Scream's Birth Story

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Klaw's birth was pretty memorable. Scream proved himself capable of creating his own memorable birth in a completely different manner.

As this pregnancy wound on, I was more than ready for Scream to make his debut. I have mentioned before that I don't do pregnancy well. I was over it. I was in pain. I was still puking. Chiropractic care and zofran did what they could to ease my discomfort but I knew nothing would completely ease the discomforts of pregnancy except giving birth.

We finally got around to replacing the vanities in our master & guest bathrooms on April 12, 2013. Scream's estimated due date was April 16, so I knew we were cutting it close but I wanted the bathrooms finished. The guys doing the work arrived around 10am and started on the guest bathroom. They asked me how close to giving birth I was and I told them to not be surprised if my water broke.

Looks good, though!

I went about my business washing clothes & cleaning up around the house.

Around 1pm, I was walking into the master bath and, lo & behold, my water did actually break. Thankfully, Klaw, at 3, is old enough to follow basic commands like "bring mama a towel, please. Yes, that one. Please bring it to mama. Thank you, baby."  I texted my doula, Amara, to let her know my water had broken. I wasn't feeling any contractions yet, so I decided to continue doing stuff around the house. I mean, I was in labor with Klaw for over 20 hours. I wasn't in any hurry. I did tell Chris that he might want to head home.

Within the hour, I started having mild contractions. They were immediately pretty close together which caused me a little concern but, again, I was in labor for 20+ hours with Klaw. I really wasn't worried.  Chris got home and shortly after that, the guys working on the bathroom said that if they started on the master bath, it would be several hours before they finished it so they wanted us to decide if we wanted them to stop for the night or go ahead & get started.

Obviously, even though I wasn't worried about giving birth anytime soon, I wasn't dumb enough to go ahead & let them rip out our sink in the master bath. I did want to soak in the tub, so that would have been really awkward for everyone involved had they stayed...

By this time, the contractions were picking up in intensity. I had been texting Amara off  & on, keeping her up to date on how things were going.  Suddenly, a series of contractions hit that were different. I instinctively knew things were different. I had Chris text Amara & let her know.

I also had Chris call my midwife to let her know I was  in labor. Now, I didn't want him to tell her my water had broken because I knew she'd want me to head on to the hospital and I was still worried it was way too early. I wanted to labor at home as long as possible. I did not clearly explain this to Chris, so that was the first thing out of his mouth. I got MAD!!! SO MAD! I couldn't believe he didn't read my mind and now we had to go on to the hospital.

One of my friends picked up Klaw and we headed out around 3pm.

At the hospital, Chris parked at the main entrance, clearly marked only for drop-off & pick-up (this becomes important later*). We enter the hospital. I'm stopping every couple of minutes to work through a contraction while Chris pushes the wheelchair carrying my bags. People stop & ask if I'm okay. I just wave & say "pregnant."

We finally get to the maternity floor & I have to fill out paperwork. I make Chris give me the birthing ball so I can sit on it through contractions while I'm filling out the paperwork.  Throughout all of this, I'm still worried that we are at the hospital way too early.

I get settled in the room and the nurse wants to check dilation.

Yeah, I was already dilated to 8.

Obviously, my fears of getting to the hospital too early were completely unfounded.

This also explained the intensity of the contractions I was having. The best way to describe what I was feeling was a knife being shoved in both of my hips & twisted. Repeatedly.

They didn't get any less intense, for the record. I wanted to push so badly but I was told I couldn't. The only way I knew to stop myself from pushing was to cross my legs. Tightly.  No, it wasn't comfortable but it was the only thing that worked. Amara suggested I try another position, so I got on my hands and knees and OH MY GOD I felt the sharpest, worst pain ever. I thought my hips were breaking.

I clearly remember stating several times, "Jesus H Christ this hurts so bad. This hurts so bad, Amara."

I rolled back over and said the magic words, "I feel like I need to poop."

