The rundown

I thought I'd post a bit about the gear we've purchased to equip our family for the trail.

Though we camp often the equipment we currently owned was far from lightweight and compact. Since both of the older kids can only carry a minimal amount of gear we had to prepare for the adults (mostly Jeremy) to be the Sherpas. I began to research and plan appropriately.

So far, this is what we have gathered-

Sleeping bags- Jeremy also insisted on a packable pillow for each of us. We're going with these: Therm-a-Rest Compressable Pillows. Large for him, a Medium for me, and Smalls for each of the kids.
• Sequoia- Kelty Woobie
• Cedar and Willow- Big Agnes Little Reds
• Jeremy and I- Big Agnes Big Creek double bag

Sleeping pads-
• Willow and Cedar- Thermarest Z Lite Sol Small
• us- Big Agnes Dual Core air pad Regular


Tent-
• GoLite Shangri La 5

Water Filter- SteriPen Adventurer

Stove- Jetboil Sumo Cooking System

Cookware- GSI Outdoors Bugaboo Camper Cookset and Light My Fire Sporks

Backpacks-
• Cedar and Willow- Lake and Trail 20L bags (I'm planning on a Cilogear 20L WorkSac for Willow next year)
• Jeremy - Kelty Coyote 80l
• Sequoia and I - A decade old REI backpack carrier. After this summer, I'll go back to my MacPac and use a Piggyback Rider for Sequoia when he needs a lift.

Other-
• Black Diamond Apollo Lantern
• Petzl Tikka headlamps for Jeremy and I, Black Diamond Wiz kids' for Willow and Sequoia an a fun Lego guy one for Cedar.
• Everyone has Patagonia Capilene 3 base layer, even Sequoia!
• the boys' rain gear is from Tuffo and Willow's is from OakiWear. (Jer and I already had Mountain Hardwear rain gear)

I'll write another post later on the rest of our clothing and a few other odds and ends. I'm super excited for spring to come!

To the woods

A patch of woods stood in the center of the field near the home where I grew up. I was never allowed to enter them but often during the winter or in early spring before planting, I would venture to their edges and peer in on the world there shadowed under the canopy above. I daydreamed about adventures in the depths of the shadows.

I devoured juvenile literature that had anything to do with exploring nature or adventures alone in the wilderness. All things I loved the most. Books and words. Being alone. Dreaming. And the woods.

I asked for a tent for my 7th birthday. A green pup tent that my dad slept with me in the yard one night. Another for my 15th birthday when I also received a lantern (that I still have, thanks Gram). I put it up in the backyard and tried to convince every friend and cousin to stay in it with me. I kept it up so long that the grass underneath the nylon floor began to brown (sorry Ma!).

I moved to college and left my tent and auxiliary accessories at home in the garage attic. There I discovered that I wasn't a lone crazy earth child who craved being outside more than going to the movies or well, pretty much anything else the average teen enjoyed. There were actually others like me! I slapped on (or is it squeezed?) a pair of climbing shoes and as my fingertips curled around a hold and I felt its roughness, I began to whole heartedly connect with who I really was for the first time.

I climbed, I camped, I rappeled from the rafters of the field building; I rafted and kayaked and zip lined to my hearts desire. I got a job working at a summer camp loving on kids and helping them to challenge themselves on the wall, on the ropes, or in the water. I was happy.

Then I met Jeremy. Not that he made me unhappy, definitely the opposite, it's just that our interests didn't jive. I remember one of our first conversations; I proclaimed that I could live in a tent and be happy the rest of my life. He stated that he would never camp and preferred his own bed. I shook my head and crossed his name off of the hypothetical list of potential husbands.

Years past. We were engaged, got hitched, were broke as church mice, had a baby, went nearly insane from lack of sleep thanks to said baby, moved a lot, finally bought a house, and had two boys. Last summer I took stock of why I was so unhappy. Was it jer? No, I loved him more than ever. Was is the kids? No, I felt called to being a mother. And even though there were rough times ( a daughter with some extreme sensory needs, a son with allergies), I loved my job. With more thought I determined that it wasn't where we lived, it wasn't our financial state, it wasn't anything of that sort. I wasn't even really unhappy, just not feeling whole.

My problem lied with my purple macpack backpack sitting in the garage attic and the fact that I hadn't put it on in over six years. Once I relieved Jeremy by telling him that essentially it wasn't his fault that I was feeling unhappy, he was glad to hear how he could help the situation. And ladies and gentlemen, I am seeing result of his proposed solution and the fruits of his labor as the UPS man brings me cardboard gifts of joy. Little golden nuggets from REI, GoLite, BigAgnes, and GSI.

I have hope that I can find and be the real me again, the one who craves the outdoors more than anything else AND experience it with my crazy fun loving kids and my husband who loves me enough to sleep on a 3/4 inch piece of foam.

Folks- I'm heading to the woods!

The Dun Dun Dun

There are acquaintances, good friends, best friends, and real friends. I classify real friends as the ones who laugh at your dirty house, you don't mind when they stop by and you are still in your pjs at 4 pm, they bring you food and chop up your placenta (hmm. . . Maybe someday ill share more about that), and on top of everything don't dismiss most of your ideas as crazy, but instead join you!

Enter my (great!) real friend, Larissa and the journey of dreading our hair. Because its way more fun to be crazy together. 22 hours she spent twisting and ripping my hair, while we talked, sipped tea, watched British comedy and a little bit of the golden girls.

