Last of Vacation and Other Stuff

One Sunday of our vacation we got up early and went to Springfield. First we went to Crystal Caves. It was really neat. I had never been in a cave so it was really interesting to me and I learned a lot. Zane thought the rocks were cool. We took lots of pictures but I couldn't get any to up load today.
After the cave we went back to Bass Pro Shop and looked around some more. We all got a t-shirt and Zane got spring field rifle toy gun. He really loves it. We went to the museum they had there with a lot of taxidermy, then we went next door to The Wonders Of Wildlife. It was kind of like a little zoo all indoors. It had a mostly fish but a few other animals too. From there we went to out hotel and relaxed a while. We ate at a BBQ place that was really good. I got chicken and Curtis got a slab of ribs, but we couldn't eat it all. That night we went swimming in the indoor pool and Curtis and I sat in the hot tub for a bit while Zane played in the pool. The nest day around noon we headed home. It was 6 pm before we got to our house. We stopped once for gas and once to eat in Missouri and once in Kansas to switch drivers. We had a lot of fun and are planning on going canoeing again next year. I think more of my family is going to go next time so it will be even more eventful.

Last night Curtis and I had a sand volleyball game. It was really hot, but we survived. I can't say the same for Zane. He was playing on some rocks with some other boys and he fell down. He hit his head on one of the rocks and then tumbled down a few feet to the bottom of the rocks. He split his head open and was bleeding a lot. He didn't think he was going to survive but we got the bleeding stopped and he started feeling like there was a chance for survival.

This is a picture of him when we got home. The blood on his fore head is what ran down and dried. The cut is about a inch long but it is not very deep. He also hit and scratched his eye and he has lots of scratches on his arms, hands, and back. I gave him a shower last night and got him cleaned up a little bit. He is feeling pretty good today, but his cut still hurts a little.
This afternoon we have to go work at our 4-H clubs fireworks stand at Rees apple orchard. We were on vacation and missed the last meeting where they changed the time and failed to tell us. We had signed up to work 10-4 but now they are not starting till 1. I got up early just to get ready and get there and then we learned they changed the time. I guess this way we don't have to work as long but I could have slept in a lot longer it I had known the real start time.
I have to work all weekend, but Curtis and I are both off on the 4th. I don't know what we will do yet. We might just stay home and clean our house.
Randi

More Vacation

I am finally getting around to telling about the rest of our vacation. On Saturday we went canoeing. Everyone but my mom and dad went. All of us drove separately and we all got lost. The place we went was several miles down a gravel road that was very hilly and had lots of turns. Zane and I were both sick by the time we got there.


This is the sign that was told us where to turn into the ranch. I was very excited when I saw it because I thought we were there but we still had a mile to go.

This is the driveway to the ranch. It was 1 mile long but we had to go very slowly so it took forever.

After we all got to the ranch we loaded up in a van and we had to go back out the way we had just came. We were driven to the spot where our canoes were put into the water. We did a 7 mile float trip back to the ranch where our cars were. It was a lot of fun. It was an overcast day so we never got really hot. It even rained a little when we stopped for lunch. We had 3 canoes and 3 kids so they traded canoes often. They liked to row so Curtis and the kid that was in our canoe did most of the rowing. I was in the back so I used my life jacked as a pillow and reclined back( I felt I could survive if we tipped over since the water was only a few feet deep). I propped my legs up and enjoyed the trip. Later that evening I realized I had sunburned my legs and the top of my feet.

Here is a picture I took of us eating lunch. We all brought stuff for a picnic lunch and let the kids play for a while. Zane liked this part the most. What is better than chocolate chip cookies and playing in a river.

After we got back to the hotel after canoeing the kids and I swam for a while but the water was really cold. We decided to go to a barrel making factory to look at it and do some wine tasting before we went to supper. It wasn't giving tours when we went so a few of us tasted some wine and we went through the gift shop. We ate supper at Dowd's Catfish and BBQ. It was right across from our hotel and the food was GREAT. The special for the night was 6 frog legs with a bunch of sides but none of us got it. It started raining right after we got back to the hotel so we all hung out in my parents and brothers room. Around 10pm Lucas and Andrea went to Dairy Queen and got us all blizzards. We had a lot of fun just talking and laughing and didn't go to bed till around midnight again.

The rest will be posted soon (I hope).

Randi

Nothing

I will post more about our vacation later this week. I am getting ready to go to bed. Work has been good so far this weekend, but I am ready for it to be over with. Curtis and Zane are outside but I don't know what they are doing. They have been out there since I got out of the shower about a hour ago. I hope they are not loud when they come in.
Randi

Sad

My baby turns 8 in one month.