Amara called my nurse back in so she could check my dilation. She began to check and immediately yelled for my midwife to come it. It was showtime!

Three minutes later, Scream entered this world.

brand spankin' new baby

Yes, three whole minutes of pushing after five and half hours of labor. Yes, it was intense but I would choose fast & furious over long & exhausting like Klaw's birth any day of the week.

Scream is now almost 5 months old. He doesn't have VLCADD. He is growing like a champ and Klaw is the best big brother a little boy could ask for. Thank you to everyone who is reading this. I know my blog has taken a back seat for the past  year+.

*edited to add: Chris ended up leaving the car parked right in front of the hospital's main entrance for 24 hours. Thankfully, our hospital is pretty small & laid back. We didn't even have a ticket. I'm guessing this has happened before.

In case you missed it..

Tweet I'm 20 weeks pregnant.

I thought about doing a comparison shot from 20wks with Klaw...but no.

With another boy.

We are calling him Scream. Why?

Even my midwife laughed at this.

Yep, he's already upped the creepy factor by 11. Definitely my kid.

So, anyways, this has been keeping me busy. I don't do pregnancy well but at least I'm not as sick as I was with Klaw.

I am definitely showing earlier than I was with Klaw, which has been weird. The 20wk ultrasound looked good, everything was where it was supposed to be and working properly. Naturally, like a boy, Scream was very cooperative when the tech went looking for proof of his sex.

Does that ever change?

We had a nice Thanksgiving and got to see a lot of family members. My aunt & uncle conveniently live halfway between Chris's mom & dad's homes, which is nice. My mom & nana were able to come up so we got to see almost everyone in one fell swoop.

3 of the 4 cousins

The cousins had a great time...even though Klaw wanted to take ElfBabyK home with him (she is the tiniest, cutest thing ever). We've also noticed that ElfBabyK's twin brother, W, favors Klaw. Which is odd. I'm going to assume Brooks (BIL) and I are related somewhere down the line...it's safer that way.

Klaw also got a piggy back ride from my cousin, Luke...

Yes, 4 legged family members outnumber the bipeds on my side of the family.

There are a few other things on my plate now, too...but I'm waiting a little while to unveil them.

Any big changes on the way in your lives?

Out of the blue...

Tweet I've been "home" in Georgia for about a week. Klaw and I have had a blast enjoying the beaches and visiting with friends. My beautiful Nana turned 90 and had a wonderful celebration at the church.

I was visiting my "bonus" Mama, the mother of my friend, Jessica. She was at the hospital with her own mother who was undergoing a procedure, so I stopped by to see them both.

Later this summer, my bonus Mama is getting married to a wonderful man who has re-entered her life and I haven't seen her this happy in a long time. While we were visiting, we spent a lot if time discussing the upcoming wedding and various things that have been going on in Brunswick.

In walked a tech who was going to start the transfusion to my bonus Nana (not my 90 year old Nana, I know this can get confusing). He was super friendly and chatty and he looked at me then Mama Butts and innocently asked if I was her daughter.

Mama Butts and I both got quiet. I told him that I wasn't her daughter but he had no idea what a compliment he had just given me. While Mama B explained that she lost Jessica many years ago and my friendship with her, the tears just started falling. From me.

It hits me hard sometimes and rarely when I expect it. There is so much joy in my life, in Mama B's life, right now.

So much joy I wish I could share with Jessica.

I visited her tomb on Tuesday after leaving the hospital. I had to. I had to touch something. I needed to physically connect with something that will forever record her life here. I needed grounding.

I do believe in a spiritual life after our corporeal bodies are spent. I do believe that Jessica's spirit, her essence, will be with us at her Mama's wedding.

I just wish I could hug her.

Do you work out?

Tweet Why, yes, yes I do.

I won't come out & say that I love it or have had some huge change of heart and suddenly hate my slovenly nature...but I do love the results.

