Family

So it is spring break time in our household.  Another first, and we decided that we needed to take time as a family and go enjoy something. To go on an adventure as our rag tag bunch. Some days I feel like we are the dysfunctional Brady Bunch, with the two boys having their dad still around, the girls only having me, and well my boyfriend, we make a group that is for sure, but as the girls tell me regularly they wouldn't have it any other way now that their dad isn't here.  That as far as boyfriends and family go I did a pretty good job.

Adventuring we went our merry band of misfits, over the mountain in a car with seven people and two dogs.  I decided that I wanted to take them to one of my favorite places in Oregon.  It is called Silver Falls, and if you have never been I think you can look it up online.  However when I was a teenager, I was fortunate enough to have a friend's family take me with them on there family vacation, and we went there. When ever I think about a calm space as my therapist calls it, I think of my memories of the south falls. It is so beautiful and as you come upon it on the trail you get to walk behind it feeling the mist strike you as you get closer to it.  Then on nice days if you want you can go swimming by the falls, or just sit on a rock watching the water's flow on.

However Erryn had a blonde moment and forgot that she hiked these trails as a teenager and not as an adult with sever hip dysplasia. As well as the fibromyalgia. So as we set out on some what of a rainy day I figured hey it is only a five mile trail or so and I have done it before.  Well actually I think Sunny and I took the even longer trail because we hiked all of the falls and I think that is closer to seven miles.  Anyway so here we are all hiking Logan with her cast, trying to keep dry during the steady down pour of rain and the mists of the falls we where walking behind.  Morgan of course was trying to show off that he could lead the pack, and couldn't let Logan out do him in the lead, so they were always a good 500 yards ahead, until they ran out of energy.  Devon cracked all these people up because he was happy in his shorts and t-shirt, well sort of his little sister forgot her coat at the hotel so he had to give it up.  Then I had my entourage that wanted to make sure that I didn't fall, you would think I was a klutz or something.  So Rian always stayed on one side and Alson on the other. Neither wanted to stray to far from me especially on hills and going down slick areas.

So we get to the end of the falls, I can barely walk, Devon is freezing, Sloan was just soaked and grinning ear to ear.  Morgan and Logan lost all the energy they showed in the beginning. Rian decided she was going to be my motivational speaker to get me back the last mile to the car, and Alson and Devon bless their hearts wanted me to sit and wait for them while they ran the last mile on the rim trail to get the car.  Well about ten minutes after they left I convinced the rest that we should go on to the parking lot I knew a shorter trail and then we could all get in the car go back to the hotel and have room service.

Needless to say somehow we all missed each other and spent about an hour running back and forth trying to find each other.  We finally all get loaded in the car and instead of complaining about how cold, and wet, and tired we all were we all talked about how amazing the hike was, and how we had fun as a family.  That we where glad we took the day trip, and they couldn't wait to do it again in on a nicer day. What was even funnier was as soon as we got back to the hotel most of the kids went down to the pool to swim for a couple hours.  Kids and their energy cracks me up. 

So today I can barely walk because my legs, hips and back are screaming at me for pushing myself so hard.  My kids are grumpy from all the energy they spent and the lack of sleep they got at the hotel.  Just so you know hotel's have pools, pools mean you don't see your kids while you are at the hotel except for sleep and food, and not necessarily in that order.  Alson had to get up early and go to work today, but would I have changed any of it.  Not at all, my muscles will eventually stop hurting and my kids will eventually get caught back up on rest.  We did something amazing as a family, and these memories just like the bad ones will stay with them the rest of their lives.  I am truly blessed with what I still have.