A Man Walks onto a Camper Sales Lot.....

When Eric and his best friend were younger they'd do things like go get new dirt bikes or 4-wheelers together because heaven forbid one did something without the other one. Because boys will be boys that has held true in adulthood as they both got new trucks around the same time and as of last month they (along with their wives) are now the proud owners of campers.

Gassed up and ready to go!

Yes campers.  They even went together to make their camper purchases and were told by the salesman that he could not believe they were both able to select and purchase their campers without their wives present.  Lucky for them they picked out the right ones (wives and campers) because it would have been a shame if they'd had to return their new toys if they'd purchased the wrong ones.

I was actually sitting on a hill beside the 9th fairway of the U.S. Open when I received a text from Eric with a video of our new 5th wheel camper, and sat there in complete shock before calling him and asking if it was a joke.  I knew he was thinking very strongly about it but figured it would blow over like it has in the past. But clearly it did not.....

Our set up at the campground

It took me a week or so to warm up to the idea of camping because we did not camp when I was a kid, so I had no idea what to expect.  Once I started filling it up with all of the things we might need....aka shopping for it I really started to get excited. It was love at first sight for Eric and he and his buddies used it as a Saturday night hangout spot in the middle of our yard the first weekend we had it.

We took her our for her maiden voyage this past extended 4th of July weekend along with Eric's best friend and his wife, and another couple.  Somehow we were able to snag 3 lots next to each other at a state park on Lake Martin.....several of the people we stayed near were shocked we were able to get our slots, too.

We packed up the truck with everything I hadn't had a chance to load the night before when Eric closed the slides and headed up to the lake bright and early on Saturday morning.  Once we got there Eric set up the camper - I have no clue how to do any of the backing in and leveling and hooking up to water/power/etc so I played with some fellow campers' dogs....there were so.many.dogs there, it was awesome! We only brought Beau and Peanut this time but I am scheming how to get LG and Hawk included on the next trip.

Part of our canine contingency....our dogs did not win the award for best behaved all weekend....clearly

When he finished up his jobs he headed back home to get his boat - the campsite is only 30 minutes from our house so this was a good "1st trip" distance for us - and I got to work setting up the inside. It didn't take me too long so by the time he got back I was kicked back in a lawn chair reading a book.  (I am working on The Alice Network by Kate Quinn and so far I am really enjoying it).

We spent the rest of our weekend hanging out, reading (me), fishing (Eric), eating (all of us), and not much else.  It was probably one of the most relaxing vacations I've been on in a while, and as packed as the campsite was (there are over 600 camping slots there) we never felt crowded or like anyone was invading our space.  Everyone there was super friendly and helpful too! We did get called out as newbies because Eric's best friend left the warranty sticker on his window, but we all got a good chuckle out of it.

The guys in their gifted "camper shirts"

After such a successful trip we are chomping at the bit to go again!  The boys have been searching for a place for Labor Day already (the place we stayed is already booked), and spent the good part of Tuesday evening looking up campgrounds in AL and GA for our next trip!

Our crew!

Happy Allegiant Day!

If you are looking for me today or any time the rest of this week, look for this...

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...because that's where I 'll be.  Sitting in a corner with my book (well my Ipad reading on my Kindle App) reading the book I have been waiting on for the past 3 months.  I got hooked on this little series called the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth this summer and the last installment in the trilogy was released today!  I have already accepted the fact that sleep will not exist in my world this week.  I will try not to get too out of control, but I can't make any promises.    If you're looking for a good book trilogy, do yourself a favor and start reading this one.  If you enjoyed Hunger Games (one month til Catching Fire comes out on the bigscreen!) then you'll enjoy this series. It is being made into movies starting next year, too!

Weekend Recap

Oh whatta weekend. It wasn't a typical summer weekend at the Cagle household.  Eric's been gone on a hunting trip since last week (and is coming home today!!!), so it was just me and the pups left to our own devices this weekend.  My goal?  Do as little as possible which I have decided that I successfully accomplished that feat.  Aside from some major house cleaning on Saturday, planning meals for this week on Sunday,and dog walks, I did a good bit of couch sitting and that was it.  I did manage to make it down to the neighbors' house on Saturday night for a little pool time and a cookout.

