A Weekend Adventure with Friends

When was the last time you did something adventurous?  How often do you spend a weekend away with friends?  It’s something that requires planning and you must recruit the help of others when it comes to childcare, dog boarding, and making sure the animals and gardens will survive while you are away from the homestead, but the overall experience is rewarding. 

If you follow my blog you know that we took the kids camping 2 weeks ago and floated the Illinois River for a fun filled weekend…”forced family fun”!  We had so much fun that we decided to go again this weekend but this time the grandparents kept the kids and we went with 2 couples from church.  We had such a great trip!  Three and a half hours of driving one way gave us plenty of time to visit and laugh and sing along to songs that took us back to different points in life that made us realize how much time has passed since we were young people and not young parents. 

The best part as far as I am concerned was getting to share my love of camping and the great outdoors with my friends.  One couple had never camped and the other hadn’t camped since their youth.  Neither couple had floated the river.  One person in particular claimed “I’m not outdoorsy!”  However, I don’t believe she can claim that anymore.  I’d say there were many “firsts” this weekend from sleeping in a tent, floating on the river, to skipping rocks and swimming with fish.  I’m proud of my friends for toughing it out and learning to appreciate these things that I hope they will in turn share with their kids or other friends.

We rented a raft and 2 kayaks for our adventure on the river.  It was an 8-mile trip that took about 5 hours to complete.  We took turns kayaking and stopped along the way to take a dunk in the river and cool off.  There were a few places where the river narrowed and the current rushed us along but most of it was still and required us to paddle to ensure we got to the end before the last bus left for camp.  There were tremendously deep sections where the guys tried as hard as they could to touch the bottom yet failed and there were a few places too shallow to float across with us on the raft which required us get out and pull it a little.   

The kayaks offered much less resistance and would speed across the water with little effort paddling.  (Next time we will all be kayaking…it was so much fun!)  However, there is a bit more risk in a kayak as they can turn over and dump you out easily.  

My friend that I will refer to as “Mrs. Not-Outdoorsy” experienced the thrill (and fear!) of tipping over a couple of times which thankfully did not cause injury other than some scrapes from the rocks.  The raft, on the other hand, got caught in some trees that were positioned right in the middle of the strong current which took a lot of effort and teamwork push back against the current and get around.  The difference in the raft and kayak getting into this predicament is that the raft doesn’t flip over.   

Once Mrs. Not-Outdoorsy found herself at the mercy of the current taking her through a couple of downed trees and ended up in the water fighting to stay afloat and keep possession of the oar and kayak and somehow didn’t lose her towel in the process.  Those of us in the raft came to her rescue (or at least attempted to help) and fought some challenges of our own but all were okay.  Sadly Mrs. Not-Outdoorsy lost her Garmin watch/step tracker in the process (but the husband scored some brownie points and ordered her a new Garmin before we left the next day during one of the few times that we had cell phone reception.)

Rivers are dangerous and you must respect the power of the water.  It is imperative that you anticipate incidents like these and respond quickly.  That being said, we still had an amazing time making memories to last a lifetime.

My Take-Aways:

1. There is risk in adventure.  Some would say they love thrill-seeking, but many of us have to step out of our comfort zone to experience it.  There is danger involved but in the end the adventure outweighs the risk and you walk away with a smile and a little pride for accomplishing more than you thought you were capable.
2. A weekend with friends is a good vacation from the norm.  I believe everybody wins in a situation like this.  The kids had a fun-filled weekend with their grandparents going to the Science Museum and eating lots of fun snacks and we broadened our relationship with friends.  Friends help see you through troubled times and are there to help celebrate the good.  They are like-minded and can encourage you when you need it most.  Take time to develop friendships.  They are a blessing.
3. Get out and enjoy nature.  We live in a world so much bigger than us.  God created everything from the little insects to the great and powerful river for us.  The trees and the bluffs that encapsulate the river are breathtakingly beautiful and sitting around a campfire after dark, listening to the frogs and cicadas is relaxing.  (I had to be forgiving and make an exception for the cows that were mooing in the middle of the night on the other side of the river but they are part of God’s creation too.)  Get outside and enjoy nature.  It will make you appreciate our great big world and stand in awe of our Creator. 

Adoption on a Whim

We did something a little wild and crazy!  We made a decision on a whim that probably should have required a little more thought but we did it nonetheless.  We adopted a dog on our way home from our camping trip!

As you know if you read last week’s blog, we went camping last weekend.  While we were there another family of campers had 2 Blue Heeler puppies for sale.  We strongly considered taking one home to be our homestead watchdog to ward off predators and keep the goats and chickens safe.  My only drawback was how much training would need to occur before we had the dog of our dreams.  I convinced my family to pass up these 2 cute puppies and find one closer to home.  (I also did not want to haul a stinky hyper dog 3.5 hours home in a fully packed mini-van.)

