The Outer Banks

    This year I went to the outer banks with my Mother's side of the family (twenty people in all). We rented a house and stayed for a week. Most of that time was spent on the beach or in the pool.
   

   The first few days the ocean waves were relatively calm, but in the middle of the week they turned. It was rough waters and difficult to stay in one place because the current was so strong; but it was loads of fun!
    Once the sun went down, we went out onto the beach and looked at the ghost crabs. They were all over the place! Some were very large and others were quite small.
Dad took to tormenting a few with a flashlight and I used that opportunity to take a picture:

    We managed to complete three puzzles in the entirety of our stay. The first 1,000 piece puzzle was of different classic books and it reached completion the same night it was begun. Roughly seven of us worked to speedily finish it, doing away with the idea of taking time to work on a puzzle as a way to relax.

    In fact none of the vacation was relaxing, but that was what made it fun! Amidst all the go, go, go there was never a dull moment.   
    On one of the days we went to the =urrituck lighthouse.

    It was very interesting walking through. We climbed up 220 steps in order to reach the top and the view was absolutely gorgeous.

Here is a picture taken on the staircase on my way down

    Another day I played Marco Polo in the pool with my cousins and at various points in the game play grew rather intense, resulting in back flips, dives and lots of fun.
    Other than that, the schedule included running, board games, swimming, and various meals. The end of the week came too soon and on the last night we gathered in the main room of the house and took turns working to squeeze between a wall and a pole. We finished off the night with one of my cousins impersonating another cousin and all of us sharing what our favorite parts of the house were. The next morning we woke early and parted ways.

Until Next Time,
    Meredith

An Eventful Day

    Our farm was under a deep freeze for the past week and just today everything began to melt. We occupied ourselves by decorating our Christmas tree during the earlier portion of our day. This is how is came out:

    Even though our tree doesn't have any sort of theme it has a lot of memories and that's my favorite part of every Christmas tree.
    Jane and I decided to head outside. Water was running everywhere, It has calmed down a lot since then. Dad had the six wheeler out and the three of us took it for a spin. Eventually, Dad left and Jane and I drove around for a bit. Inside one of the pastures our pond was flooding. A portion of ice was left in the center of the pond, and it was melting.
    Jane and I ran through the stream that feeds into the pond. Jane of course fell and soaked herself, and I sent her in to change. We occupied ourselves for most of the rest of the day by searching out streams that were created by the minor flooding.
    Then Dad rejoined us in the six wheeler and we were going to drive out into the pasture with the cows and horses to seek out more streams when I asked if we could go out on the pond. The six wheeler can float in water for a brief period of time, so it seemed like a pleasurable idea to me. Dad recalled that he had gone out on the ice earlier today, but he wasn't sure how the ice would hold with the extra weight.
    Eager to get out on the ice before it all melted, I put in my two cents. "Let's try it!"
    The biggest mistake of the day was Dad listening to me. Dad drove us straight out onto the ice, but it had melted since he had been on it and it began to crack the , Then the six wheeler fell straight into the middle of the pond and we were stuck surrounded by ice. Never had I been so anxious to get out of that six wheeler. We sat floating there, but we all knew we would eventually sink.
    First order of business was removing the extra weight from the vehicle; Jane and I. We sent Jane first running across the ice and onto dry land. She said she felt a little like a cartoon character, scrambling across melting ice. Next I went scrambling across the slippery pieces of ice towards land. It felt strangely heroic for a moment or two, but it was mostly frightening.
    There sat my Dad in the middle of his sinking vessel with 15 minutes or so until the six wheeler ended up at the bottom of the pond.
    Dad removed the winch for the front of the six wheeler and tried to toss it to me. I was standing on dry land ready to catch it when it came so I could hook it to a fence post. Dad whipped the winch towards shore, but it fell short by a few inches and the hook began to sink. I couldn't reach the end of it.
    We attempted this again and again. Finally Dad sent Jane running for a strap.
    I relocated to another area of the fence, a shorter distance away from Dad. Just as Jane arrived he tossed the winch out to me and it dropped into the water just a foot away from where I was standing and it began to sink down into the murky water.
    All kinds of pressure was on me now. Saving the sinking six wheeler which was filled with water up to Dad's boots rested on me getting that winch. I stretched out my fingers and the very tips of them were just inches away from the fast sinking winch. I forced my hand to reach farther and I just barely caught it in my outstretched fingers.
    I secured the end of the winch to a fence post and Dad began to drive, with nothing left for myself to do I sat there watching and praying. It was a direly suspenseful moment. Then the six wheeler gave what seemed it's final effort and it threw itself up onto solid ground.
    We all waited there for just a brief moment, relieved. If we had wasted even just a few minutes more with the six wheeler in that pond it probably would have sunk straight to the bottom.
    Water sloshed at my Dad's feet and he pulled the plugs to allow for it to drain out. It happened to be an odd flavor of events that occurred today, but it was an adventure and it sure beat a wasted Saturday watching television.