Until very recently, I weighed more than I weighed the day I gave birth to Klaw...before I gave birth.

I have lost 12 pounds, slowly but surely. I have gained muscle mass. My clothes look better & I'm not embarrassed to wear a swimsuit.

I have lost inches in my hips & waist my chest, too, but I don't want to measure that. (I have 1.2 mil bras of different sizes, so I just switch out when necessary)

Klaw has enjoyed his hour or two at the Y, although it resulted in both of us getting sick in April. I was out for the count for about 2 weeks. Klaw had to be hospitalized for a weekend because we had GI issues in addition to upper respiratory issues.

I can honestly say not being able to stay at the hospital with your child is possibly one of the worst the things to go through. Chris was with him the whole time, thankfully. He had to take leave the following week because I was in no condition to care for myself or a toddler.

However, we are back on track. Klaw gets to play with other kids and he loves it. The staff at the local Y seems to be awesome and there is not as much turnover as I experienced when I worked in daycare.

I'm working on strength training, jogging (which I hate), & swimming (which I love).

For as long as I held out, I'm glad we finally joined the Y. I haven't felt this healthy in a long time.

I haven't felt like showing any skin in public in a long time. If you knew me 10+ years ago, you'd realize what a big deal that is...(right, Wesleyannes?)

Are there changes you need to make in your life? What's holding you back?

When bloggers disappear...

Tweet Where do they go?

I've been mainly going to the local Y & working my butt off. Literally.

I even have the blisters to prove it.

Chris & I created accounts on MyFitnessPal so that we could track our food & exercise to help us both get back in shape.

As much as I would love to lose weight, I realize and accept that my body is just different since having Klaw. My hips are wider & my booty actually sticks out now.

I'm okay with this.

I'm not okay with my lack of energy and poor muscle tone. That's what I'm hoping to "fix" more than anything else.

I have lost 6 pounds along the way, which means I finally weigh less than I did the day I gave birth...before I gave birth.

Also? The Submarine Birthday Ball is coming up and I bought a smoking hot dress that accentuates my curves. Spanx helps to contain the extra fabulosity. I don't mind the help!

(also, I'm checking out a Blogger app to see how it does for posting on the fly, so I have no idea what this post is actually going to look like published!)

Have you ever reached your breaking point where your health is concerned? Did you have to learn to accept changes to your body due to age, illness, or pregnancy?

Nice to Meet You! You Suck!

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Chris is participating in Mama Kat's Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop this week!  Enjoy!

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Ok. So the title isn't exactly what was said when I first met my MIL, but that's what I heard.

I'll set the scene, briefly.

Chris and Dana meet. Chris buys Dana and roommate dinner. Chris asks Dana out. Chris goes out with Dana a few times. Dana goes out with Chris a few times to make another guy jealous. Chris tries to kiss Dana. Denied! Chris almost throws in the towel. Chris and Dana go out some more. Chris and Dana dare each other to get married to each other. Both accept. Both call their parents to tell them the great news.

At least I thought it was great news. That was until Dana called her mom.

Dana excitedly calls her mom, a woman I had never met or talked to, and tells her that we are engaged. Dana, being a lifetime member of the Prankster Club, is questioned by her mom if this is another attempt to get a good laugh at her expense. Dana tells her no; that this for real.

 Suddenly, the phone is handed to me with the statement from Dana that her mom doesn't believe her.

I take the phone and say "hello".

"Are you really going to marry my daughter," Joye asks.

"Yes, I am." I reply.

"I'm not sure you are good enough to marry my daughter," Joye then says.

I know, right? How dare she say that.

In any event, the conversation continued. Joye said that before this goes any further I had to meet her in person. I said sure and told her that Dana and I could come down the following weekend.

She said that that was fine but leave Dana there.*

This was going to be she and I, me and her.

Alone.

