For My Aunt Connie

I spoke with my Aunt Connie tonight. I'm a bad niece for not contacting her more often. She said that she checks my blog about three times a week and is always disappointed that she never sees anything new. She told me to at least update and say that I'm too busy to update. But I think I can do a little better than that.

Today is her birthday so Lawson decided to take a picture for her after his bath tonight. Sorry you can't see that he's smiling. He's rarely without a paci after a bath. So, Aunt Connie, happy birthday! We love you and can't wait to see you!

Oh, and don't those big boy dinosaur pajamas kill you?!

Resolutions

Happy New Year! Well, I'm jumping the gun. I should really be saying that at midnight tonight. Confused? As a teacher, I always feel like the rollover from July to August is much more the start of a new year than the actual year change and holiday. And with my new year starting tomorrow, I feel there are some resolutions I want/need to make with regard to the new school year. While I have been a working mama before when I went back for the last nine weeks of school last spring, going back to work in just two short weeks will be very different. Lawson is a different baby than he was two months ago with a completely different schedule. I feel it will be even harder to go back to work this time around than it was in the spring knowing that I have 36 weeks of work to get through before I can spend each day with him again versus the nine weeks I had to get through the first time. With all of that said, there are some vows I'm making to myself as I sport my working mother hat here in a couple of weeks. Here they are:

1. No working on anything for school before Lawson goes to bed.

Justin and I are probably crazy but we are working opposite schedules again once school starts. While we don't see too much of each other, Lawson doesn't have to go to daycare. I don't have anything against daycare, but we can make this arrangement work for us, so we do. Lawson has been going to bed lately around 8 p.m. (sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later) so that will give me a few hours in the evenings to work on what I need to before I go to bed. Sidenote: With my school hours changing, I don't have to leave for school until around 8 a.m. each morning so I get to nurse Lawson when he wakes up and spend an hour with him before I go to school, which is awesome.

2. No school work in the bedroom.

I have a really bad habit about taking work to bed with me. However, I always get too sleepy to do it and it never gets done. Plus, I want to really relax at night before I go to sleep. I decided that I will keep all school work out of the bedroom. I already removed all the books/papers/workbooks/etc. that were cluttered on the floor and they will not be going back in!

3. Work on Friday nights when Lawson goes to bed.

That doesn't sound like fun does it? Well, Justin will be at work anyway so I figure if I can still work on school stuff on Friday nights when Lawson goes to bed then I won't have to work as much when Lawson is awake on the weekends, and hopefully I won't have as much to do on Sunday nights when I normally try to cram it all in and get depressed about Monday approaching way to quickly.

4. Save the TV for the weekend.

I love TV (and I'm not afraid to admit it) and DVR a lot of shows. I can get distracted by these pretty easily. I honestly feel accomplished when I can delete shows off the DVR. Silly, I know. So I'm going to try and save my shows for the weekend. This will allow me to get more done during the weekday evenings and hopefully not have as much to do on the weekend.

5. Make more good phone calls home to parents.

No parent likes to get the call that little Susie or Johnny is doing poorly in school and I certainly don't like making those calls. However, they must be done. So in order to make phone calls home to parents a little more bearable, I want to start making some good phone calls to parents. I'm sure some parents will love to hear that their son/daughter is doing great...what parent wouldn't?

6. Grade, grade, grade.

I always get behind in grading. Always. So once again, like I swear I'll do every school year, I will try to keep up on my grades. Hoping some other resolutions will help this one to fall into place.

7. Say no.

Want to serve on this committee? Sure! Want to help with this event? Absolutely! Want to give up your entire prep period to do me a favor? Yes! That's how I used to be. I feel like I'm always saying yes to everything. However, I'd like to say no more this year. I need all of my time during my prep period and when Lawson goes to bed to work on grading and planning so I don't want to take on anything else to take away from me not getting done what I need to get done. Doing that would ultimately take away from time with Lawson which I definitely don't want!

