Dirty & Dusty

yep. That's camping for ya' right? lol

We went camping again w/ our church, Halogen...but DH was actually WITH us this time. He celebrated his birthday Saturday camping w/ us. We went up an extra night early w/ Pastor & his W, on Thursday & returned Sunday afternoon.

Now, IF you happen to remember last year....I supposed that there is NO swimming in ANY lake in ALL of CA!!! Lake Arrowhead is NO exception. gggrrrr!

Well you CAN swim IF you are a 'card carrying member' of the Arrowhead Lake Association. The lake is pretty much surrounded by privately owned docks....you can swim IF you own one of those docks & ONLY if you own one of those docks! We were unaware of that & asked a local about swimming in the lake. He directed us to a residential area that had stairs that lead down the to the lake. Then we were chased out by the Lake owners police or something. lol

We got kicked OUT! phewy!

That was a bit frustrating...

But we refuse to let that put a damper on our time, right? We went back to camp & I took Berty & friend on a nature trail walk. It was quite enchanting & I wish I had gone again & took a longer hike the next day.

I did take an adventurous 7 mile bike ride w/ some friends, the next morning though. I normally ride 7 miles so it wasn't the distance that was killer. It was the fact that the entire first half is DOWN hill which means one thing---the entire return trip is UP hill!!! My bike is a bit rusty, shall we say, & it can't change into or out of any gear except 3! (which is NOT good for going UP hill) The last third I had to WALK my bike back. lol My friends (except one) also had to walk the last part of the hill. lol @ least we DID it though.

Later we went to Lake Gregory...swimming was allowed there but you could not bring inner tubes or any of your own type of water things in, you could only rent theirs. You also had to pay an admission fee. It was ok though. Later we walked around to the other side & Dh & some friends did some 'fishing', no luck though.

I didn't see any shooting stars, which I always love to experience....but I did see lots of gorgeous stars that we miss here @ home. The campground itself, named Dogwood, in the San Bernardino National Forest, was nice. The employees were always friendly even when they came to inquire about some 'loud screaming children'. heehee. The warm showers were free, most campgrounds I've been too required quarters for a few minutes of warm water. Restrooms were clean & maintained every morning.

The campground also offered a few cool 'activities' such as a slide show trivia presentation on Friday night about the local animals & history. Saturday night featured sketches & campfire songs hosted by the Children's Forest Association. Volunteer students wrote & acted in sketches about the CA Foresters & led campfire songs. It was fun & entertaining. It was convenient that the outdoor amphitheater was located right next to our campground. We'd never experienced a program like that before while camping.

I would have had a better time if I had thought/planned it all out a bit better. I was a bit absent minded this time around. We didn't even bring TOWELS for goodness sakes, or soap or shampoo. oops! I did bring toothpaste & toothbrushes though. lol I wish I would have done more hiking. The CFA told us about a 'fire lookout' point that was near by, open to the public & offered amazing views of the forest. We were not able to make it up, but I hope someday....

There were quite a few games of volleyball played, as well as basketball & football. The fellowship was sweet & the food was great. Of course, no camping trip is complete w/o roasting marshmallows & smores--which we thoroughly enjoyed! ;-)

I also took note that ALL the married men were REAL servants this weekend. I saw the MARRIED men cooking breakfast, letting thier wives sleep in, packing up gear for the return trip, setting up or taking down tents....It was sweet to see such servitude instead of the men ONLY being allowed to relax while the women did 'all the work'. My own darling H came home & let me take the 1st home shower while he & the kids unpacked everything & washed the car.

It made today's laundry marathon all the more bareable! :-D

Wanna play chicken?

Runner vs. Car!!!

Today, I'm running in the street of my neighborhood--as usual--because asphalt is better on the body then sidewalk. Going in the opposite direction, facing traffic--as usual--which is the safest way to run in the street so you don't unsuspectingly get picked off by a car you don't see.

I'm not in the middle of the street but I am not next to the curb either, otherwise my body is on a slant & that does not bode well for the ankles, knees or the rest of your body. kwim? Who wants to run tilted sideways?

Well, this lady is driving towards me, naturally, but she is not moving aside...she even slows down...waiting for me to move I suppose?

Except she has an ENTIRE STREET to drive in! What is the big deal to swerve a little to the side to avoid me? She was NOT moving---but hey, guess I was feeling extra stubborn cause neither was I! How DUMB!

