We're Baaaa-aaack!

In one way, the adventure is over, but in another, it has only begun. The Girl Scout trip to the amusement park was dandy, other than the constant rain making us ride roller coasters looking like we'd just stepped out of the shower without a towel. The trip itself was fairly uneventful with the most effort being dispensed trying to keep five 8-year-old personalities in harmony. From time to time, each of the Scouts played the part of the popular one, the spoiled one, the pouty one, the tired one, the hungry one, the grouchy one....you know how us girls can be. But all in all, everybody had a great time, the amusement park lived up to everything it was supposed to be and I didn't even have to use any of the camping equipment I bilked out of Hero Guy. The campers we stayed in had full electricity, running water and even showers/toilets--so I was more than comfortable. A phone call from Hero Guy revealed that he, Brainy Boy and friend had decided to abort their own camping trip a day early since tent camping in a monsoon isn't nearly as dry as camper camping in the same conditions. It seems that the fishing isn't so great in that weather either, so they packed up and headed home in time to have a real adventure.

My own fun began the morning we left. I spiffed up my camper (we had two), loaded the van and began to pull out, only to find that my right rear van wheel was totally frozen. A helpless call to Hero Guy revealed that our hometown was experiencing massive flooding because of heavy rain on the east coast and he was inaccessible to an 'SOS' call from me. 45 minutes, lots of frustration and a few helpful maintenance guys from the campgrounds later, I finally rocked and rolled my frozen brake loose. Apparently the rainwater from the drive up, combined with 2 days of sitting still, caused my emergency brake to seize and freeze the tire.

We spent the morning back at the amusement park with frantic calls from home revealing that we needed to head home in order to get into town before all the roads leading in were closed due to flooding. We hit the road, stopping for a quick bite to eat, all the while getting new updates about which routes were open and which were closed. Luckily, Hero Guy is on a first-name basis with the dispatch crew from 911, so he navigated us through the back roads with real-time info on a clear path to home.

We got home to find Brainy Boy with a babysitter for the last 10 hours, bright sunny conditions, but with flooded roads everywhere. The bank, the grocery store and even the gas station parking lots were under water and pretty much all businesses had been closed for the day. Brainy Boy was in high spirits because of the unlimited XBOX time with no parental supervision, Hero Guy was shouting with adrenaline every time he called home to report and I, on my own, began unpacking and doing laundry while catching up on as much news as Brainy Boy could impart.

Ironically, the week could have been a bust, but it seemed more of a thrill the way it turned out, disasters and all. I am happy to be home, calmly taking care of my own 2 kids instead of supervising 4 of somebody else's and am thankful that my own little cabin on the hill is dry and safe.