Before the pandemic you didn't get a fall break, but I'm so glad you do now!
It's a vacation week without any holidays in it; nothing we have to do. Just relaxation.
And this year, we decided to take our relaxation on the road to Oklahoma and visit a place we hadn't been to in many years: Beavers Bend State Park!
We rented a cabin, played Monopoly during the rain, had camp fires, s'mores, hot dogs, told silly disgusting jokes, kayaked down the river, skipped stones, went into town for mini-golf and wax hands and 'mining,' rode horses, rode the train (twice...and julia you won the cotton candy raffle the second time!), hiked...and hiked more...and got lost...and hiked more to get unlost, and went on nightly walks with our headlamps.
We saw deer at night, deer during the day; creepy glowy eyes at night (deer and one opossum); a lot of cool frogs and one bigfoot (just kidding).
You two set up a trading post and system to trade precious gems.
It was a time of togetherness -and waters rose and fell- and I am so thankful we were able to do it as a family.
I can't wait to be in the woods with the four of us again...no cell signal...smell of campfire...and sore legs with fully bellies and hearts.
Aidan, take a look at you right here. This is moments after you NAILED the target with an arrow. Surprise. Pride. Happiness. Challenge & Success. JOY. THAT is what being a Hiking Laser Bear is All about...
...and I'm SO proud and honored to be able to do this with you!
Some of our adventures on Hiking Laser Bear camp-outs we get to do side-by-side.. and experience new things and new successes, growing together!
And sometimes you've been leading the way and trailblazing on your own- testing your meddle, taking up the challenge, pushing yourself...and I couldn't be more proud!
And sometimes, Hiking Laser Bears is all about hanging and exploring and growing with the other bears!
This particular Hiking Laser Bears trip started a BIT bumpy...we were about 15 minutes away from the campsite (meaning about 2 hours away from home) when Mommy called and said "Did you mean to leave your red bag on the bed?"
To which I said "Wait...you mean my suitcase?"
To which she said "Yup."
To which I said "OH NO! MY SUITCASE!"
That's right! I left wearing only the clothes on my back. Also left behind: both of our toothbrushes, toothpaste, my deodorant...you know...all that 'keep clean' kind of stuff. Now normally I wouldn't have sweated it. You had your clothes- that's what really matters! But...the weather report indicated that we were quickly going to be going from t-shirt and jeans of a warm spring...
...to a COLD snap of Texas proportions. Like 40s, windy, cold, cold, and colder.
So we took a detour to Walmart, where I bought a bunch of layers to approximate a jacket, as well as a knit hat. You bought a Mario toy :) We bought tooth brushes, tooth paste, and all that good stuff too. You bought a Mario tooth brush :)
So, after that detour, we hightailed it back to the campsite, where you and your fellow Laser Bears got to work gathering firewood, building a campfire, dancing and singing, exploring the woods, emerging to a sports field with a gaga court, and then returning for dinner, s'mores, and- finally- bed.
The next day we awoke to that cold-snap, bundled up and set out to do some awesome activities!
First up was rock climbing. You had never really done rock climbing before. Somehow, every previous Laser Bears trip that you went on did not have a climbing wall or anything. So, it was your first time. And you tried as hard as you could. You met it with bravery, you tried your hardest, and you came down with tears in your eyes. But you were not defeated; you were ready to try something else...and for all of that, I'm SO proud of you. We'll tackle that wall next time, buddy!
Next up is the Mt Warren Hike. And it IS an hike. You and only 3 other Bears wanted to try it. And I was so proud of you just for wanting to do it!
With hand-warmers stuffed in our gloves, we set out on the hike...and it was SUCH a rewarding experience.
We marched together, we kept going on-ward and upward. And you never gave up!
We made it to the beautiful waterfall...
...and then came the climb up the incline. Crawling up the mountain side one step at a time.
...even on the way you knew you were accomplishing something amazing. Something that a few years ago you might not have been able to do. And you were SO proud of yourself. I was/am too!
...at the top, Brody's dad Justin pointed out to you guys how far up you had just climbed and that after tackling that, you could do ANYTHING! You all were very interested in the snacks; but you also soaked in the words. I asked you all what your favorite thing was...and you, Aidan, said that climbing up the rock side was your favorite!
After the hike and lunch a bit of a break, we headed over to archery....and man oh man...Aidan- you NAILED it. You became like Robin Hood overnight! You were nailing the target over and over again! So cool! The look on your face when you nailed that first one is something that will stick with me forever. It had echoes of your first success at archery on your first campout...no front teeth...major surprise...major elation.
But this time, there was so much more confidence and so much more behind your success. You've been growing steadily since your first campout, and watching you succeed time and time again on the archery course that day made my heart grow 10 times over.
Horseback riding on Cricket was windy and awesome. You did it all by yourself (no dad leading the horse), and you and did great!
So I got to ride my own horse at the end of the line!
Axe-throwing was a blast. You showed grace and humility and only increased eagerness to keep trying in the face of a challenging new activity- but you nailed at least one! And that is a great feather to put in your cap.
We wrapped up the day with more hiking, more hanging, more campfire, and more food.
We may have left our luggage on that trip, but we brought each other, and each came back with something warm and new to keep with us forever. Not just a new sweatshirt, but a new camping experience with new victories and failures and challenges and successes and love between a father and son.
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