Ready to Roll

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Parent Taught Drivers Ed. is no joke! Gabby completed her course at the very end of last month, which is about when I figured she would, going off of the amount of time it took for Caelan to complete hers last year. I was amazed at how quickly her paperwork was approved--maybe 48 hours? For Caelan's it seemed to take weeks. 

Because I am not a professional drivers ed. instructor (although with 80 hours and counting of behind-the-wheel instruction practice, I kind of feel I should be), homeschooled kids need to take a drive test at the DMV to get their license. Because of Covid, DMV is waaaaaaaay behind with their testing and licensing services. When Gabby and I started checking the website for available drive tests . . . the first was at the end of October--more than eight weeks away! Oh snap. That was disappointing, because she is working two jobs now and at different hours than Caelan. She's ready to drive herself places, so that's quite a delay. 

I called other counties and found that they've downsized and aren't offering drive tests any longer. In fact, there were less than a dozen test sites in our entire state! So, for the past three weeks, Gabby and I have checked and checked the scheduling website with no success. Then on Friday Gabby yelled, "Mom! They have tests tomorrow, a bunch of tests!" Yes, folks, the friendly DMV opened Saturday testing and we swooped in on the first appointment available--five weeks ahead of the original date. Which they made us cancel. Which made me a little nervous because the testing availability schedule is now well into November.

So, about an hour before her freshly scheduled test Gabby took care of the vehicle cleaning and sanitizing required to have a tester ride along. Also, the vehicle has to be in good working condition. We weren't sure if the second window that needs to be fixed on the Nitro because it falls down at random, counted? So Gabby made sure to shore up the wedges before her drive. We were about to leave when I asked her if she'd checked the insurance card in the glove box--another requirement is proof of insurance. She said, nope, so I dug it out--expired in May. We checked Buck's car--expired in May. We checked the van--expired in May. Uh-oh. The problem is, when Buck switched insurance companies, he kept all that info on his phone in an app. I don't have log in information, a password, a policy number . . . nada. Even if I did, the computer was in the midst of a 15-hour update, so was inaccessible, and the printer is out of one of the ink cartridges, so it refuses to print anything except the occasional black and white document if you can trick it into doing so.

But those weren't our biggest problems--we couldn't get ahold of Buck! I'd sent a bunch of texts that morning with no response. I thought maybe they were in a no-service zone while  enjoying youth hunting season three hours away. Finally I called, and hooray, he answered! He was able to send me screenshots of our current insurance information and additional documentation that proved Gabby is insured, too. Whew!

With Gabby at the wheel for a little refresher driving practice, and lots of prayer chasing us around town, we set out for the DMV office in the old mall. We knew that they were planning to move, but never heard that they did, especially when the new mall owners started leasing space in the space where they were moving from. With three minutes to her set arrival time, we drove slowly past a weed-filled parking lot with no vehicles in sight and thought, "Uh oh." I was thinking, "If we miss this appointment and other people have discovered all those Saturday slots, we're not getting another shot at this drive test until November!"

I asked my phone for directions to the new office and discovered ... it was on the other side of town! Gabby was like, "Let's do this. Where do I go first?" God granted us green lights the entire way, and we made it to the new location, later than she was supposed to arrive, but before the actual appointment time. Whew! We checked in, got our temperatures scanned, and sat down to wait. There was one drive test ahead of Gabby, but they didn't bring a vehicle with working taillights--oh snap!! So they left in an unhappy cloud of swears, and Gabby was up! Thankfully, our vehicle worked fine, the drive test went well (I was happy that it was a lady giving the test, it would have been weird to send her off alone with a strange man in her car), and she came back with a big, behind-the-mask grin and a thumbs up. Woohoooo!!!

As we processed her legal information and paid the license fee, we discovered Caelan got her license exactly one week later, last year. Crazy to think Brennen is old enough for his license NEXT year. How did Buck and I not think this through? Ha! So many drivers all at the same time!

