We had a family BBQ on Tuesday and that was the kick off to several days of family adventures. Tala was supposed to grill but got held up at Kalani's football practice. Jeremy and Ben ended up manning the grill and they did Tala proud.
On Wednesday we floated the Clackamas river. The day turned out to be overcast and not the warm day we had hoped for. The water level was low and we were unprepared for rock and rapids in our $3 tubes from Target. We frequently got bashed against rocks and had to get out and walk along slippery rocks at times to avoid rapids that we were not prepared for. Early on we saw a woman shatter her leg and have to be carried (screaming) out of the river to an ambulance. It was supposed to be a 4 hour float but at the 4 hour mark we still had a ways to go. We kept getting stranded on rocks and then when we would get free we would get separated from each other and battered against rocks in the rapids. On one of the last sets of rapids I got pulled away from the group and was being sent down the river. That is when I heard Merrick screaming "My leg! My leg!". I wasn't there to see it but heard later that his leg got slammed against a rock and trapped between the raft we had and the rock. Then he got separated from the group as they floated down the river and he was stranded, screaming on a rock. Thankfully Memphis (Rick's stepdaughter) was able to grab him and pull him off the rock. They started floating (tubeless) down the rapids. I dove off my tube and clawed against the rocks trying to get to him. When I did, he was still screaming and I was still clawing at the rocks hoping that we could somehow get out of the water. Eventually the rapids gave way to calm water and somehow a boat appeared out of nowhere with a man asking if we were ok. When I indicated that we were not, he helped Merrick into his boat and helped us get to the spot where we were supposed to be getting out (which was now very close). Thankfully his leg ended up being ok, just some bruising. If I am being honest we all have our fair share of bruises. The important thing is that we all made it out safely and without any lasting damage, other than some ongoing PTSD and we did even manage to get a few pictures of the happy times early on.
On Thursday we were looking for a little redemption and some family fun that didn't include emotional trauma. The weather was still overcast and a little drizzly from time to time but we decided to head to Oaks Park for our annual cousin Oaks day. This year we were excited to have Em's family and lots of church friends join us too. We got there just a little after it opened and stayed until close. The kids had so much fun riding with their different cousins on the rides and roller skating. After work Jeremy, Ben, and Tala joined us and the kids ran from ride to ride until they kicked us out. It was a great day!
Yesterday, Jeremy and Merrick got to have a once in a lifetime experience touring the air traffic control tower at the Portland airport. It was to finish up the aviation merit badge the bigger kids had been working on when they flew the planes a few weeks ago. But, since Merrick flew, he got to go to this too. It was a really cool experience for them.
Not that that wasn't enough for one week, but Jeremy also took the Washington State Bar exam yesterday. He (of course) passed so now we just have a little bit more paperwork and he will be licensed in Washington.
What a week!
No comments:
Post a Comment