Carly reallly wanted to go home for her cousins wedding plus her brother Jake is back from Paraguay. We actually got to see Jake during his layover in Dallas, read more about that below. Carly said it was a memorable experience, and it sure was, in more ways than one. Since the weather had been nice, it was my brilliant idea to have a family "campout" in Dallas while we waited for Jake to arrive. Carly was in charge of packing because I was at work. I told Carly to pack some warm clothes because Mr. Weatherman had predicted a cold front. I also suggested she bring our air mattress. She said she didn't need it so I thought if she can do it, so can I.
Now, for all of you who aren't from the midwest or Texas, these cold fronts aren't your average pansy weather changes. Remember seeing those huge dust storms in those movies that take place in Saudi Arabia and the African Sahara? Well, imagine that, except the wall moving toward you isn't full of dust, it is full of cold air. These cold fronts are huge walls that rush down from the arctic. No mountains to stop them between here and the North Pole. The worst one I've felt was a few months ago. It was around 80F in the morning and within a few hours the temp had dropped to 40F. You always know they are coming because the wind picks up to 30-40mph and dark clouds and be seen in the north.
So there I was, 7 o'clock in the evening, battling the freezing cold wind trying to erect our Eddie Bauer tent we received as a wedding present. Carly and the girls watched from the warmth of the heated car as I chased the rain fly of our tent as it blew away in the wind. After I got it set up we tried to get in our blankets as quickly as possible. I was so worried that our little girls were going to be so cold and not get any sleep. Well, they slept like angels all bundled up in hats, two layers of clothes, and a sleeping bag. Carly and I however froze our hinney's off. Add to that the cold ground we slept on. I found that if I remained perfectly still with my legs crossed and my arms over my chest I could be warm enough to sleep. Carly on the other hand, being 5 months pregnant was unable to find a comfortable spot on the cold hard ground. Let me assure you that the ground in Dallas is no softer or more comfortable than ground anywhere else. She kneed me a couple of times throughout the night as she tried to find a comfortable, warm position. Our blanket also wasn't large enough to cover both of us all sprawled out so we had to sleep really close together. I felt so bad, but hey at least I wasn't the one who had packed. Then I would have felt really bad. I don't blame Carly though, I thought our blankets and jackets would have been enough. Silly me. I was about to call it quits and look for a nice, warm hotel room but Carly talked me out of it. Let me tell you, that woman is tough.
It actually snowed later in the day and we forgot all about our pain of the previous night when we saw Jake.
Our next adventure was Panama. Hiking around the tropical jungle in 85 degree heat but it feels like 120 because of the humidity, is no place for a pregnant lady. Plus I think the mosquitos down there feed on DEET. Oh, and by the way, follow the instructions and don't let that stuff get on your lips. It makes your lips go tingley-numb and probably contributes to cancer. My boss had the brilliant idea to make Carly part of our work crew. That didn't last too long.
Carly and the girls left for Cali a week after we got back from Panama. So that brings me up to now. I've been working on the boat non-stop in my off-work time, in the hopes I can wow Carly by its beauty by the time she gets back. You know, add hot water and a countertop surface that isn't exposed plywood- stuff like that.
I'm also working on our toilet so it doesn't smell like **** everytime one flushes. Our holding tank used to last one week. Now that Rivka is potty trained it is her favorite thing to do. She about drove Carly and I crazy the first couple of days. She would go potty once every five minutes. We couldn't tell her no because that would defeat the whole purpose. So we became victims of our own devices. Such is the life of parents.
I miss the girls terribly and can't wait for them to come back!
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