We had planned to go on the church's annual family campout this weekend. All our plans were in place. Nathan bought the food for an army, Alyssa stayed home most of the week to stay well, we spoke to Zander about the plans and kept him involved, I bought a few new things for my bike - Nate ordered a hitch for the van. Well the hitch didn't get here in time and the bike got left at home - trust me no big deal by the end of things. I took the "How Do I Love Thee" class by Theresa Collins at Scrapbook Crossing Friday morning, and promptly went to get Zander and meet Nate at home to get to Inks Lake. We were a little delayed in getting started, but no big deal. The weather forcast for the weekend was great, but a little rough for Friday night. No big deal - we've survived floods several times before. We had some rain, got the kids going down to bed, so I thought I would run back to Leander real quick and get a few things that were left behind. On the way there I thought "Hey, the rain is going sideways. I need to pull over." There is absolutely nothing between Burnet and Bertram. When I found Bertram there were no signs of life until the Exxon on the other side of town. I pulled in there just in time for the hail. About that time Nathan's on the phone telling me to take cover, and that they all sought shelter in the truck. Long story short the weather was so bad that our trusty tent (and several around us) no longer exist. I returned to camp to find everyone drenched and the crew packing up several campsites as quickly as possible. The stories were amazing! Nathan holding up the tent as Tony and Karen got Zander and Jadyn to safety, Darrell embracing Alyssa with his jacket to protect her, then everyone returning to empty the tent as quickly as possible to save things. As I drove my drenched family home - I couldn't help but think that I might have lost them or they might have lost me as I traveled on the road. The only loss from our campsite - the tent and three books. How blessed are we. BTW - Zander slept through the whole thing.
After everyone got home at about 1:30am and crashed it was time to face the piles of drenched belongings. I've been doing loads of laundry since we got home. Shoes have been drying out.
The next morning we went through Tony and Karen's truck and pulled out our things. After that we regrouped the food and met as a group at Brushy Creek Park where we enjoyed the hamburgers and hotdogs that were planned for a meal. Each person shared their story as they relived the experience in their minds. Some comments were made that we should have listened to the weather man, but it's Texas! You never know if the weather will be as predicted or just shift / fizzle out. There's a phrase out here "If you don't like the weather, stick around a while". The weather man has never foiled our camping plans, and knowing these guys never will. Zander and Jadyn had a great day playing in the splash area, while Alyssa sat under the trees eating and spending time with her grandparents.
After nap that afternoon we went to Wal-Mart and bought a deli tray and the movie Robot. We had family movie night as we snacked on crackers, meat, cheese and grapes watching one of the funniest kids movies. I love the message in it as well. If you haven't seen it you must.
Today we continued with the laundry, but added a few fun things in. Our house has two flower beds in the front. We tackled one today. There were so many bushes in it that they were crowding eachother out. They pulled out of the ground easily and now are resting on the curb waiting for someone to want them. We filled the space with two types of lillys and a few herbs - Bee Balm, Cilantro, and Common Sage. All are fragrant. The space looks good and should fill in nicely. Zander didn't much care for all the worms we found, but Nate and I love them. Alyssa sat in her chair muching on Goldfish.
Talking about Alyssa - that girl can eat! She got 3 molars last week - could explain her feeling yucky. She's selective in her walking and chooses to crawl more often. We took a picture of her pushing the kids lawn mower. I really enjoy having her around. She's so different from Zander, but I did catch her doing something like him today. She was taking the little bags of chips from the box they come in and placing them in the metal snack bins I have. Usually I can count on her to be messy while Zander is clean. Zander has been helping me with his birthday invitations. He really enjoys paper punching so I let him punch some shapes to put in the envelope instead of confettie.
Next week should be just as busy. I'm scheduled to teach a kids class on Saturday, and it's National Scrapbooking Day. Right now I'm planning on staying at the store Saturday for the Crop 6 to midnight $10. Would love to see you there. Nathan has his Board of Directors interview Monday so please keep him in your prayers. We're praying for God's will. Love you all and can't wait to continue the journey with you.
BTW - The views from my porch are beautiful again. Still waiting on Nate to finish the mowing I started, but otherwise they are beautiful.
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