I wasn't too worried because I typically got along with parents of prior girlfriends. I made arrangements to stay at Dana's moms' home that weekend and all I kept thinking about was her telling me that I wasn't good enough for her daughter.

So when I finally pulled up into the driveway of Joye's home, I was ready to prove her wrong. We exchanged courtesies right away, although I don't remember if we hugged or not. We immediately went to lunch where I proceeded to get the third degree and was asked questions as if I were on trial.

It was a bit rough, I wont lie.

I suppose it went fine because she didn't say "You Suck."

Joye's smiling, right?

 5.) Describe what it was like meeting your in-laws for the first time?

 *For the record, I told Chris not to do it. - Dana

I am a Stay At Home Mom

Tweet Some women know from birth that they want to be stay-at-home-moms (SAHM). Some know without a doubt that they want to continue working at or outside the home (WAHM or WOHM). Others, for a variety of reasons, don't have a real choice.

Laptop, iPhone, Beer, Dog, Baby - everything a new mom needs

I put myself in the last category because I was unemployed when I got pregnant and, really, who wants to hire a pregnant woman? (legalities aside, I'm talking about reality)

Honestly, I never imagined myself becoming a mother, much less a SAHM, so I sort of fell into it due to the severely lacking local non-profit job market.

Thankfully, I like it.

Chris & I worked hard to become debt free but the house and we had been living on one income since we left California. The cost of childcare in the area combined with the experience of more than a year on a single-income budget made it relatively easy for us to decide that I would continue to stay at home with Klaw.  When Klaw was born with VLCADD, it suddenly became a blessing that I was unemployed.

Staying at home with Klaw has been the best decision several times over for our family. I don't, for a second, think it's the best decision for every woman or every family. My "mom" friends fall all across the spectrum when it comes to this issue, from a mechanical engineer who left a lucrative career because she wanted to be able to stay at home with her children to a mom who, thanks to downsizing, is a stay at home mom due to circumstances not of her own making. Additionally, many of my friends are working moms through both choice and necessity.

What I do believe is that the people who continue to pit WOHMs & SAHMs against each other need to be stuck in a room full of mosquitoes and no fans. (I'm looking at you, Anderson Cooper, cutie pie)

I have been a caretaker to other people's children as a babysitter, an educator, a day care employee, and as a nanny. When people make derogatory comments about childcare providers, I take it personally. I, as do most people who make a career out of working with children, cared & still care deeply for the children who were entrusted to my care. I took the responsibility very seriously and still maintain relationships with many of the families I worked with.

3 of the kids I nannied in Washington supporting me at a concert

 I wasn't raising other people's children; I was doing my best to be another trusted adult in these kids' lives and help instill the values of the family I was working for.

At the end of the day, you need to make the decision that works best for your family. Whether you stay at home or work outside of the home, you need to be happy & confident in your decision. If you aren't, find a way to make a change.

As I've said before, an involved & loving parent is an involved & loving parent whether they are at home all day, at work all day, or deployed.

Are you a SAHM or WOHM? Dad? Have you felt judged for your decision? What is the biggest misconception you'd like to clear up about your role as a stay at home or work outside the home parent?

Inspired by 1.) Return to work after baby was born or stay home? How did you make your decision?

 

Review: Virginia Living Museum #HRVA

Tweet I fell in love with the Virginia Living Museum the very first time I visited.  The entire museum is kid-friendly but packed with enough educational information to be interesting to adults, also.

