Hey folks! Fall is starting to wither a little bit here—we’re already getting calls for snow but right now it’s misty and dreary. Perfect Halloween weather—or perfect Halloween writing weather. So, I’m starting my own writing prompt for the two weeks leading up to Halloween. #writeaween
Basically, from today, October 20, 2021, until the 31st you write everyday in any style or form, but it has to have a Halloween theme. Horror, hauntings, broomsticks, dreary days, or spooky nights—make it creepy or suspenseful and put it out there!
I’ve been on a writing kick lately. I’ve actually posted here several days this week—wow!
#NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is coming up in November and I’m working on something for that. Plus finishing up some of Grandma’s books for the Pennington Book Project through JP Brand Books.
Here are three poems I wrote today over my lunch break! Check out my awesome doodles and errors on paper. I will be editing them to a photo and posting on my PraireRiverWitch social media accounts later tonight.
My writings are mainly poetry, but I had an idea for a spooky hiking short story. Poetry is easier for me time wise, but I wanted to expand a little haunted hike poem into something longer. The real reason is I couldn’t end it the way I wanted too without writing something longer. If you’re interesting see some of those poems for #writeaween check out my other Instagram, @prairieriverwitch.
There are times I feel a little funny about having multiple social media accounts, but I like the separation and being able to curate the feel of each facet of my personality. Occasionally, I cross post some stuff but for the most part it’s pretty compartmentalized by design. I’m blending my blog a little more, from my original backpacking blog, to a more generalized one. It kind of feels like a public facing journal at times right now– and that’s okay.
I don’t think people are just “one thing.” Or only have one singular passion. I have several! I feed them all, usually in waves. My ADHD will hyper focuses on one thing for a bit and then hop to the next. However, with the stuff I love I come back to it—it might take a while, but I’ll get back to it eventually *like this blog*.
Happy Write–a–Ween!
Keep wandering,
BJ
P.S. You can never have too many writing notebooks…
One from Target, two are my designs, and the one I’m currently writing in I think is from Walmart…
In my quest to be better at posting—here’s what you’re getting. My random musings. Some will be hiking related. Some work related. Maybe a few about life in general. I’ll try to keep the history rants to a minimum. There’s also a chance you’ll get a weird combination of all those elements.
Right now, things are getting shook up at work. We’re seeing some staffing shortages and some of our staff retired or are in the process of retiring. I’ve taken on some more responsibility. It also feels like I’ve been stuck inside most of the year. Which, yeah, I have. There are days I miss being a seasonal and doing all the fun field work. Now, I’m doing the back in things which is fun and I’m growing as aspiring manager. But I still want to just go grab a canoe and not come back for a day or two.
The exciting days of a seasonal ranger…
That said, I love my job. I get to talk to people, hike, canoe, try new things and wear different hats. However, I don’t love all the collateral duties I’ve accumulated. I’m getting some new ones, including IT. Which as a millennial isn’t too hard to figure out but I’m not thrilled with it when it’s all said and done. But here’s to new adventures at work!
I’ve taken to making random things, sayings, and stuff into stickers on my Redbubble site– please support my hiking fund 🙂 Redbubble also makes it easy to order framed photography, posters, and so on– I’ll be adding more of my photos there and on Etsy soon.
I’m fixing to head south on a kind of spur of the moment trip. I hope the hiking pans out. I know Wade wants to check out Bass Pro. Which is fun, but I don’t want to shop for hiking, camping, and hunting stuff all day. I want to actually go hike around Table Rock Lake and a few other places.
I’ve been working off and on, on a series of essays, poems, and general musings to maybe turn into a book someday. It’s a toss up between being a hiking book or a river ranger book. I haven’t made up my mind yet.
River Ranger at work.
Keep Wandering,
BJ
P.S. Random Historical Fact of the Day:
General Cornwallis signed the surrender of the British forces at 2pm today in 1781, formally ending the Revolutionary War in the U.S. favor.
We had a busy weekend! We took a day trip down to my sister-in-law’s house for a birthday party for my nephew. Did some shopping, spent way to much time in a car– fun times.
It actually was a lot of fun! The cake was amazing. Hunter got to hang out and celebrate with his same day birthday bud.
But I wanted to go hiking. We didn’t make any stops on the way home so yesterday we decided to go to Smith Falls State Park. It’s a little further east of Valentine than my usual stomping grounds at Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge.
