Two Vacations In One

The kids are at camp this week, which means while they get a little vacation away, Denis and I get a week of our own to enjoy. We had a good weekend before they left. On Friday night we went to a Cub Scout event at our nearby minor league baseball stadium. After the game, Cub Scout packs from all around the region got to spend the night on the field. We did this event last year and had fun, so we knew we’d want to do it again. Fortunately, this year it was less humid. And we used our new tent so there was also more room for everyone.

Then on Saturday we headed to Lazy 5 Ranch with Kelly, CootieFriend and her teen sons. Everyone had a good time and it was fun to see how many young animals they had. We saw baby prairie dogs, baby goats, baby giraffes, baby pigs, baby deer and lots of other cute tiny animals with their parents. Afterwards we headed to Kelly’s house to hang out and chat for a couple hours so that the kids could continue to play. CootieGirl and CF immediately brought out tons of dolls, while CootieBoy talked the older boys into letting him explore their brand new Playstation 3 for a bit.

Sunday was Father’s Day and a very busy day. I headed to church to run video for both services, and then we took the kids out to lunch. Once home we began helping them pack their bags for camp. And then we headed out. The kids were nervous, because they did not enjoy their camping experience that much last year. We sent them to a first-timer’s camp that was only four days long. It ended up being the hottest week of the summer, the camp had primitive facilities, the yellowjackets were EVERYWHERE and CootieBoy, in particular, had a bully in his cabin who wouldn’t leave him alone. So this year I looked for a camp that was in a new location, with better cabins and bathrooms, during a cooler part of the summer, and with kids who hopefully would be better.

Upon arriving, I got a sense that the kids would like this new camp much better. CB’s cabin was small – only five boys and one counselor, and the cabin had a private bathroom. CG’s cabin had not only a private bathroom and bunk beds, but a front room and porch! It was more like a house than a cabin at camp! The other bonus: their cabins had A/C, so even if it gets hot this week, they’ll have the opportunity to cool off, which they didn’t have last year.

Denis and I left the kids with hugs and kisses and then headed up to Charlotte to have a nice dinner out in NoDA.

Yesterday Denis was in Dallas for a meeting, so I had the evening to myself. I ended up going to the movies with a friend from book club. We went to see Marvel’s The Avengers, which I really liked.

The staycation continues tomorrow, on my 43rd birthday! I took the day off from work and other than a few appointments I plan on just chilling out. Everyone at work laughed when I mentioned that I made a 7:45 a.m. appointment to get my car’s oil changed. But it needs to be done, and I want to be the first appointment of the morning! After that I have a contractor coming to the house to begin work on an estimate for the home addition (yes, we’re still getting bids). Then in the afternoon I have fencing company coming to look into replacing a large broken down and busted section of fence in our backyard. It’s leaning a lot and is riddled with holes thanks to the carpenter bees who take up residence every summer. If I can, I’ll be sneaking in a movie in the afternoon – I haven’t decided what I want to see yet. Then after work Denis and I will heading out to dinner again – this time to our favorite restaurant in Charlotte, Beef and Bottle.

On Friday we’ll be heading out to dinner and a movie (that’ll be three movies in one week for me!!! WOOT!) for a babysitter-free date night. Then on Saturday we’ll head back to the camp to pick up the kids. While I miss the kids (although I don’t miss their bickering and arguing with each other), I’m glad that Denis and I have this opportunity to hang out this week and just spend time together.