Vacation Day 1

Here is what we did on Friday of our vacation. We went in the morning and picked up the rental car. After loading it up and double checking our list of stuff to bring we headed out at 9:30. We drove all the way to Iola with out stopping (I know it is not that far, but for me and my bladder that is a long way). It was a little before noon so we got McDonald's to go and were off again after a restroom break and leg stretch. We were headed to Springfield, Mo to meet the rest of the group (only stopping one more time). My mom and dad, my sister Cari, her husband Dan and their girls, Erin and Taylor, and my brother Lucas and his girlfriend Andrea were all going. We all met at Bass Pro Shop. We got there early so we looked around a little and ran into Cari's family so we walked around and looked at the fish. Then we saw my parents and we all went to wait for my brother to get there. When we all arrived we went to eat at Lambert's Cafe. It was a lot of fun. The kids liked the rolls being "throwed" and the food was really good. My favorite was the fried okra.
After supper we all headed to our hotel in Lebanon. It was about a hour away. We had 3 rooms for all of us. My mom and dad had a room and Lucas and Andrea had a room that was connected to my parents. The rest of us stayed across the hall in a room with 2 queen beds. The kids all camped on the floor. It was nice to have our rooms together and we were at the end of a hall so we were away from everyone else. The kids were able to play in the hall and run between rooms. After getting unloaded we all ended up in our room talking and planning the canoe trip we were going on the next day. We finally went to bed around midnight.
I will post more later. I am getting some pictures developed today and hopefully the ones we took with the water cameras will be developed tomorrow.
Randi

Not a Vacation Post

We got back to Topeka around 6pm Monday. When we got home we unloaded the car and then went and ate. We rented movies on the way home and Zane and Curtis stayed up and watched one while I went to bed. We had to get up early Tuesday so we could take the rental car back by 8am. Curtis had the day off. I went back to bed when we got back and slept for another hour. I was really tired and had a headache.
My mom took Zane and I and my sister Teri and three of her kids to see Over the Hedge. We ate at Cici's Pizza first and when we went to leave my mom's car wouldn't start. We decided to wait till after the movie to call Curtis and have him meet us to see if he could figure out what was wrong. So, all of us loaded into my car made to seat 5 comfortably and when to the movie. It was pretty funny. When we got back to my mom's car it still wouldn't start so we called Curtis and he came to the rescue (sort of). We took the battery out and had it tested and it was dead so we got a new one and thought that would fix it. It still wouldn't start so we called AAA and had it towed to our house. Teri's husband, Marvin, meet us there and Curtis and him worked on it some more and thought it might be the starter but they weren't for sure. My mom and dad came by this morning and my dad had talked to their mechanic and did what he said to do but it still would not start. He thinks the engine is froze, whatever that means. So my parents car is sitting in our front yard until they figure out what to do with it.
Do you all want me to post about our vacation or wait to tell you in person? I will try to get a few pictures on later today.
Randi

On Vacation

I am posting from Springfield, MO. We stayed here last night and are heading home today. We have had a fun time and I wish we didn't have to go home. I have a lot to post when I get back and lots of pictures too. Most of the pictures from the canoeing are not on the digital camera so they will not be on for a while. I hope all of you back at Topeka are not missing me too much. I will see you guys from work next weekend.
Randi

Busy, Busy

I have been busy getting ready for vacation. It has been stressful finding hotels and making reservations for everything. I also have a lot of laundry to do so I can start packing. I hope I am able to relax and enjoy myself when I am finally done.
Zane has really been driving me crazy the past couple of weeks. I hope he will be good on vacation. I don't think I can handle a long car drive with him and Curtis if we are not all getting along and being good. I think I have plenty of entertainment for Zane while we are in the car and I am bringing my CD's so I can have some good music and I plan on singing along loudly to entertain Curtis.
I will post some pictures when we get back and tell you what all we did.
Randi

Pool Is Up

I really don't have anything exciting to post, but I thought I better do an update. Curtis and Zane put up the pool yesterday so Zane was swimming when I got home. He also swam some today but the water was only 72 degrees. Hopefully it will warm up since it is suppose to get hot this week.
Zane and I are going to Emporia Thursday. My sister Michelle is having a garage sale so we are going to take a few boxes of stuff down and help her with it. Tomorrow Zane and I are going shopping for the rest of the stuff we need for vacation and groceries. It should be a lot of fun since he doesn't like shopping unless it is for toys.
I will try to do an update before the end of the week.
Randi

At Last An Update

I didn't have anything to post this week and I still don't, but I thought I better post something. Zane has been out of school for a week and he is already driving me crazy. I don't know if I will survive the rest of the summer.
We had a good time at my parents last weekend. Sunday we did some more rock hunting and and had dinner with my dads side of the family. Monday my sister, Michelle, my mom and I went to the cemeteries early in the morning and made it home just as the rain started. Our neighbor said we got 3 inches of rain here and it is still muddy in our yard since we have no grass. I think Curtis is going to take off at 11 today so he can finish the patio and get the pool up. Zane is ready to start swimming.
Tomorrow starts another weekend of working 12 hour days. I really don't want to go, but in a couple weeks I get a whole weekend off when we go on vacation.
Randi