Camping...

My fellow tent-setter-upper and I.  This guy was a trooper!

So, two days ago, I did the unthinkable.  I took 4 of my younger siblings, by myself, camping.  Yes, my friends, camping.  Actually, 3 of them were very responsible and were not a problem.  Only the youngest of them, Miss Talkalot, was a bit of a handful.

Not sure why we bothered with a clothesline since we were ALWAYS

in the water!  :P

However, we did have a good time, getting lots and lots and lots and lots and ..... okay, you get the point .... we got lots of swimming in.  :)

We enjoyed a gorgeous sunset, a gorgeous morning, and great outdoor weather all-around, unless you wanted to sleep, in which case the stillness and heat did nothing to summon a quickness to slumber.  But other than waking up about once an hour to silence Miss Talkalot, buy a cold drink from the vending machine for a certain over-heated brother, and calm a scared-just-had-a-nightmare sister, I had a great night's sleep!

The first night, we gathered kindling, and built a legit fire.  I was able to make
some scrambled eggs for supper, and then we all had fun roasting marshmellows and eating s'mores.  The next day, however, we were so tired that we just showered charcoal in lighter fluid, lit a match, and tried to cook our hot dogs before the flames went out.  Much lighter fluid was used in the making of lunch.


After that, we swam for another couple of hours, packed up camp, and headed home with what I'd like to think as an added healthy glow to our skin, but what Mom would like to say was closer to sunburn than anything else.  Difference in opinions, that is all.

The little people enjoying the water

We had fun, but I think I'll wait for a time when the WHOLE family can go camping next time.

Summer Fun!

Yes, it's summer, and yes, that means wanting to go out and do crazy things and make lots of fun and awesome memories along the way.  Here are a few family friendly things I've done while NOT going broke.  :D

These first two are for those of you who live in the Austin area:

1.  Pack all the kids up and head down to the Arboretum.  I took several of my younger siblings and they had a blast climbing on the cows and playing around the pond.  Finish up with a quick stop at McDonald's and call it a day!

2.  Enjoy the annual summer musical at Zilker Park!  This year they're doing The Sound of Music, and let me just say that the set is AweSome, the actors are GreaT, and they do an AmaZing job!  The best part about this?  It's absolutely FREE!  So go find some hole-in-the-wall restaurant downtown before the show and have a wonderful evening!  You may want to get there early, though, because it can be hard to find good seats on the hillside if you have a large number of people with you.

3.  This one you can do anywhere, really.  All you need is about $10 (depending on your number of "victims") and a couple of blindfolds.  I blindfolded three of my sisters, ushered them into the van, drove around several neighborhoods (so they'd get good and turned around) and then headed Sonic.  Of course, I parked in front of the CVS Pharmacy (after making them promise to keep the blindfolds on as they sat in the car) and walked over to Sonic so they couldn't hear me order our cherry limeades!  So much stinkin' fun (especially trying to drive with them on my lap :P ).

4.  Go camping!  If a campsite doesn't work out, set up a tent in the backyard, get a fire going in the fire pit, make s'mores, tell creepy stories, and then find a place to go hiking the next day.  Booya!

Hmmm, Life

I ordered my textbooks for the fall semester.  Ouch!

But I got to spend the weekend with Esther, so it was okay.  :)

Someday, I'll be able to have a summer where I won't have to work and I can just play and read and hang out all day every day.  But until then, I'll just enjoy the place God has me and try to pour into my coworkers as much as He allows.  God is good.  All the time.

Pictures of my lovely family

If you're on facebook, then you've probably already seen these, but I felt that my blog was completely devoid of picturehood, and so, here they are.  And because it is my blog, after all, you shouldn't complain.  ;)

....  The end ....

My Loves

Pictured l-r, children #'s: 6, 10, 7, 9, and 5

Have I mentioned that I love these guys?  Well I do.