Those Answers to Prayers You Never Really Wanted

Praying is something I have always been pretty good at. I always talked to God openly. My fears, my concerns, for others, family, friends, needs and wants. I fully believe in Matthew 7:7-8:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.




I know that many things and situations in my life have had God's protection and guidance because of prayer. My prayers and others praying for me. Here is where the problem comes. When you pray for things and people and it doesn't turn out how you planned. Five years ago I was praying everyday for my daughter, son in law and my grand daughter. I was worried for them. I had this worry for my daughter I couldn't explain, so I prayed. Lord protect her. I prayed Lord let your will be done. That is what we are suppose to pray for, right? I remember one night laying in bed just crying praying for my grandchild. Then November came, at 24 weeks Sarah was gone. Is that God's will, really. Well I don't like that will of God! How is this part of the plan. Prayer is suppose to make things better, right? Not always. Sometimes I know God has a different plan. We pray for "Gods will" based on his own Son's prayer. Matthew 26:36-42:




36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples,“Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”



42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless[a] I drink it, Your will be done.”




So I now struggle with hardcore specific prayer sometimes. I had another moment recently that prayer wasn't exactly answered the way I wanted. About a year ago my Son was having serious marital issues. So I pray for him and his wife. I started with basic prayers, Lord Heal their marriage, Be with my son, blah blah. One night I was just worried. They were having some marriage struggles again. I lay in bed again with tears rolling. I felt like I needed to be more specific in my prayer. I prayed that if they were gonna make that God would move in a big way to confirm this to them and me. Then I prayed, But Lord if it isn't suppose to work out please let it blow up so there is no question. I prayed for it to blow up, who does that. Things seemed to be going good. So I went back to normal prayers. But then, Wow, did I get what I asked for. It was bad and very explosive. Nothing could have prepared us for the hurt and anger that is coming from this. But I prayed for it.......I asked for this bad thing? No! I wasn't praying for bad things. I know these bad things were just happening.

I do not write this to discourage anyone from praying. I believe it is the most important part of your relationship with God. I write it to remind you that even though these did not turn out the way I wanted. I KNOW God has a plan that is bigger then my prayers. I will still pray specifically when ever I can. I believe joy will reenter my sons life. I have two beautiful grandsons and an amazing granddaughter that I get to hold here on earth. I do not have to understand God's ways to have faith in him. Keep praying! Pray for all situations, good bad, ugly!

Well today was a quick, nice walk. I did the USI/Burdette trail. I did one direction only. I will go back and walk the little nub to the lake. Today I was dropped off at USI trailhead and made quick work of the walk. Mindy went with me. It is kind of a congested trail. There were lots of walkers, runners and bikers! I don't mind that. I wonder in the early morning how it would be, to watch/see animals.

The Rest of the year.

The Rest of the year. Once I got home from all these travels. I finally decided it was time to go the hospital. I found out that I had a ruptured disk, between my L5 and L4 vertebrae. What were my options: surgery or lay on my right side until it heals…. I choose to lay on my side. So many people discouraged surgery, including the surgeon. He said he would have his own wife wait it out and only do it if after 6 months it wasn’t better. I spent the next few months laying on the couch. I was doing very little. The garden had died in the heat wave. Thankfully other than an occasional tomato or cucumber we harvested. I didn’t have to worry about it. By October I could feel my leg again. I was able to stop taking the nerve pills and the pain pills. It came time for Ariana to leave for Basic.

I felt as though I was losing Donnie all over again. She was this awesome connection between him and I. I also was going to officially be an empty nester once she left. Having her live with us had given me a bit of a break from that. We had our annual Halloween party, it was good.

I missed Donnie and Ariana though. November came with a pain and a bonus. My poor Rachel had to have surgery which wound up being much more invasive and painful than anyone expected! She really had a rough time. I helped as much as I could. Donnie was coming home for Thanksgiving!

