Friday Morning...

Well, knock me over with a feather...

James did not cry one tear and he didn't fight at all. He went straight back without me and was out in 20 minutes. That never happens.

The assistant was bragging on him when she brought him out and I told her I had been praying for James all morning and when he was back there. She rolled her eyes at me. Oh well, doesn't matter. Well, it does matter. She matters. And maybe I can talk more with her next time. Ya'll can pray for me that I will open my big mouth and actually talk about the things that matter with people.

On the school front...Square Roots~~not as bad as I remembered. Spelling is going about like I thought it would for Matt and Abbie. James has an attention span of about 10 seconds so not a lot is getting done with him. He likes to sit down with me and start the workbooks, but finishing the page, ah, not so much. But the lure of a sticker on the page is doing its job, so far, and we are moving ahead. I just hope I don't run out of stickers anytime soon.

Mark and the big boys are heading out tomorrow morning to freeze their keisters off on a Scout camping trip. Abbie is having a friend spend the night and I hope to catch up on some things since I have been out of commission for awhile. Yesterday I felt tired, but didn't hurt all day. Yea! Last night I cooked a whole meal and tonight I'm using the leftovers to make a big pot of veggie-beef soup. With cornbread of course.

Don't forget you can enter my cookbook giveaway here.

The next few weekends are going to be pretty packed for us so I am looking forward to a low-key one starting today about 5:00. Today school calls and taking Sylvester the cat back to the vet. Oh, the laundry, I think the machine has a crush on me cause it keeps beckoning me out there.

pretty, happy, funny, real....

Happy~~~~~

One of my girls~~Mystery Solver. Yep, James named her when she was just a chick. I guess he thought they were going to solve some crimes together. All the girls are happy and back to normal now. We are getting about 6-9 eggs a day.



Happy~~

Watching my kiddos playing outside makes me very happy.


Funny~~

Aunt Molly taught Matt how to put the rabbits in some sort of a trance. You lay them on their backs slowly and then they just lay there. Sue, our female, is a very wild rabbit and to be able to let her go hands-free like is pretty neat. She's pretty funny laying there too. It looks like you have a dead rabbit laying in your lap.


Funny and Real~~

At the campout last week a group of the girls decided they wanted to start a new trend. They came up with lacing their shoes from the top down. I took a picture to document the start of this new trend and came up with the name-Top-Tied. So, be looking for this new craze to sweep the nation soon....

Be sure to go check out the other Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real submissions over at Like Mother, Like Daughter.

Oh ya'll....

What a weekend!

I made it through the camping experience, but it was really not that fun. For me anyway. The kiddos loved it. I tolerated it. I kept repeating in my head, "It is not about me. It is not about me. It is about serving Christ by serving my kids." Repeat, repeat, repeat. But to be completely honest I could not get home quick enough. As soon as the truck stopped in the driveway I headed inside, hugged Mark, and headed to bed. Where I fell dead asleep for 1 1/2 hours. And then I was groggy and grumpy the rest of the night.

(I camped-cooked for the first time ever and it was good!)

Sunday was busy overload. I hate busy Sundays. Hate them. And yes, hate is a strong word, but its true. I won't bore you with the details, but I swung between tired, mad, happy, frustrated, and excited. And that was just between 1-2 pm.

Last night the one of the big boys was playing football after church with some friends and he accidentally stepped on another boy's arm. And it broke. When I found out all about it I just got a very sick feeling in my stomach. So this morning I will be calling the boy's parents to get the scoop and check on him. I know it was an accident, but I feel horrible.

James also had some kind of accident outside in which he got a black eye. He won't tell us the details. Only that a piece of wood hurt him. He says "he doesn't want to talk about it." Sometimes living with some of my more contrary children is an exercise in perseverance. Perseverance in not pulling my hair out. And screaming into a pillow.


