The Wandering Goose :: vol 24 :: Hide-a-way Campground

Hide-a-way Campground, Rogers, AK (Beaver Lake)

Chapter 1 : Out of Storage!
We pulled our trailer out of a secure storage facility to discover the poor Goose had been broken into.  Luckily, whoever did it didn't destroy the inside of the trailer and while they threw cushions around and opened every cupboard, they didn't damage anything other than the door.

Thankfully, we could have the door fixed and we didn't have to replace it which would of cost at least $1500.  $1500 for a door??? A door that's filled with styrofoam for goodness sakes, it should be filled with treasures!  But fixed it was and then parked safely next to our house, where we will now get letters from our HOA informing us how we are breaking the rules.  Whatever.

Chapter 2 : The Drive and Campground
We got a couple extra passengers for our first camp of 2014.  Royal's parents were in town, so the truck got a little crowded for the drive.  Sam got booted to the back of the truck (he was not so happy about that), Grandpa sat in between the wild things in the backseat, and Grandma and I switched off riding in the front middle seat.  Not the most comfy, but it was just a 4 hour drive down to Beaver Lake.

The campground was pretty nice.  The sites were grassy and had lots of big trees for shade and since we were there the weekend before Memorial Weekend it was pretty much empty!  I had no idea Arkansas had so many trees!

They also had a pool (which wasn't open yet) and a playground with some old school equipment in it.  Merri-go-rounds, horse shoes, big metal slide...you just don't see that stuff anymore.

I dominated the kids at tether ball.  Sometimes I just don't think they realize how cool I really am.  :)

We spent a lot of time sitting around and relaxing.  It was so nice!

Jayden has outgrown his camp chair.  I love this chair!  Aunt Nancy (his Great Aunt Marshmallow) got him this red camp chair for his 2nd birthday.  Darn kids, stop growing!!!!
Jayden's face is funny in these pictures, but Willow's progression of faces cracks me up!

I said, "Make a face for if I told you, 'You can have as many s'mores as you want!'"

The view of the lake from edge of the campground.

Chapter 3 : Campfires and S'mores
Royal showed off his LOOLB's (Loyal Order of Log Botherer) skills and started a raging fire with pretty wet wood and the kids devoured so many s'mores we had to get another bag of marshmallows. Ok fine, I had a couple too.  :)

Jayden showed interest in his future membership into my dad's club of the LOOLBs by constantly looking around for firewood, finding perfect sticks for poking the fire with, and constantly grumbling under his breath about "Where's my chainsaw?? If these people are just going to leave all this perfect firewood lying around, I'm going to need to do something about it!"

Willow showed only interest in the fire if she was getting to roast another marshmallow.

I was on this trip too!  Royal took a picture of me to make sure my presence was documented.  :)

Chapter 4 : Fishing
Royal planned this camping trip back in January and at the same time booked a fishing trip with a guide to learn the lake and catch as many fish as possible.  The boys got up early (like 4:30am) and hit the lake while us girls just puttered around the campside.  Okay, really Willow watched a movie at 6:30 while I kept sleeping.  :)  And then we went to pick them up at the marina later.
Willow looking for the boys' fishing boat.

I guess they caught like 20 fish or something.  I'm still waiting for Royal to download the pictures onto the computer...otherwise I'd show you!
Jayden and Royal did a little more fishing off the dock at our campsite.

Chapter 5 : The Lake and Swimming
It was a short walk down a big graveling road to get to the lake's edge.  We walked down there a couple times each day to fish or throw rocks or swim (crazy kids).

Both kids went swimming, while it was 55 degrees outside, and the water was sitting at a balmy 65 degrees.  Crazy, I tell you!

Chapter 6 : Sight Seeing
We also did a little sight seeing while we were there.  We checked out the Roger's Farmers Market, found a really great fabric and yarn store, and then went to see the War Eagle Flour Mill.  It was a really cool old mill that still was powered by a water wheel.

People were fishing off this bridge, so the boys had to go check it out and find out the scoop.

Then we went on a cave tour at the War Eagle Cavern

The view of part of Beaver Lake while walking down to the cave.

A cave where a family lived for 8 years during the depression.  This was their window in the main living area.

And a cave where the bats were so low and numerous, you had to duck your head to keep from snagging one and taking it home with you.

Flag Football

Jayden is playing flag football this Spring through i9 sports and Royal volunteered to be the coach.  Jayden is constantly asking when he gets to play tackle football, and this poor mama keeps telling him once he gets old enough to play that he will only be allowed to be the kicker. :) hehehe

Royal is doing a really good job as the coach.  He is super big into fundamentals, so every practice they all practice throwing, catching, handing the ball off, and receiving.  No fancy plays for Royal's team.  Royal always says that his team will get creamed in the beginning, but give them a few years to master the fundamentals and then his team will be winning it all.  We shall see, it seems like a good plan to me.  :)

Willow and I hangout on the sidelines and Willow entertains me and everyone else around us.  :)
Sack races with herself in our camp chair covers.

Creating forts to get out of the sun.

And playing with all the sisters on the team.