It was so nice to have him here for the 72hr leave! Knowing in December both Donnie and Ariana would be home was great! I loved seeing them see each other at the airport! Now we have almost 2 weeks together!

December was all the normal holidays.

Watching my grandchildren open presents was so sweet. I love seeing Beth and Rachel as the wonderful mothers they are!

Donnie and Ariana were here to share them with us. That was an awesome way to end the year! I got to meet Ariana’s biological sister Katie.

That was a very special moment. So December was a massive whirlwind. The year of 2013 began with having to take them back to the Airport and say goodbye.

I took a few days and literally crashed, I was so sad. Looking back on 2012 I had some of the best most memorable days and some very difficult ones. I watched my children grow up, I hiked the North South trail, I took an amazing trip with all the ladies then with Ariana and my husband. So I can’t look back on 2012 with any regrets. I will not start this year that way either. I am looking at a new church, working out at the gym. I only have one major goal for this year. Get my health back!

Graduation day Aug 2 2012

Day 6 August 2 Graduation day We are all so anxious to get back to the National Infantry Museum, this is where Donnie’s graduation is at. I worked hard to get ready. I hurt so much and could barely think on the meds. We arrive and thankfully we see that the tram is running. I had started to walk back to the parade field but oh it hurt so much. Ariana stopped the tram for me, my pride didn’t want to ride but I did. We sat in anxious seats waiting to see the guys. We could see them lining up across the huge field. Knowing he was there was so crazy I wanted to run across and see him so much. The Leaders came out and did the initial announcements. We watched the band come across the field Then you hear some guns going off and see some smoke bomb/flares go off. Out of the smoke came 8 guys with their weapons in hand.

We got to see all the weapons that the guys got to use in basic and what they will use if they are deployed. It was really cool to watch these young men come out of the smoke to us. Then here come our guys! The came across the field and we searched the crowd for Donnie. We could barley make him out. Finally the haze of graduation ended but we had to get back to the front of the Museum to see him! We came around the corner and I saw him see me! Araina didn’t quite see him yet.

I looked back and saw that precious moment when she did, Her face lit up and they got their first hug in months. I was so proud of Donnie we all got pretty misty eyed! No, I cried like a baby, with a big smile on my face! Donnie’s first wish, Wendy’s not sure why it was so important but we found the first one we could! Had lunch just smiling away!

Once we got back to the hotel…oh yeah got to go there. Don went to the store to window shop and I left to go swimming! After a while in the pool I had to text Beth. Should I text them? Should I call them? Should I just go back to the room. We were all sharing a room…… It was so hard being on the amount of medicine I was on.

We took him back got to see many of the parents and said good bye again…. Back at the hotel, we made reservations for the next stop. Fort Gordon, Ga. Now here is the issue. We had no idea if we would be allowed to see Donnie once he got there. Rumors abounded as to whether they would get leave that weekend or not. So we drove another 4 hrs to hopefully get a little more time with our son and Ariana with her husband……

Week of Donnie’s Basic Graduation Trip

Week of Donnie’s Basic Graduation Trip Day 1 July 28 It is time to leave. I let Don and Ariana pack the car. The pain shooting down my leg is unbearable. I try hard not to complain. I am so frustrated though knowing deep down something is really wrong. As we are heading to the car Don notices a black cat run in front of him….then another runs in front of us in the car. We head off towards Chattanooga TN. We are enjoying the drive. I love looking at the rock walls. At our first rest stop we are barely ready for a break but need to give our legs a stretch. As Don is getting out of the car he starts to put his phone into his pocket…..He missed. It falls to the pavement; it has an otterbox on it. It doesn’t matter the inner screen shatters! We are now with out GPS, thank goodness I insisted on printing all the mapquest maps out. A very upset Don starts driving again on to Raccoon Mountain. We arrive to Raccoon Mountain.