It’s a gem– hybrid aspen that only occur at Smith Falls, tallest waterfall in Nebraska, and a pretty campground along the river.
Niobrara National Scenic River at Smith Falls State Park
**Side note I just realized I haven’t gone camping this year yet. Dammit.**
It was a late afternoon hike. Hunter had his nap and was ready to explore!
Heavy little boy rocking out in his carrier– look at those eyes when he sees the waterfall.
Momma, found out that she really needs to start just walking the dogs while carrying the little man because I was out of breath barely moving.
Water is Life.
We didn’t take the full MacAllister Trail which goes up by the aspens but we still had a fun trip. But it was a bit of a trip getting out. Wade and I both were grumpy with each other, not a big fight or anything just general grumpiness. He did get a little mad at Freya because she was so excited to go outside that she kind of pulled him into the door frame. Little puppy, big muscles. Once we were out walking though the grumpiness and stress went away. Freya burned off most of her abundance of energy. Although, I was nice and didn’t take a bunch of pictures of my favorite guy like I would normally do since he doesn’t like it most of the time.
Wade helping with the photos!
Waterfalls, river, and dogs– plus a few selfies. That’s it.
The hiking crew!
I’ve talked about Smith Falls before, so I won’t go into great detail about how amazing the location can be for folks. Ecosystems comingle, water and rock come together, and it’s just a relaxing place.
View’s of Smith Falls
Check it out on your next visit to Valentine or Nebraska!
I have a confession, over the last few months I went down the anti-MLM wormhole on YouTube and stumbled onto a series of videos over the ‘rise’ and fall of Rachel Hollis. Somehow, I missed out on Hollis becoming such a big name– I didn’t know about her books or even her social media presence.
I’m a dabbler in social media *side glance at the large gaps in posting on here, photos, reels, etc.* that’s probably why I missed the drama leading up to the fall. I was also dealing with being pregnant and being a first time mom when it really hit the fan. But I did see the “…what makes you think I’m relatable…” video and yeah, it was something all right.
One of the YouTube commentators did an excellent job of not only reviewing Hollis’s books but of the rise and fall, SAVY Writes Books. Savy also took a look at Rachel Hollis’s self-help RISE conference. Savy did a deep dive and looked at Hollis’s social media and had a field day with the plagiarizing posts Hollis shared as her own; including one of my favorites, “Still I rise,” by Maya Angelou.
This led to Savy uttering one of my most favorite lines ever, “Girl, stop plagiarizing.” Which she made into a totally awesome sticker which you can find at her online store: https://savyleiser.bigcartel.com (support small businesses!).
So… by this point I’m sure you’re wondering what this has to do with hiking or really anything. In an odd turn, I kind of like *some* of Hollis’s ideas– stop apologizing, therapy isn’t bad, and you can do a lot through hustle. However, there are huge red flags to some of the other stuff she mentions. The biggest red flag, that you should cut *any* kind of negativity out of your life–this came up a lot in the MLM speeches she gave. There is something to cutting negativity out of your life but don’t cut off your mom, sister, or friend if they are genuinely asking if you are okay and are concerned when you drop a lot of money to start a business. The other red flag is how she “edits” her story. Hollis didn’t totally pull herself up by her bootstraps. Yes, she was accomplished. Heck, Hollis started out as an indie-author and event planner who hustled to make things work! That is amazing. However, my problem was that she sold her success as a testament to hard work but left out the key detail that as the wife of an executive at Disney she had more access and funds than the average small business owner.
But– you’re still asking what does any of this have to do with hiking?
Freya… the cute distraction to keep you reading!
Hiking is a form of self-help. It is a great way to get into shape, relax (hopefully), gain some mental clarity, and it can be a passion. Anyone can do it– all you really need to go on a hike is a decent pair of shoes and a bottle of water. It can get expensive but unlike some things you don’t have to put a lot of money into it unless it’s your passion.
It can also be a brand *cough*wannabebackpacker*cough.* I have no intention of becoming an influencer like Hollis though. I wouldn’t mind making enough on the ad revenue and swag to fund my hiking soirées. However, I don’t need to make a living off of this blog. I have a great job and one that I love. I started this as a way to work on my writing and share some of the cool places in the world. And document my successes and failures at backpacking. I’m also going to use it as motivation to get back into shape…for like the fifth time.