8. Implement new lesson plans and activities.

With four years of teaching under my belt, I feel very comfortable with knowing what works and what doesn't. However, I think that a teacher can get into a rut of just using the same lessons and activities all of the time, and I'd like to implement some new things that I've had floating around in my head and see how they work.

9. Get to know more students on an individual level.

It's easy to get to know the student that raises her hand each day in class and is outgoing, but it's difficult to get to know the student that sits in the corner in the back of the room. While I do my best, I don't get to know all of my students like I'd like to. I'm going to try to remedy that this year.

10. Have fun!

The Leavell household will not be ready for me to be a stay-at-home mama anytime soon and that's OK. In the meantime, I'd like to try and have fun this year and really enjoy my time at school as well as at home.

Here's to a good year!

I miss my mom.

I know I don't blog often at all anymore. I could give you a list of excuses as to why, but I won't. The truth is, I'm hurting right now and I need to get it out. I'm not writing this for anyone to feel sorry for me. I just need to write it.

I miss my mom. This is an emotion I have daily but has been very heavy lately. It's been stronger than ever since Lawson was born, which I kind of expected. Sure it kills me that he won't know her. But sometimes it kills me even more that I can't call her with the simple baby questions. Or call her and let her hear Lawson laughing because I know she would love it. Ever since she died I get these very minute moments when I think to myself, "I haven't called my mom in awhile. I should call her." The moment doesn't even last a full second. I can't explain it any better than that. I just get a feeling that I haven't spoken to her and that I should.

She was in my dream the other night. I was a cheerleader in high school again and parents were invited to our practice and she was there. I walked into practice and for some reason I hadn't seen her for awhile so I ran up to her and gave her a hug. I felt the soft skin of her cheek up against mine and she smelled like she always did--like peppermint and her perfume. She wasn't sick in my dream. She looked like she did before she got sick, which is how I picture her to look now.

I get scared sometimes that I'm forgetting her. Sometimes I challenge myself to think of a memory of her. I try to think of one moment with her. And I can't. I try to picture her in my head and I can't. It's like a bunch of pictures and memories flash into view all at once but nothing sticks. Nothing rests in my mind for a moment so I can really see it. It scares me. It makes me think that I'm forgetting everything about her. But then she'll show up in a dream of mine like the other night. That helps, but it's not enough.

I knew I would miss her more when I had Lawson. I remember crying the night before he was born because it wasn't fair that she wouldn't be there to meet him the next day. I cry now because she doesn't get to enjoy him. She doesn't get to hold him and love on him. She doesn't get to tickle him and make him laugh. She doesn't get to spoil him. I hate that. When I think about all of that I want to throw a five-year-old's temper tantrum and scream and kick my legs and cry and shout "It's not fair" over and over. Because it's not. It's not fair that  Lawson doesn't get to have her as a grandma. But then I get selfish because I also don't think it's fair that I don't get to have her either. I don't get to hear her voice or hear her laugh. I don't get to see her smile or hold her hand. I don't get to lose minutes and hours on the phone with her talking about The Young and the Restless and what we did that day. I don't get to waste Sundays with her or stay up late eating popcorn together and watching mindless television. I miss all of those things.

I don't know what else to say. Sometimes I have nights like this. Lawson is sleeping in his crib and Justin is at work and I just cry. I cry for her and for Lawson and for me. I cry until my shoulders shake and I run out of tears. I listen to some of her favorite songs and songs that remind me of her. I look at pictures of her. Then I take a shower and try to do something to distract myself. I wonder if it's healthy to do this. At least it makes me feel better.

