Running from the Law: Cabin Camping on the Current River

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Cabin Camping on the Current River

Is there a statute of limitations on the length of time that passes before a blog post is viewed as way too old/stale/outdated to post?  I finally had a chance to get through some of the photos that I took of of our 4th of July cabin camping trip and I'm embarrassed that it's taken me so long to get them up.  I'm even more embarrassed that I'm still working through all the photos from our beach vacation back in May, which I'd also still like to post here, so long as it's not just sad and pathetic by now.  Yes?  Well whatever...it's my blog and I can be sad and pathetic if I want to.  

Over the 4th of July holiday weekend, we packed up the kids and the dog and nearly everything we own and headed down to the Current River to do some cabin camping.  We found a really cute little place right on the water with a huge yard that was perfect for fishing, swimming, tadpole catching, grilling, s'mores making and firefly catching.  Sounds pretty perfect, right?  However, if you follow me on Instagram, you may remember hearing that while fun, the weekend was anything but easy.  It's one thing to post beautiful photos of your outdoor adventures with kids online and quite another to actually live through it.  

I'm going to keep it real here and tell you that it was by no means a relaxing weekend.  We started off with a three-hour drive where Mim screamed bloody murder the entire ride and neither kid napped.  Upon arriving we realized we left a large part of our groceries (including the vodka) at home in the garage.  We emptied the car while the kids played on (and fell off) the deck. Mac fed Mim a ladybug.  I found a giant nest of spiders in the baby's room.  We made our way down to the river to cool off and do a little fishing.  Ryan got a hook in his hand.  Mac was throwing some rocks in the water and Sage tried to catch one like a tennis ball and shattered three of her teeth - blood everywhere.  The kids were hysterical. We were freaked out (and very sober, unfortunately).  And we'd only been there an hour. 

The weekend did get better, but vacationing with kids is sooooo not a real vacation.  It's just parenting in a more scenic, yet less convenient location.  Mac went 4 days without a nap and lived off sugar the whole weekend, so he was a real delight at times.  Mim napped great, but wanted to have dance parties at 3 a.m. The locals also thought that the road right next to our house would be the perfect spot to shoot off whistling bottle-rockets for five straight hours every night.  Sage's poor mouth was a mess and she could barely eat, but wouldn't slow down for anything.  At one point she got wrapped up in the fishing line and Ryan went in the river after her, phone and all.  His waterproof case apparently had a hole in it and he lost everything on his phone - all the photos and videos of the kids he'd taken since Mim was born.  So...good times.  

I don't mean to be all negative.  We did have fun.  We did get vodka.  And we did catch fish, eat s'mores, feed the trout, swim in the river and get lots of fresh air and sunshine.  It was nice...at times. :)  Anyway, here are the photos!  
No, but really, even after all the crazy stuff that happened, we had a blast.  Adventures with kids are just that...adventures!  And the great thing is, I guarantee you years from now when I look at these photos and think back about this weekend, I'm not going to remember the lack of naps or the tantrums or the spiders (I will probably remember Sage's teeth because that was seriously traumatizing).  I'm going to remember the look on Mac's face when he caught his first brown trout.  I'll remember how excited he got about s'mores and how obsessed he was with the tadpoles in the creek.  I'll remember Mim's tiny little wet footprints across the deck, her squeals when she splashed in the cold water and the way she buried her face into my neck when she fell asleep at night.  Even just a few months later I'm already thinking about how much fun we had and wondering when we can go back.  That's the great thing about having kids - the highlights are so high you barely remember the lows.  


P.S. Sage is fine, she's had a root canal and now has a very pretty (and ridiculously expensive) silver canine. She's a total badass.

17 comments:

  1. LOVE the fishing pictures.
    They are precious. Looks like you had a marvelous vacation.

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  2. Poor Sage! Wow, that does sound like an eventful start to your holiday! So glad it got better as it went on!

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  3. Just think... these events will make great stories at their weddings!! Glad you had fun!!!

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  4. Oh man, I'm glad you could still find the humor in it all! And hopefully the scenery made up for the lack of vodka initially! ;-)

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  5. Thank you for keeping it real! That's why I love you so much. And no, it's not sad and pathetic to post so late. In fact, I LOVE these pictures and am glad you posted! It's like pre-labor day fun now :)
    BUT Holy moly, a nest of spiders?! You're freaking me out just reading that!
    And I completely agree. A vacation with kids is not a vacation. We went on one in April and I feel like it is more of a vacation at home than on vacation because at least then you know your kid will nap and you're in a familiar area. That and we ended up at the ER so that wasn't fun. At least that didn't happen on your trip :) BUT despite all that, it does look like you guys had a great time! And I love Mac's cake/pie covered face!

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  6. Minus Sage losing some teeth, it sounds just like a family vacation should!
    Love all the photos, and love that Mac and Mim had such a fantastic time!

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  7. Oh wow, that sounds like quite the vacation! I know what you mean though- vacations aren't really vacations; moreso just traveling with kids :) I'm glad everything turned out ok, but wow, you have some good stories!

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  8. Wow what a horrible start to a vacation! Poor Sage! Glad it got better and you have some good memories from it too!

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  9. So true about the highs of parenting overshadowing the lows. Thank God, cause there's a lot of curveballs in parenthood, and it seems like you discovered a dozen new ones on your first hour of vacation. Crazy times! One day you'll look back and laugh. Or at the very least we moms can all commiserate together ;)

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  10. It's always an adventure! I read this hilarious article that talks about how you know if it's a vacation or just a trip. Must read- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/m-blazoned/vacation-or-trip-a-helpful-guide-for-parents_b_7789310.html

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  11. Sage must be trying to get a new grill like all the cool dogs :). And goodness you captured vacation with kids!! Even if the memories aren't "perfect" they really are - real is perfect :). And well the pictures- the pictures make it look like a dream!

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  12. So much fun (and craziness) in one trip! I still haven't blogged about our CA trip in February, maybe someday?

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  13. The good news for your husband is that you have him totally covered in the picture department!

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  14. What an adventure! I am glad that you were able to have fun and enjoy your time by the river with your family! Xo, Stephanie

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  15. Love, love the pictures of Ryan with Mim in the wrap thing fishing! Going to have to show my husband those. :) This sounds exactly like the sort of things that would happen to us on a "vacation".

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  16. Girl, that is real life! Glad you shared all though. Love the pics of your husband fishing with the kiddos and your sweet dog looks just like mine!

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