raging creek.
I'm still amazed that B sat up from a dead sleep and knew what he had to do.
Kind of freaky, huh?
That's all for now.
Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Better late than never!
Man, it's been a long day.
But, here we go:
1. Supernatural - even though last night was a rerun. Watching it still made me happy.
2. Fantastic endings to spectacularly crappy weeks.
3. Graduations. I teared up and I only knew one of the kids. I can only imagine what a mess I'm going to be when K2 graduates.
4. Friday!
5. Sleeping in tomorrow.
6. Light weekend plans that really only include a graduation party.
7. Good books to read.
8. Friends coming through spinal surgery well and talking to them when they're so high on morphine they probably won't remember.
9. B. saving our camper from sure and total devastation. (I'll talk about this tomorrow)
10. A little bit of sun - even though torrential rain surrounded it.
That's all for now. Curious about the camper?
Behave!

More Retreat Madness

This is Elizabeth. She's new to CPRW - like new enough that she joined not long before the retreat sign up deadline date. And she signed up for the retreat anyway, even after witnessing the way we sometimes act at meetings.

Yes, Elizabeth is stretched out on a crypt (or whatever it's called. I looked it up a while back, but can't remember if I'm right or not.) I swear all that was said was you should lay down there and let me take your picture. And she did. Which is cool beyond words. Never once did I see her try to sneak out of the facility and run away from us and midnight dance parties, crazy games that have everyone laughing so hard they've lost their breath, and every other odd thing that happens. I think that means she fits right in. I'm pretty sure that's a given if she's willing to stretch out on top of a grave lid in the middle of a cemetery.

This has been a short week, and an exceedingly long week. And there's still one more day to get through. Feel Good Friday may be late since tomorrow is a "dawn until dusk" kind of day around here.

Behave!

Answer!

Here we go!

1. A drawing one of the K's did after a particularly nasty nightmare. No. Not that anyone believed that anyway.
2. Part of the outerwrappings of a kids toy - snapped in the toy aisle due to disbelief and horror. Nope. But I wouldn't be surprised to see that.
3. An old advertisement for a street fair - in a restaurant, hanging right by our table. Yes. Luckily it was behind my head so I didn't have to try to eat while staring at it. I was still horrified!

That's all for today!
Behave!

Tall Tale Tuesday

Tell me about this picture.

1. A drawing one of the K's did after a particularly nasty nightmare.

2. Part of the outerwrappings of a kids toy - snapped in the toy aisle due to disbelief and horror.

3. An old advertisement for a street fair - in a restaurant, hanging right by our table.

What do you think?

Clowns are scary enough, but this? Yikes!

Behave!

Weekend Recap

Tall Tale Tuesday is coming up next.
First, the weekend...
Let's go with a little Feel Good since I missed Friday.
1. Camping with friends and family.
2. Laughing around a campfire.
3. Kids playing in the creek.
4. Other people's little ones, especially when I don't have to get up in the middle of the night with a crying baby.
5. Laughing so hard I can't catch my breath.
6. My husband fishing.
7. Being disconnected from reality.
8. Meeting new friends.
9. Rain storms that cozy the place up.
10. Saber-toothed flamingos. (picture later)
On that note, here's the moaning list:
1. K2 having a car accident on the way to her boyfriends. (she's fine, so is her truck)
2. B and I forgetting our phones and not finding out about the accident for forty minutes.
3. Post-traumatic accident dealings.
4. The transmission beginning to fail in my Suburban.
5. Packing up camp.
6. Unpacking from camp.
7. Laundry.
8. The dishwasher breaking.
9. Our neighbors howling dog.
10. The neighbors car alarm.
I think that's enough for now.
On to Tall Tale Tuesday.
Behave!

Survived...

Kind of...
Tall Tale Tuesday will be up later. Right now I'm trying to catch up after being away and dealing with all of the bad stuff that happened around here yesterday. More on all of that later as well.
It's shaping up to be an insane week. Really insane.
And I think I'm just about ready for school to be out. Kind of.
Before I post Tall Tale Tuesday, I have to go to the grocery store since there is no food in this house. Good times.
Behave!