In other, much more important news. Today is little Jonathon's surgery. I can't be at the hospital today, but I'll be there tomorrow with Rebekah and Eric. I have been praying little prayers all morning and I know they would appreciate any that you lift up also.

So, today is home and Scout day. Its also Math Day. I've got to do a good math check-up on the big kids. See, I don't particularly like math. I like it more than I used to. But I would much rather make lessons plans for history or literature units. So I have to make myself check up on the kids or lets just say, we could get a little behind. That's my homeschool goal this year. To get into a regular habit of checking up on math. Ahhhhh, this discipline thing. Its killing me. Doesn't math know I need to be out enjoying this beautiful weather? Maybe we can do math check-ups in the swing outside? There we go.

I am also washing sheets and quilts today and hanging them on the line. Mark got the goat's watering thing built this weekend and after he gets one more part on the fence fixed we will start goat shopping. Yikes! I am excited and scared at the same time.

This and That Friday...

Well, up until yesterday afternoon around 4:00 I was handling the camping thing pretty well. And then Tyler came and told me we were missing the tent stakes for both of our tents. At 4:00 in the afternoon. Even though he knew this long before 4:00. And then Matt tells me he hasn't done his history project for co-op. Which we leave for at 8:30 this morning. And then I realized I have to do this and that and this and that and then some more this and that.

And I fell apart. Now how come I can keep my cool about ER visits etc... but something like missing tent stakes makes me feel physically sick? Oh, and then Mark calls at 4:30 and says he won't be home until very late because he has a meeting at church.

So, I did what any stressed out mom with a lot of things to do did. I put the children to bed and went to bed myself. After feeding them supper and making sure they were bathed/showered and after watching The Brady Bunch Hawaii episodes until I thought "If I don't get to Hawaii soon someone is going to get hurt." And then falling asleep on the couch as Child Fuss and Child Fight went on and on about how the strings on The Brady Bunch worked when Marcia was trying to scare the boys in the attic. And vaguely waking up when Mark came home and then falling right back asleep.

So, needless to say I have a lot to do this morning. And I'm sitting here at the computer rambling on. I have a cake to make and clothes to pack. And then we are leaving for co-op. And then to Nana's to drop off James. She volunteered to stay with him so I am down to three kids camping. But James is the one I worry about the most. I am terrified of someone tripping and falling into the big campfire. One less to worry about is a good thing. Then to the camping place.

Will I ever stop whining?

Don't even think about robbing my house while I am gone. First of all, you will be sorely disappointed and we also have two bunnies, three cats, a turtle, six fish, and chickens that will greet you at the door and beg you to come in and feed them.

Wednesday Morning

Grandaddy Clark got to come home last night. Whew! It was strange not knowing they were up in their little apartment. I like having all my family close! Now, if I could just get my side of the family to move out here...

The next couple of days are going to be crazy-busy for me. How come the more I try to stay home and simplify, the more I have to get in my van and go? I think it may be because I have a 13 year old.

Ya'll, something scary is happening this weekend. Scary for me anyway. Through a series of very unfortunate events I am going to be taking four kiddos camping--by myself. Actually, it is going to be my two big boys taking me, Abbie, and James camping, but I still have to be the responsible adult. You see, Mrs. Stacey, of the Heritage Girls, keeps planning all these fun camp-outs and keeps telling the girls about them, and then I have to pick up the slack and actually go. Thanks Mrs. Stacey :).

Oh boy. Its a good thing my big boys are pro-Scouts. Abbie and I have done a campout by ourselves before, but this time I will have four. In two separate tents. And I have decided to cook--on the outdoor cooker thing that I can't remember the name for right now. Because there is nothing worse than waking up on a cool morning, leaving your tent, smelling the pancakes, eggs, and bacon, and knowing that you and your daughter are having cold cereal out of little boxes. So, I am cooking. Well, the boys will probably do the cooking...

Okay, so here I go..to start this day. In which we have to research Visigoth crowns for a history project. I have never even heard of a Visigoth crown, have you?