Stress-Free Sunday

A year or two ago I remember hearing about a study that said that Monday was not the most stressful day of the week (as thought, I guess), but Sunday was, in fact, the most stressful/depressing time of the week. Surprising to some, but it made sense to me. Usually at this time on a Sunday I am worried about the assignments I didn't grade over the weekend, if I have enough planned for three different 90-minute classes the next day, and how early I need to get up on Monday morning in order to beat the line at the copy machine. But this Sunday, today, has been stress-free. This is one perk I was looking forward to over winter break. Since I have no plans for tomorrow and definitely no classes to prepare for, my biggest contemplation at the moment is whether to clean out my closet or update my address book when I get up in the morning. Decisions, decisions...

On another note, we had a wonderful Christmas. While it was strange to not wake up and immediately unwrap presents, we had a relaxing Christmas morning before Jess and I (Justin was at work, of course) headed to New Castle to have dinner with my family. My dad and Lea came from Fort Wayne and came back to our apartment to spend the evening. Justin got home from work not too long after we got back from New Castle and we opened gifts together. We were all blessed with presents that we love. Among other gifts, I received several new books and a new Vera Bradley purse (which I love!) from my dad and Lea and a new Vera Bradley lunch bag from my sister. Justin spoiled me with several items, but my favorite from him has to be the watch he got me. If you know me, you know that I'm a fan of big watches that not only say "LOOK AT WHAT IS ON MY WRIST" but allow you to tell the time even if you are sitting ten yards away from me. And Justin took that knowledge (with some help from my sister) and got me a gorgeous new watch that is awesomely over-sized and simply perfect for me. Justin also received some great gifts including new games and accessories for the Wii, new clothes, a paper shredder (yes, he shares my love for office supplies) and some much-needed new socks for work which only allowed me to have the joy of Christmas all over again when I got to clean out his sock drawer this morning and throw away any sock that had the hint of a hole in it.

Now I'm enjoying a Sunday evening for once, watching the Colts try to pull off yet another win, waiting for my sick husband (of the bajillion colds I've had since we've been together, I think this is the third one he has ever had) to get home safely in this weather. Now if only I could make the agonizing decision to start a new book or read a magazine...

Traditions

It's funny how locations can change, the people around you can change, and you can change, but you always end up finding comfort in doing things you've always done. It's comforting to carry on traditions, especially at Christmas.

This year marks the second Christmas without my mom. In some ways it is more painful than the first. I think last year I was still numb from it all; still in shock that she wasn't coming back and also on a honeymoon, just-got-married high. But this year I feel it has settled in more. However, it's nice to find peace and comfort in traditions.

This Christmas will be the first Christmas that I don't wake up in a twin bed at my parent's house in Muncie. Instead, I'll wake up next to my husband (yep, didn't even wake up next to him last year...I believe he was freezing on the floor below me on an air mattress) with my sister a little further away in our guest room and my dad two hours away in Fort Wayne. So, yes, the location has changed, the people around me have changed, but we've still carried on traditions this year that have helped me accept these changes and embrace new holiday happenings.

Since Justin and I moved last year on the day after Thanksgiving, we barely put up a tree, so I was very excited to decorate the entire apartment for Christmas this year. With my dad selling our house in Muncie, I inherited several of our Christmas decorations so now our apartment feels a little bit like my house always felt like during this time of year. A few of our family Christmas decorations:

Our family Christmas tree with most of the ornaments that have always adorned it.

My stocking (on the left) and Justin's. My mom made my stocking when I was little and then made one for Justin when it became apparent he was going to be sticking around.

These stocking holders held my stocking and Jessica's for over twenty years. They now hold my stocking and Justin's.

My favorite Christmas decoration. I remember how I would have to wait for it to be my turn to move the mouse one day closer to Christmas. Now Justin let's me move it everyday and have all of the turns.

My maternal grandmother used to have two ornaments like this one on her tree, then my mom inherited them and now I have one my tree and Jess has one on hers.

While it's traditional to have those decorations decking our halls, it's nice to have a few new ones to look at, like these:

Our Colts tree!

The wreath on our front door.

An ornament of Cinderella's Castle that we bought on our honeymoon last year in Disney.