I’m good with being a wannabe. I wannabe a lot of things. Author, photographer, napping, in shape, backpacker, and so on. I’m now making stickers on RedBubble. Two were inspired by this Anti-MLM deep dive, “Girl, Read a Book,” and “Girl, Take a Hike.”
Well—par for the course I’ve been neglecting this blog for almost a year. I feel guilty about it sometimes but I’m not going to lie. I’m tired. I don’t feel like I have a lot going on other than work, Hunter, and trying to get caught up on all the other little projects and graduate classes I have. But it does build up overall and all I want to do is sleep. Plus, depression factored into most of the early part of the year—postpartum, fall out from the Covid-19 stuff, and just life in general. It happens, talk about it, we go to the doctor to fix physical ailments. Getting your brain checked out is good too. On a positive note, I’m doing a lot better and I’m trying to get out and about as much as possible before the weather gets ridiculous! Although… this might be the year I bite the bullet and invest in good winter gear and get out there.
“I like this stuff”
I have done a few little hikes—nothing major. Mainly, because work tied me up a lot this year. While not as short staffed as we have been, we did have to hustle to get stuff done. I also took on some new duties and now, more than ever, I’m looking at a computer screen more. I don’t know why but I find this more exhausting than doing major events with hundreds of people. I just want to sleep or relax and not think about anything other than Hunter and engaging stuff for him on weekends.
Weekend fun!
Plus, figuring out how to travel, mitigate exploding diapers, and pack everything I need for a two-day trip is astronomical. But I’m working on it! It’s also a little tricky to juggle the dogs—some public lands they’re allowed but a lot of places *cough NPS sites* are not as dog friendly as others. **Side note, Freya is loving the hiking life.** I get the why but it’s tricky and boarding gets expensive. I’m thinking about doing a video about traveling/hiking/dogs/baby now that I actually have weekends off with Wade again. I’m privileged that I have an awesome husband that helps me work through stuff and is willing to help me with my “little side projects”—once I get a game plan figured out, I bounce it off him and we run through it. He keeps me from getting stubborn, pissy, and flouncing away in anger. I teach him patience, which I have a lot of unless I can’t figure out how to make something work or math’s involved. Wade doesn’t have patience but he’s working on it, lol.
Wade the lifesaver when shopping lol
I truly respect single mom’s and dad’s who do all this alone. I also think you’re a witch. Magic is involved somewhere I’m sure 😉
So aside from the doldrums early this year, it has been a wonderful year! Hunter just turned one, we’ve done some hikes, and I’m working on getting my writings out there. Plus, working on my photography, the Pennington Books project, and my little side hustles to fund my hiking passion.
I’m also going to make some more posts on here before the end of the year!
Here is a little catch up/way back Wednesday post of some of this year’s hiking/baby/traveling highlights so far!
We had to go to my hometown in Missouri for a funeral in February which was the first time Hunter got to meet his grandparents on my side of the family. It was a bittersweet trip to say the least, but we did some wanderings on the old family farm.
Hanging out with the grandparents!
This spring we checked out the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge—I know I go there a lot… but it was Hunter’s first time! I talked about that in an Instagram/Facebook post, but I didn’t do a little blurb on here. Maybe I should just do a little one paragraph post on here to at least keep it active… I’ll think about that for the future.
Frist visit to Ft. Falls, Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge
Wade did most of the heavy lifting that day—it was spur of the moment trip, so we didn’t have the carrier or even the chest harness. Hunter had a blast and wanted to grab everything; poison ivy worried me, but dad did a good job corralling him while I had the camera.
We came back out a couple of times—we brought the dogs and the baby hiker set up. Which worked out well if we had plenty of snacks.
Expanding our hiking routine– Freya had a blast too!
I had a family reunion in Oklahoma and other than wandering in Bass Pro in Springfield, MO we didn’t really get any hiking done while we were there.
Hanging with the grandparents again!
My sister made a return trip to Nebraska with my niece! They arrived to a concerned Hunter giving them a once over and then it was a week of fun and adventure. We checked out the pool, floated the river (sans Hunter), and checked out the Badlands!
Pike Creek Girls having fun!
Finally, Las Vegas… I still don’t care for cities, but the food was amazing. There were several fun things to do—the Stratosphere was awesome (if you’re not afraid of heights). Wade and I want to go back and do it at night (and do the jump, well I do) and check out some other stuff. Due to timing, scheduled events, and a few other things (Wade…) I didn’t get to check out Red Rocks Canyon NCA or the Hoover Dam. I was a little bummed by that, but Wade was like a kid in a candy shop—or one of those cartoon animals when food is involved, he really enjoyed Guy Ferrari’s burger joint.
