Terrific Ten

Just last week, he was this big.

And then I blinked and this happened. 

He grew!

Today he turns double digits. 

A decade….already?!

Happy Birthday William!!!

Savor every moment of your special day

 and trust me when I tell you that the birthdays 

seem to come faster and faster with each passing year!

Where Is Home?

We flew back home to Texas recently and got lots of good visiting time in with friends and family. During our time there, we were on the proverbial treadmill, running here and there to squeeze in as many visits with our loved ones as possible over a two week period. It's always therapeutic to be back in Texas reconnecting with our 'people', most of whom we only get to see twice a year. Whenever we go back, if time allows, we will do a nostalgic drive by of the neighborhoods where we used to live. 

There was the cozy old ranch style abode-our first home, nestled at the end of a shady tree lined street. Tons of memories come to mind-the excitement of owning our first home, the numerous home improvement projects we enthusiastically took on: tiling, painting, ripping out wall paper, bathroom remodeling, new appliances. We were so excited to make changes and improvements to make our first house a "home". Then we brought home a cute little Golden Retriever puppy named Tyler. We were smitten with him but a little intimidated by the responsibility of owning a pet. We figured if we could handle providing for the basic needs of our new canine friend, then maybe we were ready to take on parenthood of a tiny human. 

So we happily added to our brood two sweet boys, who loved to run and play in the enormous backyard with miles and miles of green grass. Okay I'm kidding about the miles and miles part, but it sure felt that big when it was time to mow the yard-ha!

 Then one day we decided that what was once a spacious home for the 2 of us, seemed a bit more crowded when we added 2 children and a dog to the mix. So the next thing you know, we packed up and moved out to a bigger, newer house out in the suburbs. Our next home was a sprawling two story situated on a golf course with tons of windows and lofty vaulted ceilings and a big open kitchen, just perfect for entertaining. This house, we decided, was a great place to raise our boys, plenty of space, good schools, and so we assumed that this was the house where we would be for the long haul, or at least until the boys were grown and out of the house. 

And then…. sometimes you never know what surprises life will hand you, and the next thing you know, your spouse is presented with a job opportunity that is out of state.

So we find ourselves and all our worldly possessions very efficiently and expeditiously packed up in a fifty three foot moving van and whisked across the country. 

And then we had to find a house in West Virginia. A house for us to live in, to fill with our furnishings and to decorate with our familiar nick knacks. A house is defined as a shelter or place of residence. A house can be anywhere. What truly makes a house a home is the people who live in it. A home is the love, laughter, memories, and spirit of the people who live there. 

So now I find myself with two homes-my Texas hometown, complete with beloved friends, family and a lifetime of familiar places and memories; and now, a second home in West Virginia, where we are creating new memories. 

A home is not a mere transient shelter: its essence lies in the personalities of the people who live in it. -- H. L. Mencken

Lost Texan Adventures-Day 7

Day 7-Saturday, June 22, 2013
Departing Kentucky

We popped down, packed up and headed out of Mammoth Cave National Park. 

A great time was had by all, and we have had a blast camping all week, but when you run out of clean underwear and bottled water, you know it's time to pack it up and head home-haha! 

We ventured Eastward through the lush green rolling hills on the Kentucky Bluegrass Parkway. This is Bourbon country-there are distilleries everywhere. Even though we don't touch the stuff, we figured "when in Rome, do as the Romans" so we went in search of a distillery to tour. The next thing you know, we saw signs for the Wild Turkey Distillery. Our timing was perfect-they were just starting a tour when we got there. We saw all the behind the scenes processes and where they store all the whiskey barrels, and then we got to have a tasting. We bought an obligatory bottle and a 'Wild Turkey Bourbon Ball' scented candle. 
I could've done without the bourbon, but of course my trip wouldn't have been complete without the candle-lol.

A short while later, we were back on the road for our last little stretch into WV. 

We were all excited to see the house, unload and get settled. 

To be continued...

Lost Texan Adventures-Day 6

Day 6 - Friday, June 21, 2013-Mammoth Cave National Park, Mammoth Cave, KY

Holy moly. Talk about a LONG haul from Missouri to Kentucky! 