It has a cave and a nice little campground. Oddly positioned right beside some million dollar looking homes. I have a feeling the campground was there first! The caves are called crystal caves. The whole place just glitters! The pavement in most of Georgia glitters also! We got the tents set up, no, I can’t say that Ariana set up both the tents for us. We hadn’t even gotten to really set things up yet when we hear thunder above us. All of a sudden we are running for the tents to get out of the rain. We realized after a few minutes the big church group of tents did not have the rain tarps on their tents. It was really sad to watch later as they pulled all of their things out to hang up wring out and throw away…. Boredom kinda of set in so we decided to go and check out the cave. Pretty much it was a neat cave. The best part was how much it glittered. I was hurting so much I was fine as long as we were walking. Anytime I had to stand still I felt as though I was going to pass out. We sat at camp I tried to get comfortable. We sat watching other campers. It was funny watching a couple set up their tent. The wind sent it flying into the woods they tried to set it back up. It was torn beyond repair. I don’t know where they got another one but they pulled out another one and tried again. It also was blown over, use stakes would be our recommendation. Rain soaked through all of the stuff inside, they zipped up the tent and got in the car again and left. They didn’t return that night! We were so anxious to get to Atlanta that we cooked a quick dinner and as soon as it got dark we went to bed! Day 2 July 29 We woke up a little defeated but ready to hit the road. Off to Stone Mountain. We arrived at Stone mountain only to be greeted with a $10 entrance fee plus camping fees. I was kinda of surprised it was the most expensive campground to begin with. So we decided to see how far the Aquarium was and see if we could find anything else. I have only passed through Atlanta before so we were a little nervous as we drove in and saw all of the bars on simple places windows, like a waffle house with barred windows. We still ate at the Waffle house though!

Oh dear where are we driving! Arriving at the Atlanta Aquarium I was excited. I have a piece of advice though. Buy your tickets with a debit card at a kiosk or pre-buy online.. If you are paying with cash you stand in a horrendous line. I have mentioned standing in one place is what hurts the most right. So we stand and stand in line. Finally to be told oh yeah now stand in this line that was just the pre line… REALLY yes, so finally we have our tickets. Only to be told they stand here for just a second so we can take your official Aquarium picture.

Oh that is the fakest smile on that picture! I really just wanted to scream or cry. I love it though the Aquarium is really great. Worth every second of torture to get inside. We were allowed to touch a sea anemone. It felt so cool. We watched otters play, beluga whales, sea turtles. I had a whale swim over my head. I didn’t get to see the albino alligator. It was so crowded. It was time for lunch. They have a café so we got in line to get food. More standing and crowds I have never been bothered by. Until today. Standing there people on all sides, me barely able to think past the pain. I handed Don my tray and bolted out of there. I was so hungry but I couldn’t stand in another line at that moment. People are wall to wall there. I wish I would have had a young one in a stroller to create a buffer haha. I settled on a pretzel from a kiosk. Don and Ariana found me and we settled in for a tiny lunch before the dolphin show.

The dolphin show, you first stand in this line at the bottom of some escalators. They told us we should plan on being there 30 minutes early to get good seats. We are, I leaned against a pillar and waited. We are finally able to go only to stand in another line right outside the auditorium doors. Oh the standing….The floor was wet or I would have sat down. We get in and lets just say if you need to lose 50 lbs before you go. The tiny seats we squeezed ourselves into. I was ready to see some really cool tricks by some dolphins. Let me just say Georgia glitters everywhere. This was no ordinary dolphin show. It was a musical with singing glittery costumes and just wow! I thought Don was going to die. HE says if you love show tunes you just may love it! It says it was fabulous with quite a flair in his voice! I was just laughing it was the cheesiest thing I have ever seen in my life!! I have seen a lot of cheese. The dolphins were good so I did enjoy it. It was also sitting still for about 40 minutes. We just conituned to look at all the sea life, turles, jelly fish, stingrays that are bigger then me. Windows into the tanks that are 2 or 3 stories high. It is a must see place for sure. We decide to head out to try to find a place to sleep. The Atlanta area doesn’t have many campgrounds. With no smart phone to find one we were a little lost. We started heading back to Stone Mountain the back way hoping to find another place. We did see one odd campground sign. We pulled into the drive after just a few feet we realized we should have taken a slight left at the beginning. We were inside a southern cemetery. Driving through it we were feeling quite off kilter. We realized that the campground was just on the other side of the cemetery fence. It pretty much overlooked the cemetery. The place looked like something out of a horror movie. We decided that Stone Mountain was looking really Good no matter what the cost.