Wade preparing to devour a monster burger…
Vegas! Find more photos on my Instagram…
Locally, we took Hunter for a nice hike through our local city park– which is amazing!
That’s the short, condensed version of what’s happened so far this year. We have some stuff coming up and I will keep you all posted—even if it’s just a photo and a blurb!
I’d like to say I was just so busy with family, work, and grad school again but it wasn’t that.
I just lost focus.
I lost motivation.
I lost the concept of time.
Actually, what day is it?
I jest, but there were a few times where the weeks blurred together not going to lie.
I was just making it through the day and having joyous cuddles with my little man– he was the highlight of everything. And Wade, he’s a highlight too, except his ridiculous beard.
I’m finally bouncing back and feeling more motivated. Writing, reading, adventuring don’t seem like a chore to be avoided now.
I had some help though. I had a great doctor that helped talk through some options and did a full work up. It looks like my insomnia I’ve been dealing with for ages might be related to sleep apnea.
Those of you that follow me on Instagram and Facebook probably know that I’ve been struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety. In great news, I’m finally coming out of the fog and starting to do the things I enjoyed.
Here’s to new content, updates, and maybe some new videos and photos coming soon!
Things got a little hectic again. Time got away from me and my blogging plans went off the rails.
I had a major round with seasonal affective disorder again. Adding to it was anxiety and stress caused by postpartum issues, plus COVID-19 wasn’t helping my outlook.
I lost interest in a lot of things for a while. But I’m doing better now. I’ve also started working on some new content for this site and a few other projects
I’m going to post some of the stuff that I wrote over the last few months. Some I might leave as is, some I’ll edit to remove all the cuss words I used…
I’m hopeful with the weather getting better and vaccines becoming more prevalent I’ll be able to get out on some hikes.
*I wrote this two weeks ago and forgot about it… sleep deprivation strikes again…
Hi all!
It’s been a busy month and a half again! The baby has me in a foggy addled state. We’ve been getting outside on the nicer days but between my recovery from the c-section and Princesses recovery I haven’t felt like getting out much.
Plus we’ve been hit by snow a couple times.
I’m a wannabe sleeper at the moment; there are days I want to hibernate. I have the fat for it… yeah my work out plan has taken a sharp turn off a high cliff. I need to get back on target or soon I will need to buy new pants.
I’m also a little worried about my mental health this year. Normally, I get a bout of seasonal depression during the winter. I’ve written about it before so I won’t bore you with those details. But this year is different. The baby and the normal baby blues is rearing it’s head but I haven’t had any severe postpartum depression. Then there is the elephant in the room: COVID-19.
Due to that, my side of the family didn’t get to come up for the birth of my son nor are they going to get to see him in person anytime soon. I. Hate. It.
It’s made me feel a tad isolated.
However, I’m trying to stay positive and I’ve been calling home a lot more and trying to do video calls. It’s a work in progress.
Enough of the maudlin stuff.
So what’s new you ask? I’m watching documentaries!
*crickets*
Most people don’t like documentaries. My husband barely tolerates when I watch them.
However, I’m living vicariously through real life drama… and as long as I’m feeding Hunter or giving him cuddles he doesn’t care what I watch.
Hunter!
While I’ve watched everything from politics to the two documentaries on Fyre Fest, I’ve decided to stick to ones tied to my blog.
I just recently watched a documentary on the Hayduke Trail called Figure it Out on the Hayduke Trail. 812 miles in the desert criss crossing Arches, Canyonlands, the Grand Canyon, and Zion. It would be a fun hike but I don’t know if I could complete it without figuring out a way of carrying a ladder in Canyonlands…
I’m *ahem* below average height (barely above 4’11) and watching some of the stuff Money Shot (Alex Maier) went through I’d either need the ladder or a partner. I would love to section hike it at some point in time. I would also have to get into much better shape and get more experience backpacking in desert conditions.
My stars, how I miss the Grand Canyon. Only there once and all I want to do is go back. Partly to hike it again but also to raft down the Colorado River.