So we headed home and I looked on my phone for dogs that were close to home and came upon an advertisement that our animal shelter was having half-price adoptions at our nearest pet store.  We stopped by before ever getting home to unload and freshen up (we were smelly from the river).  We walked to the back of the store and found 4 dogs, however, I could not look past the first one I saw.  She was precious.  She was as sweet as ever and the lady that was fostering her started telling us all about how good of a dog she was.  She got the dog out of the crate so we could pet her and the rest was history.  We filled out the paperwork and paid half the normal price before walking out the door with her. 

We decided to name her Pepper.  She is a 10-month-old Border Collie-Jack Russel terrier mix…about 17 pounds, black with a white belly and legs that are speckled with black.  Pepper was already house and crate trained which made her an excellent “base model” dog.  That being said, she peed twice in the house but only because she apparently won’t potty while wearing a leash and harness.  We learned the hard way.  It was a tough decision to let her off her leash in the back yard, though.  She is really interested in the chickens and goats.  She loves to pounce at the chickens which sends them all fluttering and squawking and she is super excited about seeing the goats.  I’m sure she would love to chase them since she is a “herding” dog.  

We take her on family walks in the evening and my husband and I take turns running with her in the morning.  This has to be her best surprise quality.  I love that she does so well on a leash and has the energy to run 3 miles with me.  I’m usually not one to run with a buddy but I will make an exception here.  She is the perfect running buddy!  She also loves to go places with us.  Anytime we can take her with us to run an errand or even just go to the park to play, we take her.

The kids love Pepper unless she is running full speed and jumping up at them.  I tried to explain to the kids that in her little doggie mind, she is playing a game of tag.  If you turn your back on her (for fear that she will tackle you) then she will jump up and tag you.  If you face her and lunge at her to tag her first she stops short and runs away.  This is not a game I will continue playing with her, however, because it really does scare the kids and nobody wants a dog jumping up on them.  Then all that playtime energy gets spent and she happily curls up in her bed to rest up for the next time. 

We sure do lover her!  She is the perfect fit for our family.  If you're thinking about getting a dog, check the animal shelter...they have so many dogs that need a home.  You might just find the perfect one!

My Take-Aways:

1. Bringing home a dog to be a part of your family is a big deal.  We had 2 dogs up until last year…a boxer and a yellow lab.  They lived to be about 16 years old.  We didn’t rush into getting another although we did act pretty quickly once we finally decided to look.  It’s a big commitment.  Training, feeding, caring for it when you are on vacation…there’s a lot to think about.
2. Life on the homestead wouldn’t be the same without a dog.  It just seems right to have a dog to keep you company while doing morning chores and working in the yard.  
3. Kids learn about responsibility when caring for animals.  The fact that this one is inside our home, unlike the chickens and goats, creates more opportunity for learning.

Just a Camp and a Float

 

Life is short and the kids grow fast.  So we decided to make a weekend trip of camping and floating the river.  The kids love to camp and had never been on a float trip, so this was an exciting weekend.

I made a list and packed everything except refrigerated items on Friday.  This really saved us time Saturday morning, allowing us to hit the road by 8:30 am.  We had food, water, sleeping bags, the tent, chairs, and all the little things that might be needed on the trip.  The kids did great on the 3 hour trip and before we knew it we were unloading and setting up camp. 

We stayed at the Illinois River Yacht Club and Family Campground in Watts, Oklahoma.  Our tent was set up right on the bank of the river where the kids could go swim and cool off from the heat of the day.  It’s a beautiful place and the people are friendly.  

After setting up the tent and eating a quick bite for lunch we set off on our river raft adventure.  We decided to take the shorter trip since we weren’t sure how the kids would do.  They said the short trip would take about an hour give or take some, depending on how often you stop.  We stopped about 3 times to swim and play in the water and ended up making the trip last about 3 hours.  The kids loved floating in the deep water with their life jackets on and then playing on the rocky shores.  We saw fish and crawdads and stayed cool in the water.  We had a great time--”forced family fun” as I called it.  

The rest of the day and the next morning were spent swimming in the river, building a “fort” out of sticks and duct tape, sitting around a fire, and playing with glow stick bracelets after dark.  The kids slept on the way home from sheer exhaustion but we would do it all over again in a heartbeat!  

My Take-Aways:

1. Schedule time to spend with your family.  Make it happen.  We are all so busy and sometimes we just need to force ourselves to get away and make memories.
2. Camping and playing in the river is a great way to spend a weekend.  God created such a beautiful landscape (and natural playground).  Let’s not take it for granted.
3. When encountering new adventures, kids might be a little scared.  What a great time to teach them and help them understand our world.  The river can be a dangerous place but with the proper education and respect, kids can learn to be safe.  Our job as parents is to always supervise them and ensure their well-being.