Houston....

HOUSTON! 

We have another driver in the house!

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The "No Dam" Vacation--- Day 1

Last week we sent Spence back to JMU.   He took our minivan stuffed full with the gear he and his cat Zeus will need for his sophomore year of school.  Our house was instantly quieter and cleaner, but still we all miss him like crazy.  

Shortly after that, Cami went to the courthouse for her driver's licensing ceremony.  Virginia state law requires that new drivers dress up in their finest and have the bajeebies scared out of them one last time before handing them their official driver's license.   Let's hope they scared her good!

After that we packed up our car and headed to North Carolina for a much needed vacation.   

On the way there, I officially quit our homeschool co-op for this coming year.  It was a very difficult decision to make, but in the end I decided that it was going to be the best thing for our family.  I hope that I can find a regular social outlet for them (and for me) that will be as meaningful to us as the co-op was this past year.  

We are staying in this beautiful cabin near Asheville, NC.   It was cheaper than a hotel and way, way, way nicer.  We love the great location and all the space to spread out.  

And the kids are loving the hot tub! 

The fire pit though, was not a success.   The damp air proved to be too much for these two boy scouts ... even with a lighter, several "helpers", newspaper, kindling, and logs.  

 We never did get more than a quick little blaze going! 

 Thank goodness for stovetops though, so we could still have our s'mores.  

We've only been here a day, but we've already gone to church in a very small branch,  played in a waterfall...

and climbed a mountain!  

 It was a long, steep hike that challenged the olders of the bunch (Glen and I)...

but it was also fun.  

There were streams to ford, cool log bridges to pass over, rocks to scramble over, and...

 an absolutely stunning view when we got to the top! 

 We are all excited for a great week of relaxing and enjoying spending time together in this gorgeous part of the world….  

…even if it means allowing myself to appear in a few of the pictures.  Boy, there's nothing like a photo to give you a good dose of reality about how you really look! :(

On another note, my kids found this notepad in a gift shop and instantly decided that I "needed" it.   

I don't know what they're talking about though...

 I haven't been on a dam hike in at least two weeks.

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Watch Out World!

Watch out world, because ...

this almost seventeen-year-old cutie just finished Behind the Wheel, 

and is officially Virginia's newest licensed driver!  

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Cami's list of things to do on Wednesday

drive Ellie to Michaels

clean room

pick up apples, peppers, and spinach at the store

organize closet

drive Emma to swim team

do laundry

drop youth conference packing list off to someone's house

vacuum room

be at Mom's beck and call all day long

For My Dad...

In true Dad road trip-style, the other day we drove an extra 3-1/2 hours through this....

and this...

and this road construction...


Just so we could see this....    

(North Dakota is a new state for Glen and all five of the kids.)

 But if we'd gone the short way, we wouldn't have seen this....
 

so I guess it was worth it.  :)

Now who wants to guess which state is the only one I haven't been to?  And how many Glen has before he catches up to me? 


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