Chaotic Randomness

I mentioned mice in my last post. Let me explain.
On Tuesday, my sister posted on her Facebook that their camper had mice. At first, I thought that was kind of funny (in a holy crap that's a lot of work kind of way), then it hit me that our camper was parked right in front of theirs - close to the woods. And if theirs had mice, then what were the chances ours didn't?
So, we rearranged Wednesday night's plans to go check. We were lucky. Totally mouse free. So, we helped them get their camper cleaned up and hung out a little while, which was nice, but not very productive in getting the family ready for the weekend.
That's what I've been trying to do today, and let me tell you, it's not going so great. Between an excess of laundry, people bringing desks home that have to be taken apart to go up the stairs and then put back together in their rooms, cleaning rooms to make space, and rearranging furniture in other rooms for spillover furniture, writing, errands, last minute brownie making for student teachers who are leaving tomorrow, fundraising stuff for scouts, homework, missing items, people that clean their cars out and leave their crap behind on the patio, yardwork...well, you get the idea. Plus, no one wants to get their clothes packed. I guess they'll wear the same dirty clothes all weekend. Won't matter to me.
Come hell or high water we're going to camp on time! I bought marshmallows!
I will probably be vacant over the weekend. Maybe. Who knows?
Behave!

Answer!

Sorry I missed posting the answer last night. (Not that you were chewing your nails or anything...) We had to head up to camp to make sure we didn't have a mice infestation in our camper like my sister, but that's fodder for a different blog.

Here's the answer:
1. K2's mashed potatoes she saved from her lunch out with her friends. Nope!
2. A cupcake cleverly crafted to look like mashed potatoes. Yes! Isn't that the coolest thing? I didn't get to see the real product because it was scarfed down immediately after the picture was taken.
2. Easter dinner mashed potatoes (before they were uncovered) that someone decided to try to be amusing with. Who needs butter on top of gravy? Nope!

I'll be back later!
Behave!

Tall Tale Tuesday

Tell me about this picture...

Is it:

1. K2's mashed potatoes she saved from her lunch out with her friends.

2. A cupcake cleverly crafted to look like mashed potatoes.

2. Easter dinner mashed potatoes (before they were uncovered) that someone decided to try to be amusing with. Who needs butter on top of gravy?

What do you think?

Behave!

Back to the Grind...

Guess where this picture was taken?

Come on. Guess.

Okay. Never mind.

I'd use it for Tall Tale Tuesday, but too many people know I did it.

Applebee's bathroom.

You should have seen the looks I got when I said I took a picture in the bathroom. Ha! I was all alone in there, with a camera, so... I have lots more pictures to share (NOT of me in the Applebee's bathroom. This is the only one. Honest.). Wait for it.

And we're back to reality. Dang.

I didn't get any writing done today, because it was one of those days - you know the ones I mean. I put my sneakers on at 6:30 this morning and didn't get to take them off, or barely even sit down until 9:30 tonight. I'm beat, and hating this week already.

Tonight we had K3's band/chorus concert. Usually we sit and wait for him to be on the stage, but this time he was up there nearly the whole time. Boy's chorus/special chorus/regular chorus/guitar ensemble/jazz band/regular band. My boy loves it and so do I. He was so cute! I have to say, middle school boys all have the same hair. It's like they all decided when they hit sixth grade that they weren't going for the "mom and dad" haircut any longer. Only a few still look like they get regular haircuts. Yeah, my son falls in the former category, though he's had a few trims along the way. I just wish he'd remember to comb it before he goes out in public looking like a chicken roosted on his head all night.

Anyways.

Head over to Megan Hart's blog (link in the left sidebar on blogger, links page on word press - I'm too lazy to post a live link. What? It's late!) to see a hysterical video from the retreat. You'll see the precipitating events from the springy blue dog disaster, Misty Simon laying on the ground in the cemetery after she fell down the hill, and a brief glimpse of the dance party.

