I have a headache and the kids are playing sooo loudly.  I know they're having fun and actually getting along with each other for a change, but it sure is hard when my head hurts and I suspect that a migraine is rearing its ugly head. 

 

Sometime, remind me to tell you about the Jonas Brothers concert.

Last weekend I hung out on a mountain in Oregon.

 

My nieces Lachelle and Lindsay had been up at my dad's in Lakeview for a few weeks.  Karnette needed to go up and get them, but she didn't want to drive alone, understandably.  It is a 9 hour drive, after all.  Mike decided that he wanted to go with us, but he wasn't sure if he could get the time off or not.  His job had to call by 1 pm on Thursday if they wanted to call him off.  They called at 12:58.  Wow, way to cut it close, guys!  I packed his stuff into the suitcase and off we went!

 

I wanted to leave by 2, but it was closer to 2:30.  We picked up Karnette and went to fuel up since I had a discount at the Raleys in Modesto.  We stopped in Riverbank and grabbed some food and off we went!!  Later than we expected, but we were going.  We reached Reno at about 7 pm and stopped to eat at the Black Bear Diner.  Yum!!  We never should have gone there...the waitress was sooo slow.  I think she was new to it, but my goodness!!  2 hours later we were on the road again.  Yes, 2 hours.  We did fill up in Reno even though we had enough gas to reach Lakeview.  The prices outside of Reno were about $4.57 a gallon.  Inside Reno - $4.07.  Whoa.

 

We drove through smoke and heat and got to dad's house a little after 1 am.  He had Mike, the kids and I set up in the trailer.  I didn't mind that because the bed in the house is as hard as a door.  It's like sleeping on a piece of plywood.  The trailer is more comfortable by far.  Karnette went into the house and we all fell asleep. 

 

The next morning, July 4, I was awake and up by 8 am.  I didn't get 7 hours of sleep.  It took awhile to settle in so it was closer to 2 am when we actually climbed, no FELL, into bed and I did not sleep well at all.  Reece was sleeping with me on the smaller bed and that child has to sleep so closely that I could hardly breathe.  I got a few hours of sleep, I suppose.

 

Dad had coffee ready.  Thank goodness!!  Everyone else wandered out of the bedrooms and we had breakfast.  They all took so long getting up that Dad ditched the big breakfast he had planned and we had cereal.  That's okay.  I wasn't there for the food!  My cousin James showed up, which was nice because I hadn't seen him since Grandpa's funeral.  Unfortunately his wife Karen had to work, but at least we got time with him!  My Aunt Lenora, Uncle James and Grandma also came by.  Dad got busy cleaning his BBQ grill because we were going to be eating good!  We got our showers and the day was going.

 

Dad was eager to show off his latest hobby - archery.  He is a member at the club in town and all members have their own key to the building.  It's not much of a building, just an unfinished rectangle with targets, but it's a safe place to shoot.  I drove the kids and Mike in the van, following Dad, but James wanted to drive Dad's scooter so he followed me.  Dad set up some targets and went over some safety tips and explained how to use his very complicated bow and Mike took a stab at it.  He did alright, not perfectly, but he enjoyed it.  Next up was James. 

 

James kept saying to be careful not to dry-fire because it will completely mess up a bow and you will have to have it re-wound and recalibrated.  I had him in my line of sight for the camera and next thing I know...he dry-fired!!  I seriously did not see him touch the trigger, but Dad swears he had to have.  I don't know about that, but it's neither here nor there because it happened.  When it happened, LOOK OUT!!  Mike jumped right into action, grabbing the first aid kit from the van (good thing we brought it). 

 

James had about 4 big welts on the inside of his left arm.  The last one, the one closest to his hand, was huge and bleeding.  He says it didn't hurt, but come on!  It was about 2 inches long and puffed up pretty thick.  Mike covered it (drenched is more like it) in antibiotic cream and we wrapped guaze around it.   I taped it in place.  Amazingly, the shooting went on. 

 

Dad had bought Lindsay and Lachelle a bow while they were up there.  It is much smaller and lighter in weight and has an easier pull.  Lindsay loves to shoot and was anxious to show her mom her skills.  She shot a few times and then offered it up to Karnette.  Understandably, Karnette was a bit reluctant to try the bow after seeing what happened to James.  She finally gave in and shot a few arrows.  I declined since I had no desire to have my kids see my arm all torn up and bloody.  We packed up and headed home with James still on the scooter.

 

Are you wondering why Lachelle wasn't shooting?  Poor Lachelle managed to fall off a bicycle two days before we headed up and broke her wrist.  She loves to shoot the bow as well, but obviously one can't shoot while in a splint and sling.  She was at her grandparent's, sleeping off a pain pill.  Poor baby!