We finally figured out where we were and got back to SM. It was really nice after all. I would like to go back again with more time. We found a nice spot near the shower house. Ariana went and checked out the lake and gathered some pine cones for me. They have really good facilities. We had a great dinner and a little fire, I felt relaxed and was able to sleep. Day 3 July 30 Today was the day I was excited for, other then seeing Donnie of course. We were headed to Zoo Atlanta. I was going to see Ivan the gorilla.

He is a gorilla that our family first met in the State of Washington in the early 90’s. He had been kept at a local shopping/game center. He was in a tiny cage. We helped sign a petition to get him relocated to Atlanta. I was so looking forward to seeing him out in the open. I was in pain right from the beginning. Pretty much pain was constant, with occasional worsening. So my focus was look quickly at animals heading to Ivan’s exhibit. We were not disappointed by getting there quickly. Ivan was laying in the grass when we got to him. I just got misty eyed watching him. He slowly began waking up, stretching his arms into the air. Sitting up and looking around just saying good morning to the world. He then sat in his traditional position with his fist under his chin in a thoughtful pose. We stood around watching him for a while. Don even told people walking up Ivan’s story. We found out that August 20 Ivan passed away at the age of 50. I am so blessed that I got to go and say hello and goodbye to him. I know the rest of the zoo was nice and I would like to go back again. I just was mainly there for him. Ariana got to rock climb.

She really enjoyed that. I was so proud of her. She wasn’t sure whether she could do it or not, which made her nervous for basic training. She completed it like a boss! She is so much stronger than she knows. She was such a help on this whole trip. We were done with the zoo by lunch time. It really is not a huge zoo. So we decided to head on down to Fort Benning. We headed out on I-185, advice time, eat, pee and get some food before you hit this highway. It is long and BORING!!!!!!I had to stay awake to keep Don awake. We arrived at Fort Benning. It was so exciting driving through post just knowing Donnie was there somewhere. We keep seeing platoons and wondering is that him. It really never was his unit was in a part we never drove to! So on the other side of base was our next campground. Uchee creek we got our campsite paid for and headed out to set it up. We arrive at a small parking lot with a bathhouse. We see a sign saying no cars on campsite. So we decide to check it out. We follow a small trail into the woods. The campsites were raised from the ground by 2 feet. They were very small incredibly dirty. No water no electricity. There was a chain link fence between campsites and river to keep alligators out. We would have to carry everything from the car to campsite about 100 yards. Not happening with the way I felt, my pain level was so high. I started counting money and we headed back to find out if they had any cabins open.

We had hotel reservations in 2 days. So we got a cabin. The campsites at Uchee creek aren’t much but the cabins are really nice. A set of bunk beds, a full size bed. Kitchenette and a shower that we didn’t have to walk to! Although Don walked outside right after everything was settled to a little black cat staring at him!

I kinda lost it. I started laughing so hard. I was just so happy to have a bed and an ice pack. I loved seeing the moss flowing off the trees and a little armadillo running through the grass.

