Sunday, July 29, 2018

My Birthday Trip To Cataloochee

Recently a couple asked John and me what was the surprisingly best thing about having children. What a great question, one that I'm still thinking about. One thing that came to mind (and that John and I talk about) is that our kids woke up this adventurous side in us. Side by side comparison, our life before kids probably looked more adventurous than after kids, but the motivation and drive is different now. Before children, we enjoyed our married life by having fun with friends. We hosted tons of meals, we went on group trips, we travelled to see people, etc. It was a fun time and that's how we lived. Now, we have this desire to explore and show the kids new and cool things in simple ways.


On our quest for new and inexpensive camping trips, we were recommended Cataloochee. It's a remote campground on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where they've reintroduced elk. 


The temperatures up there were drastically cooler and crisper and required an extra layer in the morning and evenings, something unheard of in the south this time of year!


The campground is small and is nestled between a rushing creek and babbling brook, our slice of heaven. Past the campground and following the creek is a gravel out-n-back road where we could see elk and other wildlife. We saw so many animals! Elk, turkey, owls, snails, and butterflies. One trip we even saw a mama elk nursing her baby!



I purposefully scheduled the trip over my birthday weekend. On the morning of the14th, I drove through the fields and took some pictures. My only companions were coffee, Lark, and the peacefulness of the forrest morning. 




Happy Birthday to me! What a treat!


Before lunch, we did a little hike through the woods to an old homestead. 


It also followed the creek with several bridges that the kids said reminded them of Bridge to Terabithia. One of these bridges is where we had our first accident. Ridge slipped and fell about four feet off the bridge into the creek, landing flat on his back on a flat rock. Burl ran over to him faster than anyone, which was amazing to see. He was like superman! I got to Ridge and picked him up and gave him the look over. He cried and asked if he was bleeding. We couldn't find a scratch on him-and John and I were shocked and thankful. It could have been much worse! 





We found the house which was open to exploration. The surrounding fields were covered with clusters of butterflies. When we walked to the second level, we were amazed to find a huge butterfly zipping from room to room over our heads. Then, being the not girl scout that I am, I realized that it was actually a bat and I screamed, grabbing Ridge and running down the stairs. Ridge was scarred by this (before the creek incident) and was hysterical! He never mentioned the huge fall he had, but he tells everyone about those bats! He wants to go back and see them. 



When we got back to the campground and started making lunch, our guests of honor showed up. Daniel and Tahoma came and met us and stayed the night! Let the wild rumpus begin! During Lark's nap, Daniel and John took the big three to try trout fishing while I stayed back for a birthday nap. They didn't catch anything, and lost one of John's sandals! 


Once Lark woke up, we tried another spot for fishing. We were really hoping to catch, gut, clean, and cook our own dinner. Unfortunately, we came up empty again. However, Daniel and I started catching crawfish. We used to do that with our dad on Sunday afternoons in a creek near my grandparents' house. 


We took the few that we caught and cooked those as part of our dinner. 


My birthday dinner was fried tilapia (backup fish that I brought), kale salad, grilled corn, roasted potatoes, crawfish, and brownies. That was one of the best meals that I had and eating in the woods made it spectacular!



After dinner, we took another ride through the cove. Riding without seat belts in the back of the van was definitely more exciting for the kids than seeing elk. John and I enjoyed hearing their shrills of delight from the front seat. 


On my birthday evening, a lady walked by and stopped to talk to us. I need to write this to help me remember: she told us something similar to the last camping trip. It went something like this, "I've been watching yall and I think it's awesome that you bring four small children to camp in a tent! You're awesome to do this!" My brother laughed and said, "and today is her birthday" to which I replied, "thank you, you just gave me my best present." I'll take "you're awesome" from strangers any day.


Before Daniel and Tahoma left, we took our normal group picture. The kids and I have been looking through old pictures lately and we are really loving the memories. "Take lots of pictures!" my pediatrician told me at our last visit before he retired. The effort it takes to coordinate this can make my back sweat, but I've let go of "look at the camera and smile." The bunny ears and tongue sticks tell an important story too!



Before we left, we stopped to explore the school house. This was perfect for the kids because it helped them see what it was like for some of the characters in a few books that we've been reading from that time period (including John's grandmother who just passed away-she wrote about her sweet childhood!)


As a family, we had a great time exploring and trying new things together. Even though we failed in fishing for trout, we had a great time experiencing it all as a family. From elk to open door car rides, from bridge falls to lost shoes, from butterflies to bats, from trout to crawfish, these kids have gifted our family with childlike exploration that doesn't cost a lot of money or require too much show. Maybe one day we will take grand trips that will be amazing too, but we are loving these small trips with our small children too. 

Saturday, July 28, 2018

That Six Flags Line

My brothers play an awesome role in my kids' lives. Without kids of their own, my brothers funnel so much energy on my kids and it is amazing. Uncle Joseph was the one who started marking the kids heights on the door frame with a pencil with strict instructions to take care of it. A few years ago, he drew a line labeled "Six Flags." It was the height that the kids needed to be to ride all the rides at Six Flags.