Until Next Time,
    Katherine Rose
   

Parallel Parking Practice

    Claire was driving us to our violin lessons yesterday and since her drivers test is coming up she and Mom thought it would be a good idea for her to practice parallel parking.
    So, we pulled up to the side of the building on a very unpopular road. No other cars were parked in the other spots and Claire swung in crooked to one of the empty spots. Mom began trying to walk her through the process.
    "Imagine that there are cars in the other two spots." She instructed her. Honestly, if there were cars in the other two spots we would be in serious trouble.
    She tried to pull into the spot again. "You just took off that cars bumper." Mom tells her. Then she says to me. "Get out and pretend to be that car."
    I guess it's safe to say I'm not the favorite child, but I, of course, wanting to live a long life sent Jane out to pretend to be the other car. She stood on the sidewalk and kind of gestured to the empty spot.
    She really didn't help much, because Claire still couldn't seem to get it.
    All this time some random kid was out mowing his lawn and first the kid glanced up. Then he looked up for a little longer and seemed a little confused. Then he stopped mowing all together and just watched.
    Claire swerved into the spot and then dissatisfied pulled back out again. The kid just watched for a good while, probably silently judging her. Then with a very confused look on his face he shook his head and went back to work.
    As Claire swiveled in and out of her parking spot, cars nervously drove up behind her, not really sure of what she was doing, they cautiously waited for a moment watching, and then they sped by her. I'm pretty sure a lot of people were judging her.
    Finally, Claire pulled into the spot correctly. By this time, everyone but me had been out of the car at least once. Three cars have driven around her and the kid silently judging us had pretty much given up.
    Then she pulled out of the spot and left. Seriously, she didn't even want to park there. She drove around the block and into the other parking lot, where she parked normally.
    As we drove by the house with the kid mowing his lawn, I'm pretty sure my Mom waved and she said, "Thanks for watching."  He couldn't hear her though. He gave us one last weird look before just giving up.
    That was Claire's lesson on how to Parallel Park.

Until Next Time,
    Katherine Rose

A Day Out

    We woke up and went for a run near the lake. It was very peaceful there and it was also very hot. I walked for half of the three miles we ran so I had time to take pictures. Here are some of the ones I thought were especially beautiful.

Louis and Clark Lake, S.D

Tree over Louis and Clark Lake, S.D.

Geese at Louis and Clark Lake S.D.