 

We came into the house and of course we beat James there.  I know that my Aunt has sort of a low tolerance for bloody things so I decided to prep her for her son.  I walked in and said, "Well, James got hurt at the range, but he has no holes in him....pretty much."  I explained that the string got his arm but the wound was dressed and he wasn't feeling any pain.  It's probably a good thing I pepared her. 

 

I remember one time that she never could have been prepared for what happened to James.  When he was about 3 (27 years ago!), he was injured very badly.  We were temporarily living with them while my parents were buying another house and their house was in the country.  James had been outside on the property and walked behind a horse.  Of course, most people know not to do that, but a 3 year old doesn't.  He was kicked in his face, square in the middle of his right cheek.  We could literally see the inside of his mouth while it was closed.  He spent close to a month in the hospital.  It broke every bone in that side of his face.  He had a horseshoe-shaped scar for years, but now all he has to show for it is a small scar on his upper lip and some discoloration on his nose.  He's a little self-conscious, but he turned out to be a pretty handsome guy.

 

Dad started to prepare for the BBQ.  I forget that he was once a butcher, but watching him split the beef ribs brought it back home to me.  He is so fast and accurate with the knife!!  He prepared FOUR racks of big, meaty ribs.  We went a bit easier on the sides, with ready-made mac & cheese and boiled corn on the cob.  My cousin Linda Kay was bringing potato salad.  The men went outside and bonded over the BBQ, "Oooh!  Oooh! Fire!  Man make fire!"

 

We prepared the food inside, such as it was and then it was time to just sit and wait.  We were pretty much talked out and just kind of sat around.  I picked up a book, Reba: My Story and started to read.  I didn't get it finished, but I have it on order here at our library.  At one point in the afternoon, after dinner, Karnette and I both decided that we were too pooped to keep our eyes open any longer.  She went upstairs for a little nap and I went into the trailer for one myself.  I said goodbye to James as he had to head home on his 2 hour drive and then collapsed.

 

Mike woke me when dinner was ready and I went back into the house feeling just a little bit more refreshed.  It got pretty hot in the trailer so I wasn't as well-rested as I had hoped.   That was okay, because I was STARVING!  Linda Kay hadn't shown up yet, but we decided not to wait any longer since we couldn't reach her.  We just had to assume that she was on her way.  Dinner was delicious and we enjoyed our food and laughed and talked the whole time.  The ribs were juicy, the corn was sweet and the mac & cheese was, well, cheesy.

 

About an hour after we all ate, Linda Kay showed up with her husband and her mom.  For the life of me, I can't remember her mom's name!!  She is my cousin, but I can't remember her name.  She remembered my name, though, and was just as sweet as I remembered her to be.  Linda Kay was just as aloof as always.  She has never really been a friendly person and is actually pretty rude.  I enjoyed her mom, though. 

 

As the evening wore on we decided to head down to the fairgrounds to watch the fireworks.  Karnette warned us not to expect much, especially considering the town is probably around 2,500 people, give or take a person or two.  I made sure to cover the kids in bug spray because the mosquitos were looking for their 4th of July feast!  I also put solid shoes on myself and Reece because the first thing I noticed when I pulled in was stinging nettles.  Oh, the tormentors of my youth!!  My kids have never experienced the pain of a stinging nettle and I didn't want it to start then.  We waited for quite awhile and made nice with the people parked next to us.  They had brought sparklers so the kids enjoyed playing with those while waiting.

 

I had backed into our spot and opened up the back of the van.  We had prime viewing seats.  We could see them lighting the fireworks before they shot up into the sky.  They were directly overhead and they were beautiful!  Karnette was wrong.  It was spectacular!!  It rivaled the show at the University here in Turlock, population 60,000+.  The kids oohed and aahed and applauded and cheered.  It lasted for about an hour and we headed back to the house, where we set off the fireworks that Grandma Carol had bought.  We all fell back into bed at about 11 pm.

 

Sunday morning we were up bright and REALLY early.  We were leaving for home that day but wanted to go up to Aunt Lenora and Uncle James' property before we left.  Mike took his guns up and was dying to shoot them.  We were up at around 6 am and Dad made a blueberry pancake breakfast.  No showers that morning because we were going to get dirty!  We loaded up the Jeep and Dad's big pickup.  Dad put his huge ATV in the back of the truck.  I discovered the 5th seatbelt hiding under his seat and we were all safely buckled in and ready to go.  Dad, Alicia, Lindsay and I drove the Jeep and Carol followed with everyone else in the pickup.  I, of course, was driving because it's fun to drive on untamed roads!! 

 

Aunt Lenora and Uncle James live 5 miles out of town and then 3 additional miles up a dirt road (of sorts) to their property on a mountain.  Once we made it up and parked, Carol backed the ATV out of the truck, Mike unloaded his guns from the truck and the fun began!  Carol took my kids out for a leisurely ride while Mike set up his guns.  I had the forethought to bring ear plugs, and boy am I glad I did!  The AR-15 is one LOUD gun!  While Mike and my uncle (and Karnette) shot guns, Dad took me out on the ATV and taught me how to drive it.  We went over a couple of little hills and over some rugged terrain and then Dad let me go on my own.  I went down below the trailer and tooled around the mountain.  I went back up onto the road and sped along.  I came up to a hill Dad and I had gone over and decided to give it a whirl.

