The Best Laid Plans

Isn't is funny how you can plan exactly what you are going to do for a long time and then in a matter of hours the whole plan can change?  That has happened to us a few times but none as big a change as our 4th of July plans.  Earlier this year we made plans to camp at Seminole State Park with Joe and Judy over the holiday.  Reservations were made and when Amy asked if we could keep Amelia so that she and Darryl could participate in the Peachtree Road Race, we were excited that she would get to camp with us again.  In fact in planning ahead and anticipating the hot July weather and the lack of a good place to swim, we had purchased a small inflatable pool to take with us so that Amelia would have a place to "cool it" right at our camp site.  As the time approached for us to meet Amy in Eufaula to get Amelia, the plans began to change.  Joe and Judy have a beautiful garden and it was starting to look like their peas would be ready to pick during the week we were supposed to be at Lake Seminole.  Now we had to decide if we wanted to go without them which would not have been as much fun or camp in Opp at that state park; however, when we called for reservations we were too late.  The park was full. 

Then Joe and Judy invited us to camp in their yard.  When we arrived, they had a spot already picked out for us.  We used their electricity and water all week, had good tv reception, a swimming pool close to our trailer, and all the peas and cucumbers we could eat.  Oh, and we had wifi most of the time.  John was able to come that week so he and Amelia enjoyed playing and swimming together.  It could not have worked out better.  

We went to Opp on Tuesday and came home on Saturday.  The week could not have been any more enjoyable if we had planned it that way the whole time.  

Amy came on Sunday and stayed until Wednesday.  It was nice to have her with us for a while.  On Tuesday we all went to the beach.  Amelia loves the water.  Once again we had a beautiful day for it.  That night we had a slumber party which meant that Amy, Amelia, and I watched a movie in our pajamas and ate popcorn.

I have been encouraging Amelia to say "yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir," and I told her on her last visit that when she did it all the time I would make her the Wild Kratts Bat Costume she had been asking me to make.  She is doing great so I bought the materials I would need this week and plan to take it to her when we go in August.  Now this may look easy to you, but I'm telling you that these simple projects have a way of requiring a lot of time and effort on my part, but what a fun way to spend my time.  I don't know what she plans to do with it -- but she does have a vivid imagination.  She talks about nocturnal animals and non-venomous snakes.  At least Wild Kratts is an educational show.

Cute things I want to remember are:

• If you kiss someone on their cheek and they put their hand over the kiss, it saves it for later when you need a kiss.
• She knows so many birthdays.  She said that she knows Jesus's birthday, but doesn't know God's.  She says that she will ask him when his birthday is when she gets to heaven.
• She still remembers all the presidents in the order they were elected.  She can just say them, she doesn't even have to sing them.
• She knows a lot of facts about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
• John had made her gift bag with a pencil, suckers, and two friendship bracelets made out of rubber bands.  She thanked him and hugged him. He blushed.

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray."  So we didn't follow our original plans for the 4th of July, we made better ones.  We had our granddaughter with us and enjoyed the hospitality of our loved ones.  It just doesn't get any better than that.