We were invited to attend a family get together during Memorial Weekend. It was not our family, but close friends that have let us camp with them several times during Memorial weekend. Actually, I am really not sure they don't know we are NOT family, because we are always included in everything and greeted with many a hug. Besides there are so many cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts, more cousins, etc. that they probably just think we are distant relatives. Isaac might actually think we are related too, as I have told him several times that Hannah and Katelyn are not our cousins.
I was not actually present to witness this wild event, so I am recreating the story as told by the mom - Angie. I told her to get a blog to tell these things and she rolled her eyes and asked when that would happen in her lifetime. Message received and now the story is mine.
Anyway, to set the scene...loads of children of varying ages, lots of tents, campers, and one little girl who found herself in a very awkward situation late at night in a thunderstorm.
It had been a long night with many needs being pronounced loudly from Shawn and Angie's lovely children and nieces and nephews. After a long period of eating, playing by the campfire and bathing in the one outside bathroom, finally everyone was set in their popup camper beds and told to talk no more.
From the west a thunderstorm was brewing and lightening streaked across the pop-up camper. Angie and Shawn finally closed their eyes and prayed that the storm would not wake any of the snoozing children. Sleep drifted in to calm their minds, and dreams replayed the day's fishing and swimming excursions. A perfect end to a family day.
Then the camper was rent with a terrible scream. A high pitched wail that pounded at Angie's ears. She knew that action must be taken quickly so as not to wake the one year old in the camper. "Shawn, it's Hannah. Find out what she needs." Angie mumbled through the pillow.
A low moan and the creak of the camper told her that Shawn was up and tending to the problem. Angie rolled over and began to beckon sleep again, only to be halted by a strong and very unusual explicative coming from Shawn. The screaming young girl had also not stopped her wailing.
Then Angie was up and moving quickly to the other side of the camper to see what had caused such a reaction in her husband. And still the screaming continued. Shawn stood leaning over the bed his arms grasping something by the cloth wall. Realization scrambled over her as she realized that Hannah was not where she had laid down to sleep. Instead she was hanging feet first out of the top of the camper - her legs dangling two feet off the ground and her arms stretched over her head. Of course, she is half asleep and disoriented, not to mention scared to death to find herself half out of a camper while rain from the storm pelted her abdomen and legs. Shawn continued to try and pull her up but she only sliped a little more and then the canvas and bungee cords were only inches from scratching her beautiful ivory chin.
Valiantly, Shawn gave up the idea that he would not get wet and gave Angie the job of holding on as tight as possible to her slowly falling child. In the meantime, he rushed out and around the camper to claim his sopping, sobbing child. Eventually all family members were back in the camper and the rain stopped. Life returned to a semblance of normalacy - at least until the sun came up and they decided to return home...but that is another story.
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