Ridge Week 2021

 Unfortunately the well digger wasn't able to come get the well dug before Ridge Week, like we originally thought, so instead of being at the Ridge the whole week, getting all those projects we dreamed up in that epic 5 hour sibling drive from Boise, we shortened the week and did things away from the Ridge to save on water usage. Monday we went to Lagoon.  I've never been before and Chris has only been once. We got up there before it opened to get a good place in line.  The kids had lots of fun. It was a small enough park, (compared to Disneyland) and we had enough adults and big kids to split off by ages. Charlie and Alec had so much fun running from big ride to big ride with their cousins. Gwen hung out with the middle group of girls with Jared and Ashely and also enjoyed lots of fun rides. Freddy stayed with Chris and I and the younger boys for most of the time. Just Max and Theo needed two adults since Theo wasn't old enough for many of the rides that Max could go on IF he had a bigger person with him. We met up for lunch in the middle of the day then headed over to the water park. Then changed back into clothes and did more rides, buying dinner  and staying until the park closed. The kids had a lot of fun and we discovered (although we already sort of knew) that Max has no fear, but we really discovered that Theo HATES rides. Except the bumper Cars. He (eventually) loved them.  Chris and I found the park crowded, expensive and it was a little sad to not get to go on any interesting rides ourselves.  Dinner was especially hard. Waiting in line for almost AN HOUR  by myself with all the hungry fussy kids to get BLAH food with poor service from poor teenagers with poor training. UGH.  But we went! The kids will remember it. 

Then camping at the Ridge for 3 nights. We had left our tent up from Memorial Day. It was nice to not have to set everything up again! But.... we did have some water in our tent from flooding and our tarp canopy broke apart a little in the wind and by the end of the week our zipper on our tent door completely broke. We pinned a sheet over the door to keep out bugs.  (I CAN'T WAIT FOR OUR CANVAS TENT TO COME!!) The kids enjoyed a lot of cousin game time and talk time. We set up a projector and screen to watch a movie in our newly screened-in pavilion. We got the zip line working, we made the sandbox, and built the playground of out of the free leftover boxes our neighbor scavenged out of a Costco dumpster and then gave to us.  

The biggest thing about Ridge Week for Gwen was the play we put on. For the Drama Club in June, Gwen and I picked a play from online, read it with interested Betteridge cousins over zoom, assigned parts and held play practice via zoom once a week. Then during Ridge Week, we practiced multiple times a day and then performed it the morning we broke camp.  The kids LOVED this. (it was kind of a lot of work for me as the only adult director, but it was worth it to see how much fun the kids had with it) We had really good participation from all ages...we even had a sound crew! 

A big memory for me, personally, was that during one of those play practices, alot of the other adults ate dessert without us and Jordan announced his latest idea of NOT doing canvas tents but going back to mini cabins... but just keeping them the same size as a shed (no porch or big loft) and just not getting permits for them. Apparently everyone there got onboard and by the time I found out, I was grumpy and tired from trying to get Max and Theo to sleep and I felt abandoned and stupid for being the only one to buy a Canvas Tent. I feel less inclined to lead out in Ridge stuff and feel less excited about the tent but oh well. Kind of a sour end to a great (although EXHAUSTING week) but I know my family loves me and it'll all work out just fine.