Nightgown Stalker Lady

2 Years, 3 Weeks.



As told by Duncan Grodack (with some dramatic free reign):

"It was still pretty dark; dawn had not yet come.  I was rustled from my deep slumber when I saw her.  She seemed to appear out of nowhere, this old lady with white hair wearing a white nightgown.  She moved about the room as if she was looking for something, anything.  My vision impaired without my contacts, I squinted, wondering why the person who I thought was my wife was peering inside the closet.  The stranger then made her way into our bathroom, and then quickly left the room, disappearing as quickly as she had come..."


Kind of a creepy experience!  But no, this wasn't an episode of Ghost Hunters on the Travel Channel.  It was, instead, a case of some lady camper that badly needed to use the restroom, and since she was staying in a tent without one, decided to sneak into our mini lodge in the cover of darkness to use ours.  Unfortunately, one of the outside doors went directly into the Grodacks' bedroom, and that's where she found herself and still she went ahead and used their bathroom!  That's when Duncan woke up and saw her. She then went out of the room and bumped into Corey who was already up with Brady in the sitting area, before exiting out of the lodge.  No "I'm sorry, but can I use your bathroom?"  or "It's an emergency!" or "Thank you."  Corey would have liked to have thought that it was an angel in need, but alas, she watched the lady return back to her tent.  Talk about strange!  And what a lovely way to start the Sabbath!

Can you guess which movie this was taken from?

We spent the weekend in High Springs, FL which is just north of Gainesville, to attend Forest Lake Church's family retreat at Camp Kulaqua.  We hadn't been there since the early 2000's when Mike was working there as the Boys' Director for summer camp, and even then we didn't stay overnight.  So this was a nice treat to return after an almost ten year hiatus, this time with a family.  Of course, the usual suspects were all there as well, with us sharing a mini lodge with the Grodack and Bergherm families.  We had all arrived fairly close together;  we had originally planned to meet up somewhere on the Florida Turnpike and then caravan, but unfortunately Jennifer's van had an unexpected smoke up just outside of Ocala and we had to stop by the side of the road to inspect the damage. There was a small transmission fluid leak that had started to smoke when it dropped on the hot engine, but luckily there was plenty of fluid left so she took the rest of the trip only going 55 mph.

Kohl still so stylish while he naps!

When we arrived we unloaded and started to set up in the mini lodge.  We were graciously given the top floor, which was a large room with a private bathroom, lots of space to accommodate two pack 'n plays and then some.  I then went over to the Cochran's chalet to drop off some perishables and menu ingredients as William and I were in charge of dinner for the group Saturday night.  By the time Jennifer and the boys arrived, we were ready for dinner, so all three families headed out of camp to eat at a local diner, and were joined by the Deiningers there.  If they thought it was a real slow night at the diner, imagine the look of the wait staff when our group of 8 adults and 10 children showed up and sat down together!  We had a good time before heading back to attend Vespers at the fire bowl, conveniently located near the mini lodge area.  It was nice to see and spend time with some of the families we know from church, until the children got restless and then it was time to get them to bed.

Our table at the Diner in High Springs.

Our row of family minivans!

Kohl takes his turn at the wheel.

Vespers at the fire bowl Friday evening.

Kohl sitting between the Grodack sisters.

Same ritual, different bathtub.

Maddy wearing Daddy's cap and shades.

Overnight did not give us the restful sleep we were hoping for.  As Kohlden was the only child that had taken a nap that day on the trip up, he was up and restless at 1:30 AM.  We didn't want him to keep whining and whimpering for fear of waking up his sister nearby (Brae slept downstairs with Calleigh and Aubree) or the other families sleeping, so we brought him over to our bed, which seemed a lot smaller than the one at home.  So he tossed and turned with us until the wee hours of the morning, my last check on the clock read 4:33 AM.  Needless to say, absolutely no sleep was had.  It was reminiscent of our last camping trip back in November; I hope this isn't how it will be each time we go!

Being the first one up presented this photo opportunity!

Sabbath morning after the intruder incident we met up with the rest of the families for breakfast over at the Deininger's chalet.  They and the Grodacks were in charge of the meal and we were treated to eggs, hash casserole, stripples, and yogurt parfait.  Then it was off to the cafeteria for the children's Sabbath School.  Afterwards we traipsed to the King Chapel where we had church service, followed by lunch back at the cafeteria.  We took a quick trip to the zoo so the kids could see the animals, before returning back to the lodge for a much needed nap, mine being limited to only 45 minutes before heading out back to the Cochran's chalet for dinner prep, Tangie's picadillo already simmering in the crock pot over the past 3 hours.

Breakfast gathering Sabbath morning.

Karis and his 4 boys.

Running together in the nearby field.

Sabbath school class at the cafeteria.

