Spring is in the air!!

Well, at least Spring is trying really hard to be in the air ......

But Spring Fever is definitely a big part of everyone's attitude in this house lately.
I think the slide into the end of the year is going to feel slow and painful here but still - the joy that will be mine that first day of summer .... ahhh ... I can almost taste it!

I know I didn't post in March but if you could see what my March calendar looked like, you would understand. In fact, let me show you:

See??? It was crazy busy in this house and lucky me, I got to deal with about 98% of that all on my own.  I swear, if we don't start living where my husband works soon, I am going to end up in the loony bin ... or detox ... or both!

I just wish the weather would get it together. Since the calendar said "First Day of Spring" we have seen this:

and this:

and there have been plenty of rainy days in between.

But the weather is slowly coming around which means I have been able to be outside more and being outside makes me happy. And after the grueling winter we just endured, I could use some happy right about now.

My oldest got to go camping with her AHG buddies a few weekends ago and I was so envious! It was one of those weekends with near perfect weather and she got to be outdoors for almost all of it. But getting her to the campout was one of those stories that I ma sure will be told for years to come...

It had been a bad week. I was grumpy, I was feeling blue, I was out of sorts I was not in a good place.  But I am a mom, and as a mom - we know - when those days and weeks hit, we don't get to take a break, we don't get to hide out in our room for a few days and let the "badness" pass.  We have to get up, get dressed, face the day and, you know, try not to kill anyone ...

She was due at the campsite Friday night. Friday night she also had dance rehearsal for the upcoming Spring Show which kept her from being to ride out to the campsite with all the other campers.  My husband was out of town (as usual) so the duty of getting her out to the campsite fell to me.

That meant I had to get the older twot from dance rehearsal at 7:30, bring them home, get them each in and out of the shower, get everyone but the oldest in jammies and then load up the car and drive 45 minutes to a remote campsite that I have never been to. As we are loading the car I am trying to make sure I have enough on hand to placate the 2 year old plus pillows and blankets for the 11 and 7 year olds who I am pretty sure will fall asleep at some point during the trip. My very responsible oldest has packed and prepped for her campout completely on her own.  I was so proud of her. As we are getting in the car she says - "Oh, I forgot my sleeping bag" and I say, "Don't worry, I have to go back in the house for something so I'll get it for you."

You see where this is headed, right?

After 45 minutes of driving, most of it on dark, two lane, country roads, guided only by the GPS on my phone, we arrive.  We are at the park and I am trying to figure out how to get to their actual tent site when a park ranger offers his assistance.  With a "police escort" we arrive at the campsite.  We start unloading and ...yep ... no sleeping bag.

Worst. Mother. EVER!!!!

Praise be to God in Heaven - her leader actually has an extra pad and sleeping bag and we have blankets and pillows in the car. So she is OK for the night.  But guess who drives back out Saturday and delivers her daughter's own camp mat, sleeping bag, pillow and blankets ... yep - this guilt ridden mom makes the 1.5 hour round trip again.

And I made sure to have a bag of her favorite candy on hand when I picked her up Sunday as well as a bag of goodies for the leader who gave up her extra camping pad and sleeping bag (as I suspect she had planned on doubling up for her own comfort)

Both have told me that all is forgiven but I have a feeling this story will be retold at some point .... maybe more than once .....