We cooked a good dinner, and I took a very painful shower and headed to bed. I was in such pain I felt like things were crawling on me. I tossed and turned most of the night. Day 4 July 31 We woke up feeling good after sleeping in a bed. I got up and realized it was not just my pain that caused the crawling feeling. I had bites of some kind all over my legs! Great still no sure what did it. There were a lot of spiders though. We didn’t do a lot that day. We did go over to the lake and Ariana got to see an alligator. We did go to the PX so Araina could get a visit in with her sister Andrea. I think I slept a lot that day. I believe Ariana and Don went and saw a movie. I really don’t know what happened that day. Breakfast lunch then dinner and sleep! It is moving day, we get to go to the hotel now. Day 5 August1 We got to the hotel, it was a nice little place. The people were very friendly. They let me know where places we needed to go were! We are in the hotel and I have had it. I broke down called the insurance and headed for the closet medical center. It was really a cool mec center. They were very up to date which made me feel good. They confirmed something was probably really wrong with my back. They gave me good meds to get me through until we got home. I also got a steroid shot. I was now at least in a bliss of medication. We decided to go to the National Infantry Museum.

I was nearing the end of my tolerance. I let Don and Ariana push me in a wheelchair. I felt so tired and so discouraged at this point. I knew I had to do something.This was really a spectacular stop. It leads you through all the wars and battles that our soldiers have fought in. There is a room that takes you back like you were in Vietnam, they even have a warning on the outside door that it may cause flashbacks enter at your own risk…That part made my tummy hurt. With the meds in my system, some of the displays that were realistic made me very dizzy! We had to check out the local Wal-Mart. Got us some snack food and I bought a new comfy dress. There was no way I could wear the fitted dress I had originally brought and heels haha! It was also very hot! After that we went to relax at the hotel only one more night until we get to see Donnie! We got a text from him that was nice. Also got the first picture from him! He looked so good! Movies on tv and medicine I was OUT! The best sleep this whole trip! Next Up Graduation Day!

Girls Camping Trip July 2012

After completing the LBL hike I really wanted to show more people my love for the area. So I got Ariana, Lori, Jenn, and Kristi to go camping at Piney. Beth, Andrew and Aedan joined us also. Rachel, Billy and Aaron went on their first camping trip. They left ahead of us. It was a crazy few days for them. They faced storms and storms sirens going off the few days before we got there.Jessica, Billy's sister came as her first camping trip ever! I woke up so happy, I was quickly loading the van. This is when some of the first twinges of my upcoming injury really started. I have always had Donnie to help carry boxes. I guess I need to be more careful. But I got all loaded up and we rested and waited for Lori to get off work. We headed down, Lori was so nervous going. It was really great nice sun shiny day. Then 4 miles from the campground an absolute downpour stated. I mean pouring can’t see driving rain! It was no problem for me I knew it would be fine. I laugh thinking of the looks on Lori and the girls faces. They didn’t know what to think!

We got there in time to change and run to the lake. Swimming there is one of my life’s most relaxing moments. I have swum there since I was 5yrs old. When I run or walk on that soft white sand then into the green water of that lake any stress I have just melts away! It took a few minutes and some help from Rachel but we got the big tent set up and things unloaded. We walked around the site some just for them to check it out. The biggest negative of this trip were the bathrooms at Piney. They had actually torn one down closest to our site. I was way not used to that. We had to use a port a potty eeww!

We sat and watched the sun set it was so nice. By the time we finished swimming my girls had dinner for us it was really nice. Of course they were a little stressed out but I have to say it was kinda nice to get there last and not have to worry about cooking. We had corned beef and cabbage cooked over an open fire. Yum! It felt amazing sleeping under the stars. I woke up and was ready to make breakfast only to discover I had made the most rookie camping mistake. I had left my bread basket on the picnic table. Now I have tons of critter stories from LBL, so I totally knew better. I am not sure what it was but something tore a hole in the top of my basket. It bypassed the potato chip packets to move onto the sesame seed hamburger buns! Oh well.

I still love bacon and eggs, they are best over an open fire. I don’t think they taste that good any other time. My griddle also is perfect for pancakes. I really enjoyed having everyone there to enjoy all the sights with. Watching my grandsons see the campground for the first time was precious. Aedan really enjoyed swimming in the lake. I do say swimming because he got his little legs going. Everyone discovered a fun ativity in the lake, mussel hunting. We gathered a bag full and cooked them over the fire.

