Memorial Day Fun

I had an awesome Memorial Day. On Thursday, I went to the NCHE Homeschool convention. I have gone every year, except one, during the past 11 years of homeschooling. Usually, Ryan and I go together. This year we decided we were not going to go at all. However, a few weeks before, I started getting cold-feet about missing the conference, especially the bookfair. And my mother got upset when she found out we weren't going - it is her grandmother tradition to keep the kids. So, we decided I would go to the bookfair on Thursday, Ryan would pick me up on Friday and we would go somewhere restful for the rest of the weekend. (The homeschool conference is NOT restful. I leave either on cloud nine that this is a wonderful life I have or looking for the nearest bridge to end my misery.) Anyway, I rode down with my friend, Kristi. We gabbered so much she missed the exit. We went to the bookfair upon arrival and I was done by nightfall. We stayed with two other friends, one friend's mother and one friend's daughter. Needless to say, we had a packed house. It was like one big sleepover. Surprisingly, it was a lot of fun. I am just not a slumber party kind of girl. I hadn't really spent much time with these friends lately and it was great spending time with them and reminising about times past. Then, on Friday, Ryan came to pick me up. Due to the awful B word (budget) we decided we really needed to just come back home. I was a little disappointed because I really wanted Ryan all to myself and I knew I would never get that at home. We wandered around, taking our time getting home. He started talking about his plans for Saturday: cut grass, clean pool, etc. I couldn't believe it - that is usually me! So, I say: "let's go camping." I wish I had a picture of Ryan's face - mouth nearly hitting the floor. Not only am I not a slumber party kind of girl, I am not a camping kind of girl either. Let me rephrase that - I am not a camping kind of mother. In our early days, we used to go camping. However, somewhere along the way (whiny kids, a tent full of dirt, bugs, etc) it sort of lost its appeal. So, we came home blew the dust off our gear and went to Falls Lake about 15 miles from home. On Saturday, we went to Beaver Dam, laid out in the sun and ignored all the whining, screams, etc and didn't look up once when we heard "mommy, daddy". Then, we went out to dinner and back to the campsite. We built a fire, played cards, and talked. It was quite blissful. We were a "normal" couple out camping. I felt like we were twenty again, well, almost. Sunday we got up, broke camp and headed down to pick up the kids. On Monday, we had a cookout with my dad's family. It was a great weekend. The grass, the pool, the television, the phone all waited until Tuesday. It was a great weekend, did I say that already? :)