4 Generations of Studebaker:
Great-Grandpa Studie:
Great-Grandpa Studie:
Practicing for his funeral!
Cutting his socks!
Wearing out his welcome!
Pool Party
Quilt-Top Tent
Grammy Wheelin'
When it's Worth it:
Often a month passes by and we think, "Where'd it go?" This was not one of those months! Between Work/YW/School/Birthdays/Etc. we felt every minute of it.
Before getting into a fun little story, we just wanted to let you all in on our fertility news... Early in July, I (Tiff) had an HSG (which inconveniently had to be scheduled in the middle of girls camp - making for an extra 6 hour drive - EEK!) which didn't yield great news. Last time I had this done, before Stevie, everything was great... This time, I had some blockage show up in one of my tubes... which is potentially problematic when coupled with PCOS. However, Alex was checked out and is all fine there... for which we are very grateful . For now, I am down to one large cyst on the same ovary that was troubling me before and we have to wait another month on medication before we can actually get down to business. We are hopeful for September.
Now, when you had a crazy month like we did - nothing feels better than forgetting it all and having an adventure... and that's exactly what I did. The day after my birthday Clark took me on a little trip through the woods that I won't soon forget. In fact, I hadn't had an adventure like the one we shared since Alex & I got lost in Venice!
We started off breaking the law and cruising on a road that we weren't licensed to drive the 4 wheeler on. Then, Clark took a turn into a full-fledged ditch and trail-less mountain path. Up, up, up we went into the dense undergrowth of the VA backwoods. I kept clutching his little bod and thinking I would crush the poor kid before we got anywhere near the top. I even practiced my speech for what I would say to the Ranger who would inevitably come to retrieve his body! After about 30 minutes, I started to get used to peeling the spiders off my eyes and mouth and getting hit in the face by logs and brush. At some point, I told Clark that I was sure we were being followed by some dude who was throwing rocks at my hands... only to realize that it was the trees snapping up from under the tires and crunching my fingers.
As if that wasn't adventure enough... there was the crash. At some point we lost the "trail" and ended up careening into a nest of Brown Recluse and old tree vines. One of these vines got wrapped around the front tire and Clark told me to start hiking down the embankment (in my shorts and sandals!) while he broke the tire loose. Pretty soon I see him coming down the hill toward me. It looked like he was pushing the 4-wheeler until I realized he wasn't slowing down. The 4-wheeler was pulling him! I jumped out of the way just in time to see his panicked face shoot by me. Then he did the most "007" move I have ever seen in real life... He catapulted his body onto the speeding coaster just in time to squeeze the brakes with his outreached hand. "James Bond" came to a stop literally 4 inches from a HUGE tree. Yes, these events took place exactly as I have described... and this time I didn't have time to practice my speech for the Ranger that I was certain would have to come to our rescue.
We couldn't get the vehicle to start after that and continued on foot. I got a spider bite and soon discovered we were hiking through Poison Ivy, as well as serving a feast for every mosquito in Carroll County. Then, the trees and everything just vanished and we were at the top. For miles in every direction all I saw was scene after beautiful scene. Sometimes it's worth it... and when it's worth it, you know. As with all good "hikes," this was worth it.
Was it over then? No - a great adventure never ends after you get your reward! We still had almost a full hour of more: retrieving the bike, trails, cliffs, puddles, snakes, creek crossings and illegal roads to pass through before we found a worried family awaiting our late return for dinner. (They had spent the evening picking wild blackberries! Wooses!) It was only then that I realized all the people who had told me, "You just have to go up there!" had never been themselves! My favorite part was seeing the fridge and stove that had been abandoned 10 miles up the mountain from any sort of road... I love Virginia and Virginia loves me!
Well, now that I have emptied my brain a bit I suppose I should be able to focus on the bills for at least on hour! (maybe!) We are so thankful for all the "people" in our lives: past, present and future. Lately, I have spent a lot of time thinking/worrying about the debt I owe to so many. It really brings home the Atonement and I have come to realize that somethings just can't be paid back, and shouldn't. As I cleaned Stevie's vomit off my clothes and face today I found myself staring at the reality: We are indentured servants to one another... and what a beautiful sacrifice it is.