We Went, We Saw, We Camped...

We did it! And it was fun!

It really was. As we were pulling out of the driveway I was amazed at how calm I was. Abbie was excited and I was too.

I didn't have the camera, but I wish I could show you how dirty the girls were. They just played and played and giggled and giggled. We were camping right next to a BMX track and after the boys left the track for the night the girls took their bikes over and I was surprised at how well they did. They were jumping like pros. Well, maybe not like pros, there were quite a few wipeouts, but they were having a great time laughing and riding with each other.

We only had a couple of casualties One girl did fall and break her foot, but she was a trooper. Her mom took her to the hospital, got her fixed up, and they were back the next morning. Another girl fell Saturday afternoon and began throwing up. So, off to the hospital we went. She and her mom were from a different troop and didn't know this area so I rode to the hospital with them. We were there for a couple of hours and they diagnosed her with a mild concussion. She wanted to go back to the campsite so we did.

I had lots of time to enjoy the wonderful weather and read my book. I also got to talk to moms and daughters and was reminded of how much I love Heritage Girls. And how much I love my daughter.

Speaking of my Abbie. She has always been much more brave than me (which is good) and much much more outgoing (which is very good). When she gets in front of an audience she shines. I knew we could possibly have an actress on our hands, but it was confirmed to me Friday night. She was in a skit with about four other girls. We were all sitting around the campfire waiting for it to begin. Abbie introduced herself and then said,

"Please, no flash photography."

Hmmm,

Our Protector

Well, its 7:49 AM. James just woke up. He gave me some snuggles and then headed out the back door. He quickly came back inside and announced, "I'll have to fight the bad guys later. Its too cold outside right now."

We are in good hands around here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the weekend for the Heritage Girl campout. And guess what?

I am not dreading it. Now, I dread having to pack everything up and unload it and get the campsite together. Once we are there though, I am pretty much useless. The boys will set everything up and when Mark gets there after work he will run the show. (And cook). I heart my hubby!

It is supposed to be wonderful weather for camping and the camping place is only 20 minutes or so from my house. If we need something I can just run home and get it. Or, if my back is killing me after the first night I can just come home and sleep in my bed the second night.

Abbie and the boys are pumped up and ready to camp. James is ready to spend the weekends at Nana's. School this morning, clean-up, bill-paying, grocery-buying, and then we are off.

Friday

Okay, has this week not just been perfect weather-wise? Last night Mark and I sat in the swing until way after dark and watched the kids play. It was one of my favorite nights ever. I love spring (except for the pollen), but I can live with the pollen in order to experience spring.



It's Friday and that means a Cub Scout campout? Apparently these Scouts take their camping very seriously cause they do it a lot. Fortunately, I have a Sweet Hubby who loves to camp and all I have to do is drop them off. So it will just be James, Abbie, and me tonight. I fully intend to do the ironing I did not do last Friday night. Ya'll I was so tired last Friday night. I got the kiddos in bed, got my book, and was in the bed by 8:45 pm. You can just call me GrandMamaHen.



Do any of you read Lizzie from A Dusty Frame? I have been encouraged by her blog. Her family has really been through a lot and she is honest with her struggles. But, she always leads us back to Jesus. She is the real deal and I am so glad I found her blog. Lizzie and her sister have started a new blog about selling on Etsy and Ebay. It is very informative and might be a great way for a stay-at-home mom to make a little extra money. Even if you don't want to make a career of it you will still receive lots of good hints and ideas. I think it would really encourage Lizzie if you would go and check it out and leave your comments.



Well, we are through with school are I am about to tell the kids we are all going out to clean out the van. Quick poll, who thinks at least 3 out of 4 children will groan? I know which side I would be betting on. But, to tell you the truth, I don't want to do it either. I just don't know what could be keeping my maid from showing up, do you?

Friday, Friday...

We have been schooling today, but it so pretty outside I just want to sit and sit in my swing and do nothing. Is that allowed?

