The Lake, a Boat, and a drive to Branson

We got up early on Sunday morning and headed to Saguaro Lake with Ken and Maytee. They had rented a boat and we were taking the kids bumper tubing for the day. We got there just before 10 am and backed the boat into the water. It turned out to be a bit easier than what was originally thought. 

We had to wait for about 20 minutes in the overflow car park. 

And we are off. 

The weather was amazing. 

Ken and Stuart rode together, while Maytee drove the boat. I actually rode the tube earlier, but realized I had no upper body strength so decided I probably should save my muscles. 

The kids had an absolute blast. 

We took snacks and tubed for a couple of hours. We then anchors in a cove and swam around a bit. We headed back out for a bit more tubing and then stopped around 1 pm and had lunch. After we had a very expensive lunch, we went out for another couple of hours before getting the boat back on the trailer and heading back into town. Stuart has been nervous about getting the boat in and out of the water, but In the end he thought it was easier than he had anticipated. 

When we got home, the kids showered and lounged around. They were knackered. Stuart and I worked on school stuff until the wee hours of the night again. It is definitely time for school to be over. 

Monday I got up earlier than normal to walk with Sue. It would be our last walk until we returned from Branson. When I got home I read a nasty message from the lady at the vet clinic in Al Ain regarding our dogs and their re-homing. She told me she wished that I had contacted her before we took them to the Falcon Hospital. Well, the message that she had sent me at the end of March stated that she could take them but we would have to pay a boarding fee until someone adopted them. I love how everyone thinks they get an opinion about your life and the decisions you make. This was not any of her business. 

Millie was able to Zoom with one of her buddies back in the UAE on Monday morning. She spent about an hour talking to her. It’s good that the kids can still keep in contact with their friends. Stuart went to wash our car to get it ready for our trip to Branson the following day. When he returned I headed down to the kids’ new school to turn in their shot records. It seems that not all the paperwork went from the first school we enrolled them to the second one. I then went to the farmers’ market to pick up some potatoes. On the way home, I called Cathy, our friend from the UAE, who is now in England. It was good to talk to her. She is so happy she is home. We spent the rest of the day getting ready to leave the following morning.

Tuesday we were up and tidying the house. We finished packing up the car and were out the door to Jack’s orthodontist appointment. I waited outside the office, while Stuart went to fill the car at Costco. Jack came back to the car already in pain. They connected his canines to the wire this trip. Lovely! 

We decided we would drive to Amarillo, Texas and stay the night at a hotel. We only stopped twice in our 10 hour journey. We got food just before we checked into the hotel. The kids ate, showered and got into bed. They were a bit wild and Millie had a meltdown, staying awake about an hour later than she should have, while 

Stuart and I posted our assignments and then I got into bed because my computer wouldn’t allow me to hook up to the internet. Stuart stayed up and worked a bit on his handover notes for the following year’s teachers. I was to be in a team meeting, but I felt they could handle things without me. 

I was having difficulty breathing during our drive on Tuesday. I’m chalking it up to anxiety. I keep reciting Philippians 4:6 ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.’ This is easier said than done for sure. I tossed and turned a bit in the night, so when the alarm went off at 6:30 am I struggled a bit to get up. We got ready and headed downstairs to check out. We opted for McDonalds as our nutritious breakfast spot. Then we were on our way to Branson. 

We made a few more stops on Wednesday than we did on Tuesday.. Our last stop was at the McDonalds on the Will Rogers Turnpike for another bite to eat. We haven’t had a McDonalds since March 5, and then we had it twice in one day on our journey to Missouri. We arrived around 4:30 pm. We saw Mitch, Grammie and Pop and gave them a not-so-socially-distance hugs. We unloaded our car and then settled in for our three week stay. We had dinner and the kids showered and got into bed. Stuart and I stayed up and worked in our new office. I had a class meeting and then decided to go to bed, even though I had a lot of work to catch up on. 

Thursday I got up early, but decided not to do any work. Instead, Stuart and I headed to town to get the oil changed in our car. While we waited for the car, we decided to walk up the street to Culver’s. We got a drink and some cheese curds. We got back to the car as soon as they pulled it in front of Big O Tires. We then decided to go to Wal Mart to buy some coffee creamer, cider and beer. Once we were home we had burgers for dinner. Having the kids go to bed anytime before 9 pm because it stays light until then. 

Friday morning we were up and working for a bit. I tried to get all of my assignments done for the following week, but didn’t quite get it all done. Russ and Morgan showed up just before lunch time. The kids were so excited to see Morgan. She wasn’t supposed to come until Saturday, but decided to surprise us. The kids played with Morgan and the rest of us sat on the infamous porch. Well, Russ, Stuart and Pop attempted to go golfing but there was such a back up they decided to give it a miss. While Stuart was gone, I spoke with Hope. She shared with me what she was doing each day and we discussed how we wished this whole Covid 19 thing was over. She’s been painting and she sent pictures of her paintings to me. I think they are amazing. 

Grammie and Pop decided to go to dinner with their community group, so Uncle Mitch made burritos for us and we enjoyed dinner together. We then went to the porch for the evening. It’s the best place at the house. 

We woke up Saturday morning and went for a 3.5 walk around the park. We then got home and I showered. We then took Jack to the basketball gym for a while. When we got back Emily and Julie were there and we all had a bite to eat. Then Russ, Julie, Stuart and I took a drive to scout out some walking trails in town. 

This was the one we settled on. 

We got back to the house and supper was commencing. After dinner we went outside to play Spikeball. It seems to be loved by all and there are laughs to be had. 

The Telford vs the Pennells. 

The cousins. 

Once the kids had showered, we played some dominoes, while the kids stayed up too late. We started work around 11 pm and had a meeting each. Sadly, we think we are disturbing sleep during our meetings, but we don’t have much of a choice. 

Only three more weeks of distance learning and then that chapter will close. After this week it will be much easier as we have transition meetings with very little marking of assignments. I’m more than ready to close this chapter of our lives.