Another Disney ornament that we bought to mark our first Christmas together, and a few more below that we received as gifts last year.

In carrying on with another tradition, Jess came over today (bags in tow to spend a few nights with me and Justin) and we spent the day baking Christmas cookies and making fudge.


I also made some killer barbecued ribs in the crock pot for dinner:


Justin got home around 8:15 and we all had dinner together. He also finished wrapping presents and the underneath of Christmas tree is growing into the middle of the living room now.


So while I may still cry at mother/daughter Christmas commercials or tear up when I walk by the "Mom" Christmas card section at Hallmark, I'll keep carrying on these family traditions that bring me comfort and creating new ones that excite me for the future.

Now, in just one more tradition, I'm going to go try and convince Justin to take my dad's place in reading "The Night Before Christmas" to me and Jess. Then we all need to get in bed so Santa can come!

Ups, Downs, & Indifferents

A way to organize the last month and a half:

UP: Justin and I celebrated our first anniversary on October 18th. It was a very low-key celebration that included Justin being home for four days straight without working (the next time that might happen is when we have a child...and they might not even let him have that much time off then) so we enjoyed the company of each other from Thursday to Sunday and found it strange to eat dinner together four nights in a row.

UP: I coach some of the best cheerleaders around. We are now out of competition season and I am proud to say that the JV came in third in the state competition and Varsity placed first in the small co-ed division at the Indiana Cheerleading Association state finals. Yep, first. Which means they are state champions. Which means they have gold medals. Which means that they will be fitted for state championship rings in the next couple of weeks. And it means that they are a great group of kids and I'm pleased and thankful that I got to be a part of such a huge accomplishment.

DOWN: My grandmother passed away last week. She was the head of my family on my father's side and the whole heart of the family, really. I spoke at her funeral and felt honored to do so. I think several of my family members will feel lost for a long time, but we will find comfort in each other, and like I said at the funeral, we are the lucky ones that got to be on the receiving end of her love and while she may not be here, at least we get to hold on really tight to that love.

INDIFFERENT: School. Ugh. So overwhelmed. I should be grading something or making an answer key for something or writing a lesson plan for something right now, but I had to take a break. But now that I just wrote that I feel guilty for not doing something for my job. Geez.

UP: I went to a Relay for Life leadership conference this past weekend and had an amazing time. More on that in separate post, but I got re-energized to plan this event. It really just confirmed that I am doing something awesome to honor my mom and that makes me feel good.

DOWN: My dad is selling my childhood home in Muncie and Jess and I had to go there yesterday to help go through some stuff. I'm having a really hard time with this. Is it just a physical structure? Technically. Is it so much more to me? Absolutely. It's hard. I feel like one chapter of my life is ending and I'm definitely not ready to turn the page. It is bringing up a lot of grief from my mom's death that I thought I had worked through. And I feel that I need to keep everything from the house. I feel like if I get rid of something, then I'm getting rid of the memory, and while I know that's not true, it's just hard and that's the only way I can explain it.

UP: It is the holiday season and if I didn't have a million things to do for school, I would totally start decorating for Christmas right now. I absolutely love this time of year and if the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas could last for a few months instead of one then I would be one happy girl!

DOWN: My little Maggie kitty is, indeed, getting older. Justin and I took her for her yearly check-up and found out that she has the early stages of hyperthyroidism. Basically that means that her metabolism is extremely high (which explains why/how she digests food so fast and is hungry all the time...including wanting breakfast at 4 a.m.) and she will continue to lose weight gradually (which an 11-year-old kitty should not do) and eventually it will be full-blown and by then her life expectancy should be about two to four years, which really will be her expectancy anyway by that time. So we are just going to weigh her each month and see when she goes into full hyperthyroidism and go from there. But I continue to snuggle with her as much as possible and feed her scraps from the table almost daily!

DOWN: I haven't seen my friends since BSU homecoming and I know I haven't been the best friend lately since I have been so overwhelmed and busy with cheerleading. But I will see them this weekend so I can make up for some lost time!

