A couple of weeks ago, my wonderful friend Dianne invited me and the girls to go down to Lake of the Ozarks to stay at her Grandparents' cabin. She knew I needed a relaxing getaway where I could be a fun mom and not think about the lack of news from Ethiopia. With our five girls, we made it to the lake house, which is a quaint A-frame house about 12 steps from the water. We walked in and as Dianne was pulling the curtains open, she noticed a big pile of chewed up door frame. Something had been eating the house up! I went upstairs, hoping to find at the most, a DEAD rodent, but instead, as I was about to open the curtains, the girls behind me started screaming and above my head, a furry squirrel ran across the valance. This was just the beginning...We tried and tried to get him out. That night we stayed at a hotel. The next day the varment catcher came and told us "He has to be gone, I've checked everywhere". Well, apparently not, because later that afternoon, while I was upstairs, all five girls and a previously rodent-scarred momma were all screaming a crying downstairs. The little booger had ran through all their feet and clothes. We all made it safely outside and the girls were screaming at us, "Don't make us go back there, I want to go home"...and from Lila "This is the most hooorrrible vacation ever! I mean, WHO lives at a place where the doors are all chewed out, there's mulch on the floor and a SQUIRREL'S running around???" I couldn't keep myself from laughing. So we stayed outside and comforted the girls by roasting smores and praying. That night, we spied him on top of the valance again. While the girls were shut in the Tahoe (by that time, they wouldn't get out), I told Dianne I would go upstairs, open the door and try to beat it outside with a broom. She said "I got your back with the light". Now, this whole time I am picturing this squirrel jumping on my face and biting me. I slowly walked across the room and opened the door, watching the squirrels every move. I stepped back and proceeded to beat and scream at the squirrel to leave. It shot down the curtain and then flew up over my head. Good thing the girls where in the car, b/c I said some things that mommies should never say. By the time I was done screaming every word in the book, Dianne had ran downstairs and outside, shining the light on me from the porch. She had never laughed so hard in her life. I was just plain mad at that stupid squirrel. That night we slept at the neighbor's house. The following night Fred and Vince drove up and we all slept in the cabin. Vince, Haley, Lila and I slept on 2 twin beds that were pushed together. Lila elbowed me in the face, pulled my hair out and 2 other times would sit up straight and claw the air, growling "NO, UH, RRRR". She was busy fighting squirrels all night in her dreams.
It wasn't the most relaxing vacation, but I did have a blast with my girls and we will definitely be telling this story the rest of our lives.