Our moms think we are weird, our husbands are rebelling, a child may have cried- but we are in this together.

Vacation

Vacation in our house is not always a vacation. We, like others I assume, have high hopes at the beginning. We start with rose colored glasses on and end stumbling with beer goggles. Not literally, but close. This year inspired by our kids' favorite movie it was going to be Jellystone for 7 days. Preceded by 4 days of camping at my family reunion. Just so we're clear, that's 11 days without phone, internet, running water,electricity, and the comfort of our own beds. Doesn't sound too difficult. Let's then throw in all three kids getting colds the day before we left, Sequoia teething, 90 degree AND 40 degree weather, rain, long screaming car rides, rain, broken tent, swarms of bees and the picture of the perfect vacation gets a bit muddy, for real. By day 5 Daddy Oak and I were ready to throw in the towel, but stuck it out and tried to enjoy what we could salvage. We rented a cabin, got out the tylenol, threw on rain gear when needed and smiled. All in all, I had a good time. I think for the most part the rest of the clan did as well. We played soccer int he rain, went to Fort Michilimac, explored St. Ingnace. We played games and went for hikes and ate fudge. I appreciated the time away even though camping with kids is definitely not a vacation.  Now we're home and can laugh that our vacation resembled that of the Griswald family.

Here are a few photos from our trip . Oh, and my camera died mid vaca so I don't have any pictures of the kids with Yogi when he did finally show up.

We had just gotten to Yogi Bear. Just after this we found out that there were no activities and no cartoons for the week. 

Helping to hammer stakes. I think you can see tears on Willow's face. It was a rough day.

Wood hauler. He's such a big DIRTY helper. There was no grass at the campground but LOTS of dirt that sticks like crazy.

Musket fire at Fort Michilimac. We had such a truly good time together there as a family. An awesome family of history nerds. 

Hanging out with Sequoia and Willow while Daddy and Cedar watched the cannon fire. It was still pretty neat from afar. 

She has a talent of finding heart shaped rocks. We spent the afternoon on the Lake Huron shore skipping (and throwing) rocks, having a picnic, watching cars on the bridge, and seeing ferries come and go to Mackinac Island. 

So happy to have these people in my life. 

Willow lighting the evening's campfire.  She knows how to light a match, better than her Mama.

Hanging out with St. Francis at the Cross in The Woods. 

Feet in Lake Huron, St. Ignace.

Sequoia even liked the water!

Emergency

I've been thinking alot lately about emergency preparedness. Really about my emergency UNpreparedness. When Jeremy and I met we had a running joke that I could be ready for anything in an instant. I have had an irrational fear of house fires most of my life and have prepared likewise. I have a wicker chest that was given to me as a middle-schooler. I filled that thing with every thing that was important to me and that I didn't want to lose in "The Fire" (because I was certain one was coming). From home, to dorm room, to college apartment after college apartment, to our first married apartment, to house, to cabin, to apartment I always parked that thing in front of a window and would spend my last few waking moments each night reviewing my escape plan. . . Where is my favorite necklace (later became wedding ring)? Do I have shoes by the door? Where is my camera/phone? Are our water bottles full? Remember where the photo books are in case I have time to grab them. Do I have clean diapers ready for Willow? 

I'm not joking. Not exaggerating.  I lived in fear of "The Fire".

Sometime not long after Cedar was born this fear crept to the outskirts of my worries and eventually out of my mind.

It all came back with the smell of burning and every smoke detector of our house being open and without batteries. (really? I live with a former firefighter. . .  )  Thankfully said smell ended up being the belt on a fan and we quickly replaced the detector batteries.

Come one! We are the type of people who had personal life insurance at age 22. We save, we plan ahead.  I'm the mom who carries bandaids, first aid spray, and extra sunblock with me at all times. I always have full water bottles, extra sweaters, blankets, and rain gear packed int he van. But we would totally be screwed if a disaster caught us off guard.

Now, fully alert and a bit more rational  I am determined to get my house in order for an emergency; "The Fire" or any other kind. Despite mocking and laughter from my husband I am determined to get everything organized and ready before the start of the new year. I know this seems like a long time. . . . but let's face it, I'm the queen of procrastinators and even giving myself 4 1/2 months is pushing it.

Here are some resources I am looking to for help:

- 72 hour kits
- Emergency Binder
- These ladies are prepared
- Crank Radio/Flashlight

Finding the Joy

 I'm still here. As you can see in the above photo. . . . I've been busy for the last year. Meet Sequoia. He's big and strong just like the name we've chosen. So far he's weathered a long labor and birth, a battle with RSV and a 16 day PICU stay, and the often overbearing love of his two older siblings. He's calm. He's steady. He's my Sequoia.

This is a snapshot of our life right now. Finding the joy a midst 6 year old curiosity, 3 year old emotions, and the needs of a newborn. That smile is real. I love my job. I love the days that I can see views from the summit and ones that I'm covered in muck (sometimes literally) from being in the trenches. My life is rich with love.

Date night of a different sort

tonight rthe munchkin and I qent on a date. our dates usually consist of hot cocoa and new earings; this evening was a bit different. We startes the night with some yummy korean food during which she pretended to speak korean and declared plum juice the best dessert EVER. We then stopped by Target foe a browse and ended up at our homeschool group's annual History and international Fair to see what some of her friends have been learning. She was particularly excited to meet "A real Africa man!". This mama declares it the best date with the munchkin yet!

This Moment

A friday ritual. A single photo -no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment to pause, savor, and remember.