UP: Today is Justin's birthday! He is 28 today. Since it is Monday (and if Justin didn't work at the theater on a Monday the place might cave in on itself) he won't be home until around 8:30 so we are having a party when he gets home. The guest list consists of the two coolest girls around...me and Mags. So I am about to put his birthday cake in the oven (he's not a fan of store-bought cake) and I will be ready to sing a solo "Happy Birthday" to him when he walks in the door...party hats and all. I'll take pictures!

Ok, gotta bake a cake! And grade...

Fall!

Yes, fall is finally here. I've been waiting anxiously for it. A saw a hint of it a couple of weeks ago as I was driving over Geist and a gust of wind blew some leaves on my car. I halfway felt like I was in the beginning credits of a Lifetime movie and a camera on a helicopter should be filming my car as I pulled into the driveway of one of the giant, gorgeous homes on Geist. Too bad that wasn't true.

The weather has been very fall-like this week. The temperatures have been cool enough for sweatshirts and warm meals, like the chili and crockpot chicken and noodles made in our house this week. I'm looking forward to several things this fall including our first wedding anniversary. I also love the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas when your home feels a little cozier than it does during any other time of the year.

However, this week has also brought some sadness to our family. My great aunt Hazel passed away on Tuesday. She was my mom's aunt and since I never knew my maternal grandmother, my mom's aunts always seemed like surrogate grandmothers to me and Jess. I have fond and warm memories of going to my aunt Hazel's house. I remember that she had the best backyard that I had ever seen as a little girl simply because it had tomato plants in it. We used to play for hours with magnets on the back porch with her dog, Pepper, following us around. And when we were lucky to spend the night, we got to watch TV and eat popcorn and steal as many jelly beans from the candy jar in the kitchen as we wanted to, just as long as we didn't tell mom. The beds in her house were always too tall for me to climb onto by myself, and I thought the $2 bill under the glass in her vanity mirror was the coolest thing ever. She suffered a stroke at the end of June and had been doing well, but after 91 years, she passed in her sleep at the nursing home. I pray that we can all be as lucky to have 91 years on this earth and die without any kind of suffering.

I'm doing more of what I need to do this weekend and that includes spending time with friends. Tonight I am celebrating a friend's upcoming wedding with a bachelorette dinner downtown. Tomorrow, I will be a college student for a day and return to BSU for tailgating, the homecoming game, and a typical BSU Saturday night in the village. Sunday I will return to the real world and grade furiously in anticipation for the end of the quarter.

Have a great weekend!

Dean Cline Band

You know that rock star I mentioned in my last post? He's my uncle and while I don't get to see his band play as much as I'd like, whenever I do, I'm so proud that he is my uncle and that I'm related to one hell of a cool guy. If you were at my wedding, you might remember him. He played guitar during the ceremony.

My sister and I went to see him play last night at my cousin's bar in New Castle. I had spent a whole day with family (on my mom's side) and it was great to spend a whole evening with them too (on my dad's side).

Here are some pictures from last night:

Here he is! If you can't already tell just by looking at him,
he's my dad's youngest brother.

Me and my aunt Lesa (my dad's sister).

Jess and me.

Like I said, it was great to spend time with family, but whenever I'm around family I think I miss my mom a little more just because I am around people that knew her and loved her so much. So thanks to my cousin Amber (I'm pretty sure she requested this), Dean and his band played "Brown Eyed Girl." A little back story on this--"Brown Eyed Girl" was my mom's song. And if you were at my wedding reception then you remember that we played this in memory of her and everyone that knew my mom came and danced with me. It truly is one of my most favorite memories from my wedding day. So here he is singing her song (I apologize for the poor quality at first...it's hard to video and dance at the same time...but it gets better):

And here's a little bit of a classic bar favorite:

They will be at Joe's Grill on 96th street on October 10th. Come check them out!