I think I should go to bed now.

Behave!

Happy Birthday!

Stopping by super fast to give a birthday shout-out to my mom! (This is the best way, since I won't get a chance to talk to her until later today!)

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

I Love You!

More later...

Behave!

Retreat! Day Four!

I'm home now and glad to be.

But that doesn't mean I'm not counting down the days to next years retreat already. What a blast!

I achieved my personal best in word count: 25,503. Feeling a little brain dead at the moment, but still jazzed about my new story.

That's the springy dog that bounced me off and bruised my leg. Yep, my leg is sporting a very pretty purple bruise. My gut and cheeks also hurt, but that's from all the laughter. Last night was game night. We gather in our meeting room for some form of a game show tailored for our purposes that leaves us all with tears streaming down our faces. Good times. Then, at a little after 11 pm we decided we needed to have a dance party in the hallway. That's going to be a new tradition. So much fun.

Today was sad as we packed up. I stayed at the keyboard for a few thousand more words to prove to myself I could at least meet my tally from last year. And I did. Cool. We gathered our things and drove away, full of confidence, friendship, and hope, and totally jazzed about our projects. Very good stuff.

I wasn't really given a choice about remaining the chairperson for the retreat. Of course, I didn't say no either. I wouldn't - unless someone else had a burning desire to plan it. I love the retreat too much.

Now, life returns to normal. Only I've got a shiny new project to work on. And lots of pictures to share over the coming weeks.

Behave!

Retreat! Day Three!

Sadly, it's the last full day of the retreat.

I miss my family terribly. And I'll be ready to go home tomorrow, but I'm also sad to see this time end.

The picture is from last night at Applebee's. (Where they don't put any actual liquor in the drinks. Just so you know that.) From here we went to the movies to see Star Trek. Loved it. Absolutely loved it more than I can even say. It was fantastic.

Another crappy nights sleep (I won't miss that). And a pretty good word count day so far today. I'm not done yet, so no report at this time.

We just got back from a walk. Of course to the cemetery and then to a different cemetery and to the playground where one of those springy things tossed me off. My leg will be bruised and my gut will hurt from all the laughing. I have a ton of pictures for future posts and Tall Tale Tuesdays.

We're heading down to our annual game in a few. Always a blast and I'm looking forward to it.

More tomorrow.

Behave!

Retreat! Day Two!

There is a reason I love the retreat so much. Let me tell you it's definitely not these stairs. We're on the third floor, the dining room is on the first floor, so is the ice machine and the coffee. I've been up and down these stairs so many times today that I'll probably dream of them. (providing I actually sleep tonight)

Today is going well - not a lot of writing getting done on my end of the hall, but we had a bunch of people arriving today, contract stuff to go over with the staff here, and the season finale of Supernatural to watch. But, I'm having an absolute blast. The weather is gorgeous, there's laughter echoing off the walls, and I have my own bathroom.

Season finale of Supernatural? Oh. My. God. Dean and Sam back together? Yes! Ruby dying? Yes! I've even forgiven Sam for drinking demon blood. That Ruby...oh she makes me mad! But Dean and his lines and his looks and realizing Bobby was right and calling Sam. And Bobby calling Dean a princess and telling him he was acting like John but was better than that. I think I might die before season 5 begins. All I have to say is...Bravo, Kripke and crew! That was a beautiful, beautiful thing. My love for Supernatural burns ever hotter, and I didn't think that was possible.

A...hem...

Tonight is out "out on the town" night and we're discussing the possibility of going to see the new Star Trek movie after we've properly imbibed and laughed our way through appetizers. Tomorrow is buckle down day and make up for the sagging word count of today. I'm not doing horrible and I had to do my job here, which is always fine.

Maybe more later...

The Internets get kind of wavy around here, so you never know.

Behave!

Retreat! Day One!

Hallelujah!

We are here! Actually, I've been here since about 9:15 this morning. We drove through torrential downpours and tractor trailer traffic and construction, but we made it!