We are super proud of Gabby and excited that she is legally and officially, ready to roll 💗

Youth Group Time Again

Not that it ever really stopped, but I guess there was a cold snap up north while we were down south, so the back-to-school, back-to-youth-group pool party got necessarily cancelled until the much-warmer weekend. This worked out fine, because it meant we got to be part of the fun!

It's all fun and games until somebody throws the football into the tree . . . and then it's all fun and games trying to get the football back out of the tree :) Brennen was the champion on that challenge!

And then Wednesday night, after a miscommunication and scheduling snafu, the church worship director, the college group worship director, and Caelan, who was named the youth group worship director from stage, played music together and led more than 40 students and a dozen leaders in song. Pretty cool!

School Time

Before we left for vacation, school was geared up and ready to go! I knew I only had a short window between the return of one trip and the start of youth hunting season. We're breaking our first week into three days this week and two days next week--easing into it like the public schools around here do :) This year our theme is *mountains!* Enjoy the views with dear Granny Bear and her little rocking chair in the cabin by the fire.

Brennen going over some lesson plans with Granny Bear. He might be a bit concerned that his stack of learning materials for his freshman year towers over those of his siblings (and I even pulled a literature course I'd purchased for him to save til next year; a brain can only take in so much information)!

Everyone found a little nook or cranny to study in . . . Muriel found three places to poo on the floor, silently, stealthily, while we were all in the room. I guess her school year will consist of potty training basics. I call "not it" on teaching that class!

The principal stopped by to see how things were going or to pet the puppy, whichever :)

Wow! Senior year for this girl! She's only got a few high school classes, the rest will be studying up for CLEP tests. She should be able to wrap up her freshman year of college over the next two semesters, so go Caelan, go!

THIS is my checking pile on the second day of school! It is possible that after school, the teacher might have gone on a date with the principal . . . for dinner, shopping, and ice cream. And maybe the teacher slept in a little late the next day, until the principal said, "You better wake up, you have to teach school!" Yes, that pile is the result of the students getting their work done while the teacher was sound asleep. Ha!

Heading Home

 Before leaving little Rockaway Beach the next morning, Buck wanted us to check out a cute coffee shop he'd discovered. We bought tasty breakfast sandwiches, a variety of coffees, smoothies, and chai, and even a t-shirt :) While the kids played checkers (and Caelan cooked her waffle), Buck and I talked with the owner about the town's revitalization project. This includes up to 16 teams of helpers from churches across the country, each summer. They coordinate with the local Baptist church, stay in a bunkhouse, get breakfast catered from this coffee shop, and they do work projects to help keep the town alive. They also help little businesses get established and run vacation Bible school programs for local children (well, except for Covid-year). Pretty neat little set up :)

Along the way home, we found this cute diner that delivers all of the food by train! Caelan called in our order from the table, and choo choo, along came our lunch! Talk about being ready for Covid decades before it  happened! The food was good, too. It was the first time we'd had hashbrowns on cheeseburgers, genius! Also, we let the Crew order milkshakes since we struck out every time we tried to find them ice cream on the trip. Good shakes, too!

As the laundry machines started their epic quest to catch up on our weeklong fun wear, these three decided to put together the mystery puzzle we'd purchased at the Titanic museum. It took not as long as expected and the story was pretty goofy. We'd mostly solved the mystery from the story, but the puzzle did offer a few clues :) Oh, and our neighbors put fresh flowers on our table, that was sweet! And Caelan picked up Muriel who has far too much energy for a girl recovering from surgery and a bunch of stitches in her belly. She jumps as much as she runs to progress forward! We don't know how to slow her down! Also, Chauncey is clearly thrilled that she has returned, ahh furry siblings :)

Crossing the Border

At the end of the trip, we drove to the place the idea for the trip began . . . Arkansas. Crossing the border was pretty amazing. It was like driving from one world into another. When we stopped for ponchos and umbrellas at a Dollar Store, my NGF marveled at the same thing. I told her, "This side of the border is rather . . . humble." But what it lacks in obvious care and prosperity, it more than makes up for in natural beauty!