Bubblin' up, bubblin' down, bubblin' bubblin' all around....

Play park while we wait for lunch.

Mommy and her 7 kids!

Kohl decided to dog pile the girls, with big sister on the bottom!

At the zoo, peering into the monkey's cage.

Fortunately it was nice and shady at the zoo, but it was still pretty muggy and hot.

The lion paces back and forth, eyeing the easy meal strapped to Duncan's chest, aka Brady

The date was May 5, so what better menu than one to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? William and I had decided to do Mexican, so we brought ingredients to make chicken and fish tacos/burritos, and quesadillas, along with queso dip, a picadillo for the vegetarians, a cream cheese with raspberry chipotle dip, and William's crowning dessert, homemade flan with a raspberry reduction sauce!  It was all very yummy and we made way too much food, so we invited a couple of other families in the next chalet to join and help us eat.  Afterwards we rigged a chili piñata under a tree and had the kids spend some time whacking it with a stick.  We attempted to watch the variety show the church was putting on for Saturday night's entertainment but by that time it was way past bedtime.  But, of course, we still had to get baths done as the children were just filthy! This was camping, after all.

Maddy takes a turn with the piñata.

Braelyn hoping to be the one to bust it open.

The children wait their turns together for the whacking of the piñata.

Saturday night was a little better, but not by much.  It was Madelyn, this time, that had a hard time staying asleep though out the night, as Tangie apparently got up multiple times to help soothe her back to sleep;  Kohl did great and slept soundly all night.  And there was no sign of the nightgown stalker lady the following morning!  It also helped that we made sure all doors were locked!  Anyway, we all got up and started to pack up for our trip back home before breakfast at the Zbaraschuk's chalet, they teaming up with Jennifer.  We had French toast in casserole form, breakfast links, and oatmeal, then headed back for final packing.  We had planned on staying after checkout and playing at the water park they had built there on the the old airstrip.  A water park?!?  When I attended there as a kid all we got was a canoe on the spring! Granted, there was much more water in the spring back then, but still!  Now they've got a wave pool, water slide, and lazy river!   We had a great time, and the children didn't want to leave, but we had to head back home to get ready for the week.  But we promised we would go back next year!

Sunday morning breakfast togetherness.

Keeping the twins at bay in the wave pool.

Trying to cozy up to the horse on the other side of the fence.  We visited the stables just before heading home.

I set up the water spray in the front so they could play while I washed the van when we got home.

Unfortunately we were out only 5 minutes before it started lightning and downpour.  

Back to our Costco run!  Looks more like Kohlden had her in a headlock!

Dish this week:

Grilled Chicken on Romaine with Orzo and Mandarin Oranges

Random:

Maddy shows an early Mother's Day gift:  20 piece stainless steel cookware set from WP!

Quotes:

• Brae was following my prayer when she was about to go sleep:

          Me:  "Dear Jesus, thank you for today..."

          Brae:  "Dear Jesus, thank you for today..."

          Me:  "Thank you for school, my teachers, and my classmates..."

          Brae:  "Thank you for school, my teachers, and my classmates..."

          Me:  "Thank you for Mommy and Daddy, and Maddy and Kohl..."

          Brae:  "Thank you for Mommy and Daddy, and Maddy and Kohl..."

          Me:  "Please be with me while I sleep..."

          Brae:  "Please be with me inside my teeth..."

           Say what?

• Same evening, next topic.  We heard rumblings of thunder in the distance as I was tucking her in bed:

          Brae:  "Daddy, is it going to rain?"

          Me:  "I think so.  It sure sounds like it."

          Brae:  "Daddy, why is it not raining yet?"

          Me:  "Oh, the clouds are trying real hard to get the rain out."

          Brae:  [Scrunches her face and makes a grunting noise]  "Like they need to go
                     potty?"

          Yes, that's exactly right.

• We were en route to pick Brae up from school and listening to some classic love songs on the satellite radio when all of a sudden the song switched to Barry White's "Can't get enough of your love, babe."  That part just before, when Barry White was sensuously talking, Kohlden perked up and said, "Papa!"

          Yes Kohlden, Barry White and Papa are one and the same!

• Everyday on their way to school, Tangie and Braelyn get their mix on soft rock songs on the radio, and if a good song is on when Tangie is in the middle of dropping her off, Braelyn will always say, "Mommy, make sure to sing the rest of the song for me, okay?  Pinkie promise?"

• Whenever we drive down I-4 and pass through downtown, I'll always point out the Bank of America building where Tangie's office is and wave, saying "Hi Mommy!"  So now, every time we pass by a large building, like the AHS corporate office on Maitland or Health Central Hospital on Colonial, the twins will both wave and say "Bye Mommy!"

Playing in the backyard during a rainstorm this week;
I made sure there wasn't any thunder or lightning before sending them out!

Have a great weekend!