Camping at Meramec State Park 2018

We finally had a break in the weather and Spring has returned. We loaded up and headed out to Meramec State Park in Sullivan, MO. This was my grandson's first time to Meramec State Park. I think he really enjoyed himself. We only had enough wood for one fire and with it staying light longer, I was ok with that. We had beautiful weather and we enjoyed getting away and relaxing. Well relaxing as much as possible with a 5 year old.


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Spring sports 2018

My grandson is in 2 sports right now. Soccer started last week & T - ball tonight. The weather is still chilly. The wind was cold but the sun was shinning & my grandson had fun!

First camping trip of 2018.... cancelled

My grandson & I love camping! However the weather this Spring has not cooperated, at all. We were supposed to head out yesterday to Bennett Springs State Park but high winds & severe weather, kept us home. We were going to head out early this morning but the weather forecast changed. More high winds, rain & falling temperatures. So I am unloading the camper & waiting for a better weekend.

Easter 2018

This weekend was a whirlwind. Seemed like all we did was run.
Friday, my good friend retired from work. We had her a party and wished her well. Then I came home and put news paper on the table and made our dye. A mixture of shaving cream and dyes. We made some pretty eggs!
Saturday morning we drove South to the Lake of the Ozarks to their 4th annual Easter Egg hunt. It was a mad house. There was free hot dogs, chips and water. Multiple bounce houses, real bunnies, chickens, and even a baby goat.
Today was Easter and it was pretty low key but the weather turned bad. While at dinner with my mom, daughter and grandson, it began to sleet. The roads we very slick. I wish Spring would get here and stay. In a few weeks, we will be headed out on our first camping trip. I hope we have decent weather.
Happy Easter to everyone and be safe!

Dyeing the eggs

PopPop eggs weren't pretty

Mason made pretty eggs

Mason and my eggs

Saturday morning, the Easter Bunny came

Sneaky bunny hid them well

Bounce house at the lake

soft bunny

Look at all those eggs!

Mason made a haul

3 to 5 year olds 

Oklahoma trip

My cousin invited me to visit her in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma this weekend. It was raining when I left my home, located just North of Jefferson City. I was wearing capri pants & flip flops in anticipation of warmer weather. It was 44 degrees with a bite in the wind. By the time  i stopped, in Joplin, for gas & to stretch my legs it was 70 degrees & sunny. Amazing how a 3 hour drive can change in temperatures.
I made it to Broken Arrow by a little after 2. My cousin & i caught up from the last time i saw her.
She was my first contact, on my biological fathers side. She accepted me immediately! I wish that were the case with all my biological family but it is not the case.
My cousin's daughter came over with her 11 year daughter. I enjoyed meeting them.
Saturday, i drove to Bixby, Oklahoma to meet my biological twin Aunts. I met my cousin on my paternal side & we met, in the cemetery, where my grandparents were buried. It was a beautiful sunny day to catch up. Until the smoke blew in from the fires.
On my way home today, I stopped in Joplin, my hometown, to see my best friend & her family. Very nice weekend.

Big Cabin, OK

Bixby cemetery 

Smoke coming in from fires

My cousins, my aunt and myself

My Aunts, cousins and me

Tulip tree at my cousins home in Broken Arrow

Stopped at Big Cabin to fuel up and explore

Back in MO

Made it safely home

Boycot MO campground

I don't like to slam places but what I have read, these people aren't good people.
While on Facebook, I saw a friend's post about a campground  in the Tablerock Lake area called Paradise Cove Camping Resort. They have shot & killed peoples beloved pets. I love my dogs & I would be beside myself if someone shot & killed them. I'd want them to call me & give me a chance to fix the situation. I'm going to share the link but you can also find stories in the Cassville MO paper regarding this story. This story is beyond heartbreaking to me!
http://www.cassville-democrat.com/story/2494365.html

Camping season 2018

I had recently posted on my Facebook page, I'd like to camp by myself. A few chimed in they were too afraid to go without their husbands. Mostly pulling their RV.
Have i ever told you all, i was raised by a strong & independent mother? A woman born in the mid 30s; a daughter of a Lebanese man. Her grandparents came from Beirut. Women did not go to college so she paid for it herself & became a learning disabilities teacher. In the early 70s, she went for her master's degree in speech pathology. And 5 years ago, my dad was hospitalized, multiple times for heart conditions. We even sent my dad to Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio, to have heart surgery. When they moved my dad to a rehab facility, my mom walked a mile, one way, from her hotel, for a month, in rain & snow, to be by my dad's side until he was strong enough to be moved back to Missouri!
Last week i had a doctors appointment in Columbia. On my return, i grabbed the keys to the truck. Backed the truck & hooked up my RV, by myself! My husband checked my work & only changed one thing. And Saturday morning i pulled my RV to get new tires put on & back home. I am so proud of myself but then what would anyone expect from a girl raised by a strong women.