The Adventure Continues...

The situation I was about to find myself in would be highly entertaining for everyone except me, hence the reason for the "Gong show" comment on my last post. After spending an hour or so in front of a warm campfire sipping on Bailey's , we crawled into our nest and fell asleep, on an ever deflating air mattress, then as the temperature dropped, condensation filled the inside of he canopy. Jules rolled off the "bunk bed" and landed on my head. Somewhere around 4am the temperature seemed to drop even more, with intermittent rain and hail. At this point I was wide awake with a desperate urge to go. I did not want to leave the warmth of the sleeping bag, but it became ultra clear to me that I wasn't becoming warmer, and would stay that way unless I found my way outside, and to the outhouse. I struggled to find my jeans and wiggled them up to my thighs. Carpenter then opened the canopy and I struggled over the tailgate while desperately trying to avoid whacking my head. With a few tugs, jerks, muscle spasms and a serious lack of gracefulness I managed to land on my feet and find my shoes, all the while Carpenter howled with laughter and the girls giggled. Alright, I thought, I'll just erase that from my mind , (but I am certain that little show will remain in my kids memory for quite some time.) Focus, in a little while I will be sitting by a warm campfire and sipping a coffee.

And then, I questioned my packing skills. Yes, the coffee grounds were packed, the coffee cream, sugar, spoons, and of course the pot. Yes, everything was packed, until I realized the part that holds the coffee grounds was missing. Luckily, Carpenter's friend Mr. Dancer was camping next to us, and had made us a pot of coffee.Mr. Dancer is a co-worker of Carpenter's and enjoys hunting and fishing. He had brought his quad and two hound dogs with him. I refer to him as Mr. Dancer because at one point in his life he was an exotic dancer. He had also brought his girlfriend Sheila. Anyway, it was a crazy start to a bizarre day and the events that were about to unfold were interesting, to say the least.
Dancer, and Shela had come to the area to help Dude and Dudette work on their cabin, that is jointly owned by Super DAVE and his wife. I was lectured by Dancer, how if we worked and helped with the cabin, it was reciprocal, and we would receive the keys when we wanted to.
I politely informed Dancer that Carpenter and I did not pack a second household and drive for 6 hours with two small children for Carpenter to strap on his tool belt. That in of itself was grounds for a permanent stay in the dog house.Or in our case the tree house.
Dude and Dudette's cabin is nestled perfectly between a few mountains and is a very nice cabin. The guys worked tirelessly on the roof while the kids rode around on quads. Gem was very excited as she actually drove one for a little while. Sheila took off on Dancer's quad, exercising the hound dogs and swearing at them. At one point, Dudette's little dog growled at the female hound until she pinned the little dog to the ground by the neck. The kids began screaming and crying, everyone was in an uproar and the guys had to come down off the roof.
The tin roof was eventually finished, Carpenter had found his belt and strapped it on to help finish up. We were all to have dinner together that night.
The deer, elk and moose steaks lined the BBQ, (did I mention these guys all hunt?) and salads were made. It was a dinner made for kings, eaten on Royal Chinet, and once the last bone was thrown to the dogs, the guitar came out and Dude began singing ballads with his kids. The fire popped and cracked, the rain had stopped and you could hear the crickets, until Sheila joined in, which made the dogs howl.
After a song or two, Super Dave brought out the fireworks he had bought to celebrate the roof being finished. With the first band the Male hound dog took off like a shot, and disappeared into the night. Apparently, loud bangs freak the dog out, to the point that not even a leash or Dancer holding him, will stop him from taking off. After seven bangs Dancer hopped on his quad and went looking for the dog.
It had become clear that the night was winding down, Carpenter and I packed up the kids. I watched the outside thermometer in our truck drop as we climbed the forestry access road to our camp.
The next morning we invited Dancer to join us for breakfast if he brought the coffee, and he did. We sat around the fire and enjoyed light chit chat. Dancer then decided he would head back to the cabin and help Dude and Dudette finish up. He made us a second pot of coffee and told us to knock on the trailer door in about twenty minutes.
After the allotted time I knocked on the door and Sheila, asked me to come back in about 10 minutes, it wasn't quite ready, when I asked her to join us at the campfire, she said that she was in a bad mood. "Bitchy" was the word she used.
When I came back, She said "Well, it was nice meeting you, but I have to say good-bye because I don't think I'm going to see you again. It's over." And began to cry. Through teary eyes she unloaded the emotional baggage that had transpired over the last two days. I stood there in shock. I did not know her,and I did not want to know anything about them, but, I could not bring myself to say "Wow, yeah, that sucks, but all I really want is the coffee..."

The beginning of an adventure

Carpenter and I have camping adventures. At least that's what I like to call them.Something always happens to question why I agreed to the trip in the first place. This last camping trip over the Victoria Day long weekend was no exception.
We were to leave on Friday at noon. Carpenter was to leave work early and pick up Gem from school. But his boss had the same idea and forced him to work the full day with the promise of Tuesday off.
I began the arduous task of washing all clothing bedding and dishes we planned to take. I found the coolers, the campfire coffee maker, the lawn chairs. I had 3 packing lists: one was stuff I packed, one was stuff I had yet to pack and the third was a list of things we needed to purchase before we left, or on the way. The last list was mostly food. Jules helped me to pack and every second she reminded me to pack the hot dogs, and marshmallows, because we all know that a campfire without those things is simply sacrilegious. After 3 boxes, suitcases, and two bags , Carpenter arrived home and we hooked up the trailer, and loaded up all the gear plus the boat, motor, life jackets, and fishing gear. I am now truly amazed at how much stuff you end up by taking camping. It is almost like packing a second household.
We woke Saturday morning at the crack of dawn and were on the road by 5 am. It was at this time that Carpenter and I discovered there are no Starbucks open in this town and surrounding areas earlier than 6:30. So we found a Tim Hortons. I was not impressed at having to settle for a English Toffee cappuccino over my favorite cinnamon Dulce Latte. I was even less impressed that the kids were hyper instead of falling back asleep for a couple of hours. And thus began our 6 hour trip into the Kootnays. We saw some amazing scenery, some fantastic wildlife and then we arrived at our destination, pictured here.