I did not try any. Kinda, to scary for me. You will have to ask them if they liked them 

The last night we had a concert at the Shelter house with CANTAGEUS (Can’t age us) Haha! They were really pretty good. I got to chase Aedan who was chasing bugs. He loved the mayflies. It was really fun because they really won’t hurt you so he could chase and touch all he wanted. It was really funny when we chased a huge spider. At one point he decided he was done with one of them and just stomped right on it! Aedan also loved playing on the slide. Watching him as such a big kid not my baby grandson was the coolest ever! Ariana and Jenn enjoyed playing some volleyball with some kids. Finally after the concert we took headed back to camp. Some of them hung out making smores. I was really more tired then I am used to. Sleeping under the stars was still awesome but for the first time ever I felt pain as I slept. We got to have a great last day also. We went swimming, small walks, and just relaxing. After we got all packed up we still had some things to see. We had to stop and get some pictures of the forest fire. We have had a horrible dry season and so huge sections in LBL had burned this year.

We showed the girls the fire tower. They loved climbing up parts to see out. Arian was having fun also just getting to show what she had seen earlier in the year with Donnie.

Our last stop on the way out was Colson picnic area. We stopped and made them lunch like I had eaten on the hike. I don’t know if they liked it or were just humoring me. It was really a wonderful trip. I hope to set up a time where a bunch of us can go camping in the future as well.

LBL N/S Hike 2.1 Day 2

Hike 2.1 Day 2 We woke up to a very cold morning. Making the coffee that morning even the propane was cold!!

The rain had stopped. Don unpacked the cooler and totes and was off to Wal-mart! Donnie Ana and I started getting breakfast and cleaning camp. The gatekeeper came by and checked on us. He let us know that the rain had moved out maybe just a sprinkle left. YAY!! We got out the propane stove and made bacon and eggs. The smell was so good and tasted great.

I felt a little guilty for having them without Don. The cowboy from last night came and said goodbye and good luck. When he left we got all their leftover wood. He had left a huge stack of old barn wood. We were gathering tiny sticks and stuff to start a fire. The neighbor behind us came over and poured some kind of fuel on the wood for us and really got it going. We aren’t sure what kind of fuel it was it was thick and green?

Oh the fire felt great. We were able to dry the blankets and pillows that had been rained on. We just sat huddled around the fire warming up and waiting. When yet another neighbor came over and offered hot coffee or hot cider! It felt really great this is the way camping had always been for me. People taking care of one another. Not being ignored like we were at Sugar Bay the first time. Donnie and Ana went and got Hot Cider made fresh for them and got to meet the ladies horses. I felt just wonderful! As we were preparing to leave camp tents had been cleaned and packed when a mystery arose. Donnie has lost a sock! How do you lose a sock when we only have limited places we have been. We were all contemplating where it could be when I looked down and there it was in his pants leg! What a funny way to start the day! Donnie and Ana take us back to Fords Bay road and we begin to hike. This particular part of the trail is just pretty normal walking. Had it not rained the night before! Our feet were sliding in mud. We had to walk around thick mud and would get it on our shoes the added weight was not okay!

We came to one section where the trail went off in five different directions. Thank goodness for the white diamond markers. We were also thankful for the advice the Cowboy had given us. We came upon the first logging area. It was very confusing. The trails seemed to go everywhere and now where. He had told us that the one that least looked like the trail wad the one we needed. I was so confused and nervous we didn’t even get picture. It was pretty crazy to see. All I could think of was Fern Gully and the monster eating the forest. We stopped at Blossey Cemetery for lunch. It was interesting because there was this sign:

And the Cemetery only had one stone in it.