The price per visit is pretty steep but the various membership packages are well-worth it and will save you a ton of money if you plan to visit the museum more than once or twice a year.

the "big" ocean life tank

Klaw is not reading at the moment and he has the attention span of a gnat, unless he has an iphone in his hands. The Virginia Living Museum offers indoor & outdoor space for him to have lots of visual stimuli without being overwhelmed by loud noises (okay, maybe I'm the one that doesn't like loud places).

running through one of the ecosystem exhibits

The Virginia Living Museum takes you through the various ecosystems found within Virginia, including plants, animals, topography, & a bit of history. They have several tanks that are made to be easily viewed by children & adults alike. They are always well-staffed with incredibly knowledgeable volunteers who are there to share tidbits about the animals and exhibits through the museum.

one of the smaller "river" tanks

There is a nice boardwalk that gives you access to view various mammals and birds in a more natural setting. I don't have any good pictures of the boardwalk because Klaw likes to run the whole way around. He does occasionally stop and call the wolves "Seh-sah," which is what he calls our dog, Samson.

an alligator

The Virginia Living Museum also has garden exhibits, a "green" house that explains different eco-friendly building techniques, and a planetarium. We have yet to take advantage of the planetarium because of Klaw's age and attention span.

I honestly love this place and we try to go at least twice a month.  School & daycare groups do visit a lot, so it is sometimes very crowded during the week but we've always managed to have a good time.  Another reason having a membership is so great is that if it is crowded or Klaw is having a tough day, we can always come back another time.

Klaw letting me know he was not happy.

PHOTOBOMB: Celebrating Christmas

Tweet We started the Christmas season by visiting Busch Gardens for their Festival of Lights over Thanksgiving break.  Klaw enjoyed his first exposure to theme park rides but he did not enjoy waiting in lines. At all.

For Christmas, we were all happy. Klaw liked everything he received, as evidenced by his facial expressions. Chris got the watch he's been wanting & I got a new boyfriend.

I hope everyone had a blessed holiday with friends & family.

May your new year be full of light and happiness.

Evolution of a Tantrum

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HEE HEE Look at me!!! I can run!!!

BYE!!!

WHERE IS EVERYBODY???

Huh...I guess they are coming now.

Oh, hai! Glad y'all could join me.

An Open Letter to Santa Claus

Tweet Dear Santa Claus,

First of all, thank you for delivering many gifts over the years.  I really do appreciate it.  I especially appreciate the fact that you even delivered my brand new bicycle even though I had been misbehaving and being rude to Mama right before Christmas.  I realize you didn't have to do that.

I think the two page "note" explaining how much I did not deserve the bicycle but you felt you had to bring it because Mom had already paid for it *may* have been overkill.

I won't go so far as to blame that note on the fact that it took me three years to learn to ride a bike.  Although, guilt can do crazy things...

Secondly, I'd like to know why I only got gifts that my parents had paid for in advance. I don't remember this being the case for any of my other friends and they got a TON of toys each & every year.

Leslie always smiled.

What's up with that, Santa?

I know my neighborhood was rough. Did you feel like you deserved some monetary reimbursement for putting your reindeer at risk?  I'm okay with it now, but it kind of hurt my feelings at the time.

Thirdly, why did you mostly bring me underwear and winter clothes?  I wanted toys.  I would've settled for books.  Seriously.  Underwear.  From Santa.  Do you realize how mortifying it is to go to school and have everybody ask what you got from Santa?  Underwear.

Snoopy underwear is not happiness

Not cool, Santa, not cool.

Finally, I didn't intend to be so bitter about this.  I do appreciate everything I received growing up.  I'm not very materialistic and I definitely think that's a wonderful lesson to have learned the hard way as a child.

However, I'm really weird about receiving gifts now.  I'm not going to go so far as to blame you for this, Santa, but I do think you have to take a little credit for my strange behavior.

I didn't even need to be home to be weird

Oh, I'm sorry we never left any food out for you.  Mom said it would attract roaches and that you'd understand.

See you soon?

DanaK

PS - I have technically never officially stopped believing...keep that in mind (iPad 2 with 3G)

Inspired by 3.) Open Letter To Santa Claus

PHOTOBOMB: Crappy Playgrounds

Tweet When you drive into our neighborhood, you may notice the nice green space with the cool looking play structure in it.  Additionally, there's a toddler playground right by our house (sounds awesome for moms of toddlers like Klaw, right?).