I wonder how to make it a family hike but I don’t think Hunter’s up for and I don’t think Wade and I could get the time off…
In other news, I’ve about finished all my writings *I decided to set a goal of posting on all my sites at the same time with stuff related to my labor experience and it’s taking time to get everything done.*
I’ll have the post about the weeks leading up to Hunter’s birth and the labor story posted soon- my self imposed deadline is Thursday but I no longer make promises….
I started a TikTok account…please come laugh at my efforts.
I need coffee, a shower, and a nap… the order doesn’t matter.
Once again the blog got neglected but this time I have a good reason… a tiny almost ten pound reason. Hunter takes up a lot of my day- then there are the naps.
Plus, I wanted to wait to write about the birth story once I recovered and got all the funny details out of Wade. I don’t remember much once they gave me the “good stuff” during the C-section.
I’ve been rewording, rewriting, and rethinking this post- it’s a little personal but at the same time I think it’s worth telling.
It will be coming out here soon!
After that I hope to return to some more normal hiking posts but winter is creeping in…
Well I’m playing catch-up again but that seems to be stemming from my lack of coherent brain cells at the moment.
I’m pretty sure my little man stole all my brain cells- I’m only now starting to get them back. It only took three months…🤣
I’m trying to get all caught up on here, my poetry account, get Pennington Books off the ground, and share some photos but between my history classes *just finished*and Hunter I just want to sleep, eat, or shower when I do have a moment. Now, I’m back at work and still working on getting stuff done! At least Hunter is going down and sleeping *most* of the night so I can plug away at all my hobbies!
But let’s back track to September!
It was a lovely month, the leaves were changing, I was the size of a beached whale, and sleep was alluding me.
It always alludes me.*
*(Hehe I’m writing this now because sleep has vacated the building due to my rash from hell. More on that in a later post).
But this was different-between the size of my belly and Hunter doubling has a furnace- comfort was no longer a part of my vocabulary. Everyone thought I was having twins at this point…
I’ve been busy with grad school (again), “helping” Wade get the nursery done, and finishing up some stuff for work before I go on maternity leave. I haven’t gotten out an explored, nor have I done any book reviews. I’m hoping to change that soon…
Nursery Photos!
I’m to the point in pregnancy where I just want to lay around, keep my feet propped up, and stay cool. I feel so lazy.
But! I’ve been working on some content for my Baby Wipes and Day Hikes page which is now live!
Introduction to Baby Wipes and Day Hikes page!
Contrary to my laziness quip above, in the last two weeks Wade and I:
Cleaned up the house
Went through all the baby shower gifts (I hope to get the thank you notes out soon…)
Finally got around to putting the nursery together (99% was Wade… but I helped- someone had to hold stuff…)
Packed our hospital bag
And spent a little time at the river with friends!
It felt great sitting in cold water even though it took a few minutes for me to acclimate to it…
Wade and Matt looking at “iron sand”
It felt great!
Down at the river
I’m hoping this week on my way down (or back) from the doctor I can swing into the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. Hopefully I can take a little time and at least wander through some of it- I need to get outside, I’m getting that itch. Even with the swollen feet I need to do some exploring.
I’m finishing up editing on my dad’s book we’re reprinting through Kindle Direct Publishing. I’m now working on redoing the cover art and getting it all uploaded for our Oct 1st deadline. So exciting!
Short post… I’m sorry…
Keep wandering,
BJ
P.S. I want cookies and a nap…
P.S.S. Technically, I’m at week 38 now but when I wrote this Monday night it was 37…
Here goes the first ever book review! I decided to start with the book I just finished; Dances with Marmots: A Pacific Crest Trail Adventure by George Spearing.
“From Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail”
“4300 km, 5 months and a lifetime of unforgettable memories…”
For my non-imperial friends, 4300 km is roughly 2,672 miles.
I enjoyed this book immensely. I always like reading books from the point of view of “people from off.” This is a turn of phrase I heard a lot growing up in the Missouri Ozarks; it essentially means anyone that wasn’t from my neck of the woods. Now, that I’m older and have been “out” more I tend to use it for folks from other countries that come to the US for vacation, hiking, and travel.
I love the outsider looking in perspective.
Even if it’s almost twenty years old…
George Spearing’s writing style reminds me a little of Bill Bryson- it might stem from time spent in British countries but it is endearing. So are some of his short quip-like poems in the book.
The book kicks off by how he was influenced to go out and hike… by a book. Citing a book by Stephen Pern and the Continental Divide Trail- I’ve already added it to my extensive reading list.
