So last Monday I officially started back to school. We had an ALL DAY meeting. The original plan was this week would be the week to "get my head in the game" so to speak for the coming school year. Well instead the kids, Doug and I looked at our upcoming crammed schedule and decided one last romp with our trailer was a must. So Tuesday bright and early we headed for Hells Canyon. We found an awesome campsite with HOOK UPS! We got all set up and then thought we would head down to the store to get a few things and look around. That is when the problems began. Our pathfinder would not start. Now even at home with the Volvo in the shop this would be a big deal but being out in the woods it was not good. So we called Doug's mom and she decided to come up the next day. So we played with it and Doug got it going enough that we thought we were in the clear. Then we decide to go down and play in the river and not stress. The next day with Margaret we went huckleberry picking (luckily with two vehicles) because of course it REALLY DIED so we were stuck. Needless to say we got tons of huckleberries but Margaret and I had to go down to Halfway and find the parts store. After several phone calls and luck, the parts dealer told us he could get the part mailed in the next day. So with an expensive starter and a handy mechanic for a hubby that doesn't mind working in the wild we got our vehicle running. Not the trip we had planned but it actually was nice. The kids played in the water a ton and all did a little fishing and Doug got a very nice and yummy trout. We even got to see the Hells Creek Information Center that Doug's dad Allan designed. So now it is back to reality. Ready or not.
A fun BBQ for our good friends Dan and Kristina and their children who are leaving for the mission field for the next two years. God has blessed them with a heart for ministry. We will miss them. To keep up and pray for their ministry check out their blog on the right.
The kids were very excited about the face painting and fishing booth. They got some fun things at both. All in all it was a very nice party.
Okay, I don't claim to be one of those incredible shopping Moms but I do try to be thrifty with my family's grocery money. Today I was quite proud of myself and I have to share. I don't know if you shop at Albertsons if you don't you should. I realize that overall they don't compare to Walmart or Winco for cheap everyday prices BUT they do meet their customers needs and want to help you have a good shopping experience. They are running a special this weekend where if you spend $30 on particular grocery items (that we use all the time) you get $15 in store coupons to spend on ANYTHING. Now keep in mind that you can use manufacture coupons towards this purchase and you still get the $15! So I did do this earlier in the week and managed to get my $15 for less then $30 because of the coupons I had. Today my goal was to get another $15 and spend as little as possible SO............. Above is the picture of my loot! I got a total of $78.60 worth of groceries (granted original price is high because it is Albertsons) for a whopping $13.10 out of pocket today. BUT wait it gets better I also still have $10 more in Albertson coupon and a frosting label coupon for.25 SO REALLY I could say that I got all those items for $2.85. Okay it gets even better... I ALSO got $.40 off per gallon on my gas and Albertsons gas cost the same as Costco so that is truly off the lowest price around. Needless to say I am pretty proud. I know I am not in the big leagues but I am proud to say that I am my home teams MVP. Got to love those coupons!
POOR SADDIE!
The campground was GORGEOUS! We had three tent spots for Brian and Marie's family, Margaret and Allan with Brandon and Elisha, and one in the middle for our family to use our trailer minus electricity and water. The first day we just played on the beach and it couldn't be more perfect. Doug and Brandon fashioned together a terrific raft. That night after Doug's fajitas and a great campfire we were beat. Who would have thought around 2am we would be awoken by the awful smell. YOU guessed it Saddie (our dog) was guarding her food against a skunk. She scared the skunk and the 
spray traveled through our open window and on to our pillows. The next day included a trip to Freddies to get new pillows and burying Saddie in the sand and taking her for a swim in the ocean. These attempts only made the scent slightly 
less noticeable
. The day was not a total loss actually we went to the tide pools which was one of my favorite highlights. We also played on the beach forever. Wednesday we woke to find that Saddie got skunked again so she didn't make the half hour car trip with us to the Redwoods (she guarded the campsite). Paul Bunyan talked to us! Kimberly and I got special attention from the great giant. Margaret made this an amazing experience for everyone by paying for us to ride the Sky Train a gondola ride above the trees. IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!
the rocks. Elisha, Kimberly, and Brandon went up to tell the camp directors. He was so cute. I still was on the hunt for starfish and sea urchins that we saw the days before but the water was a lot higher so we settled for beachcombing for seashells. It was hard to drive home Friday especially knowing it would be 14 hours home because of road closure due to forest fire. We did make it and it is nice to be home. I will admit I didn't miss the 100+ degree weather we have here but it is nice to come home and not be stuck in the car with a dog that only got two small cans of tomato juice to clean stink two out of the car and into her own backyard. I honestly took over 200 pictures on this week long trip so it is hard to narrow it down. To just show the highlights is really tough. I am so excited to make a storybook out of them. My advise to all is now is a great time to head to the coast but if you are camping you might want to leave your four legged friend at home.
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