Weekend Woes

While driving home from our holiday weekend, I was looking out the window at the beautiful mountains we were passing by. Each one was different, but each had its own beauty and majesty. There were the short tree covered mountains. There were the tall, ragged, bald-topped mountains.

The valley spreading out around us was teaming with life...sagebrush, cows, flowers. I was in awe of the beauty that was so close to my home. I am truly blessed to live where I do. As I was getting into this attitude of gratitude and feeling the awe of the beauties around me, my dad slowed the truck and trailer down and pulled off the road onto the narrow shoulder.

The tire on the truck wasn't on tight enough, it was rubbing and we had knocked off one of the pegs that keep the tire ON the truck. (Not a good sign!) Chalk it up to another bad thing that had happened this weekend.

Just to make this post short (because it could get LONG winded) I'm going to hit the highlights.

Friday:
Left with plenty of daylight, perfect for setting up tents.
Eating dinner with my abandoned cousins. (Their mom and step-dad went out for "date night" without telling them.)
Collapse into our cozy beds for a cold nights' sleep.

Saturday:
Wake up to a freezing morning.
Two hunter-men leave when the day is FREEZING.
After breakfast leave for our shopping trip to Salmon.
Buy WAY more stuff than we really needed! (Coat, shoes, chair, wind chimes...)
Cam breaks out in a rash, determine that it's hives.
Buy him some Benedryl.
Go back to camp to find more family has arrived.
Start preparations for dinner, only to find that my mom's trailer has some MAJOR issues (propane tank is leaking and there is a short from the generator to the trailer.)
Dad comes back early from hunting with heat stroke.
Uncle who was with him found him JUST in time.
As dad rehydrates and cools off, find that he has a flat tire on his truck.
Uncle fixes flat and helps cook chicken in dutch ovens.
Charcoal is NOT heating properly, must have bought a bad batch...seriously contemplating writing harshly worded letter to the company.
My jello salad is NOT set up...because there is NO power to the trailer I made it in.
Sit around the campfire and hear true stories about the scary people who live in my apartment complex.
Falling exhausted into bed for another cold night.

Sunday:
Take shower with Cam (who HATES showers and bawls the entire time.)
Get dressed and go to church.
Sit with Cam in Primary, because he doesn't want to be left alone.
Sneak away when he leaves for class.
Get back together for Sacrament meeting at the end of the block and find that Cam is tired and whiny...he bawls because he wants to sit with grandma, but his bratty uncle won't let him.
He takes his anger out on me...which means INSTANT removal from chapel.
Sit in the foyer with Cameron on my lap, making him fold his arms...in the process I'm getting kicked, slapped and eventually, BIT!
Make a bee-line for the abandoned Primary room where we have choice words.
Settle down and enjoy the rest of the meeting.
Go back to camp and nap in 100 degree tent.
Try to make dinner again, but have the SAME problems with the charcoal.
Dad leaves to deposit bucket of bear bait with crazy man.
Worry about dad with the crazy man...will he kill him? (I'm paranoid...can you tell?)
Dad comes back safe.
All gather to play fun new game of Tip of the Tongue...laughter ensues for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours...
Talk around the campfire...look up to the sparkling stars and wonder what husband is doing at that moment (probably working his graveyard shift.)
Watch pop cans disintegrate in EXTREME heat of fire (so cool!)
Crash around midnight.

Monday:
Discover that after bear baiting Dad's truck now has ANOTHER flat tire.
Take tires into town to be repaired.
Put on truck and get ready to leave.
Eat breakfast, clean up camp and say good byes to family.
Hear rumbling noises as we leave town, pull over while dad worries that there are MORE flat tires.
Tires are "fine," continue on.
Get 40 miles out on the road, when grinding gets worse.
Pull over to find that the peg things on the rear wheel are busting off and the whole tire is loose.
End up losing 3 pegs before calling it quits....sit on the side of the road for 15 minutes.
Grandparents pull up (trailer-less) help by going to call AAA.
Sit in truck watching DVD, napping, and eating lunch.
Grandparents return with news that AAA only tows vehicles 10 miles...not gonna work.
Devise a NEW plan...tow trailer home on grandparents' vehicle.
YAY for small miracles.
Arrive in town and unpack!

Yes, it was eventful, but we were SO blessed. Just thinking about what could have happened if things hadn't been exactly as they were. We were being watched over, and I'm so grateful for that!

The funny part was that every morning Cameron would wake up when the sun came up. I would try to ignore the heat and light and sleep some more, but Cam would pop his head out of his bag and say, "Mama? Mama!? Mama, the sun is up...it's time to wake up." The first thought that came to my mind when he said that was, "Who told you that? And WHY!?" My son: early to bed and early to rise. Where did I get such a sensible child?