Extra Fun Was Extraordinary!

I grew up in the Maryland suburbs - just outside DC.  Despite what you might now about suburbia, I am, by definition, a city girl.  The sturdiest shoes I owned in college were keds.  I had visited friends in Washington State near Mt. Hood who wanted to take me hiking.  I donned my keds and was promptly pushed aside while my closet was ransacked in search of more appropriate footwear.  When none was found, the "tourist" route was implemented.

When I trek more than five miles away from my homebase, I need a GPS and a credit card, which both came in handy when invited for that extra fun I mentioned earlier.  Our family joined three other families at Lake Anna in Central Virginia.  The setting is idyllic.  It's a peaceful gem in our Lover's State.  Lake Anna may be a public access lake, but it's definitely a less discovered destination spot.  I think what I like most about it, is that we were there in 90 minutes.  It wasn't a three or four (plus) hour trip to the beach or the mountains.  It was a lovely, scenic drive through the Virginia countryside.

We jumped off the dock into the lake, which I've never done!  The water temperature was perfect.  There was a floating dock about twelve feet away from the shore the kids would climb onto and make sink.  They would pretend they were on the Titanic, "we're going down - save yourselves!!"  It was hilarious.  I sat in my new favorite beach chair on the dock, enjoying the sun, watching them swim and laugh and dive and push each other in.  The kids ranged in aged from four to fourteen - and they played together beautifully.  They wanted all the grown ups to get on the floating raft to sink it further, somehow thinking we were bigger and heavier than they were. Hmmmmmm :)

Our friends have a power boat for cruising and tubing and a jet ski.  The Colonel and I used to have SeaDoos when we lived in Florida's panhandle, BC (before children).  We raced up and down our cove of the lake, spilling children off tubes, jumping waves with the jet ski, giggling the whole time.  Our wet hair was blown dry while we raced.  We got too much sun on our cheeks and our shoulders.  We ate hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch and dinner.  We played too hard, rested just enough, and took lots of pictures.  The time away was much needed; a rejuvenation for me - a welcome distraction for the kids.

We are eternally grateful for the invitation for some extra fun.  This city girl may be swayed to trade in her keds for something more outdoorsy-friendly.  Time will tell ... and so will another trip to Lake Anna!

Perfect Pool Day

No, ninety days didn't fly by already - I've been out and about enjoying bits of summer with my family this past week, sans laptop.  I guess I could blog from my smart phone, but no one really wants to see those typos!!

Today was one of those perfect pool days.  Stunning.  The breeze was refreshing; not a cloud in the sky; warm, but not too warm; perfect water temperature; and swim team friends just kept arriving at the pool so there were lots of friends to play with.

We began our outing with some extra kids along for the ride, a full cooler and picnic lunch, sprayed down with sunscreen, and pool passes in hand.  I swam some laps while the kids played.  At break, we all gathered up together to eat.  Some friends ordered a pizza; some left to lunch at home and put kiddos down for naps.  As soon as the guards blew the whistle, they were back in the water.  My kids are old enough, and good enough swimmers, that I am not in the water with them anymore.  I found a lounge chair, read a book (which I've not done in eons!), and counted kids after each page.

The whistle blew again for break - out came a $10 bill - and all the kiddos got an ice cream.  I swam some more laps and did not indulge.  Ten minutes swept by as easily as the day's summer breeze, and the kids were back in the water.  "Sharks and Minnows 1-2-3!"  And all the kids on the side dive in.  Cannonball contests.  Mini swim races.  Best of all, our pool has a cool, green tube slide open to anyone who can swim to the side after going down.

More friends arrived.  More sunscreen was sprayed.  More pages were lazily read.  More peanut butter crackers were munched.  Card games were played in towel forts.  It was a perfect pool day.  Perfect.  Now, where'd I put that bikini body I used to own??

Counting Blessings 06.19.11

Thankful for...

• Extra time.  Got to spend a little extra time with my man today before he headed off for duty.  He's on duty for a while and will be unavailable - made even more bittersweet with it being Father's Day.
• Good friends.  Spent the afternoon with another family whose Dad is away for Father's Day.  I told her kids to ask their Dad what he got them for Father's Day - new tradition!  
• A new book.  I bought each of my kids a new book to kick off summertime reading and they are all upstairs reading quietly before bed.  Bliss.
• Chocolate.  And not just any chocolate.  But double chocolate fudge brownies - oh my goodness are they delicious.  I'll save some for the Colonel.
• Fireflies.  Nothing can bring back the simplicity of childhood like catching fireflies at dusk.  We ran through the yard and down the pipe-stem.  Put a few in a jar to watch them light up, up close.  We laid on our back and waited for the first star to come out.  That's the stuff blessings are made of!

It was especially hard to count my blessings today.  I'm feeling a little overlooked.  However, that statement is "me focused;" and counting blessings is anything but self-centered.  Tonight I'm working hard to dwell in the riches of God's blessing in my life.

Looking now for a scripture on chocolate ... I'm sure it's heaven sent!

Counting Blessings 06.12.11

Thankful for ...

• shelter from the storm - it rained buckets today!  Fierce lightning, rock the house thunder.  We were driving to church, visibility was low and lightning was severe.  The church was restoring electricity.
• friends to celebrate with - new friends have a son who's graduating from high school.  He also got a clean bill of health from the ER last night after the Lacrosse State Championship game.
• our pool - to run out the last bit of energy from the kids.  Great guards who actually build relationships with the kids.
• my husband - who snuggles with me, makes me coffee every morning, and continues to rock my world.

Take some time today to count your blessings!

Give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thes. 5:18

Be content for what you have for the Lord has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5