We drove and drove and drove, arriving at the park at 11:30pm. By the time we popped up and got to bed it was well past midnight. Then at 5:00 am I was awakened by sunlight and an enthusiastic chorus of birds chirping away. I did a double take when I looked at my watch...daylight at 5:00 am? Yes indeed longer daylight hours in the summer in these here parts of the country. We are all slightly delirious due to lack of sleep. The Mammoth Cave Hotel had just what we needed in the form of a hearty breakfast and mass quantities of coffee! Oh, I forgot to mention that at this National Park, there is no water or electricity. Yes folks this is truly roughing it. I was mildly concerned about having to sleep without the white noise and Arctic Blast that our wonderful AC unit provides. At least the National Park Service/U.S. Department of the Interior was thoughtful enough to provide restroom facilities. And toilet paper. And hand soap. Important details. Your tax dollars at work. Also last nights temperature was a mild 68 degrees, so once we unzipped the canvas and let that fresh Kentucky air in, the camper was quite cool and comfortable. In fact, it became chilly in the middle of the night and I had to cover up with a blanket. Imagine that-sleeping under a blanket while camping in summertime! 

After breakfast we headed over to the visitor center to get tickets for our cave tour. 
With over 400 miles of caves, Mammoth Cave National Park is the longest cave system in the world. We really enjoyed seeing all the underground formations caused by erosion of ancient seas  300 million years ago. And it was a nice cool 54 degrees under ground which was nice a thing considering you are hundreds of feet below the earth with about a hundred other people in pretty close quarters in some parts of the cave. We all had a blast and the boys were troopers during our  underground hike. 

That afternoon we hung out back at camp playing football and Badminton and then enjoyed an early campfire and roasted some hot dogs and off the bed we went. We all went right to sleep, tired from the day's events. I was sleeping a peaceful slumber and then randomly woke up around 2:00am. All I can tell you is that without my trusty box fan or our super turbo Arctic Coleman Mach AC unit blowing, I suddenly found myself wide awake, unable to return to my former peaceful slumber because I was suffering from a severe bout of "white noise" withdrawal. Indeed, with only the crickets chirping and the occasional sound of critters scurrying around in the forest, the silence of the great outdoors was deafening. I lay there starting up at the ceiling with sleep eluding me when suddenly I remembered that I had a " White Noise" app on my iPhone. So in no time at all, I was lulled back to sleep by the familiar sounds of an " Oscillating Fan". 

Thank goodness for modern technology!

Lost Texan Adventures-Day 5

Day 5  - Thursday, June 20, 2013
Departing Missouri

Goodbye Table Rock Park and Branson. We had a blast and hope to come back sometime. We could have easily stayed there a week there is so much to see and do in the area. So after our morning campfire coffee, we regretfully starting to pack up and pop down. It takes much longer to pop down that it does to pop up because you have to clean up, gather dirty clothing, roll up sleeping bags, empty out the camper refrigerator, and clean and sweep the interior, etc.. So it was 12:15pm before we pulled out of the campsite.

Borrowing a quote from Robert Frost, we have "many miles to go before we sleep".

476 miles, to be exact. 

Ugh. 

The way we planned our road trip, we knew this would be our longest leg of the journey. 
I don't think I've ever crossed over so many state lines in one day! We motored on through eastern Missouri, got to pass by downtown St. Louis and see the iconic Gateway Arch, on through a portion of Illinois, and then stopping for dinner at the famed Red Wagon Inn in Poseyville, Indiana. Just kidding about it being famous. It was just some random place we saw off I-64 and it was dinnertime and we were hungry. It's so interesting how the geography of the land varies from state to state. Our jaunt today was straight through the middle of America's heartland-very flat farmlands for as far as the eye could see. Huge grain silos and John Deere Tractors everywhere.

And now as the sun has set, we have just crossed over the state line into Kentucky. 

Getting close to our next destination!

Lost Texan Adventures-Day 4

Day 4-Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Mansfield, MO and Table Rock Lake, MO