I'm Back!

My loyal blog readers (all six...OK who am I kidding...all three of them) have requested that I get back into the swing of this blog thing! And I agree! I was kind of afraid that this would happen when school started. I know I would put this thing on the back burner but that's exactly what I don't want to continue to do...so here we go.

Speaking of school, things are going well in my third year. I always said that the first year of teaching is like keeping your head above water, the second year is when someone has thrown you a life jacket, and by your third year you should be in a boat and sailing smoothly. Well, I'm not sure how smooth I'm sailing my boat, but it's sailing! I'm really busy with teaching a couple of new classes this year as well as cheerleading and yearbook. Our 2008-2009 yearbook just came out and it has been receiving really positive feedback so now I feel that the pressure is on even more to do well for next year. We are in full competition mode with cheerleading and soon I will have cheer competitions for four Saturdays straight.

And if all that wasn't enough with trying to be a good little wife (more on us in a minute), I decided to take on something else to put on my already over-flowing plate. I am now the Event Chair for the 2010 Fortville/McCordsville Relay for Life. If you aren't sure what Relay for Life is, check it out here. I've really been looking at doing something to honor my mom ever since she passed away and the opportunity came up to be on the RFL committee and not being one to sit in the corner of a committee meeting, I took the reins and now I'm the Event Chair. Justin and my sister, Jessica, are also serving on the committee so it's nice to be doing this with family. We are currently recruiting other committee members and are in the early stages of planning, but I feel really good about this and feel that is a great way to do my part for cancer fund-raising. I always know that my mom is proud of me, and I couldn't feel more strongly about that since I made this decision.

But with the committee and everything going on at school, I could wear about ten of those "stressed" nametags from my last post everyday. I enjoy everything I am involved in and that's why I do them, because I have a passion for each one, but it all gets to me sometimes. I was talking to my principal this past week and he said he could definitely tell that I had a lot going on. We had a really nice talk and he said that while I may love everything I do, that nothing should keep from setting aside some time for me every now and then. And, well, the only time I get to myself these days are those four to five hours that I sleep each night. He said that people would still like me and think that I am a good person if I say no every now and then--something I struggle with and inherited from my mom, I think. He's right, though. While I am going to continue to do everything I am doing now, I have to start making sure that I am putting some hours into the day for myself.

Now on to the newlyweds. We are technically still under that title for a few more weeks now! Justin is great (working all the time) and while we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, we still enjoy the time we do get together. I cherish our Tuesday and Wednesday nights together (his days off) and even though we usually just spend it making dinner and smiling every now and then at each other as I grade papers/plan lessons and he watches TV, those are my favorite nights of the week. He is taking three days off for our anniversary weekend and I'm excited to get see him for a full 72 hours!

Jess and I went to our family reunion today. It was great to see family members from my mom's side of the family. I forget how much fun I have just talking and catching up with family. We're enjoying some down time right now before we head back to New Castle to watch my uncle's band play. Yep, I'm related to a rock star.

I think you are now caught up on my life. And for more late-breaking news: I'm thinking about biting the bullet and just doing it...joining Facebook, that is.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today would have been my mom's 55th birthday. There's something that bothers me about that phrase like people might think that today doesn't have significance anymore just because my mom isn't alive to blow out any candles. However, in a way I think my mom would have been OK missing this birthday.

My mom never wanted to look old, feel old, and she definitely never wanted to be seen as old. Not that I think 55 is old at all. My dad will be 62 at the end of this month and I don't see that as old. But I also see my dad living for another 40 years and still being about to fix anything around the house at that time. However, the world must see 55 as old since it is one of the magical ages of the senior citizen discount. After doing a little research, I realized that there a several different ages that businesses and organizations see people as senior citizens. Some are outrageous enough to call someone that is 50 a senior citizen (including AARP, and you don't want to know what came out of my mom's mouth when she started getting stuff from them in the mail), but I'm pretty sure that at 55 my mom would have been able to get a discount at Goodwill and Kohl's on a given day of the week, get into a movie cheaper than someone younger, and get a 10% discount at Ace Hardware, not that she frequented that store.