A few updates...

~James has tee-teed on the potty twice this morning!
~So far the no-soda challenge hasn't been that bad. I haven't had one since Sunday and to tell you the truth I haven't missed it. So far.
~Mark is taking the Boy Scouts camping tonight so after I get the kiddos in the bed I am ironing and finally watching Sense and Sensibility. My ironing basket is overflowing and the job has to be done.
~Jill and I are going to see my grandaddy tomorrow!

Well, that's about it. Nothing too exciting and that's a good thing right now. Do any of you have any fun weekend plans?

Sunday Afternoon

Everyone survived the cold weather camping. And it was cold. Not for James and me, because we came home and slept in our toasty warm beds, but the rest of the campers just about froze their patooies off the first night. Abbie had the time of her life though. Sweet Hubby went way above and beyond the call of fatherhood duty on this campout. He is used to dealing with Cub and Boy Scouts and there were about 60 little girls squealing and giggling. He loved it! He so loves children and seeing Abbie so happywas wonderful.

But, now we are back home to the real world, and are dead tired. Mark is presently asleep in the recliner and James is conked out on the couch. I have already had my nap and am trying to gear myself up for the busy week ahead. And it is one more busy week. I have decided to stay off the computer as much as possible this week so I'm going to take a blogging break. Ya'll hold me accountable. If you see me on your site reader or me sneaking in a comment, well, I don't know what you need to do, but do something! And if any of you can find a way to also hold me accountable to lose some weight and stop biting my fingernails let me know! See you next week!

A Glimpse Into My Morning

This morning I needed to print out some papers to bring to Abbie's AHG campout which starts this evening and does not end until Sunday at lunch. And, oh my goodness, I am trying not to get stressed about making sure everyone is packed adequately for cold weather camping and trying to get all the food together and trying to make sure the house is clean enough so that if the house catches on fire while I am gone the firemen will see that I made my bed and that our school week has been pretty much shot this week and that the boys have SATS coming up and my second son has no idea how to take tests, especially an SAT, and well, you get the picture.

So, I am trying to print out the forms and the printer will not work. So I am going through all the things I know to do before I have to call Mark and get his help. And I bend down to look into the printer because the paper holder thingy looks a little crooked. And I see two corndogs sticks from the corndogs we had for lunch FOUR days ago and I wonder why in the world they would be there. And then I remember I have a three year old. And I just take them out and throw them away and go on with my morning. Except to sit down and write this post which distracted me for a few more minutes from all the stuff I need to be doing.

All those words just to say, I hope you have a lovely weekend. I will be camping (sorta). I am actually coming home at night with James cause MamaHen don't play the camping thing in cold weather. So, I'll just come and go and sleep in my nice warm bed like all the other "no camping in cold weather" people. Are you a cold weather camper? Or do you go in the intense heat of August like we did last summer? I am just looking for a happy medium~~like late April. Now, doesn't that sound nice?

Pretty Genius If You Ask Me....

A couple of months ago Mark made the kids a swing that hangs from this huge oak tree behind our garden area. The kids have enjoyed it and today Tyler decided to add a little to it. He somehow tied his camping chair to the board and made it swing.

Later in the afternoon I saw Tyler up there reading a book and I have to say, "It did this mama's heart good."

As I was bringing some laundry in (and by the way I did do five loads today, although one was a repeat. I accidentally put some clean clothes back into the washer and they were all wet before I realized it-sometimes I wonder about myself), I found James in Sylvester's basket. They have become big buddies and when I hear James talking to "Vester" I about can't stand it. They just sit and James talks and talks to him.

I know he is barefoot in November, but it is still pretty warm down here. And yes, I did give him a bath. Look at those feet!

I knew I was going to be taking the boys to Scouts tonight and I decided I would get all dressed up and be as cutesy as a stay-at-home with four kids all day mom can be for my sweet hubby. I had on my non-Mom jeans (shout out to Rachel) and a cute little top. I had a black jacket to wear over it. I left my hair down (I usually wear it up in a mom-twist) and took time with my makeup.