I woke up so excited this morning. The kind of excited like anticipating opening presents from Santa on Christmas morning. We were heading out on a very special pilgrimage to Mansfield, Missouri to tour the homestead of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rocky Ridge Farm. This visit was the whole inspiration for the direction that we planned our camping trip. 
I love American History and any literature about pioneer life. I have read and re-read every book in the Little House on The Prairie Collection, and seen every episode of the TV series several times, and yes, I am the proud owner of the DVD collection. So when I realized that Mansfield was a mere 81 miles from Branson, I was beyond thrilled. 
In 1894, Laura & Almanzo Wilder built a quaint little farmhouse on 185 acres in the rolling hills of the Ozarks. This homestead is where they lived for more than 60 years. After her death in 1957 the property was added to the National Register of Historic Places and now has a museum, gift shop, etc. Well, let's just say the three boys did not have the same unbridled enthusiasm for this field trip as me. And I have to say, they were VERY patient and kind, sitting outside on a park bench, just waiting and waiting while I was inside looking at each and every artifact and reading every caption. I mean, I could hardly contain my excitement when I laid eyes on Pa Ingalls' fiddle, actual clothing that Laura wore, patchwork quilts sewn by her, china, letters written, original manuscripts from her books, her spectacles, and the most exciting of all, you got to tour their farmhouse. It was all so terribly exciting that I could easily stayed there all day, the boys could have taken off in the truck, and I would have never noticed. Did I mention that the boys were bored to tears during this excursion?  Yes, lets just say that Mason was not a happy camper at this point and there was lots of eye rolling, whining, and tears involved. But they ALL knew how much I was looking forward to this field trip and there would have been HELL to pay for anyone who stood in my way of enjoying each and every precious  moment at Rocky Ridge Farm. Finally Michael had to drag me out of the gift shop, but not before I purchased "The Little House Cookbook" and "The Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook" and some toy guns and candy for the boys for being so patient and having to endure an afternoon of boredom. 

So there you have it. 

Everything you ever wanted to know (or didn't want to know-ha!) about our excursion to Rocky Ridge Farm. 

But wait: our day wasn't over yet. We hurried back to our campsite to quickly change into swimsuits, grabbed an ice chest and some towels and headed on over to the marina, where we rented a boat and headed out into the afternoon sun on the beautiful green waters of Table Rock Lake.  

The water was cool and refreshing and crystal clear. We had so much fun cruising around the lake, then stopping for a swim  here and there, and tubing. Not that "we" went tubing. I was the only brave soul to go out and get beat up bouncing around on an inner tube while Michael flung me around the lake, going what felt like 50mph, although he swears he was only going 20mph. Jostled and jolted and sore I was and there was definitely some Advil involved.
At the end of the day, we discovered a little cove to hang out in and swim. At dusk we headed back to drop of the boat, made a fire back at camp, cooked up some bacon Cheeseburgers and Jalapeño Ranch style beans. And then we all realized that we were worn out from our busy day. So by 9:30pm we all fell into bed exhausted and slept for 9 straight hours…bliss.

A great ending to a perfect day.

Lost Texan Adventures-Day 3

Day 3 - June 18th, 2013 - Table Rock State Park, Branson, MO

We woke up to a nice sunny cool summer morning, and then headed out to nearby Big Cedar Lodge for breakfast…er, I mean lunch. Why the late start? Well let me explain. The boys all tumbled into bed around 10 or 11pm. Then I  decided that some peace and quiet to post my journal entry while watching the fire and sipping on some wine was just what the doctor ordered. I am by nature a night owl and I love the quiet solitude after everyone else in the house had gone to sleep. The problem is, I gotta have 7 or 8 hours of shut eye, and when you stay up until 12 or 1 am and then your youngest son wakes up with the roosters, that creates a serious sleep deficit over time. Not a good thing. So last night I decided at 1 am that it would be a good thing to take a Benadryl to ensure a deep restful slumber. Well. That would have been a FINE idea if I had the luxury of slumbering in a comatose state for 12-15 hours. That stuff knocks me out! And then suddenly our camper was alive and bustling with morning activity by 8am. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. It was all I could do to stumble out of bed, get dressed and try to function coherently. I spent the better part of the day in a zombie-like state. Even my double shot Cappuccino didn't help much. Then we set out for Big Cedar Lodge, which was a short 3 mile jaunt from our campsite. Oh my, if you are an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys rustic logic cabins set on a serene Table Rock Lake setting, then this place is a little slice of heaven. Absolutely beautiful, with rustic wood log cabins nestled in a heavily wooded hillside, while kayakers and canoers glide quietly by on the pristine Table Rock Lake. Wow, if there was a 'natural Xanax' this is it.You cant help but feel the stress drain away from you as you gaze blissfully upon the beautiful Ozark Mountain/ Lake scenery. 

So relaxing... 

Until tomorrow…

The Happy Campers