Jayden is really loving playing.  For a kid who oftentimes gives up when things get hard, I see him running down the fast kids on the other team to get their flags.  When the rest of his team has given up trying to run down the kid with the ball, Jayden keeps going and oftentimes catches them.  Turns out there is quite a fierce competitor inside of him and he hates (hates!!!) to see the other team get a touchdown.

Willow Swimming :: Level 8

As soon as basketball was over, Willow was begging to go back to the pool.  The swim school recently just switched their "level" system, and the new systems goes up to Level 10 and then you can go onto swim team if you want.  Willow got placed at Level 7, which is where they work on endurance for free style and backstroke, introduce butterfly and the IM, and perfect the breast stroke.  It didn't take Willow too long before she got her Level 8 sticker and moved up!  My siblings like to make fun of me because my kids are much better swimmers than me.  I'm pretty sure Willow could swim farther than me too.  :)

Here is a clip of Willow working on her butterfly.

Willow's lips are a little blue.  That water is cold!

Back 2 Back :: Prairie Fire Spring Half

On Royal's birthday, I ran my 12th half marathon.  That's a whole dozen of them!  Funny how after like the 2nd one I swore I was never running them again.

Once again I was debating whether or not I even wanted to run it.  But then enter the challenge.  The Back 2 Back Challenge - where you sign up for the Prairie Fire Spring Half Marathon AND the Prairie Fire Fall Half Marathon, and you get a special racing bib, and a special medal, and a special shirt.  You know me and "challenges" and swag, I just can't turn it down.  So on the very last day to sign up for the challenge I did it - which was about 2 weeks before the spring race.  The next day I came down with a fever and cold.  Of course I did.....

I coughed and hacked my way through a couple weeks, did one mid-distance run, and figured the half might be painful, but I knew I could finish.  The real benefit from having run so many of these distances is that I know I can do it, there is no doubt in my mind.  It might hurt, I might slow down, but I will finish and if I can just keep running I will get to the end faster than if I walk.  :)

The run was fairly uneventful.  Tonya and I were planning on running it together, neither of us wanted to "race" it.  I had a chocolate cake to make for Royal when I was finished, so I had to be functional.  :)  Sadly, I lost Tonya at mile 4 due to a bathroom emergency, so the last 9 miles were a bit boring and I was wishing I would of brought my ipod.  Really the hardest thing was the weather.  It was a beautiful morning to run, sunny and in the 60's, but it was my first 60 degree run,  The psycho Kansas weather had just flipped and I had done all my other running in 40 degrees or below, so even though I started hydrating 4 days prior to the race, I was feeling like I needed an iv at mile 11.  :)  And my new recipe for my homemade deodorant hadn't been tested in a tank top, and while it totally kept stinky pits at bay, it was lacking a "glide" that I didn't plan for, so my underarms took a bit of a beating and looked and felt like someone had taking a lemon zester to them.  :) 

 I think I finished in 2:06, which is a typical time for me.  Maybe I'll fun the fall half a little faster.  Maybe not.  :)  I have found I have loved running these distances so much more now that I don't put any pressure on myself to constantly beat my time.  I mean really, it's not like I'm gonna win the thing or anything.  :)

Tonya crossed the finish line just a little bit after me, so we still got some finish line pictures. :)

Royal's Birthday!

Royal's birthday was this past Sunday, May 4th.  Royal is a pickle when it comes to his birthday.  "What would you like for your birthday this year???"  "Uh...I don't know...maybe a new pair of pants for work?"  Lame.  You can buy yourself a pair of pants whenever you want.  Birthdays are for buying something fun! (IMO) :)  Plus I'm pretty sure I couldn't get the kids excited about wrapping up a pair of pants for Royal to open.

So, this year for Royal's birthday, because he is a big fan of practical gifts, the kids and I bought him a new pair of flip flops (lame, but it was on his 2 item birthday list) and a new hat for fishing.  And then because Royal does 98% of the dishes in this house, we gave him the weekend off.  We went out to eat Saturday and Sunday - we hardly ever go out to eat - for lunch and dinners, so he didn't have to do the dishes and I didn't have to do the dishes either.  :)

On Saturday, he said he wanted to go look at books and stuff at Barnes and Noble, so I told him he had to buy something for himself.  It was his birthday weekend after all, and I didn't care if it was a book, a game, a starwars action figure, he was getting something.  He chose this :

Sunday morning, I got up to run a half marathon.  Best husband ever, right?  I should be making him breakfast in bed, but I go spend 2 hours running instead, while he gets up with the kids.  Perhaps I am more of the worst wife ever.....anywhoooo, I asked him like 50 times if he cared and he said he didn't and that he and the kids would meet me at the finish line.  Que Jayden getting a fever of 102.  So, instead Royal stayed home with a sick kid. 

When I got back from the race, Jayden's medicine had kicked in and the kids and Royal were fishing down at the pond.  I went home, took a quick shower, and started making Royal's chocolate birthday cake.

Jayden's fever had kicked back up by this point...so we blew out candles and ate birthday cake on the couch!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROYAL!!!! and now for 7 weeks you are a whole year older than me!!!