It was a nice place to stop and eat though. Open at the top of the hill. We had decided that the kids would have a check point today. So they met us at road 165, the road that Donnie and Ana had gone to the day before! I felt better having a check point. Right after our meet up we realized a bridge was missing so we followed the horse trails for a little while. We continued on happy to cross back over to the other side of the Trace. We crossed over and ran into the detour! We had to walk the road until Ginger Bay Road because there was a major logging and controlled burn area. So we walked on down to where Donnie and Ana were waiting for us. We decided from there to drive on down to Piney campground for the night. This is the campground I have went to since I was a little girl so I am very comfortable there. We again set up camp and started a fire then went to bed! The end of day 2

Frustrated

I have 3 days until I get to go and finish this hike. I say finish with my fingers crossed. Don was talking about his foot hurting today. I really just wanted to scream. I am telling you I will be finishing with or with out them. They can meet me at the end each day! I just felt like he was making excuses not to finish before we have even left. I feel really annoyed about this today. I have this idea and I know it is mine and not theirs but I really would feel better with lots of support! Also, On my mind is the fact that there is 35 days until my son leaves for basic training.I am keeping busy so I do not dwell on this fact. I am incredibly excited for him. But I am also terrified for him and know i will miss him terribly. He is just like his Father, he has this way of making me so mad I can't see straight then make me laugh and smile so much it hurts! I love that boy! His sisters and I are really going to miss him more than he knows! Okay, I am done whining, sorry just needed a minute!

Hike 2.0

To the finish! I have gotten word that Don is going to be able to take the days off for us to make the next go at the final 2/3 of the hike! I am so excited and relaxed at the same time! I want to finish this so badly! I know I have become a bit obsessed about it. If you have attempted something this you discover how addictive it can be. Outdoors things just draw at my soul. I was so at peace!

Monday Monday

I am really struggling with not finishing the Hike! I am trying to to fall into a major funk of depression. I feel like only a couple of people understand how important this is to me. My husband said he is going to try to take a couple of days off so he can take me to finish. I really hope he can. It is a Monday morning here and I am trying to keep myself busy. I know that is part of what I have to do. I have already mowed 2/3 of the lawn. I did some Pilates and after writing I am going to clean house. I must not allow myself to just plop on a couch and do nothing. I felt so good and strong doing things. I am able to do so much more than I "feel" like I can. I can be so hard on myself. So this Monday is about keeping this momentum going. Get things done and feel good about it!

Hike 2.0 The First Third Day 1

Hike 2.0
The First Third

Walking the North South trail at Land between the Lakes is a life goal of mine. It is 59 miles in total. It is beautiful land that is wonderful for hiking and camping. As a child we camped there. It has always been a safe place for me. It is a place to go and recharge my spirit. As a child when we went camping at Piney (a campground at the bottom of LBL), it was the 3 weeks of a year that my family was neat, organized and Calm. This is not something that was usual. So a deep love for the area has grown in my heart. I also began taking my family there and we have made many great memories there. When I found out there was a marked trail to walk the whole LBL area I was so excited. We tried once before; we will refer to that as Hike 1.0.
This is the story of hike 2.0 Day 1.

At home we packed and planned for months to prepare for this. We waited for the weather to be at a peak of 80’s in the day and 50’s at night. We left Evansville at 7 in the morning. We arrived at the North welcome station a little after 9am. I went in to purchase our back country camping passes and bug spray for ticks. Here we found out that we are starting are hike in the middle of a random turkey hunting weekend. Thanks goodness for my pink hat! I am not a turkey!! As I paid for our stuff I was given a dollar bill with a huge chunk taken out of it. I should have given it back.

We filled all of our water containers and posed for our picture. My legs were shaking from the weight of the backpack.

At 9:41 am we were off! Right away we saw the white marker for the N/S trail. Now in a way this was our first oopsie. I had forgotten that we had decided to take the bike trail from the north station. It was actually about 2 miles longer on the actual N/S trail. It was also a much prettier walk. So it was okay. The trail leads you back to the lake and you walk along the edge. We had a moment of nervousness when we noticed the trail shift to where the lake was on our left side, it should always be to our right! We were actually going way uphill this was a switchback to get us higher. We just kept following the white markers. When you are on a trail like this that is really all you can do it follow the markers.


We arrived at Moss Creek picnic area.