I woke up at 3:30 (that's a.m.)and after staring at the clock for about forty minutes, forced myself back to sleep until 5:30.

The picture is our snack table. Everyone brings snacks to share and we pile the goods in our conference room, which is located a floor below our rooms - a little bit of exercise going up and down the stairs.

We had a brief period of sunshine and during that time I was the passenger in a Porsche Boxster - convertible - while on our way to lunch. That was very beautiful. I finally got to work and am doing pretty well despite a slow start.

Now that all of my Thursday attendees have arrived, I can take off my retreat chairperson hat and screw down my writer hat. The new story is going well.

Here's an unedited snippet for you:

She sat up, pain ripping through her. Nausea turned her stomach. She swallowed it back as she swung her legs over the side of the small bed. Her clinic in New Hope. At least she knew where she was. Now if she could only remember how she got here. She sucked in deep breaths to calm her stomach, the effort failing when she turned her stinging hands over and realized there was a good reason she was in so much pain. Her palms and fingers were covered with deep red lines that hurt like a son of a bitch.

I haven't found the right song to write to yet...you know that song that pumps the blood in the right direction and makes my fingers fly. I'm looking for it.

More tomorrow.

Behave!

Answers!

Okay...

1. A hot dog cooked on the same stick as a marshmallow had been previously. The white stuff is the remnants of the marshmallow. (Totally grossed me out, but the kid ate it.) Yes! Did I ever tell you how much I dislike marshmallows? In my opinion, they're only good as ammo.

2. A hot dog, only a Dogwood tree blossom somehow managed to land on the end just as she took it off the stick. It was so random and unlikely that I had to take a picture of it. Nope. Never happened. Though I'm sure it could.

3. K2 found a package of hot dogs way in the back of the fridge and decided to cook one over the fire - only when it was cooked all of this gross white stuff bubbled out of one end and we decided maybe she shouldn't eat it after all. Noooo! It's possible. I guess. I mean, you could bring a new package home from the store and find it rotten. I wonder how old they'd have to be considering hot dogs last forever. I think they'd probably still be fresh years after an apocalyptic event...kind of like cockroaches. Did I ever tell you I dislike hot dogs, too?

Tomorrow I'll be blogging from the RETREAT!! I am so ready to go. Well, as soon as I pack my suitcase. But I'm totally ready. I wonder if I'll be able to sleep tonight? I kind of doubt it.

Behave!

Tall Tale Tuesday

Might be an easier one this week...

You decide.

What is this?

1. A hot dog cooked on the same stick as a marshmallow had been previously. The white stuff is the remnants of the marshmallow. (Totally grossed me out, but the kid ate it.)

2. A hot dog, only a Dogwood tree blossom somehow managed to land on the end just as she took it off the stick. It was so random and unlikely that I had to take a picture of it.

3. K2 found a package of hot dogs way in the back of the fridge and decided to cook one over the fire - only when it was cooked all of this gross white stuff bubbled out of one end and we decided maybe she shouldn't eat it after all.

What do you think?

Behave!

Speaking of Gnomes...

I got this little dude from my sister for mothers day.

Yes, he's still strapped in. The truth is I'm kind of afraid to let him out. See his mouth? And the black trickle coming out of it?

I think he's possessed. He's got some kind of ectoplasm inside of him and he's lying dormant until I release him from his restraints.

Then, he'll terrorize me with gnome pranks and evilness. He'll get the other gnomes - the gnomes already primed to stage a resistance - and the next thing you know you'll be reading some strange and bizarre news story featuring me as a victim.

I'm just not willing to go there.

Do you blame me?

Maybe I'll have to lay out a salt ring and release him inside, but if I'm right, what do I do with him aftewards? It's not like I can call Sam and Dean to save me. They're kind of busy right now what with the apocalypse and all.

Advice?

Behave!

