Week 1
*Getting ready/packing for vacation
Week 2
*Vacation
Week 3
*Unpacking/settling down from vacation
THE END!!!
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Just kidding (about "The End")... Of course I plan on telling you all about vacation and sharing plenty of pictures.
I guess you could say that this blog should start the week before "Week 1." That was the week we decided to take Alyssa out on Derick's parents' boat to get her familiar with it since vacation would consist of that and swimming mostly. Despite what you think, Alyssa
The week after we took Alyssa on the boat, the week before vacation, I spent every free moment I had doing laundry and gathering everything we would need for the trip. Let me tell you how much stuff a little person needs! I think I mentioned this fact before in a previous post but sheesh... between diapers and swim diapers, wipes, sippy cups, snacks, clothing, swimsuits, medicine, shoes, toys, a stroller, a pack and play, etc... I really felt as though we were going away for a month. And that doesn't even touch on everything else we needed to bring. Fortunately Derick was towing his boat because we were able to use that for storage in addition to his truck. 2 adults, 1 toddler---> a truck and a boat full of "stuff" needed for a week of vacation!
(Brent, Val, and Alyssa)
But, it wasn't just Derick, Alyssa, and myself going on vacation. In addition to us was... Derick's mom (Linda) and dad (Rick), his brother (Brent) and wife (Val), his other brother (Jarred) and girlfriend (Kelsea), his aunt and uncle, his cousin and girlfriend, and his other cousin and her two friends. A total of 16 people~ sharing a house and a cottage. The fridge was packed full of food and drinks, the countertops cluttered with snacks and paper products and coolers took up floor space in the kitchen. Everyone knew exactly where everything was at all times... organized chaos at its best! That was at the main house.
A few feet down from the main house was the cottage where Alyssa, Derick, Jarred, their cousin, and myself called home for the week. The cottage had 1 maybe 2 bedrooms, if that's what you want to call it, a living room that fit a love seat and chair, a kitchen with a small eating area, and a bathroom the size of a closet. The cottage was ideal for sleeping... most of the time was spent in the main house.
Out of the week we were at Raystown Lake, we spent 4 days at the actual lake. But when I say we spent 4 days, I mean we were there at about 10 in the morning until 6, 7, 8 at night. Only one day we left early due to rain. It may seem like a long day, but surprisingly between swimming in the lake and going on the boat~ be it to go fishing, tubing, or cruising~ time passed pretty fast. It was very relaxing and rejuvenating.
(Me and Derick tubing)
(Derick and Brent tubing)
(Derick, Val, and Kelsea tubing)
(Me, Alyssa, and Derick posing on the tube~ we are not actually tubing!)
Alyssa enjoyed herself too! She got LOTS of attention... 16 people~ 9 of which were female~ she was in Heaven! Rarely was I the one holding her in the water or on the boat. Someone, most times Linda or Val, snatched her right from me to take her in the water or play with her on the "beach." Kelsea, fortunately for her, was the one who took her in the sand and attempted to make a sand castle with her after a couple of minutes of Alyssa deciding if she liked the stuff sticking to her hands.
(picking up some sand)
(a little undecided)
(Yuck!)
(still undecided)
(she got over it fast!)
And napping... most of Alyssa's naps occurred on the boat. The hum of the motor, the breeze in her face, and the motion of the water all sedated Alyssa and within minutes she was sound asleep. It was a no-fail solution to a cranky toddler, just as a car-ride normally is as well.
(asleep on Val's lap)
Evenings were spent with one "team"/couple making dinner, the rest of the gang showering and putting on dry clothing and then settling into the main house for music, movies, reading, and games. Sometimes, the guys would play horseshoes aka "Redneck Horseshoes" (they played in the rain under beach unbrellas) while the girls were in the house singing and dancing. Yes, I even attempted to jig~ the dance that Derick and his family do at fairs and festivals~ although it was tough to learn the steps when 3 different people were trying to teach me the steps and they all have their "own steps." Games played were Texas Hold 'Em, cards, Compatibility (awesome game), and Pictionary. Oh Pictionary!... (Mental note: do not play this game with Derick EVER!~ unless of course I am on his team) Once he gets his chance to draw, he doesn't stop until he is around the board and his team (The Guys) wins! He is a genious when it comes to Pictionary... of course it doesn't help that he gets words like "hunting" or "target" and us girls get words like "pharmacy" or "astrology" that we have to draw without picking up our pen or with our eyes closed. We played 3 games of guys vs. girls... all of which the guys destroyed us~ one game could even be considered a "no hitter" considering I thnk Derick was the only one who got a chance to draw! But it was fun... even if the boys did cheat! Ha ha!!!!
(Redneck Horseshoes)
Other evening activities included driving to the marina where one of Derick's cousin's friends jumped in on a bet to swim with the fish (she earned herself $50 and a ride in the back of Derick's truck) after looking around to make sure there were no signs prohibiting it. There weren't~ probably because it's common sense, but McDonald's made some lady a millionaire because they assumed people would know coffee is hot. Another night we went out to eat and bowling. At dinner, Alyssa got a taste of lemon when she decided to show off and take a bite of it! What a face!!!! Finally, most late night activities included pranks and pratical jokes and sitting around the campfire.
(Derick showing the girls that the fish won't bite... look at the size of those fish!)
(The dare)
(Me and Derick at the marina... almost looks like a mug-shot if we were to get caught... since we were the oldest ones when she jumped in the water!)
(Alyssa trying that lemon!)
Spoiling of Alyssa did not only occur at the lake... she knew exactly where to go if she wanted attention once we got back to the main house. She got lots of attention from Derick's cousin and her two friends~tearing apart their suitcases and make-up bags. She would dance for them and live up all the "awes" they dished out. She knew what she was doing and she did it well!
It was a great trip... different from what I'm used to... even if it was cut short by a power outage. We ended up driving home the night before we had planned on leaving because there was a power outage and we figured there was no point in staying. Halfway through packing up, power returned but we still ended up finishing packing and leaving that night. We got home around 1:30am... Alyssa sound asleep the entire drive. That allowed us to get a lot more done the next day... such as unpacking and laundry!
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(And this is what happens when toddlers get quiet!)
I had a great time and I look forward to going again!
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