Deliverance: Revisited

Kim:

Julie graciously invited me and my boys to her father's cabin for a week.  A week of what?

Rest?

Relaxation?

Nope on both counts.  We were to bring all six of our kids.  The plan was to do some "school" and have a week long field trip...and visit with each other after not seeing each other since law school graduation in 2002.  However.....

I should've known when Julie told me that this "cabin chalet" wouldn't show up on GPS, I was in trouble.  I also had some inkling we were "done for" when Julie also told me we would be in the location where the movie, Deliverance, was filmed some many years ago.  She also told me that if I needed her "help up the mountain" to call her....if I still had cell phone reception.

Uh.....

I survived the trip to the cabin, despite two kids puking in the back of the van and one screaming.

Julie and I have big plans for this week.

Today was DAY ONE.  I had this big plan for all of us to do some "homeschoolin'" out at Unicoi State Park.   I found out that the kids could go on a nature field trip while on a hike through the woods, learn something...and get an official badge courtesy of the National Parks.

Not everyone was in the mood to hike.

However, we managed to earn some very cool Junior Ranger badges and meet a very nice forest ranger named Smith.  Of course, we ended the day with a trip to the grocery store for more Little Debbie Snack Cakes because Julie feeds her kids all organic food and Dollar General for some cap guns because we don't have enough mayhem.

On the agenda for tonight?  Roasting hot dogs over an open flame (Lord, please watch over us 'cause we're insane) and making S'mores (more nutritious food) before putting all of the children in bed by 7:00... no that's too early....7:30 p.m.

Julie:

I'll quickly recap the day from my perspective:

5:00 am wake-up call from four boys playing "war" upstairs.

Breakfast of champions:  pop-tarts and capri suns.



Unicoi State Park excursion....let's just say there was so much madness around us that we didn't even notice the random kid in the red jacket who joined our group.  Six kids?  Seven kids?  Whatever.

[caption id="attachment_2341" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Whose kid is this????"][/caption]

Induction into the Jr. Ranger program....





We asked the Ranger....or the Power Ranger as the kids kept calling him.....to take a picture with all of us.  He promptly left and went into counseling.



Oh...did I mention he gave the kids snake skins?

Excellent.

The best part of the day though....while Kim went into the grocery store I sat in the car watching the two van fulls of  (thank you Lord) napping children.  I looked up to find the Starbucks worker standing at the window delivering me a latte.  Compliments of the other half of Mommy, Esq.

What a friend.

What a week.  And it's only been one day!