Sledding, Strouds Run Winter Hike #4, Family Time

Yesterday did not turn out to be the day I had planned.  After church I was expecting to head home, change and head out on a hike.  Nope, didn't happen.  Instead as I got near home, my car started to seriously act up.  It was over heating and acting really weird.  Less than a mile from the house I stopped at a stop sign and, well it died.  Ugh.  So, I called my Dad, 'What you do you think?'  We knew the battery was on the last leg, and that there is a problem with the anti-freeze (it leaks a lot).  I tried to fill the coolant, but with the battery dead and the car not running, it wouldn't fill.  So, I called Progressive for a tow truck.

Meanwhile Dad and I decided just to have the car taken to my house and then he would come down to put in a new battery, we'd refill the coolant and see if we could get her to run.  We'd just spend a good deal of money on other stuff for the car, so we really didn't want to have to do more unless we could do it ourselves.  So, after an hour, the tow truck showed up, brought me and my car home.  And I chilled out at the house for the afternoon.

Around 6:30pm I hear my Dad's truck pull in.  I was in the kitchen washing dishes and answered the knock on the door with a quick and loud, 'Come in!'  In spilled my NIECE and dad!  What?!!  I was stunned.  I knew my parents were going to have her for the night but assumed Mom was staying home with her and Dad was just coming down on his own.  Nope.  Mom, Dad, Kayla and Duke (the dog) all came to spend the night!  I was thrilled.  and totally unprepared.


But it was great.  Dad got to work on the car and in an hour and a half had it set.  New battery, refilled fluids and a test drive.  She was running fine.  For now.  I have to keep a close eye on it.  At 201,000 miles there is a lot of room for error and I need to be extremely careful.

We settled into a dinner of ordered in pizza, crazy kid games, beading, and making 'telescopes' with constellations.  It was a great night.  We talked, acted silly and didn't go to bed until 10:45 pm!  So late for all of us!

This morning we got up and tried to decide what to do.  It wasn't too cold and Miss Pooh had brought her snow stuff so we blew up her inflatable sledding tube and hit the big hill behind my house.  Boy did she have fun.  Then we went for our hike at Strouds Run.  Kayla really is a trooper and she kept up pretty well.  It was just Kay and I in the woods for our 1/2 mile hike and we saw some lovely stuff in the woods.  We got some awesome pictures too!

By the time we were done we were exhausted and famished.  So, off to Bob Evans for Lunch and back to Aunt April's to pack up.  Now they are gone.  My house is quite again, but a little sad and lonely.  Its always rough right after they leave.  I'll get back to normal, soon.

Anyway,  hope you like my pictures and can see what a fun day we had, together!  Enjoy!