What you don't see is that both of the playgrounds are unsafe and don't even meet minimum Consumer Product Safety Commission public playground guidelines.  We've been here for 3+ years and didn't realize how bad it was until Klaw was old enough to run & play.

 The Toddler Playground

Yeah, definitely not enough loose-fill, huh?

hard to tell, but there's about 2" of space beneath the post

Broken gate

Broken picnic table

The Kid Playground

So much for a soft landing, eh?

It's missing railings

This trash can is ALWAYS full

I thought this was concrete, it's so hard

 Okay, I do laugh at the graffiti:

"amw is an ugly ass hoe"

"POOP IS GOOD"

I'm writing a letter to the HOA president because this is ridiculous.  Of course, the contact form for the property management group is broken and the HOA website has been suspended.

What the heck do our HOA fees go to?  I totally get that this is a first world problem but I'm paying fees that should cover care & maintenance of children's play areas.  It would be better to just have open, grassy fields for the kids than broken, damaged playground equipment.

Have you ever had to work to get a public playground maintained properly? Ever dealt with an HOA?  Do you have any tips you can share?  Please???

You Won't Marry Me - Challenge Accepted

Tweet Have you ever wondered why or how Chris & I got married?  Here's our love story...you may want to have the tissues handy...

August 2001

Chris was fresh out of Officer Candidate School & working at The Citadel in Charleston, SC, waiting to attend the Naval Weapons Station for training.

I was starting my third year in The Holy City, living with one of my oldest & dearest friends, Arynn.

It just so happened that my roomie's ex-boyfriend was one of Chris's best friends and fraternity brothers at Georgia Tech.  Arynn was the only person Chris knew in the area, so one evening he called and offered to take her and her roommate (ME!) out to dinner.

For some background, I was happily & decidedly single...not lonely...single.  I was also working 50+ hours a week for barely more than minimum wage in a very physically demanding job, so I was also hungry.

Enter Chris...Chris, a frat monkey I already knew stories about and had seen pictures of from various trips during his Georgia Tech days.

Years before meeting Chris
Dana: "He's kind of cute."
Arynn:  "Yeah. He knows it."
Dana: "Oh. One of those...gross."

He dated another girl I knew. It didn't end well...much like most of his relationships prior to me.  So, to put it mildly, I didn't like him before I even met him.

However, I'm never one to turn down a free meal.  Especially when I'm hungry.

We went to one of my favorite local restaurants, The Wreck, and I ate so much food. I ordered extra hush puppies because he was flashing cash like he just got his bonus.  A girl's gotta eat...

September 2001

We went out a few times after that. I took him to a local band's concert so I could try & make a bass player jealous.  Fun stuff like that!

One night, we had a real date.  We went to dinner at a nice French restaurant I worked at for a while and then saw Jeepers Creepers together.  He drove me home, walked me to the door...

Chris: "Well, I feel like we've gotten to know each other and we've become more than friends. Would it be appropriate if I kissed you goodnight."

BitchDana: "First of all, we're barely more than acquaintances. Second of all, if you have to ask if it's appropriate to kiss someone good night, it's obviously not."

Chris: "Okay. You can call me when you get back from your sister's if you want to." (gets in car immediately and leaves)

I left the next day to visit my brand new niece and had several days to reflect on what had happened.  A guy had, for the first time, completely not put up with my bitchtastic BS.  Also, a girl, for the first time, had not swooned over Chris giving her attention.  Obviously, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I emailed him while I was in Virginia and called him as soon as I got back.

I went out with Chris and other friends for my 25th birthday a few days later on September 27th.  My best friend called the next morning and I told her I had met the man I was going to marry.

October 2001

A few days after my birthday, one of us made the comment "you won't marry me." This started a "no, YOU won't marry ME" type stupid argument. We are REALLY REALLY good at stupid arguments. I called his bluff and told him to call my mom and tell her we were getting married. He did it, poor sap.