Arriving at Leatherwood Lake (and trail), we peered into the water only to see clear to the bottom or at least as far as the Christmas tree looking plants growing up from the bottom would allow us to see. The lily pads, hints of fall foliage, and misty Ozark Mountains made for quite the picturesque scenery! But don't let the cloudy skies trick you--it was a moist and muggy trek! Around the entire lake. Which was almost four miles long.

This was one of those rustic trails that our children love. One of those off the beaten path, over slippery slabs of stone, tripping across raised roots of shallowly planted trees, teetering on the edge of the lake that looked oh so refreshingly cool (until the kids spotted water snakes at the bridge). We'll get back to that part of the adventure later.

This is the first picture in series that could probably be turned into a short book about Mr. Buck's fishing adventures. Once he randomly found an abandoned water bottle wrapped in fishing line, he became the hunter-gatherer of fishing tackle from the wild. Here is the youngest member of the trek giving me the, "What is Mr. Buck doing in the lake?" look. "Can you believe that guy?" Ha!

We all loved the bridge and took about 100 pictures of it, on it, around it, and under it. Amazingly, during the explorations, Buck and Graysen spotted a snapped off fishing pole--with a hook still attached to the line! This hook was the missing ingredient in Buck's collection, which already included a wine cork for a bobber and a metal nut to help the hook sink. The kids quickly hunted small prey to become bait--although the little girls were pretty bothered that the cute lizards were getting a hook through their bellies in the near future.

Amazingly, our NGFs' oldest son spotted a shiny hook just laying in the middle of the bridge we'd all be running back and forth across! It turned out to be an upgrade from the snapped pole find, and Buck's fishing set was officially complete.

The kids watched eagerly over the side as the hook and bait sank from sight. The first tasty treat, a grasshopper, proved a free lunch for some hungry fish. Next . . . the lizard . . .

and . . . viola!! Buck caught this massive green sunfish!! Okay, so it wasn't massive, but it was very pretty, and pretty amazing that he had a fish in hand in less than five minutes :) Here's the bad news . . . the fish must have been really hungry, because it swallowed that hook clear down to its belly. Buck tried very gently to remove the metal object and to return the little fishy to its natural home--a shockingly steep drop from a tall bridge. As it hit the water and floated sideways, the kids all watched to see if it would perk up and swim away. Things did not look good for the green sunfish.

As we parents encouraged the kids to move along to the lengthy second half of our hike, the hook-finder told Buck he should have a fishing show or write a book. Buck gave him the "I'm not so sure about that, given this recent fishing experience" grimace/grin. To this young Mr. NGF quipped, "You can call it--Humane Fishing with Buck." Lol! We all got a good laugh out of that one. AND lest you readers be concerned about the state of the fish, there were general reports that it did indeed revive after its impactful landing and with a big splash swam away into the cool depths of its native home :) See, happy ending!

The second half of the trail had a few more open spaces/washouts, rather than the dense wooded path of the first half of the hike. This is also where we discovered the dinner plate sized spider in the nook of a tree (GASP) just off the trail (DOUBLE GASP) where we were walking (TRIPLE GASP!!!) The child who spotted the snakes "Who lifted their heads up and swam at us with scary eyes," (QUADRUPLE GASP!!!) also spotted said spider. From that point on, I wasn't sure if I wanted to hike near him . . . or not! :) 

When we broke through a clearing and rediscovered the lake, we could see our van in the parking lot--just there on the other side of the water! This was a very heartening moment, knowing it couldn't be long until we were mopping our brows and letting the air-conditioned flow (well, not our NGFs', theirs was broken, but we would have gladly taken turns) of our van's cooling system reward our toasty toils. We should have made a swim for it. Snakes and all. It was sooooooo far still around to the top end of the lake! When the path started heading uphill--in the opposite direction of the water--I about sat down and cried. But, sitting down on a trail at my age and fitness level is a semi-permanent decision and I hadn't seen any rescue vehicles drive by recently ;)