After we dropped the boys off I took Abbie and James to get hot chocolate. Abbie was supposed to have a Heritage Girl meeting to night, but it was cancelled so we decided to have a girl's night and poor old James was just going to have to tag along. As I'm driving down the road I realize I have still have on my knock-off croc flip-flops. I had forgotten to change shoes! I asked Abbie if she thought it would be okay if I went in the store in my flip-flops. Her response was, and I quote, "No will notice you anyway." Thank you dear.

So, we go in and I order the hot chocolates. As I am standing there waiting I look down and notice a white sticker on my jacket. I tried to peel it off and lo and behold it was the tag. I had the jacket on inside-out. So much for being all cutesy.

Hello, I am MamaHen and evidently I need help dressing each day.

Hibernation

As of 5:00 pm yesterday I am officially in hibernation mode. It has turned chilly here and I am staying in. Except for a short trip to a certain store because I have heard they have Silly Bandz in and my daughter will not rest until some are hanging on her arm. And I can't rest until she stops talking about the silly things so out we will go.


Mark and the big boys are on a Scout camping trip and will not be in until lunch tomorrow. Abbie and I are planning on staying in and having some girl time. With James of course. He's just along for the ride. I have hot chocolate, a soft quilt, and a new Beverly Lewis book so I am good to go.


Yesterday I had two of my oldest friends, Corla and Rebekah~well I guess they are my oldest friends that I still have contact with~ over to visit. We laughed and talked and laughed some more. We have known each other since college and have been through the newlywed stage, the birthin 14 children between us stage, the "we got no money" and don't know how to pay the bills stage, and now the "we got no money" and all these children will be going to college in the future stage. And all the in-betweens. What a blessing they are. What a blessing that all our children are friends and play so well together. Because yesterday we pretty much sent them out and told them to get along and have fun.


One of the great things about having all these children is the built-in birthday party. Since everyone was here anyway I just got some cupcakes and there was Matt's birthday party. Easy peasy.

The girls all had a blast taking care of Rebekah's baby. The poor little thing didn't hardly get put down all day. Abbie looked like a natural holding him. She is getting good practice for when we get our baby girl! The one above is him saying, "Somebody help me, I'm tired of being a baby doll."


My mom came over Thursday afternoon and we had to get some pics of James all dressed up in his camo. He thought he was something else. I have been saving this since before he was born (someone had passed it down to us) and if fits him perfectly now. It will be warm this winter as he is playing outside. I guess I need to go to some kind of blog picture intervention school. Mark says I just need to be sweeter to him and then it will work for me.

Love me some boys!

There is no way I could have ordered a more perfect weather day. I LOVE fall weather. It was just so pretty and wonderful. This would make great camping weather. (Can ya'll believe I just said that?"

Late this afternoon all three boys were outside playing. The back door was open and Mark and I could hear them laughing together. I went to the door to look out and the big boys were playing chase with each other and James was running around saying, "I'm coming, I'm coming." He then climbed up on our lawnmower (he calls it our tractor) and "drove" it to try to rescue the big boys. I had to get my camera. Evidently you can "drive" a lot faster if you throw your dirty little feet up in the air.

A Little Upset

I.AM.FIT.TO.BE. TIED.

If there are any northern readers this means I am more than a little upset about the state of things. Or you could say I am "as mad as a hornet", or "as mad as a wet hen." Any of those would apply. I am not "as mean as a snake" though. I don't think so anyway.

This weekend while camping we picked up some stoneground cornmeal made at the local state park. I have been canning all day, but I put it aside to fix us some fresh veggies for supper. We are having corn on the cob, peas, and green beans, and bbq'd chicken. If you are having peas you have to have cornbread so I got out my cornmeal to make some. I opened up the brand new package (which I was told was "just ground yesterday") and it was full of bugs. BUGS!

