Last camping trip of the year

The month of November has came and went so fast.  CJ and I have been busy and it is just with our daily stuff. 

Jay and I had enough of the PT cruiser breaking down.  At the end of October it was starting to just shut off while you were driving on a more regular base.  It happened to Jay while we were driving in Greenville.  We decided that enough was enough and we could not have such an unsafe car anymore.  So we went to the Honda dealership and bought a new CR-V.  It is a small SUV just like I wanted in the first place.  I have really loved this car.  We did not want payments but we had to do something to keep this family safe on the road.  We will be paying on the car until CJ goes off to college, but just yesterday when we were driving CJ said to me, “Mom, I have not heard any ding with this car of the check engine light coming on.  It is so nice.”  To made me know that I made the right chose with getting this car.

I then took CJ to the pumpkin patch to get pumpkins to decorate.  She did not want to paint them or carve them.  She thought that she wanted to carve them until she saw her friend Claire’s carved pumpkin and what it looked like after a day or so of rotting.  She came up with making costumes from them out of foam paper.  I was very impressed with her work.  She decided and did it all herself.

This year when we went to CJ’s school for the Fall festival she did not want to do a lot of the activities or get candy, she wanted to watch the teachers do karaoke.  She dressed as Elsa from the movie “Frozen” my sister Lydia made her the most beautiful cap.  CJ loved the way that the cap flowed behind her when she ran.

The Friday of Halloween we took our annual beach trip to Huntington Beach State park.  This was not our best trip but we had a great time.  It was just so cold that we could not get into the water and one day it rained all day and we had to stay inside.  Jay did not get as much fishing in as he wanted to.  I had a good time anyway.  It is still always nice to get away just the three of us.  Friday was not bad and we took CJ down to Merrals Inlet to the Monster Mash walk so that she could go trick or treating.  We then came back and Jay made the best fish tacos. Saturday it was raining all day so we went shopping.  We found this great kid friendly place that had fun meals for kids and it included amazing deserts.  It was called “Friendly Ice cream Parlor” we all loved it and think that we found a new place to go.   We then spent the evening in the camper watching movies.  On Sunday the weather was better, cold but better.  CJ and I went to the education center, walked the beach, and then went to visit Atalaya.  CJ had been to Atalaya 2 years before but did not remember much about it.  She really enjoyed it this time and asked lots of great questions about the family that lived there.  She spent a lot of time working on making sculptures, just like Anna that lived at Atalaya did.  CJ asked me about the house and if it would just wash away in the ocean someday.  I told her that is why people give donations to save the house and its history.  The Huntington’s that lived their created many museums and made some of the most beautiful art work, so people are trying to save the house so that many children can enjoy it in the future.  CJ asked if we could donate our last dollar to help save the house.  At that moment I released what an amazing child I have raised.  She was so thoughtful and generous.  When we got back to the campsite Jay had returned from fishing at the jetty.  He did not catch anything and said that he would never take that walk again it was not worth it and was really cold.

That night my mom and Wendy came down.  We sat around the camp fire and Jay made us low country boil for dinner.  We had a nice visit.  I just wish that it would not have been so cold.  CJ loved seeing her aunt.  She loves Wendy so much and Wendy is so good with her.

The next morning we had to pack up and go.  Mom and Wendy came back to the campsite to help us.  It was sad to leave but we will be back next year.

The rest of the month was filled with girl scouts, dance lessons, Hebrew school, and birthday parties.  CJ did well on her progress report bringing her grades back up.  CJ has been very creative since we got back from camping.  Making more art projects and playing with her legos building things.  She is so cutes with her stuffed animals making them caps, glasses, and other things.  Somedays I am so happy that I have a girl that loves to play with dolls and stuffed animals. 

CJ is on this kick right now were she wants to sleep in my bed on the weekends because she wants to cuddle.  She said that Cookie, her big stuffed bear, is just not the same.  I think that it is so sweet and I can not say no to her.

Thanksgiving is today and we were suppose to have a lot of people coming, but Uncle Tom had open Heart surgery and is in the hospital, Ron just decided that he did not want to come, so we are left with a 20 pound turkey that the 3 of us are going to have to eat. It will all be good.  We always have fun just the 3 of us.