IF there had been a car coming on the opposite side, I could clearly understand--but there was NOT! AND like I mentioned, it's NOT like I was in the middle of the street or anything. Geez!

I wondered, for a split second if we were going to come to a head to head stand still! She finally swerved around me @ the last minute, but not w/o giving me a VERY dirty look & stare down. lol

Actually completed a full 5k w/o stopping to walk. Was slower than I have been in the past BUT was also faster than last few times. Didn't ride my bike though cause I had too much to do. Seems like 5k has become my LONG run. {sigh} But whatever...@ least I'm moving & that's always a positive. :-)

@ the carwash.....

working @ the car wash...whoooooooaaaaaaOOOOOoooo!

Remember that song?

The youth group had a fundraiser car wash today. It was definitely was car wash weather cause it was HOT! We didn't know that we had competition right up the street though from the local Public Highschool. bummer.

It was alright though.

It was neat to see who showed up---cause obviously they showed up to WORK! It wasn't a field trip, it wasn't an activity event...it was to WORK!!!

We only worked for a few hours, 9am-12pm. My job was to stand on the corner w/ a few students, wave giant car wash signs & holler @ passers by. We got a few. lol

I did end up washing a car or two....you can only holler for SO long. kwim? lol
Dh brought the not-so-littles when he went to work---& they went right to work. They are great. I received so many compliments on what great workers & helpers they are! :-)

Not too bad of a way to spend a hot Saturday morning. :-)

missed it by...THAT much!!

So it's Perseid's Meteor shower time again...happens EVERY August.

I was reminded about it by accident when I saw an article online, thank goodness because EVERY year I vow to SEE it next year. It brings back lovely childhood memories of summer...my dad would tell us there was going to be a meteor shower & we would be allowed to stay up late OUTside, laying on the grass staring up @ the sky, hoping & waiting w/ anticipation of seeing shooting stars. Dad would visit w/ the neighbors while their kids, our friends, hung out w/ us on our blankets.

So I read an online article that said peak viewing time would be 1:30 AM (Tuesday morning)... so w/ determination, I set my alarm for 1:00 am. I got up, went out back, & I also woke up oldest ds & he brought out his telescope.

I wanted to sit on the porch swing we have but I saw a big spider on it so forget that.

I sat on the back porch staring up @ the sky...NOTHING!!!!!! NOT a thing!!!

Later I saw a tv news cast that stated the PEAK viewing time was 4:00 AM--not 1:30 like I read! ARG!!!

Next year is scheduled to be a FULL moon which will block out much of the stars & any chance of seeing any. I was SO bummed!!!

This made me LOL!

With out even trying....

I've been too busy LIVING & enjoying summer to blog! GASP!

We've been spending endless days @ the BEACH! @ least once or twice a week....
And Musical Mondays are still going strong, youth group & T-ball on Tuesdays--last game today, YAY! I mean, oh darn. ;-)

Wednesdays--well one of these Wednesdays I PROMISE to get my chillers room decluttered & organized...I PROMISE! Hopefully this week......(famous last words) Or maybe Thursdays since Wed is for the beach. lol

Fridays, we've really been having fun w/ our marriage group, getting to know some other couples better.

It's been busy but really enjoyable....I got air back in my {bike} tires. DS spiffed it up w/ some WD40 & I'm back on the road again too. lol

Dh have taken to fellowshipping after church @ a local restaurant. The pastor & whoever else wants to go (usually 15-20 people) go out to eat after church on Sundays. Our budget can't really afford for our entire family to go out every week, so we join them occasionally. But the last 2 weeks we dropped the kiddos off @ home & WALKED to the local restaurant & enjoyed a dessert. It's less financially challenging this way & gives us a few moments of alone time while we walk the 5-7 min from our house to the restaurant.

We are blessed to live in an area where the next block over is known as 'restaurant row'.

Add to that 'working' once a week--can you say crazy-busy mama? lol Last week I did a 'video promo' for a new game show starting Sept. 22. Trivial Pursuit: America Plays. if you see it...I'm the one in the bright pink sweater. ;-)

Sunday afternoons are spent playing softball in a co-ed league & we won our 2nd game....finally. Yay! It's the end of the season. lol

Long live SUMMER!!!!