Actually, Buck and I have been walking together every almost every morning for the past few weeks. Our NGFs and those with shorter legs ended up a bit behind us, and the tweens and teens were ahead of us (we could sometimes hear their voices through the foliage), so Buck and I had the middle trail to ourselves. He kept me moving :)

I think round trip it was two or three hours? long after lunch anyway, when we emerged soaked with rain and sweat, stumbling up the last hill (picture people in the desert crawling desperately across the sand dunes to an oasis--I want this to be dramatic), finally reaching our goal with just ounces of energy left . . . to find the teenagers with flower crowns and blooms in their hair, playing near the water on the docks. What?!! WHAT happened to us!?? Lol!

Really the only thing we could do, once the rest of our group caught up, was go get some southern bbq for lunch :) In Eureka Springs they are even more strict than in Missouri. We found very few dining rooms open (and some doors listed death counts for the area due to Covid, that's a bit much when all you want is a piece of fudge), but the restaurant we chose had plenty of covered outdoor dining space. And it was very tasty and very much appreciated after the big calorie burn of our morning hike!

After lunch, we drove around the quaint little mountain town. The architecture was beautiful, the streets were narrow, the shops were mostly open, and Gabby found the caramel apple she's been looking for since those braces came flying off her teeth :) On the other hand, the southern mountain town seemed to follow the weird counterculture, spiritual tampering pattern of its distant western neighbors, the Rockies. While walking by one of the store fronts, the nine-year-old in our group remarked, "Well, that's disturbing." She sure hit that descriptor on the head! Oddly enough, when we returned home, the things most people asked us if we'd seen were the glass church and the passion play. I think those might have been refreshing stops in the middle of some strange soil. Talk about an oasis!

After a very Sound of Music looking performance of the national anthem by the children still interested in playing along to their mothers' photo op ideas . . . we did a little shopping and tried, once again, to get the kids a treat. The eight-year-old on our trip remarked, "It sure looks like it's going to rain. We'd better go inside and get some ice cream." If only that brilliant plan would have worked out! Except, first--it had stopped raining, and second--all the ice cream shops were mysteriously closed. We gave up after the third try. 

The agreed upon plan was to return to the resort, enjoy pizza for dinner, and let the kids swim in the pool and soak in the hot tub. This was a really great plan. Except the rain clouds from Arkansas followed us back to Missouri. It POURED at the pool, which actually made the experience a lot more fun for the dozen children . . . except for when lightning exempted them from aquatic time for 30 minutes. (Nice focus on the hand railing instead of the children in the hot tub pic, right? I blame the rain that was slowly soaking me, once again. I can't remember the last time I spent almost an entire day . . . damp).

Also . . . outside food wasn't allowed in the pool area. This we realized after it was hot and ready in our NGFs' van. So, under the guise of a stack of towels, and with my husband assisting in the subterfuge while I took pictures, my NGF snuck past the busy bartending lady when her back was turned, and plopped the pizza stack on a table out of security camera range in the inside pool area. Later this poster was issued . . .

You really have to be careful who you vacation with these days ;) Ha!

One of Buck and Mr. NGFs favorite Eureka Springs finds was a tobacco shop that sold corn cob pipes--made in Arkansas, no less :) They bought some apple flavored tobacco, and after we returned from swimming (how the kids had energy for that after the hike, I only vaguely remember in my own youth) they built a fire in the back yard of the cabin and tried out their new pipes :) For guys who don't smoke, this was a unique experience that wrapped up their vacation nicely. 

When we got home and talked about all the fun things we did on vacation, the kids unanimously pointed to this day of hiking and swimming (minus the shopping in town) as their favorite day of our trip. I agree, this was a pretty special day--and leftover pizza and Lambert's at the cabin wasn't terrible either :)