Although in my picture it looks cloudy it really was a gorgeous day. We took off our packs which hurt our shoulders so badly. Pulled out our camp stove and made our lunch. We were off again. The terrain is very hilly so lots of switchbacks and ups and downs. Donnie really had a shift in attitude, he had been so encouraging. Now he was in pain and really frustrated. My shoulders were killing me as well so I also was frustrated. Push on is all you can do at this point. We came to a point where on Hike 1.0 we had gone off course, we stayed on course…this saved us about 2-3 miles! Where we had went before to try to get water was a bad idea!! Thankfully we stayed the course and got to Pisgah Point boat launch. This is where Donnie was ready to be done for the day! I was not! We pushed on. I was so happy when we got to the bridge that had been broken before and there was a new beautiful bridge for us to cross. Getting my butt and a 35lb pack over a muddy creek is not fun! We were walking through the mosquito infested area from 1.0 so I was spraying my Skin so Soft on me just in case. Thankfully they were no where near as bad. I kept saying “Ya though I walk through the valley of mosquitoes, I will fear no evil for my skin so soft is with me”

When we arrived at a large creek area we were really hurting from our heavy packs so we decided to lose some gear. We unpacked some clothes, water bottles, propane tank, and just some random things. We wrapped them into a rain poncho and slid them under the bridge. We knew we were near a road and decided we would recover gear later. The creek had pretty water in it this year. Last time it was dry and mosquito filled. As we walked on we came to an area where the trail had a ditch on both sides. It was very pretty, a dirt footpath with grass edges with beautiful purple flowers lining it. I was so relaxed I stopped watching the path held my head up and enjoyed the walk. That was when I heard it the rattling of leaves and the hissing of the snake at my feet! Oh I screamed so loud it was in striking position and hissing so loud! I screamed louder jumped and totally peed my pants! This is not a good thing on the first day of a long hike. We decided to sleep at the end of this trail right before Old Ferry Road. There is a beautiful field surrounded by woods that we set up camp for the night. So we cleaned up made our dinner and settled in early. Donnie is so quiet and tired he fell to sleep right away. I was so nervous hearing every little noise. The whippoorwills would keep me company for hours singing to one another. I listened to owls hoot back and forth. Finally Donnie woke up for a while. We heard a tremendous crash. We both jumped and looked at each other wide eyed thinking of the turkey hunters.It was a tree falling in the woods. We did here some hunting dogs in the distance and a few distant gun shots. None close to us though. I was glad we were in the field at that point. Very visible in our orange and gray tent. The stars and the moon were so bright. I loved looking at them. I could have watched them for hours. My body was so tired that I knew I needed sleep. I finally lay down and was able to get some sleep. And that was the end of day 1.
I have photos on my facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/DLDMOM3/

I will get some on here later.

Preparing for the Hike

Well here we go again. My family and I attempted to hike the North South trail at Land Between the Lakes a couple a years ago. It did not turn out well. Temperatures were in the 100's and I have only seen mosquitoes like the ones that were attacking us in cartoons! We were spraying ourselves with poison and still slapping them off with blood on our hands. Now we know go earlier in the season. So Donnie and I are going. Saturday the 31 we are going to do this. In fact we are really not giving ourselves much of an out. Don is going to drop us off and then there we go! I am now packing weighing and measuring what Donnie and I need to take and figuring out what is unnecessary.

We will begin at the North Welcome center. Then Finish out at the south welcome center. Camping in the woods along the way. You can view maps better at this web site. You will have to copy and paste it.

http://lbl.org/VCMaps.html

We are incredibly nervous and excited to begin this journey. I will be updating my Facebook with pics along the way then will add more when we are done to this blog and to FB. Please pray for our safety and that we just have a wonderful time!

One of the other reasons we are doing this now is that my son is moving out. A month after this my Son Donnie will be leaving to embark on a new life and career of his own. He will be heading to Fort Benning GA to begin Basic Training in the Army. I am very proud of him.