“He wasn’t reading about it, he’d done it!”
And just like that I’ve been called out by a book.
George picked the PCT for ease of access and food delivery. I did find the international planning interesting- even though it is twenty years old he does provide decent information for international hikers and with better internet services that’s gotten easier!
I wonder if there are similar books about New Zealand… *fondly remembers childhood enjoyment of Xena and Hercules/LOTR and wanting to visit and hike some of the places shown…*
He gives us a rundown of his physical abilities- firemen, but hasn’t hiked extensively. Like many newbie or wannabe hikers…
His high spirits and get it done attitude help him out through the five month journey- plus the friends he makes on the trail.
As for the title… he has some encounters with Marmots along the PCT. He actually had an interesting conversation with them and had several run ins with the little critters throughout the book and liked their company.
I really enjoyed chapters 5 & 6, his adventures with bears, flatulence, and postal employees were funny in hindsight.
He includes several photos (in black and white) of his adventures which gives a richer picture of his journey.
He has a direct- simple and honest- approach in his writing and the humor makes it flow really well.
Like I said, I enjoyed it!
Possible Cons for some folks: Some of the content is now outdated (published in 2005)- park and trail policies have changed a little, the trail is far more popular now, and a thru/section hiker will have a slightly different experience than George’s experiences.
The editing was a little loose- which coming from me, is funny considering I don’t notice a lot of my mistakes until nearly a week after I post something. And I proofread シ…
As a Kiwi (New Zealand) writer, some of his jokes and colloquialisms are hard to follow at times. But a quick Google search (woodland Noddy) or context clues make it easy enough to figure out. Plus, he does explain some of the misunderstandings.
It seems he shortchanges the northern section of the PCT- a lot of the more interesting adventures and learning curve stories happens on the southern section, California. But it would have been nice to see more information and stories from the Oregon and Washington sections.
Keep wander…eh…reading?,
BJ
P.S. I’ll have to come up with a new sign off for the book reviews…
P.S.S. If you want to pick this book up… Just an FYI, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I need bigger hiking boots…and flip flops…maybe I’ll just go barefoot. My feet are swelling and right now shoes of any kind are the bane of my existence right now.
Plus, fun fact a lot of women that have babies wind up moving up a shoe size- so, I might need to find bigger hiking boots for the future.
Joy, joy.
While I’m cranky about the changes, I’m happy to be a mom.
I just hate buying new shoes, jeans, etc. It’s the whole reason I got back into shape several years ago- I didn’t want to buy new clothes.
It was another slow week/weekend for me. I didn’t do a lot of hiking- although, Wade and I checked out the Nature Trail at Cody Park in North Platte after my doctor’s appointment.
Short walk along the Nature Trail.
Cody Park is a nice little park off Highway 83. It’s not got a lot in the way of hiking trails- the Nature Trail only goes so far before it became to overgrown to comfortably walk in the flip flops and shorts. Plus, at 35 weeks on a hot day I wasn’t feeling too adventurous.
However, it’s great for kids and the plant life is beautiful. I also like the little zoo they have. They even have peafowl… FYI only the males are peacocks, the females are peahens, and when they are together peafowl. There’s your learning lesson for the day!
Flowers and Butterflies
We then headed to McCook for the night. The next day we had a baby shower for my sister-in-law.
The Roshone siblings are having a banner year- three babies, all boys, within two months of each other, almost.
That’s a lot of blue… or in our case green*… clothes, blankets, and so on.
*I like green…I wear green for work…the bridal party colors were green; we did the accent wall in the nursery in green…. I might have issues.
I just feel so exhausted right now- which is, according to the books, normal. I felt bad at the baby shower because my feet were swollen, and I just sat around a lot- and at one point dozed off in my chair.
I’m now at week 36… I can no longer see my toes and bending over is a chore. Sleep is golden when you can get it and Hunter is using my lungs as a trampoline–the bladder as a speed bag.
Wade finally got to see Hunter moving his feet against my stomach… it reminded him of alien… he said he would see me in 18 years. He’s not as funny as he thinks he is…
We’re in the home stretch though!
We’ve been reviewing the books and prenatal classes.
Learning how to swaddle.
Trying to find cute little baby hiking boots.
In daddies’ case, cute little work boots to match the Carhart overalls he got for him…
The Wannabe Backpacker 