HSA National Reunion {day 4}

Finally! I am getting this posted! I like to think of it this way - I haven't procrastinated, I've extended my enjoyment of the reunion.

Well we woke up Sunday morning knowing it was the last day of the reunion. Horrible feeling really knowing that everything wonderful about the reunion was soon to be no more. But we crawled out of our beds and got ready and headed off to the mess hall for breakfast. Then we went back to our dorms to pack up. I helped load up the van. All that experience helping Daddy load up the camping gear payed off. Especially now that we had more luggage to pack in because a couple more girls were joining us for the trip home. After that we had our last Hymn Sing.

Then we trekked down to the Bear Claw one last time for the closing ceremony. *frowns* I didn't want it to end. It was a strange feeling, part of me wanted this to go on and part of me was ready to go home. But we still had a little time left together and that was solace enough. Next we ate lunch. One last meal of some of the best campfood in the world with some of my favorite people in the world. After that we milled about saying our goodbyes and taking pictures with our friends.

people saying their goodbyes in front of the dining hall

Before we knew it it was time to leave. We piled into the van and set off, on our way to Garden of the Gods where quite a few of the reunion goers were going to spend a little extra time. It was supposed to take us about 30 minutes to get there, but due to construction and the effect on traffic it took us about an hour and a half. Creeping and crawling our way along we were able to carry on a couple of conversations with other HSAers in their cars next to us. One of the girls even took a nap in the back seat. And much to my astonishment, I learned that the Paul sisters knew the Willie Nelson song "On the Road Again." Just as a joke I sung the only lyrics I knew, "On the road again...." and they took off and sang the whole song! *laughs* I wish I had a picture of the shocked expression on my face.

We finally arrived at Garden of the Gods and were glad to get out and stretch our legs. Wow! What a view! We were not able to explore much of the park due to time constraints, but that is a place I would like to see again. It was absolutely incredible to see these huge red rocks. So much to see, all the varied shapes and textures of the rocks, it was a gorgeous scene.

yours truly at Garden of the Gods

Let the homeschool invasion begin! We set off as a group on one of the trails and stopped part way into the park to explore and wander about in one of the rock groupings. We stayed there for a while actually, and our carpool group didn't go in any further because we had to leave. *sighs* Stupid clock and schedule.

a few of the carpool girls and other friends

more people, including some of the Naylors and Noel in that adorable red hat

Pretty soon the van and Justin's cranky car were back on the road. Back to Kansas and Iowa and Arkansas and Missouri. We got in really late to Erin and Amber's and snuck downstairs to the basement. Oh wow, did sleep feel good that night. Thanks to a dark basement we were able to sleep in the next day. Got up and dragged ourselves upstairs for breakfast. The girls had made scones! Yum! We called Justin to see how he was doing. His car refused to start after we got a bite to eat before we made it out of Colorado. He was fine and getting the car worked on that morning. I called my parents to let them know they could start driving up to get me.

Last time in the carpool van as we made our way to Salina where they would drop me off. Said our last goodbyes and we went our seperate ways. We didn't get very far before I realized I had left my expo box and Keen shoes in the van. Too late! Oh well, I knew who had them and could get them back in little while. Home bound now and it felt good.

I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend with my homeschool family! All the wonderful memories, blessings, and fellowship I will cherish for the rest of my life. And it is my firm belief that roadtrips are the best!

Now, as promised, here are the links to the videos from the reunion.

If A Bear Is Running At You Clap Your Hands - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p5DfnyhmRk

And the dance off - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLak10jw82Q

Enjoy! And you have my permission to roll on the floor laughing.

{mini reunion or bust}

Last weekend my family traveled to Kansas City to go to the Homeschool Alumni Midwest Mini Reunion. I've been a member of HSA for a couple of years now and haven't been able to make it to one of the national reunions. So when I saw the MO mini reunion posted on the event board I was thrilled. And then ecstatic when I told my dear father about it and he said "we're going" before I even had a chance to ask. Late Friday morning we set off for our destination. About mid afternoon we reached the Cabela's store in KC and decided to stop and stretch our legs, again. I always enjoy going into Cabela's and looking around. While we were there we bumped into some other homeschoolers but they were not HSAers. Being homeschooled turns on some radar that allows you to pick up on other homeschoolers. No kidding. Anyway, then it was off to the campground to set up the tent before heading to HQ a.k.a. one of the other HSAers house that was hosting the event. We were the last ones in because of how long it took to just pick out a campsite. *sighs* But supper was cooking and the house was warm and inviting which was welcome relief after putting up a tent in the cooling temps of a Fall afternoon. After supper there was a Boggle tournament and other games plus lots of talking and laughter. I had a hard time staying awake and at one point had dozed off for a couple of seconds. But then a couple of friends shook the couch to make sure I would stay awake. Thanks guys. Needless to say I am not a night owl. I'm not exactly sure when we girls crawled into our sleeping bags (my parents had already left for the campground) but it was about 1 in the morning. Whew! Saturday was packed with activities. In the morning we went on a 3.8 mile hike around the lake at the local state park.

"The road goes ever on and on..."

Someone in our group decided to take a little detour and we thought he would catch back up before long so we didn't wait. Back at the parking lot and eating our picnic lunch he still hadn't shown up. So then we were worried. Just as we were planning a rescue mission he walked up. No Chris, we're not going to let you live this one down. Then it was off to the WWI museum in Kansas City.

Here's our reflection on the glass walk over the field of poppies and you can see the tower, too.

Very interesting and informative. Lots of artifacts, most of them original, to view. After that we dashed back to HQ to throw some grub down the hatch and change before the dance. It was my very first ECD and I loved it.

Here we are before the dance. Aren't mirrors handy for taking pictures!

Sorry to those whose toes I stepped on. We laughed 'til it hurt, which wasn't very hard. We danced The Hole in the Wall, the Gay Gordon, the Virginia Reel and another one I'm not sure of it's name.

The white blur dancing with the blue blur is yours truly.

Note to self: use shutter mode at next dance.

But now I'm hooked and don't know how long I can make it without another dance! When the dance ended it was back to HQ for dessert, more games, laughter and talking. We also had a few surprise visitors. Missionaries from Siam to be precise. There's something wrong with the leg on the last missionary. *laughs* Saturday night we stayed up until 2! I was able to remain awake a lot easier though. Sunday morning we had a time of scripture reading and prayer. Then my family left right before lunch and headed home. I wish it could have gone on forever. But life called and said it was time to get back to work. Bummer. Now I'm already thinking about next year...

Thanks to all my homeschool family for the wonderful memories made this weekend. We won't easily forget them.