Fall Memories

It's funny to me that the title of my last post mentioned that going places is a fiasco, because last weekend we went to Texas and it was pretty much one of the most disastrous weekends ever. It wasn't a tragic weekend like something really sad happened. It was just that everything went wrong that could go wrong, and I think what made it seem worse is that Jordan and I both took the day off on Monday so we could have a long weekend and spend the whole day on Sunday instead of leaving to come home like we always do. We were super excited about going, and it just was kind of a bust. A fiasco, if you will ;)

Among other issues, I got bit in the ankle by a fire ant, and holy cow it was painful! My entire ankle swelled up, and I couldn't see my ankle bone. It also stung and itched like a mosquito bite on steroids. It's been over a week since it happened and my ankle is finally looking seminormal and not itching like crazy. 

We went to a pumpkin patch that was super crowded and so dusty that Jordan had an instant allergy attack. We tried to go visit the fountain in the middle of the town square but the fountain wasn't turned on. We tried to camp in my parent's backyard, but it started raining, which turned into a severe thunderstorm and tornado watch. We tried to watch sports and all of our teams lost.

Sometimes I wonder why I ever leave my house.

I often see moms on Instagram and blogs talk about how they aren't a "fun mom" and don't really like doing activities with their kids because it's stressful and extra work and just kind of a lot. And all of that is true. It IS stressful and extra work (and extra money) and just kind of a lot. But I love doing things and going places with my kids. I really, really do. And as stressful and as much work as it is, I keep doing it, because at the end of the day we are making memories.

Sometimes, like last weekend, it's more of a character-building memory; other times it's a super fun, this-is-the-best-ever, once-in-a-lifetime memory. Either way, I don't regret doing things, and fiascos don't stop me from trying again (after I have an emotional breakdown because emotions). I don't know how much of that is me being a "fun mom" and how much of that is me being extroverted and how much of that is just me being just a little crazy, but I really do love finding things for us to do and places for us to go. 

This causes issues sometimes between Jordan and I. He would be happy as a clam to stay home all the time, and I'm constantly like, hey do you want to do this and this and how about this? And he's like, hey how about we stay at home. So we don't do all the things I'd like, but we also do more than he would like, and I guess that's the definition of compromise. And he always tells me that he's happy we went after all ;)

So I guess I'll conclude all of that by sharing that while last weekend didn't go quite as we planned with anything we tried, we still did make some great memories. Specifically on Sunday night. Before the rain started, we got the tent up, and my dad made a fire. We cooked hot dogs, and it was my cousin's wedding that weekend, so family was in from Illinois, and my grandpa roasted a marshmallow with us. The kids slept in my parents' house in the floor in their new sleeping bags, and... well, actually now that I think about it I didn't sleep at all because I stayed up all night itching my fire ant bite. Good times ;)

Okay not always the very best times. But what's that quote I see floating around?
We were together. I forget the rest.