So while I definitely missed not sitting around our table eating a family dinner tonight and singing happy birthday and carving into a double-layer white cake with buttercream icing from Marsh, I smile at the picture I do see in my mind: my mom in heaven looking at least ten years younger than her age like she always did with a mischievous grin on her face as if to say, "Go ahead, just try and call me old."

Happy birthday, Mom.

Canoe Country

What is included in a great summer afternoon? How about family, perfect weather, lots of laughs, and a relaxing canoe trip? That is exactly what our afternoon consisted of yesterday. Justin's brother Shane mentioned his interest in canoeing last week so we set the date to go yesterday and invited my sister, Jessica, along for the ride. The decision to invite Jess would prove to be quite an entertaining one, but more on that later.

We made reservations at Canoe Country, a business in Daleville, IN that allows you to rent a canoe, drops you off at a location on the White River, and picks you up at your final destination. Wanting to get the most out of our trip, we decided to do the 10+ mile trip which takes about four hours. We were dropped off in Daleville and paddled our way for four hours to Edgewater Park in Anderson, IN.

The weather was perfect yesterday and even the mid-80s didn't feel hot since we were down on the river and under the shade of trees during a large part of the trip. This was the first time canoeing for Jess and myself. Justin and I were in one canoe and Jess and Shane were in another. Once we got the handle on how to actually steer the canoe...well, I guess once Shane and Jess got a handle on not canoeing backwards or sideways (Justin was a pro at steering from the beginning), we were on our way down the White River. We brought drinks and snacks along and I am definitely disappointed that I didn't bring my camera, but Canoe Country warns you not to take anything that you don't want wet or lost, so we were safe for this trip and left the camera at home.

We had a leisurely ride down the river, enjoying the scenery of the parks and pointing out each duck and turtle and snake (eek!) we saw. We were about three and half hours into our trip, and even though it was proving to be a fun-filled and relaxing afternoon, what happened next would definitely be the biggest memory of the trip--the memory that we will sit around ten years from now and say, "Hey Shane and Jess, remember that first time we went canoeing and you..."

Now nothing short of an actual first-hand account of this incident can do it justice of just how funny it was, but I'll try my best. For about the last mile of the trip, we decided it would be a good idea to race. Things were going great (because Justin and I were winning) but Shane and Jess caught up and we reached a shallow part of the river. With rocks scraping the bottom, and my competitive nature kicking in, I yelled at Justin to get out and drag the canoe out of the rocks. Jess and Shane followed suit and abandoned their canoe to start dragging it as well. With the rocks a little painful under our feet and with Justin noticing that the water was deeper a few feet in front of us, we got back in our canoe and were pushing off the bank when I looked up and saw Shane and Jess neck-deep in the river and their canoe completely sideways and taking on water. Knowing that the water wasn't deep enough to go over their heads, Justin and I could not help but laugh. I guess Jess lost her shoe and they were both trying to get it while realizing the river wasn't shallow anymore and when they both tried to get in the canoe again at the same time, mother nature wasn't on their side. Seeing our siblings scramble, Justin and I could not stop laughing while Shane was trying to get the canoe upright and Jess was going for the oar that was quickly floating down the river along with all of the other contents of the canoe. Already soaked from head to toe, they gathered everything but the oar and pulled the boat up on some rocks while Justin and I went down the river for the oar. In the end we didn't lose anything (but I was glad not to have the camera to worry about!) and we got a drenched Shane and Jess back into their canoe and down to the pick-up area.

At the end of the day we were a little sunburnt, a lot tired, (some of us very wet!), but glad for the good time and the laughs had with family. I think our afternoon of canoeing may just become a new summertime hobby!

John 14:2

2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.