Bears in dem dar woods!

Camping was very interesting. Sleeping against the hard earth on an incline is definitely challenging and uncomfortable! The first night, I raced to the campsite from work and we had the most awesome site! We were surrounded in an alcove of trees...it was perfect. The mosquitoes created havoc with the happy campers, but they disappeared when the temperature dropped....

Then, just before bed, things got crazy. All the girls were in the big tent sleeping and I was sitting with the guys by the fire....I heard a rustling in the brush, then breaking twigs/branches then GROWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.....Gabby made a motion that I thought meant "take cover" (I later realized he was getting a weapon, just in case) so I literally dove into the big tent, broke a nail and was hyper-ventillating while telling the girls nothing was going on but don't open the window! I was trying to figure out how I was going to protect my girls with only a thin layer of nylon between me and the "creature" that I mistakenly identified as a bear.....It ended up being a few raccoons fighting, then trying to get their paws on our garbage. When I came from the big tent in the morning, Gabby took my arm and told me he owed me an apology...that he had proof it was a bear and he was sorry he made fun of me. He lead me to our van and showed me the tiny paw prints of the raccoon and thought it was funny for some reason....But I have never heard a growl like that before! It was so scary! The next night, the raccoons invaded BIG TIME. (this is after I told Gabby to make sure he took the garbage to the ranger station) He ended up taking it to the ranger station at about 2am after we were awoken by a group that invaded the site, got up on the top of my van (where we placed the garbage) and were dining on baked potatoes. Gabby had to become aggressive with the big raccoon in order to get him off the van....it was very interesting!! We had so much fun, we might go back again this week!!!!

Teenage Insanity

How do you harness the energy of a hyper-active 16-year-old and infuse it into his two siblings that must possess resting heart rates that mock near-death? Perhaps force him into finding a job, while lighting the house on fire to make the other two actually move from the sofa? Not certain that I am prepared to sacrifice my home just yet, but this past week, I have experienced anger and frustration that makes me understand the mind of a violent, child-abuser! Being the non-violent, vegetarian-type, child abuse and violent acts of destruction are out of the question for me, but I need to find alternate avenues for these children that sit on both extremes of the energy/attitude scale. Sending them all to a military-type camp is extremely attractive to me, but I am sure the cost would blow us out of the water, so I have taken on the near-insane project of taking the entire family camping! (this includes my 2.5-year-old that probably won't sleep the entire time we are gone)
I am the girl who is lost without my blowdryer and makeup. I am the girl who hasn't been camping since I was caught drinking beer with strangers/boys on a canoe trip when I was 14 or 15 years old. This should be interesting to say the very least. I am sure that my fantasy visions of the children running through the woods, playing in the playground and having loads of fun while I lounge in my favorite lounger, are merely pipedreams. How will they survive sans PS2 or TV or the Pistons Game??? Not certain yet. I veto-ed the "lets bring the TV and DVD Player" idea, and made myself VERY unpopular among the natives, but I did "OK" a small camping radio, and we can listen to the game on that, just like in the olden days!!! What fun!!!
The Pistons have given us all hope that the impossible is actually possible, so I am going to ride on some of their awesome energy and courage and do this crazy camping thing! GO PISTONS!!!!

Jessica 

Joshua pretending to be an Abercrombie&Fitch model (gotcha Josh!) 

Finally, a recent photo of me, taken yesterday by my aspiring photographer son, Joshua 

The Gangs All Here!!!

I hope eveyone is enjoying the summer as much as we are! We have had an awesome heatwave for the past two weeks and were finally cooled off today with some much needed downpours and storms. I just love summer and thought you might enjoy some photos taken yesterday at home and during a picinic. Enjoy!

Best friends Jenna and Nika 

Juliet 

Joshua  

Important update on Armando, the Toad

Armando the Toad is still with me, in my driveway, flattened. I guess in the heat of the moment last night, I ran over him with the car. I saw him when I left the house at 11:00pm, after a horrible storm. I was on my way to mom's house after she called and said "trees are down, there is a man here banging on my car window and all the electricity is out". Josh and I sailed over to be with her and see what damage had occurred, and on our way out, Armando hopped out of our garage where he must have taken cover during the storm. I was glad to see he still knew his home....And now he is dead. Talk about poetic irony! I was hoping Gabby would have had him cleaned up when I came home today, but he found it funny to let me see what Armando looked like from the inside. Nice husband eh? That is the sad but true update. I wish I could say I was making it up!