Happy Hug Your Mom Day

Yeah, I'm a day late. Can't help it.
Hope all you moms had a good day yesterday.
You better not have forgotten your mom. If you did, you have some serious making up to do.
Here are the things I liked most about yesterday:
1. Sleeping in.
2. Having breakfast made for me.
3. Lunch with my mom and B's mom.
4. Baseball games with my sister's dog as the outfielder. (though getting the ball back was interesting at times)
5. Nap.
6. Not having to cook dinner, or even think about it.
7. Dessert.
8. Homemade cards.
9. The weather - though it was a little too windy and chilly.
10. Getting text messages from my son's girlfriend.
That's all.
I'm off to do some shopping for the retreat. I'll probably be back with a 'why I hate shopping' list later. Ha!
Behave!

Saturday Stuff

Let's go with another list of random stuff.
1. Teenaged girls who are getting ready for their first prom should come with a warning label. Luckily, K2 had a brief babysitting gig this morning thus sparing me from her constant silly obnoxiousness. She'll be back soon...then we have to go shopping for a few things she needs.
2. My dog snores pretty loud.
3. Waking up to spilled orange juice on the living room floor is not as much fun as it sounds. The clean up was done well, but I can still see the sheen of stickiness. Joy.
4. I'm tired of vampires. I know they'll never go away, but seriously? Sucking blood is not sexy. I don't think it's sexy when Sam Winchester does it and I don't think it's sexy for the undead to do it. I've never really been a fan.
5. Did I tell you how excited I am for the retreat? Yeah. I thought I did. My list of stuff to do before then is pretty long, but that's okay.
6. I have a headache.
7. I am also not a fan of zombies.
That's all...
Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Here's the list:
1. Retreat coming up fast! Whoot!
2. Funny children.
3. Friday! Man, what another long week!
4. Sangria
5. Supernatural, even though I still want to cry.
6. Friends.
7. Sleeping in.
8. Practical jokes.
9. Easy weekend plans...well, if you don't count prom and mother's day. Ha!
10. Sun. Oh, sun. I have missed you so much!
Behave!

Why Don't You Rip My Guts Out, Supernatural?

I am so torn and sad.
And ticked off at the boys for being apart.
I need time to process...
Why did Castiel let Sam out? Is it wrong that even though he looked haggard, I still thought he looked good? I don't care if it is. Poor Dean. He broke my heart. So did Sam. And Bobby.
I have many theories and thoughts about what might happen next week...Right now, I don't care what happens as long as Sam and Dean are together again.
*sniffle*
Behave!
p.s. K2 just told me that she's planning on growing a beard and a moustache. Oooo-kay then. Of course, ten minutes ago she told me the way she was going to show me how much she loves on Mother's Day is to wake me every two hours to tell me she loves me and to tell me that I was sleeping and she's not.

