A couple of weeks ago, the kids and I packed up and headed for a night at the lake with friends. Ricky had to work, so we just decided to take a little road trip. I love the lake and I wanted my kids to get to experience this. I know what you're thinking and I agree... it's sad that they are 11 and 8 and they have never been to the lake. Better late than never, right? They experienced many "firsts" on this trip. It was our first little over night stay, as a family, without Ricky. Ryte did not want to leave his dad at home alone. Isn't that funny...we were going maybe 30 minutes away for one night, and Ryte just thought Ricky would be so upset without us. I assured Ryte that his dad would probably enjoy a night to himself, and he agreed to go. We stopped by the store and picked up a few things and then we headed for the lake. As soon as we got there, we decided to take a boat ride. This was also a first for my kids! They loved it! I just watched them as they took it all in.
Riya made sure she did not overreact.You know she has that image to uphold. She's eleven and nothing is a big deal at eleven, but even though she didn't jump for joy, I could see her smiling through her eyes.
Ryte, on the other hand, had the biggest smile across his face the entire ride. He loved the everything from wearing a life jacket to the wind blowing his hair. After the ride, the kids played a quick game of volleyball while the hot dogs were grilling. We ate, laughed, and just enjoyed time with friends. Around midnight, after the kids had gone to bed, we thought it was a great time to pull out Rummikub.
We love this game, and if you haven't played it, you're missing out! Well we thought wrong! The kids were in and out of bed! Ryte came down because he had fallen asleep, and fell off the bed. He hit the corner of the nightstand and ended up with a huge knot on his back. After that the flood gates opened up for the rest of the kids. Some were thirsty, some were hungry, some were just not sleepy, and some just did not want to miss out on anything! Our "relaxing" game ended around 1:30am.
The next day we went back out on the lake for some tubing! I have expressed in earlier posts that I am not the adventurous one, so this was a first for me also. We had so much fun! Later we went to "Sliding Rock.
For those who don't know, this is a waterfall that is more like a water slide. Ryte slipped and fell down at the wrong place, so that was the only trip down for him. He also can't stand to be cold and the water was VERY cold. However, I think Riya would have stayed there all day! She loved it! I would see her go down and in just a minute, she was up there again getting ready to slide. Before loading up to go back home, Riya and Ryte also tried water skiing for the first time. I was so happy that they have the courage to try new things. I would have never done that, and I'm not sure I would now either. They are so brave! They did pretty good for their first time! This was such a fun trip and we made such great memories! I don't think the kids will forget it! Next time, we have to have Ricky there though. We all missed him. I really did when I was loading and unloading the car!
My old "roomie" came this week for a visit! It was great to sit and talk and just catch up. She lives in Alabama now, and it's been 5 years since I have seen her. The last time she came to visit she had two children and one on the way. This time she came with her four kids! Yes...I said four; from 9 years to 9 months! She is a wonderful mom and I am just amazed by her patience! WOW! She spent two days at our house.
We went to the park until we were too hot, and then we went swimming. Jaime has always been such a faithful friend. I love those friendships! You know the ones that it doesn't matter how long it's been since you've talked, you just pick right back up where you left off! One thing that I have always admired about Jaime is her relationship with the Lord. She is always listening to the voice of God and seeking his wisdom in every situation. I feel like I try to do that in really difficult situations, but Jaime does it in EVERYTHING. She sees His teaching in every step of her life, and she is constantly thinking about how she can better herself. That inspires me! We had a wonderful visit, and I look forward to the next one. I hope it's sooner than 5 years!!!