So now, no cornbread. Peas without cornbread~a travesty.

The past few days

I made it through the camping trip and even though the picture below shows me looking pretty pitiful (that was after a short hike), I did have a good time. It was hot and humid (the weather man got it all wrong), and sleeping was hard. The kids had so much fun. Abbie declared that Saturday was the best day of her life. She swam in the creek, played with her cousin, and got lots of mom time to talk and talk and talk. It was interesting to see my boys turning into young men before my eyes. I don't see them doing their Scout activities very much and it was eye-opening to me to see the responsibility they took for doing things like getting wood and setting up the tent. They just did it. I had to pick the campsite before Mark got there and Tyler helped me look for the best one for us. With him being 11 I am still very much his momma, but I can just feel the balance shifting a little. All in all, the trip was a success. I told Mark I think it would be fun to go again, but in OCTOBER.

The Hixons came to play yesterday and we had a good time. I got to hold her two month old for a good long time. He is starting to smile and coo and is just precious. But, today is recovery day. I still have a lot to laundry to do and the house is a mess. We'll get it together today though. And all my tomatoes that wouldn't turn red for all those weeks. They turned this weekend while we were gone. It was amazing. Sweet Rebekah helped me pick them yesterday and I have a counter full to can today.

Today will be busy and tomorrow I have some errands to do and I get to get a mammogram. Fun, fun. I just can't tell you how excited I am about this. (insert heavy sarcasm here), but it has to be done, so I shall.

I'll post the winner of the honeymoon stories on Thursday morning. I'll just let Abbie draw a name as usual, she gets a big kick out of that, so if you haven't told me where you went on your honeymoon, go here and comment. I have enjoyed reading them so much!

I Love Camping.

A Camping We Will Go

Yes ladies, you read correctly. As of 5:00 pm today I will be officially camping with my family. In AUGUST. If you see an old wilted hen laying around in your yard today please think of me and offer a prayer. You see, Mark does camping. I have not been camping in 15 years and I have been okay with that. Mark has handled all our children's camping needs all these years and I have been content to stay home and "watch" whatever baby we had at the moment. If you have read for any amount of time you know I don't do summer well. I am a spring and fall gal. I get all nauseous and gross and I do not like to be sweaty. Rebekah, do you remember the time we took the kids to the zoo and I spent the day in the zoo bathroom throwing up because I got too hot? Its real for me friends. Don't get me wrong, I do get out in the heat, we have a big garden after all, and work has to be done, but at 2:00 pm in the August afternoon, you will find me INSIDE. But, this year I have decided to suck it up and go and have fun if it kills me.


I have checked the weather and even though it will be hot the humidity will be down some so that is encouraging. Mark is pretty much doing everything this trip (mainly because I don't know how to do anything camping-wise) so I don't even have to cook. All I have to do is go and have fun. We are going to our favorite state park and I am very familiar with it and it really is a great place to be. The kids are going to have a blast and I have heard nothing else but camping all this week. They are so excited I am going with them. This will be James' first camping trip and he is excited about sleeping in a tent with Momma.


So, all you fun people, any advice for me on camping and staying cool. Kathy and MamaHen Em, I know ya'll do the camping thing. Help?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to go here and tell me where you went on your honeymoon and if you called your dad. I'll be drawing a name at random one day next week for some goodies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just for fun reading, go here, and read what Jon has written about kissing at summer camp. Clark children-I do not condone kissing at all until your wedding day! Listen to your Momma. But, for the rest of us who might not have known about this rule growing up, you might enjoy this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If I am not back to posting next week you can just assume that I melted this weekend. But, I'm going to be having fun doing it! :)

Saturday

It's Saturday morning and I am about to get started on this day. We are waiting on Mark and Matt to get home from camping. They went last night with the Cub Scouts. Next weekend he is going with the Boy Scouts with Tyler. And the next weekend is the Yard Sale. When I put the yard sale on my calendar at the beginning of the year May 2 seemed like a very long time away.