The rest of my weekend looked like this:

1. Friday night dinner.  When Eric is out of town my go-to dinner is ALWAYS pizza (and a little vino, of course).  I will get a big one and eat on it for days.  Seriously, there are still 2 slices of this bad boy (from Costco) in the fridge right now.
2. We have had some of the most amazing sunsets in our part of the world lately.  The sun actually sets behind where I am taking the picture from, but it lights up the sky against the clouds like this every night.....it's so pretty!
3. I did a little retail therapy on my way home Friday. Why is it that when you are looking for something you can never find anything, but when you just go to browse you hit the jackpot?  Friday was the latter.  I have not set foot in a GAP in probably 5 years.  Their stuff usually doesn't fit right and I never catch their sales, until Friday.  They had a huge sale going on....40% off their sale merchendise so I decided to go look.  I scored 2 lightweight summer t-shirts and a pair of bright pink shorts for $30.....can't beat that! Another plus of living in the south...you can buy stuff on summer clearance in July and wear it for 4 more months!
4. Sweet little Hollow spent the weekend napping, usually curled up on my side....isn't he precious?!
5. Peanut doing his balancing act.  He loves to sleep on the top of the couch.  It scares me when he actually falls asleep because I am afraid he will jerk awake and fall off the back, but he's been doing it for years and is pretty much a pro at this.
6. Yes MORE Gelato.  I think this one is my favorite, and not just because I had Dove Chocolates to do with it. =)
7. Hawk doing his best Chesire Cat impression. He's even upsidedown!

One of the highlights from my weekend was not something I did, but something I got to watch (and will watch over and over and over again since I DVRed it).  On Friday night Jessie and the Rippers (Uncle Jesse's fictional band from Full House) reunited on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon for one show only to perform a medly of their best known songs including Forever (that was #1 in 1992 in Japan...lol).  It's actually a really good song, and I have loved it along with everything else Full House.....FOREVER!  (no pun intended)  I'm a child of the 90's what can I say....


John Stamos even sported the mullet and the leather vest....and he is just as gorgeous as he was back then--well more so now since he ditched the mullet.  =)

Last but not least the Catching Fire trailor debuted at Comic Con this past weekend and I CANNOT WAIT for November!  I am so ready to go see the seond installment of the Hunger Games series!

It's gonna be sooooo good!  And the Girl on Fire Dress is amazing!

A Little Reading Material

So much for catching up on some sleep this week.......I was so excited when the new Sophie Kinsella book: I've Got your Number came out a few weeks ago.  She is my hands down absolute FAVORITE author.  I have read all of her books and I wait impatiently every year for a new one to come out.  Unfortunately for me I read this fabulous book in the usual one week's time and I was left wanting more to read.

I usually don't fall into the book series traps too easily.  I have successfully managed to steer clear of the Harry Potter series AND the Twilight Series, which I am quite proud of.  Sorry, but wizards and vampires and werewolves just aren't my thing.  But recently I have been hearing a lot of god things about the Hunger Games Trilogy.  At first I dismissed it as another silly fantastical series that is not my cup-o-tea. But then I saw the trailer for the movie that is coming out in a few weeks and have heard rave reviews from both of my parents., so I downloaded the sample on my Kindle just to see if it would pique my interest.  Next thing I knew I was purchasing the first book and now I am about 1/4 the way through after 2 days.  So much for staying strong.  It is such a good book!

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Depending on how this week goes, I am thinking this book won't last through the weekend.  I am just glad there are 2 more to read afterward! =)

Great Summer Read

I just finished a GREAT book, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  If you are not familiar with the book, you have probably heard of the movie that came out earlier this year, Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson starred in it.  I have not seen the movie yet (I wanted to finish the book first), but the book was wonderful.  I started reading less than a week and ago and could not put it down!  I highly recommend it!

from Amazon.com

Great Read

I just finished a really great book, recommended by my mom, called The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. It is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960's and is the story of 3 women, one white the other two black maids and a book they decide to write about the experiences of the maids of Jackson, Mississippi.

from Amazon.com

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and can't wait to see the movie, which is due to come out in August of this year!

from IMDB.com

Turning 26

So I turned 26 yesterday, or rather I celebrated the 5th Anniversary of my 21st birthday. It was very low key. We had lunch and birthday cake at Eric's grandmother's house and he took me out for a very nice dinner. We had a fabulous dinner at Carrabba's Italian Grill, one of my favorites! Because he had to go out of town Friday and Saturday for work, Eric gave me my birthday present early.......

It is by far my new favorite toy. In browsing the Kindle Store on Amazon.com I found TONS of free books to download, including most of the classics. I never really enjoyed reading those books when I was in school, but I am thinking this is a perfect opportunity for me to go back and discover them. I also found a ton of downloadable games on the Kindle Store site (many were FREE!). My two favorites so far are a Word Jumble game, and a Soduku game. I have recently discovered that I LOVE doing Soduku's, so naturally this was the first Kindle purchase I made, and I have made good use of it so far.