Random Thursday Ramblings

1. This time next week I'll be at the retreat!
2. Practical joke season has started again in my house. Shaving cream in the toilet paper roll anyone? Not me, B. And I think he got every single one of us. K1 texted me a picture on the shaving cream in the middle of the night that said "one of the freaks that live here did this".
3. B brought home a coffin the other day. Ha! Okay, it looks kinda like a coffin. It's going to be our garden box. But...B's a big dude, and he drives a very little car...and he shoved this 5' by 3' box in his car and drove down the highway with it. I can only imagine what it looked like.
4. The sun is out! Oh, sun! How I've missed you! Instant mood picker upper, that's for sure.
5. My house is a train wreck! And I've got company coming tomorrow evening, prom preparations on Saturday, and Sunday is Mother's Day. (and you get bet your butt I won't be cleaning then). Oh, and tomorrow all day is crazy busy. I might get some stuff done tonight, but...
6. New Supernatural tonight! I can't wait and I'm scared at the same time. I don't want to see the boys fight like it looks like they're going to. I don't want them to be on opposite sides. I don't want Sam to go demon. I don't want Dean to go angel. And I can't tear my eyes away!
7. Hanging out with friends is the best thing ever. And this time next week, I'll be writing AND hanging out with my friends AND not having to worry about my dirty house, what to make for dinner, doing laundry, cleaning up, shopping, letting the dog out, homework, arguing between kids, kids acting like crazy maniacs, getting to bed on time...
8. My new story plotting is going very well. I'm excited to start. I've really taken my time with this one in the hopes that things will flow more smoothly during the actual writing, but I don't believe it always will. I expect to start next Thursday - as long as I can stand to wait that long. I said I was taking a little longer to let my brain rest, and I intend to honor that decision, so...
9. Trying to lose weight sucks. I've been doing very well with my food choices and exercising (though the rain has put a definite damper on that), and I started off by dropping several pounds right away. Now I seem to be stuck. I know why and I know it's transitional, but it's still frustrating. I am tired of hearing "You don't look bad". What I want to hear is "You look good". Does that make sense?
10. Did I mention that prom is this weekend? We tried to order the boutonniere and were treated very, very rudely by the flower shop owner. Rudely enough that I won't go back there. The girl at the desk was very nice and apologetic and obviously embarrassed by the behavior of her boss. It takes a lot for me to get to that point, but when look at me like I don't deserve to be in your store and talk to me like I'm stupid, then...I'm done. I don't need your condescending tone and your superior attitude. You've lost my business. Which, may not hurt you today because you're just too busy to even talk to me, but eventually alienating your customers will come back to bite you in the ass. Because you can bet your butt I'll tell people the way you treated me. (Yes, this just happened so I'm still a little irritated about it)
That's enough for one day, don't you think?
Behave!

Answers!

Here we go with the answers!

1. A dead skunk the kids found in the backyard. (You know...first we have to play with it, then we have to bury it. Ick!) Not true. This time. I can't remember if it's actually happened, but I wouldn't put it past my bunch.
2. A stuffed animal that was left out in the elements since probably last summer and found during the nicer days we had last week (definitely not this week since all it's done is rain.). Nope. Also something very possible, but not this picture.
3. A hunk of shedded hair from our dog. YES!!! She's shedding like you would not believe. I can sweep up a dust pan full of hair every day and we can still comb enough hair out of her to make a sweater, a king-sized blanket, and seat covers for my truck. It's really fine hair, too, so it doesn't take long for it to turn into tumbleweeds. We'd spent a lot of time combing her out and the hair refused to stay in the trash. The kids decorated it with bits of flowers and leaves to make it look like an animal.
Hey, at least it wasn't a dead animal.
That's all!
Behave!

Tall Tale Tuesday

Okay...

Ready?

What is this?

1. A dead skunk the kids found in the backyard. (You know...first we have to play with it, then we have to bury it. Ick!)

2. A stuffed animal that was left out in the elements since probably last summer and found during the nicer days we had last week (definitely not this week since all it's done is rain.).

3. A hunk of shedded hair from our dog.

What do you think?

Behave!

Slacker!

Me that is.

Not Misty. Who is seen here wearing her suggested Retreat prizes and gifts. So, maybe I haven't been slacking as much as I've been busy running around like a crazy lady - retreat shopping, entertaining, chauffeuring, and about a million other things.

(And, relax retreat people. I talked her out of it!)

We're down to 9 days until our retreat. Excitement is high, so is anticipation. I have a list a mile long of things to do between now and then. Not only am I away for four days, but there's a lot going on around the homefront while I'm gone. Organization is the key, only I'm not feeling very organized at the moment.

Tall Tale Tuesday coming up next...

Oh...and I forgot...May ALREADY?

Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Whew! Friday!
It's been a long, long, and stupid week, but I think I have a little Feel Good Friday in me!
1. My writers meeting tomorrow.
2. Meeting my goal for that.
3. 12 days until the retreat!
4. Retreat shopping done! Every time I look at the stuff, I get all excited!
5. Grilled chicken for dinner. (even though I'm wayyy tired and wayyy done with this week. B cooked most of it)
6. Company coming in from out of town. (even though the house is a train wreck and I need to go shopping)
I think that's it. My Moaning list would be like four times this long, but in my ongoing effort to be positive...
Behave!