This is Whitetail lake. A very scenic spot nestled in between picturesque mountains above the little town of Canal Flats, in the heart of the Kootnays. It was a small campground with a meandering creek flowing through the camp sites and plenty of room for the kids to roam about while Carpenter started the campfire, and I searched for something warm we could make for supper. It would not have been a typical Victoria Day Long weekend without a little rain, or in this case, lots of it.
We built a big fire any way, brought out the tarps and ran back to town and quickly purchased a few more. We had them stretched over the eating and sitting area, so we could enjoy the fire without the drizzle. The girls roasted marshmallows until they were sick to their stomachs while I made up their beds in the back of the canopy(that's right, we camped in the back of the truck) and inflated the air mattress we were to sleep on. When darkness finally arrived and the temperature dropped to a balmy 5 degrees, I packed the girls off to bed and Carpenter and I huddled close to the campfire sipping on some Baileys. I was bound and determined to enjoy this weekend no matter what, because it was about to become a bit of a gong show.....

Happy Identity Theft Day

It's never any fun to have your identity stolen, your credit card taken and used, or someone root through your trash to find out who you are. I have fortunately never had that happen to me, but I am talking about something that is far more gradual, and there is nothing I can do about it.
As a teenager I was known as the nerdy geek type, and had few friends in school. I never went to any big parties, because I was never invited and was not apart of the cool crowd.
When I reached college I studied the arts and became known as "Beloved Alcoholic Beverage" to some of my colleagues, and a trip to Greece reinforced it- but that's another story. Then I met Carpenter, and the rest is history.
Once we had kids, everything changed. I became an Olympic athlete. The lighting speed with which I could catch power puke before it hit our hosts' carpet was phenomenal, and who ever Knew my hands cupped together could hold so much regurgitated dinner?
I am amazed that I can still grab and tuck any child under my arm and dash to the bathroom and expertly navigate a maze of forgotten toys lying in the hall when one of them yells, "I have to PEEEEEEE!" I am even more impressed with myself when I actually make it.
I have been so frustrated at times that I have locked myself in the bathroom so that I could cry, count to ten, or just breathe, without a little one hanging on my leg
I have caught falling objects, and removed dangerous ones in the nick of time, all while doing an ever growing mass of laundry, cooking three healthy meals, and baking chocolate chip cookies for a school fundraiser or party.
But I never realized that I was truly defined in a specific way. I was walking with my friend Jo one night when we passed a little boy, his brother and Dad who were riding bikes.
"Hello Billy" I said as I recognized the boy from Gem's class.
"Say Hi to Cher, for me" I said to the Dad as Jo and I passed. He gave me the strangest look.
I turned to Jo and said" Guess it would have helped if I had said from Gem's Mom!"
She laughed and said that once kids hit school you now are identified by who's Mom you are. Forget being recognized by what I wear, or what I do, that has certainly changed. It is very true. I am now Gem and Jules' Mom, and will probably remain so at least until they are done school.

On this day, there are no cupcakes to bake, no school work to help with, no cleaning to be done, and the washer and dryer are silent. Carpenter brought me Starbucks in bed, Gem gave me a broach she made in school, and I wore it all day. Jules crawled into my lap and handed me a little framed hand print and a poem that read:
Sometimes you get discouraged
because I am so small
And always leave my hand prints on furniture and walls.
But every day I am growing up
and soon I'll be so tall
That all those little hand prints
will be hard to recall.
So here's a special hand print
Just so that you can say
This is how my fingers looked
When I pressed them here today.

It is moments like these that the messes made and the tears cried seem insignificant. I'm so glad I am a Mom, role model, friend and hopefully hero, to my two little girls.
My identity may have changed, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
So for all of you Moms out there
Happy Mother's Day.

A work in progress.

I apologize to everyone who has been checking my blog for updates, but its spring, it almost feels like summer and yard work is now on the priority list,which is now my job because Carpenter has a more pressing issue.
A few years ago, when that TV show, Extreme Make-over Home edition came out, we saw an episode where they hallowed out an actual tree trunk and turned it into a tree fort. Inspired, my husband promptly grabbed the graph paper and began designing a special tree fort for the girls.

I have since stopped watching that show, because I become a crying idiot within the first 15 minutes, and of course that just makes my husband laugh and make fun of me. Apparently God found it necessary to create me with an ultra sensitive side. But back to the tree house.

There are no trees in our back yard strong enough or big enough to hold a tree fort or build it around it, so Carpenter built the tree first, and then a deck will be added and finally a little house.There will be a ladder, slide and rock climbing wall, at least that's the plan. Hopefully it will be finished before the end of summer.
This is when I realized the power my girls have over their Father, especially Jules. She has been begging and pleading him, and of course offering to help. The tree fort is being built before my bathroom is redone, or baseboard are in my house. I still can't believed Carpenter succumbed to the pressure from a four year old, guess I know where I stand.
So I will post shots of the tree house progress, and when its done we'll invite ya'll who have kids over for a tree warming BBQ. And if you don't have kids, guess you're out of luck. Unless of course you get BUSY between now and then...