Happy 9th Birthday Captain C!

Captain C, a photo by mom2rays on Flickr.

For Charmie's Birthday we spent the weekend at Lake Hartwell, SC. We all had a blast with our new family toy, more deets on our recreational blog! I think this is a birthday he will remember!

2011 recap

 

I know it's a little late into the New Year. I had to decided to do this, and then I had to get a little help from a friend to remember how to do this. But here are some high points from 2011. I had a hard time picking just these 36 pictures. There were many many more that I wanted to include, but the mosiac maker would only allow 36 tiles. Enjoy, I know I did, looking back through images from the past year. 1. Side view, 2. DSC09149, 3. DSC09178, 4. DSC09181, 5. DSC09276, 6. DSC09295, 7. DSC09315, 8. DSC09342, 9. My little Princess, 10. DSC09378, 11. closed with swifts, 12. DSC09505, 13. Navajo ply on Vespera, 14. Avion mine, 15. We need kickstands, 16. Untitled, 17. Visit to Tom Bihn, 18. My sweet precious nephew, 19. DSC09813, 20. Apple chips, yum!, 21. Untitled, 22. Ham the rescue dog, 23. Camper and mini camper, 24. No more spider man, 25. The rough section, 26. Studio and School preview, 27. Untitled, 28. Beach ride, 29. Untitled, 30. Untitled, 31. Untitled, 32. Lunabudknit art batt spun wild, 33. Untitled, 34. New favorite spinning basket!, 35. Untitled, 36. First ride

The rough section

The rough section
Originally uploaded by mom2rays
We went for a ride yesterday at a park in Albemarle. I was out of sorts and not prepared for it. So I didn't start my cycle computer app and have no clue on our distance or speed. It was rough through the woods, very uneaven terrain, steep hills, quick turns, switchbacks and even a few downed trees over the path. I believe I need a more skill to do well on paths like this.
The boys had a similar hard time. Their issues were skill and the limitations of their bikes. Today they are sore from using different muscles than they are used to.
Z enjoyed herself being trailered behind Rocky until we stopped for him to try a technical area, she got out of the trailer and was bitten by fire ants.

 If we do this trail again, I will be better prepared. Actually, I am going to better prepare for all of our future rides. At least the bites occurred after we were clear of the woods and Rocky could sprint to the truck and retrieve our first aid kit quickly. Needless to say, our ride was over after the bites.

Quilt from Aunt Michelle :)

Quilt from Aunt Michelle :)
Originally uploaded by mom2rays
My grandmother passed away July 3. She lived such a full life as wife and mother to 18 children, friend, humanitarian, volunteer, teacher and so much more. It was a blessing to see her 2 weeks before her passing and spend time with her while she was so very much alive and aware.

Thankfully, her cancer didn't linger and rob her of her humanity. It was diagnosed, and then she had a short period of living with it, and then she passed.

She lives on in her 200+ offspring and is well remembered in the lives she touched.
Since we had just traveled to visit, when we had to return for her funeral we decided to take our Travel Trailer. We knew many family members would be coming into town and those who lived locally would do their best to graciously host them, but it would be very crowded at best.

We parked our TT at the family farm in my Aunt's front yard. The farm, her hospitality, family and our private accommodations were such a welcome respite when dealing with the emotional stress of grandma's passing.

We did our best to help out when we could since many of the gatherings were focused around the family farm and we were not responsible for funeral arrangements and other important details as other's were.
As a thank you, my Aunt Michelle gifted Rocky and I with this beautiful hand seamed quilt, crafted with vintage fabrics.
It is the perfect addition to our Travel Trailer and hopefully the first of many special pieces that hold memories of our family experiences while RVing.

It brightens our bedroom so much I couldn't have picked a better one.

Thank you Aunt Michelle for everything!

You knew this was coming

My sis got around to snapping this self portrait with Jada in tow and I had to snag it for my blog. I hadn't seen them actually use it, thouh I heard many tales of the use in the airport and even attempted use by my bil. I must say I'm so glad that it's working well for them, and I absolutely love this front facing cary that Janet is using. I wouldn't have tried it. I guess I have my mind already set. . . but it's awesome! Way to go J and JC3!