I have had the best of intentions about blogging on a regular basis….
…….but the constant feeling of being overwhelmed with life in general lately keeps getting in the way.
I have a full time job, three beautiful children and attend college in my spare time (lunch breaks, after the kids are sleeping and weekends usually). Life keeps me busy with responsibilities and I try to fit in as much fun as possible with my family too.
Honestly, finding time to write just falls by the wayside.
Early this spring, my Dad (who spends time living with us for several months of the year since my mom passed away from cancer in 2010) came down with what we thought was the flu. The rest of the house had it too……..all of the kids were down for the count. Everyone eventually recovered but my Dad just kept getting worse until I finally told him we were headed to urgent care whether he liked it or not.
I thought perhaps he had developed a bad case of pneumonia or something.
Turns out, that would be the beginning of a not so new adventure for our family.
Those first tests revealed what the doctors referred to as “suspicious looking spots” in my dad’s lungs and led to more tests.
Since its not the purpose of this post, I won’t get into the details now but suffice to say the news was not great and they have diagnosed him with stage 4 liver cancer. He has masses in his kidneys, lungs and elsewhere. The prognosis is bad, he has opted to forego treatment and has gone home to Maine to stay with my younger sister.
We have planned a trip home in June, as soon as the kids are out of school to spend some time together.
We had originally planned to take a trip with the new popup this summer but hauling it 22 hours to Maine is not in the cards.
Instead, my Dad is planning an old school Maine “up ta camp” and has rented a camp house for one of the weeks we will be home.
It’s funny really, because I keep telling my husband we have gotten a camp for a week and he completely doesn’t get what that means – being a born a bred southerner himself. He keeps saying we are going “camping”. Lol.
For you other people born below the bible belt or below New England……or maybe just those of you not originally from the backwoods of Maine….. The term “up ta camp” means a small house that has been cobbled together from its (usually) original one room form – closed in porches and added on bathrooms (if your lucky as most still have an outhouse even now), mismatched furniture and situated right on one of the gazillion lakes in Maine.
This one in particular features a porch hanging directly over the water, (semi) running water pumped directly from the lake, a couple of bedrooms and no shower or indoor toilet.
I honestly cannot wait to take the kids there…the oldest of which is getting ready to turn an angsty twelve. Lol.
When my sister gave me the Facebook video tour I actually laughed. I have many happy memories staying in such a place as a child…most of the time soaking in the lake and running wild with my cousins.
My kids are not going to know what to do in a house without a toilet.
Bring on the adventures….
North Carolina Adventures 