Being surrounded by the sea on one side and desert on the other means that we get to have some unique experiences quite often.
This past week was no exception.
First of all, we were finally able to go on my birthday "adventure." Yes, my birthday was almost a month and a half a go, but I was not able to arrange babysitting until this past week. I had asked Ian for an adventure instead of a present this year, and I was excited to see what he was surprising me with.
Mostly because that would be one of the first surprises that he really pulled off! Not because he is bad at surprises, but because I am horrible at not guessing.
We started the day by dropping the girls at two different houses, then hitting the road. The only clue I had was that it was going to be outside (so I could dress appropriately for the weather...and sand.)
As soon as we were driving, Ian told me that we were going.....Dune bashing!
I was so excited. This would be something new for me and a little out of my comfort zone. I don't even like go-karting because it feels to me like the car is unstable and unpredictable.
We had a great time. We paid to use the ATV's for one hour and popped on some helmets and off we went! The place we went to was familiar to us because we used to drive by it all the time, looking longingly at the mountain of sand and wishing we could play on it!
I started off slowly but got the hang of it and was able to keep up with Ian. We raced over dunes and along their steep ridges. It felt like we were playing hide and seek, because if you lost sight of each other you would drive to the top of a dune and look out across the desert to see if you cuold spot them on a peak or valley, then you would race off in that direction!
We also drove up to the top of a VERY tall dune, but didn't play on it at all since it was so steep and we didn't want to get stuck. Or, you know, hurt.
I only got stuck once, which I was pretty proud of. I had been following Ian but veered to the left to go up and over a dune, but when I approached the crest I let up on the gas and the ATV stalled out and got stuck in the sand. I had to reverse it all the way down the dune, pick up speed, and try again.
We ended up spending more time driving there and back, but it was great to have uninterrupted time with Ian. We were even able to stop in to a Chili's for Chips, Salsa, and Diet Coke's with ice (oh how I miss ice in a drink!)
Our second desert adventure happened a week prior, when my women's Bible study joined up with our sister small group for a desert camping trip. Now, I had no intention of going camping again with babies, but we did decide to go out for the afternoon and evening.
We met up with our group at 2:30 and hit the road by 3. Ian and I didn't realize how far out the camping site was and we were quickly in trouble when we realized we were out of gas. Ian knew where a nearby gas station was though so we broke off from the group and headed there. It was the right thing to do, so that we wouldn't run out of gas, but because of some issues at the campsite, we couldn't be met by someone to lead us out there until after 5! That ended up being a long time in the car for Grace and Sophia, but as soon as we stepped out of the car they perked right up!
We grilled dinner, climbed up dunes, and slid back down them. We got caught up on each other's happenings and met some new friends.
And as the sun sank down below the horizon, the 12 kids gathered around the fire to roast marshmallows and sing camp songs. It was a great way to end a fun outing with our small groups!
And yes. This happened. Boogie board to slide down a sand dune. Ian took Grace down it a couple of time and they had a blast.
This past week was no exception.
First of all, we were finally able to go on my birthday "adventure." Yes, my birthday was almost a month and a half a go, but I was not able to arrange babysitting until this past week. I had asked Ian for an adventure instead of a present this year, and I was excited to see what he was surprising me with.
Mostly because that would be one of the first surprises that he really pulled off! Not because he is bad at surprises, but because I am horrible at not guessing.
We started the day by dropping the girls at two different houses, then hitting the road. The only clue I had was that it was going to be outside (so I could dress appropriately for the weather...and sand.)
As soon as we were driving, Ian told me that we were going.....Dune bashing!
We had a great time. We paid to use the ATV's for one hour and popped on some helmets and off we went! The place we went to was familiar to us because we used to drive by it all the time, looking longingly at the mountain of sand and wishing we could play on it!
I started off slowly but got the hang of it and was able to keep up with Ian. We raced over dunes and along their steep ridges. It felt like we were playing hide and seek, because if you lost sight of each other you would drive to the top of a dune and look out across the desert to see if you cuold spot them on a peak or valley, then you would race off in that direction!
We also drove up to the top of a VERY tall dune, but didn't play on it at all since it was so steep and we didn't want to get stuck. Or, you know, hurt.
I only got stuck once, which I was pretty proud of. I had been following Ian but veered to the left to go up and over a dune, but when I approached the crest I let up on the gas and the ATV stalled out and got stuck in the sand. I had to reverse it all the way down the dune, pick up speed, and try again.
Our second desert adventure happened a week prior, when my women's Bible study joined up with our sister small group for a desert camping trip. Now, I had no intention of going camping again with babies, but we did decide to go out for the afternoon and evening.
We met up with our group at 2:30 and hit the road by 3. Ian and I didn't realize how far out the camping site was and we were quickly in trouble when we realized we were out of gas. Ian knew where a nearby gas station was though so we broke off from the group and headed there. It was the right thing to do, so that we wouldn't run out of gas, but because of some issues at the campsite, we couldn't be met by someone to lead us out there until after 5! That ended up being a long time in the car for Grace and Sophia, but as soon as we stepped out of the car they perked right up!
We grilled dinner, climbed up dunes, and slid back down them. We got caught up on each other's happenings and met some new friends.
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| Proof that I was actually there. |
2 comments:
How fun! :)
Your desert is much more fun looking than ours! :) LOVE YOU.
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