Today I am cleaning up this house big time. It's a mess, but by 4 today it will be in tip-top shape. First I have to find some way to get all the kids out of the house for 5 hours straight. Any ideas? Then supper and then off to buy groceries since I didn't get to do it last night.

So far no big KA-BOOMS so I think we are in the all clear.

I spent last night with Tyler, Abbie, and James watching "Return to Gilligan's Island." Oh, my goodness, that is two hours I will never get back, but I was trying to have a good attitude about it for the kids. They really wanted me to watch it with them. I think even they were disappointed. It was pretty bad. As soon as it was over off to bed for all of us. I read until I fell asleep with the book on my face. Mark says I do this a lot. Well, just rambling now and I need to go tackle the house.

Ode to Mark

A' camping he will go

Three weekends in a row,

He is the best that can be

I'm just so glad it is not me!

My Sweet Hubby took the kids camping for three straight weekends in a row. First Abbie with the American Heritage Girls, then the boys with the Cub Scouts, and then Tyler with the Boy Scouts. I know we all like to brag on our husbands, but ladies, let me tell you - I have a winner! He is the best daddy to our children. He is very serious about raising these kiddos and it shows in everything he does.

Speaking of camping, Mark likes to remind me of this story as much as he can.

We were married in August 1994. Well, the July before the wedding his whole family was going camping at Gulf Shores State Park. His family invited me and of course I had to go because my life would be over if Mark and I did not see each other for one weekend. I was crazy in love and I was not about to send my Sweet Love to the beach without me! Now, I had only been camping one time in my whole life before this. And my family does not do the camping things like Mark's. His family are pros. It would delight his mother beyond words to load up all her groceries, throw in some blankets, and go camping. Me, I have to have about 3 weeks to mentally prepare.

Well, we went. I would have followed him anywhere, even camping. The Clarks set up camp and we were conveniently located near the state park bathrooms. Let me remind you, this was his whole family, all the siblings, the in-laws, the children. They all brought their campers and tents and sat around and talked and walked to the beach. This was all new to me. When we went on vacation we did something. You would go Washington DC and see all the buildings. Well, anyway, I was there and, like I said, I was with my Mark and I was good.

The first morning we were there I got up very early, before anyone else, and ran to the bathrooms. I was not going to have Mark see me unshowered, with unbrushed teeth, and with no makeup. I did not want him to change his mind just one month before the wedding!

I walked into the huge concrete building and noticed they had one side for the potties and one side for the showers. Then the sinks and mirrors where in the middle of them both. Being that I had a 21 year old young bladder, and not the 35 year old- had four kids bladder that I have now I went straight to the showers. I was a little repulsed at how "primitive" the surroundings were, but like I said, my parents had already put a LOT of money into the wedding so I could not let Mark see me not "made-up." I know, so naive. So I showered and walked out to the mirrored place and proceeded to blow dry my hair.

Well, this man walked in, saw me, looked at me strangely, and then turned around and walked out. I thought, "Why is he looking at me strange, he's the one who just walked into the women's bathroom!" I finished my hair and started on my make up. Another man walked in, saw me, backed out, and looked at the door. He came back in, walked past me and headed to the separate potties. I could not believe it! What nerve!

And then it hit me.

I ran to the door and to my ABSOLUTE HORROR saw that I was in the MEN'S Bathroom!!!!

I had even showered in the MEN'S bathroom!!!!

In a mad haste I gathered up all my things and ran out the door straight into his family sitting around the campfire, starting breakfast. Embarrassed does not even begin to describe how I felt. They were all good-naturedly laughing at me, and of course Mark thought it was hilarious!

I wanted to just die right there, but like I said, there was already a lot of money put into the wedding. My dad appreciates that, I'm sure.

(Sorry about the spacing, it's not working for some reason)