Well, grows-like-a-weed Burl hit that line with excitement this summer and uncle Joseph treated him to a day at Six Flags. Last minute, John joined in the fun too. I got a few text updates throughout the day, but I got the full report from John when they got home. Backstory: Before this, Burl had never been on a roller coaster. In brief, Burl did some of the big ones, but mainly liked rides for his age (hello Thunder River-eight times in a row). Joseph got the fast passes, which John said was a game changer-the best part was cutting in line in front of so many people! To hear John describe Burl, I can totally picture his eight year old self laughing uncontrollably with joy for the whole day. 


Early on in his role as an uncle, Joseph read a great article about how to be an awesome uncle and he checks just about all the boxes. He shows up with gum and candy, does magic tricks, wrestles them, and takes them on incredible days of fun! My kids are lucky to have him (and Daniel)! The Six Flags trip was definitely a huge gift into Burl's memory bank and he's going to remember that day for his whole life. 

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Fishing At Pops



The farm is always a hit, but it never fails that there's a huge speed bump when we get there. As soon as plans are made, it's "how many more days until we go?" Then the day finally arrives, I can't get us out the door fast enough. The kids are chasing their tails in excitement and I'm packing up all the things (diapers, change of clothes and shoes, supplies, etc). We make the drive, yell at Pops with excitement as he opens the gate, then I park the car and no one moves. There are dogs that we love and will play with but upon arrival they scare my kids into statues. Once they warm up to the dogs, we have to do sunscreen and bug spray and put on farm shoes. Then, when we land after the speed bump, off they go and I can only see the backs of their heads. 


This particular time they were very excited because they were getting a surprise. My dad was more excited to give it to them than they were excited to get it. 


Burl, Fern, and Ridge each got their own fishing poles. When we made plans to go up there, I asked my dad if he could teach us how to fish. I've done it a few times but am still a rookie. Since Indian Boundary, Burl had been begging to go fishing, so we were gearing up for our second camping trip. (More on that later.) My dad offered to buy them their own poles, and for that they were very excited. 


Ridge was very proud of reeling in the bobber. We would cast it for him, hand him the pole, and he would start winding. As soon as the bobber hit the top of the pole, he would smile excitedly and shout, "Yes! Me did it! Woohoo!"


Burl picked up the skill quickly and could cast farther than I could. 


Fern followed directions perfectly when she was told to stand still and hold it. Perfection. 




When we had no hits, I prayed out loud and said, "dear Jesus, give us some fish!" Dad made a joke, then I promise all the bobbers bobbed. Burl caught a fish, which turned into a fiasco only for me with help from no one. Ridge and Lark had turned over the cup of worms on Lark's observation chair (his highchair) and were playing with them. Burl's line got hung and I couldn't unhook the fish while Burl's following me around with his pocket knife open, asking "can I cut it open now?" When we got it all said and done, I handed the fish to Burl and he tossed it into the water. To God be the glory.



It was another good, sweaty time. I was exhausted by the time I got home-how did homestead mamas do it? Now, we all have an interest in fishing. I guess we could say that we are hooked. Thanks, Pops, for more rural education. 

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

7.4.18


I always love to hear other people's celebrations and traditions for the Fourth of July! I'm not an all-out fanatic, but I do get excited about the nationwide holiday. I feel like it's the one holiday we can mostly celebrate without offending other people and just about everyone gets the day off of work! 


For me, it's the only time that I enjoy dressing up the family. We aim for the traditional colors-red, white, & blue...and camo. 


I spent the morning at the walk in clinic with Burl (swimmer's ear), we had lunch at our big neighborhood celebration, took naps and made a flag cake, then headed up to John's parents for cousin time, sparklers, and fireworks. 


The best part was seeing my kids enjoy their cousins. My kids are the babies of the bunch, so they have to work hard to keep up with the big kids! They do pretty well.



I hope your fourth was a spark of fun in the middle of your summer too! 

Monday, July 9, 2018

Red Clay




When I think of Red Clay, I remember frequent field trips with my little Baptist elementary school. I also remember my love and interest for Native American history. During the Red Clay tour, they told us about the afterlives of their ancestors that went down into the blue waters in their spring. That wasn't something that I personally believed (or was attracted to), but I was fascinated by their day-to-day lives. 


For years, all my school projects would be on a different tribe or a different story or place. My mom would drive me around to different parks and we would learn about it together. It was with eagerness that we returned to Red Clay with the kids. 




We squeezed it in one morning before a doctor's appointment for Burl and did some preliminary exploring. We watched the video, saw some structures, learned the history, put our feet in the cool spring fed creek, met the grumpiest front desk clerk of all time, then had a quick picnic. 


If there's one thing that my mom can do, it's pack a picnic. She dominated the picnic scenes on my field trips as a child, and when it comes to grandchildren, the options become limitless. She's slicing tomatoes, and Lark is stepping on everything. (Note to self: bring highchair to restrain the big, cute chip crusher.)


I look forward to going another time when we can stay longer and we can hike to the fort in the woods! Ah, what fun to revisit so many memories!
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