Back from NC draft

We took a week long trip north.  The first stop was an airbnb in Athens, GA. 

We visited a lot of nice parks and libraries there.  The botanical garden was one of my favorite things.  The kids got to play on a piano outside the main library.   

We got there on a Saturday night, tried to observe the Sabbath, then many things were closed Monday, particularly splash parks : (  But it was a really nice town and I'm glad we got to visit.

This is a falls called "Bust your butt"  we took a picture but didn't let the kids jump in the falls or hop on these rocks.  It was much more treacherous than other places.

The hike to this waterfall had so many steps!  But it was beautiful.

B is a cautious kid.  It took him a long time to get in the water.  He asked me to go with him near the end and I didn't because it was cold, and L didn't have his life jacket, so I didn't want to leave him, and risk him jumping in.

We found waterfalls with pools at the bottom.  That was so amazing to swim at the foot of a waterfall.

Hiking from Mount Mitchell to Mount Craig, I got elevation sick.  P was able to reach the end of the hike while L and I chilled on an outlook.  Web MD tells me that it's not elevation sickness until 8,000 feet.  But I was bonking out and am glad I got to rest.

We drove on to North Carolina on Tuesday morning and began an extravaganza a of hikes.  We stopped at a hatchery and the kids got to feed the brood fish.  Then P bought a soda pop to get the kids to move back toward the car.  The human chain, taking tiny sips, got them back to the car.

We went on so many hikes!  These waterfalls are amazing and beautiful.  We learned after the 2nd day that putting your feet in the cold water really helped your aching feet!

The children were such troopers.  They didn't complain and hiked well.

Here we are under the Linville viaduct. 

back to church

 We went back to church 3 weeks ago, but then not for 2 weeks.  Yesterday we went back without masks (M still does because she's not fully vaccinated or under 12).  I was so overwhelmed by how nice it was to have deaf sunday school and sacrament meeting.  It was so nice to hear the children singing together.  

lP said most of the kids don't remember the songs.  It sounded sweet to me.

B got baptized and it was an emotional day.  I'm grateful for how we are able to begin returning to normal.  The reasons to judge are still there, but I'm vaccinated and I'm choosing to not be so bothered by them.

New homeschool group

 Our homeschool group for the past 6 years has been on hiatus during the pandemic.  We had planned to pull away last year to get M ready for High School.  Next year M will be at High School, G will be at a different High School, lP will be at the middle school.  Ack!  We can't handle a co-op with weekly commitments to show up and contribute.  I'm the sort of person who doesn't want to be in a group that I don't show up and contribute to.  

We came across a group that meets weekly for hikes in different areas and you only have to come monthly.  Each mom is in charge of their own kids.  It's just what I need right now.  We've gone to 4 meet ups with them so far and enjoyed getting out into nature.  I don't think the kids have made any friends but they have had fun.  At today's hike we painted, ate lunch, hiked down a sandy embankment, and over to a park.  It was really nice to just bring supplies for ourselves.  It was nice to have a group of people who were doing things we would not have done ourselves; climb over the fence and go down the embankment!  

Meeting new moms is interesting when you're fighting against the impulse to over-share.  I have been a chronic over-sharer.  I love to find something in common with people.  I learned a few years ago that that is a signal of poor boundaries.  It's like putting a sign on your head asking narcissists to come and move in.  "Hi!  I have poor boundaries and am desperate to find connection.  Here are all the details of my life so if you want to pretend to have the same interests as I do, you know just what to pretend!"