Mom assumed I was pulling her leg so she started telling Chris that he wasn't good enough for her daughter and she did not approve of him, etc.  I saw his face just drop. Poor guy didn't know what hit him.  I took the phone away and told her I wasn't kidding.  She has a conscience, unlike me, so she felt bad and only laughed a little bit before she told Chris he had to spend a weekend with her...without me.  He did it, poor sap.


April 2002

We got married.


November 2011

9+ years later, we're still married, poor sap.

Had we known each other any better, it probably wouldn't have happened. We didn't like each other very much that first year of marriage.  Thankfully, we like each other now.

Inspired by: 3.) Married? Tell us the story of how the question was popped.

Why I Won't Birth 20 Kids

Tweet So, the Duggars had a big announcement this week.  Michelle Duggar is pregnant again.

image credit: ivanmarn

First of all, more power to her and I sincerely hope she has a safe & healthy pregnancy.

However, all of the publicity got me thinking and that's always a little scary.  I started thinking about 20 kids and I realized I could never do it for a lot of reasons.

1 - I'm 35 years old.  I only have one child. The thought of being pregnant well into my 50s in order to have 19 more children doesn't appeal to me.

2 - We have a soft spot for big dogs. Really big dogs.  That leaves little room for 19 more children.

3 - I hated being pregnant. I was sick and miserable the whole time.  As much as I love Klaw, the thought of being pregnant again, even if only one more time, makes me cringe.

4 - I don't like to do laundry.

5 - I can barely remember the names of my pets. There's no way I'd remember the names of 20 children. I've watched the Duggars rattle off the names of their children and I am in awe.

6 - If we had 20 kids, statistically speaking, about 5 of those kids would have VLCADD.  Granted, it's a manageable condition...but that first year is awful.  Hospitalizations, weekly visits with specialists, regular blood work, cardiology appointments, waking the baby up & force feeding him/her...it's emotionally and physically draining.  Thinking about going through that four more times is overwhelming.

7 - I imagine cosleeping is pretty difficult with 20 kids.  How many king size beds would we have to buy & shove together?

8 - Chris would eventually deploy again.  That would SUUUUUUCK!!!

9 - I don't think 20 kids would fit in our pop-up camper.  This is not acceptable.

10 - I have nightmares about blown out vajajays.

What it all comes down to is this:

Her body; her choice.

My body; my choice.

How about we leave each other's uteri alone.

You hear that voters?

ETA: I'm very sorry to add that the Duggars lost their baby.
I'm even sorrier to add that many people have not been very compassionate about it.

5 Things That Make a Camping Trip Merely Good

Tweet This is continuation of my post 5 Things That Make a Camping Trip Great. While camping is like pizza to me (there is no bad pizza) there certainly are those things that can make it merely a good camping trip and not great one.

Here are few things that can take a camping trip from...

Great to Good

1. Seeing your team lose, live!!! While Oklahoma is my team, I still follow and support Georgia Tech (I actually spent more time at GT than OU). When a college friend was selling tickets to the GT-UVA game, Dana and I decided to purchase two and take the opportunity to go camping. I figured this would be a perfect game to go to. GT was highly ranked, undefeated, and playing a Virginia team that hasn't had a good football team since 1990. Surely, this would be in the bag. Yeah, not so much. While our seats were great, everything about Georgia Tech's play was terrible. They came out flat and made UVA look like they were the ranked ones. Can I get my money back, Ashley? 

Dana being smug because GT is losing.

2. Lack of cell phone coverage. So camping in the foothills of the Appalachians, while beautiful, isn't cell phone friendly. I'm not normally one for needing cell phone coverage while camping, but we left the dogs at home for this trip and I was a bit curious on how they were doing. If there had been a problem there would have been no way to contact us. Fortunately for the free wi-fi at the campground, we were able to communicate via messaging on Facebook.