    When we got home we went up to my Great Aunt and Uncle's house for breakfast. Afterword I sat on the porch and kept busy while holding their dog Jake in my lap. He is so cute!
    We went out and spent our day in the town. We visited an indoor Archery Range and that was cool. I got to shoot a bow and on my first try I hit the bull's-eye. I was totally pumped and so I did it again and again and I am sad to say I got progressively worse. Very depressing stuff. I didn't hit the bull's-eye again at all for the rest of the afternoon.
    Then we went to my Great Aunt's art studio (Aunt S.) and we got to paint. I had so much fun! I painted a picture entitled, 'the girl in the field' that I had been planning for a very long time. It felt nice to finally paint it.
    We spent a long time there messing with paints and supplies it was a great way to spend the afternoon. Jane painted two abstract pictures and a picture of two hearts. Claire painted a lot of swirls with different colors and accents and it came out really nicely. Mom painted a picture of a swimmer doing the butterfly, it was sort of abstract I think, but Dad guessed the image as soon as we showed it to him.
    After the art studio we went to an art gallery and looked at sculpted dresses. They were very interesting, we had Claire pose behind them and pretend she was wearing them.
    When we got back we crashed for bit. As I was moving across Jane's couch bed my knee went between the cushions and happened to find the metal pole that helped support the couch.
    "Ow!" I complained. "Your bed is very uncomfortable."
    "No." Jane frowned. "It's very comfortable." She likes her couch bed, but I can't really tell you why I'm just glad I don't have to sleep in it.
    "I just hit my knee off a metal pole in your bed." I explained.
    "I don't have a metal pole." Jane argued. Then she stopped and said. "Or at least I didn't bring one with me."
    I thought that was kind of funny so I thought I would share it.
    After we had a sufficient amount of break time we went up to the house for supper and played the one student violin we brought. The fireflies came out along with all the bugs. I must have tasted very delicious last night because I accumulated plenty of bites. I also held Jake.
    We climbed back into the camper and fell asleep and our day closed.

Until Next Time,
    Katherine Rose

Yesterday's Adventures

    Last night we had a little bit of fun ;). We were planning on having tacos in the camper for dinner and all was going well.

    Then we weren't going to get to the campgrounds until 8:30 and we wouldn't have been able to eat until nine. We pulled off the highway and stopped at a Burger King for dinner and that is when our adventures began.
    Mom and Claire went in to get the food, because my white shirt was covered in dog hair. Covered in hair! So, you can understand why I didn't want to go in. Anyway, the food took a long time and Claire didn't get any ketchup with her fries. She went back into the camper to get some.
    Then Sparky (the dog) ate Jane's bacon cheeseburger and she was very distraught. Mom went in to get her another one and Sparky joined Rosie in the cargo area against his will.
    We pulled out and turned around to wait for Mom. The thought of Claire slipped our minds momentarily in all the confusion. We were waiting patiently when Claire came stomping up to the car, whipped open the door and sharply exclaimed, "I have dressing on my foot!"
    I had to turn my head to hide my laughter, but Claire was furious. When I had regained my composure I turned to her and explained that we had simply thought she had gone into Burger King with  Mom.
    "Well," Claire said. "I did not! I was trying to get the ketchup out of the refrigerator and then the shelf broke!"
    Apparently we stuffed too much food into the refrigerator and the shelf broke under all the weight.
    "A pickle jar fell on my ankle!" Claire complained, "And the Italian dressing landed on my foot and spilled on the rug!"
    Mom got back in the car with Jane's sandwich and we pulled out.
    There was loud complaining all the way to the campsite from the cargo area where Sparky and Rosie refused to settle their differences quietly. They continued barking and yapping and carrying on until we removed Sparky from the cargo area at our destination.
    Today, Sparky is sitting in the back with Jane again and there have been no problems yet.
    Here in Indiana there is a lot of corn.

Indiana Corn

   

    I took a picture of Indianapolis. It's actually kind of pretty and it definitely helps that's it's absolutely gorgeous outside. Too bad we have to sit in the car during such a nice day.

