The Count Down Begins

     Its the time of year again when things start to get really hectic for my family. The end of the school year is always marked by packing and trying to decide what to pack for the kids and I to get us through almost 2 months at the Jersey Shore. Last year I had one large and one small tote, a dog cage and some groceries. Living out of totes was miserable, so this year I need to devise a more organized set up. Suitcases take up so much space in the trunk, but they are much easier to live out of for the summer. In addition to what I would normally pack, there will be two hiking packs to account for this time. I have a 58L pack and Ethan has a 35L pack. Each one will be jam packed with essentials for the hiking we have planned.

     WKU mailed my acceptance letter which arrived Friday, and my ECTC grades are up. It appears this mama is a straight A student again! It's funny how when obstacles and annoyances try to shimmy their way into our positive energy fields, life and God have a way of showing us how great and loved we really are. With the stress of finals, kids having the flu and some slight turbulance last week, the WKU news couldn't have come at a better time. To top it off, we had the best weekend of camping with some of our friends and family.

     Friday kicked off the trip to Otter Creek Park with some glorious sunshine and temps in the 80's. Once we set up camp, severe t-storm warnings were a buzz over the net and radio, so we prepared our bug-out bags and patiently waited with some cold brewskis in hand. The storm missed us just barely. We hung out fireside, ate burgers and corn on the cob, drank some beer and nibbled some moonshine-soaked cherries. At about 1 am the rain started...then came the thunder and lightning. As we laid in our tent, I was wondering what the rest of the group was thinking as they laid in theirs. I didn't want to get out. but I was nervous staying put with nothing more than nylon between pounding rain, the crashes of lightning that sounded like canon fire and us. What I didn't know was that almost all the other tents were pooled with water from the massive influx of rain. Our tents were at one of the lowest points in the campground. Not bad for dry days, but something we should have considered with the forecast of stormy weather. With the craziness of the weather, I still enjoyed that evening and marveled at the power of nature. I was finally able to get some sleep around 4 am.

    

     When  I woke up at 7:30 am it was still raining and the system had just about passed us. Hiking for the day was cancelled as the creek was so high, safety became an issue. We assesed the saturation and began dragging tents to sunny spots, drying them out, creating makeshift clothing lines and surveying the best locations for the tents to be moved to in case of more storms. By early afternoon, everything was dry and the cornhole tourney comenced. The ultimate champions were Vanessa and Phil with an upset victory over Art and I (pssst...I think they were cheating wink-wink).

    

    Once evening hit, Vanessa cooked us some amazing camp cuisine. On the menu was grilled asparagus, roasted potatoes with filet mignon, and BLT's. To drink we had some fine micro-brews, moonshine and PBR.

     The kids had the playground right next to our site and ate smores, fireside. Late that night, the bigger kids all went looking for wood to make the fire as big as possible as we listened to music and relaxed. No rain, no thunder and lightning and a full nights rest made for a nice morning of slowly packing up camp to go home and back to reality.

     One small twist was Evan, Vanessa's oldest, locking both sets of her keys in the trunk of her car, an hour before he had to be at work, 20 miles away. No locksmiths seemed eager to drive all the way into the park and Vanessa began to panic, but then Jocelyn started inspecting the vehicle and discovered an access point for the trunk that was under the speakers, behind the rear seat bench. It took four people with four different arm lengths to finally fish the keys and the bag through a tiny hole in the frame of the car. Evan got to work with about a minute to spare.

       I know I had a great weekend, was entertained and the trip really helped relax me after a busy semester. I can't wait to do it again, minus the storm and car key mishap. I just wish that I had taken more pictures. Now it's a race to May 17th, the day we leave for NJ this year. The kids and I are gearing up for long summer beach days and pool-side nights at my parents house. I can't wait to hear the waves and the seagulls. I even miss the smell of the bay, the shoebie traffic and roadwork detours. Johnson's Popcorn  is at the top of my snack list with Mac & Manco Pizza and Mentos Italian Ice. I only wish I could pull Kentucky up next to New Jersey, my life would be perfect!!

Some highlights.......