3. One lane gravel roads. Due the lack of cell phone coverage, we were unable to find out if one winery, Sugarleaf Vineyards, was accessible for a truck towing a camper. We decided to risk it and let me tell you, it was stressful. This one lane gravel road was the worst road I have been on in a long time. Plenty of potholes and plenty of blind bends. Fortunately for the trip to the winery we encountered no other traffic. We were not so lucky leaving the winery. Backing up with a camper is not easy and I'll leave it at that. We came out unscathed but I don't need any more gray hair.

4. Crowded campgrounds. When we go camping, we don't come to socialize with the other campers and, frankly, would rather be the only people out there. When we made reservations, there were only three spots left so I knew this was going to be a crowded campground and boy was it. It was kid hell, as I had to dodge little Hell's Angels as I walked to the restroom. For further reading on why this sucks, see number 5 below.






5. Loud, Drunken Rednecks. As if crowded campgrounds aren't bad enough, throw in Billy Ray, his first cousin/wife Bobbie Sue, their 12 chil'ren, and plenty of Busch Light and Boone's Farm and you've got a recipe for disaster. Oh yeah, did I mention they were our neighbors? Quiet hours evidently didn't apply to these asshats as they sang Skynyrd and loudly laughed into the wee hours.

All in all, it was a good trip. Honestly, take away the rednecks and the Georgia Tech loss and it would've have been a great trip.

If you camp, what are your camping pet peeves?  Do you have any funny or harrowing stories to share?

5 Things That Make a Camping Trip Great

Tweet Chris is back & inspired by a recent camping trip...hope you enjoy!

just outside of Charlottesville, VA

Ok, so I didn't title this "10 Things That Make a Camping Trip Awesome". Nope, I didn't want to focus on just those things that made our recent camping trip awesome because for every awesome there is usually a terrible. Instead I'm going to provide 5 things that make a camping trip go from good to great in this post and 5 things that make a camping trip go from great to good in another post.

Good to Great

1. Beautiful weather. Nothing says "its a great time to camp" than fall weather. Chilly nights and mild days. Combine that with bountiful sunshine and camping is on point.

also near Charlottesville, VA

2. Well-maintained campgrounds. You never know what you are going to get when you make a campground reservation. Pictures don't always tell the whole story and for every bad review you can always find a good one. When there is only one campground where you want to go, well, there is no choice and you get what you get. The KOA in Charlottesville was nice. Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachians, there was plenty of fall foliage, nice level sites, each with their own campfire ring, a nice store, and clean restrooms.

3. Free WiFi. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know that when you are camping you are supposed to become one with nature and all that jazz and that's fine. But fall camping coincides with another love of mine: College Football. I schedule camping around OU's games so I won't go if they are playing in a tough game. So they played Kansas this camping weekend so I wasn't really concerned but having WiFi afforded me the opportunity to run ESPN's GameCast and keep up with it, play by play.

4. Nearby libations. Dana and I are all about supporting local wineries and breweries. We don't necessarily go out looking for them, but if they are nearby, you can bet we are going to make a stop. I didn't do any research ahead of time but was told that there were some wineries in the Charlottesville area. Much to my surprise and delight, there were four of them within ten miles of where we were staying. Unfortunately Klaw isn't old enough to drive, so we limited ourselves to two of them. We will get the others next time.

Dave Matthews's Blenheim Vineyards

Sugarleaf Vineyards

5. Cooperative children. We've only taken Klaw camping once before and he was good. Since that time, he has, how do I say this, developed a penchant for throwing temper tantrums periodically. Not that he is ever bad but sometimes he shows his tail, as on old family friend used to put it. This trip he was great! He went to bed when we did, slept the entire night, and even was good enough to allow us to stay the entire 4 quarters of a GT-UVA football game. Thanks buddy!!!

Chris, Klaw, & Buzz

Do you enjoy camping? What are do you think makes for a great camping trip?