Until Next Time,

    Katherine Rose

We Are Off...Finally

    This crazy trip is underway. We have two dogs packed into the backseat with Jane and one dog in the cargo area. The camper is finally packed and the chicken coop is clean.
    I am looking forward to what we are going to see and discover while on this trip. Not a whole lot has happened except the leaving part. That's a step in the right direction though. We should be out west in a matter of days.
    I am very glad this car is comfortable because I am going to be here for a little while.
    Packing was interesting and hectic, but we finished finally. I can't tell you how much clothes I stuffed in my compartment, because every time I looked at my closet I thought of yet another thing I might need.
    I will admit I found a sneaky way of bringing more clothes with me on this trip. It's called layering. It's very effective. I wore a white active tank top, a cute black sleeveless jacket and a sleeved jacket over that.
    Jane was a little less concerned with packing and focused her free time mostly on the kittens we were preparing to leave behind. I am not completely convinced she brought everything she will need and I probably should have checked on that before we left, but at this point I don't really care. I am just glad we have set out.
    Mom made sure she had everything for the dogs. Yes, the leashes, the new collar, the bowls, the water bowl, the food, and their papers. She packed just about everything else too, so I bet she is exhausted.
    Dad took care of the outdoor work and thanks to him the camper is in working order and the trip is underway.
    Claire managed a football into her compartment, but she is mostly worried about her cat that went to stay at Paige and Nathan's house. He isn't used to being in the house and the last update we received from Paige was a picture of him sleeping on Nathan's lap while Nathan was watching television.
    I have a feeling this is going to be quite an adventure.

Until Next Time,
    Katherine Rose

The Drivers Permit

    Claire recently received her driver's permit and she is quite the driver. I believe it will get better as she continues to do it. I hope so anyway. Leave it Claire to drive through the biggest pothole in the road or have road rage while driving 45 miles per hour :)
    She must have encountered just about everything within the short time she has had her permit. She came across deer, road construction, and pedestrians. She drove on the highway, through town, through pouring rain, in parking lots and through a red light.
    There must have been a twenty car backup on a back road that never has cars on it!
    She said she was doing them a favor keeping them all safely below the speed limit. I asked her, "Do you want to know how many people you are doing a favor?"
    Jane had the answer, "Twenty." She piped up. "And that's only as far back as I can see."
    So, maybe Jane and I were exaggerating but you know, maybe we weren't.
    When we finally got on the highway, the truck that had been behind us for quite a while took off. I bet he was very aggravated being stuck behind us for what probably amounted to 15 minutes or at the rate Claire was driving, possibly more.
    Jane then became very interested in counting how many cars passed us on the highway. She started a little late though or else she probably would have gotten a rather high number and we only drove on the highway for about 5 minutes.
    I think Claire is one of the scariest people I have ever gotten into the car with (and this is saying something considering she doesn't actually drive that fast) but she will continue to drive us anyway and I will continue to get in the car with her because I have places I need to be.
    Don't get me wrong, she's great for just starting out, but I am used to riding with my very experienced parent drivers so it's a huge change.
   
Until Next Time,
    Meredith

Happy Anniversary to my Parents!

    Today is my parents 26 Wedding Anniversary. Wow! 26 years and I have been here for over half of those! For this special day, I would like to share a few thoughts in honor of them :)
    One memory I have of my mother is her helping and encouraging me with all my writings, books, poems and blog posts. The list goes on and on. I also remember my Dad driving five hours for my twelfth birthday, because I told him that I had never spent a birthday without seeing him and to this day that still rings true.
    My parents are very involved, and I am so glad they are! They drive me here and there and everywhere and just about anywhere else :) while also managing to do the same for my two sisters! On top of this, my mom homeschools me and my Dad works five days of the week to support us. This is probably the reason I am able to do so many of the things I do.
    So thanks so much Mom and Dad for being the best parents! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Until Next time,
    Meredith

Let me introduce myself

   Let me tell you a little bit about myself and my family. I have two sisters and no brothers. I am right smack in the middle of the family and being the middle child can have it's perks.
    I am Meredith and my two sisters are named Claire (the oldest) and Jane (the youngest.)
    I live on the farm -which is cool and mostly a lot of fun- with two spoiled indoor dogs named Herbie and Rosie and two porch kitties, Pumpkin and Buddy. Pumpkin, a dark solid orange color, is Claire's cat. He isn't very bright, but is very friendly. Buddy has an orange striped coat and is much wiser than Pumpkin. He belongs to the whole family.

Until Next Time,
    Meredith