 

I got stuck.

 

I put it in reverse and it didn't work; it just dug in further.  I put into 4 wheel drive with no luck.  I turned it off and climbed down.  I had bottomed out.  The wheels were digging in further and further and it was about to teeter-totter on the rise.  I took about 5 steps toward the barn and trailer and stopped.  Dad would never let me live it down if I went and asked for help.  I could just picture it, me toeing the ground, not looking him in the eye and saying, "I, uh, got the, uh, ATV stuck..."  I turned around and looked again.  I kicked dirt out from under the frame and grabbed some substantial rocks, jamming them under the wheels.  Turned the key, put it in gear and gunned the engine.  It worked!  I was free!!  I rode around a little longer and then headed back.  I did tell Dad, but I got points for getting it out myself.

 

I took my turn with the guns, firing the 9mm first.  It has a little kick to it, but it's a fun shot.  I did get smacked by the hammer a bit on my thumb, but it wasn't too painful, just bloody.  Mike talked me into the AR-15 next.  I was hesitant because the last rifle I shot had quite a kick and led to a painful shoulder.  This gun has next to no kick at all!!  It was fun to shoot!!  I did skip the shotguns, however.  Unfortunately, even though I took pictures of everyone else, no one bothered to get me shooting....or riding the ATV....or just sitting around shooting the breeze.

 

It's as if I wasn't there, if you relied on photos for evidence.

 

Karnette and I took off on the ATV and rode like wild women, nearly tipping over backwards.  We decided to calm it down since we have kids and Mike wouldn't be too happy if we came back home dead.  We parked the ATV (not for long, Mike took off) and headed inside for our lunch.  We ate, cleaned everything up, the kids picked out cool rocks to bring home and we headed back down the mountain.  A couple of quick showers later and we were headed back to California, tired but happy.

I was looking back over my blogs and I realized that I have a lot of unfinished business going on.  Here's the update on what was said previously:

Alicia is doing wonderfully on the Concerta.  I love it because she is herself, but she can concentrate!  Her teacher and the aide could tell such a difference at school.  I was keeping them informed in case anything was happening at school, but all they had were glowing reports.  Unfortunately, it was still too late for her to get caught up in classwork and I am having to homeschool her on my own this summer to get her caught up to speed.  It looks like I am also going to homeschool her for second grade, provided the state of California doesn't outlaw it.

 

Anayla had a wonderful time at her prom with her friends.  She brought home lots of memories and tons of pictures.  She looked so pretty!  I will have to post some pictures of her on that day.

 

The last week of May was an extremely busy week.  First, my baby boy turned five!!  I cannot believe he is so big already.  The time truly does fly by and I must make an effort to enjoy every last minute of it because he'll be a grown-up before I know it.  On the 30th, Anayla turned 17 and Khori graduated from high school.  See what I mean about time flying?  Whoa.  We held a small party for Reece on his birthday.  We held a slightly larger party for Khori and Anayla.  They had friends over and we served a bunch of finger foods and two different cakes.   I finally gave Anayla a nice camera so she will leave mine alone!   She has used that more than any other gift she has ever received.  It was a nice time and all the kids were so good.  You just never know with a house full of teenagers.

 

Oh, some of the big news is that Anayla got a boyfriend!  His name is Tyler and she has had a crush on him for three years.  So far he is a wonderful kid.  Good thing, too, because he's over here quite a bit.  I don't mind being the house where the kids are because at least I can keep an eye on mine!  This is important because Anayla has been feeling some boundaries lately.  Mike is a little too easygoing and she knows this and has gone to him with things, but they alllllll come out in the end and when I find out I'm disappointed because she has been hiding things from me.  She does seem very sorry for what she has done, and they really aren't big things at all, but it can affect trust, which she knows.  She is working harder on that level.  I guess I can consider it training for when my kids get bigger.

 

Of course, school is out for summer.  We've been very busy ever since.  Last week the kids started swimming lessons.  It's as if they completely forgot what they learned last year!  This week, the final week, they are doing so much better.  Alicia is able to do the crawl across the width of the pool and back, and do the same with the backstroke.  This year she is also learning proper breathing techniques.  Today she also had her first session of treading water (they call it jellyfish).  Her class started out with three kids, but today it was only her.  That's kind of nice because it's like she's getting a private lesson.  At the end of the 40 minute lesson, though, she is exhausted!  Reece is in the 2nd preschool class and seems to be doing quite well, also.  It's harder for me to evaluate how he's doing since he's in a class that is just teaching them very basic stuff.  I guess I'll know by whether or not they pass him.

 

That's about all I have right now, I think.