We got home a couple of hours ago from taking Abby in to have LASIK surgery on her eyes. She is severely far-sighted and has astigmatism. Unfortunately, we've never been fortunate to find contacts that she can wear due to the shape of her eyeballs being like footballs. She's been in glasses since the age of four. I was in the room with her during the procedure and found it to be so fascinating, but unnerving at the same time. She did well and is sleeping until dinner. We have to take her back in tomorrow morning for a follow-up appt. We're hoping for 20/20 vision, but the doctor thinks she'll need to be tweaked in about six months. Prayers are appreciated as she heals.
Now, back to our vacation. On Sunday, we drove about an hour away to hike Gorges State Park. One thing is for certain, we got in plenty of exercise the entire week...
I spotted this beautiful lily growing in the woods...
It seemed that everywhere we went was a sight to behold...
Me and my girls...
This was the first waterfall we came upon. It, literally, looked like something out of a fairy tale. So magical...
The hike was pretty long and strenuous with lots of hills to climb. At one point, Chris decided that he was going to run a sprint up a huge flight of steps to the top of a mountain. Brittany was walking close behind and Abby and I followed. When Abby and I reached the top of the mountain, I saw Chris lying flat on his back on the ground. Brittany said, 'Mom, something's wrong with Dad!' All I recall from that point is that another hiker said, 'We need to call 9-1-1!' I stood over Chris and his face was as white as a sheet and he was looking right through me. My very first thought was that he'd suffered a massive heart attack. Just as I was about to start pounding on his chest, he came to, sat up, and said, 'I'm OK!' He got up and walked to a nearby railing. He explained how he'd had that happen before...and he has...and that he just over-exerted himself and passed out. Then, he started laughing about it. BAD MOVE! By that time, the girls and I were bawling because we thought we'd lost him. We were scared out of our wits! Then, I told him that he is NOT 18 years old, anymore, and it was high time he acted like it! I gave him one stern talking to, let me tell ya! Even another hiker said, 'Wow, I don't think your wife is too happy with you right now.' Boy, was she ever right! So, this could have had a much different outcome and I'm now insisting that Chris go in and get checked out, even though he had an EKG about a month ago and it was fine. It just made me realize all the more that I can't take those I love for granted...you just never know when something can go awry.
After that huge mishap, we walked a little farther to see Rainbow Falls. Kids and adults were jumping off the rock wall into the water. Made me nervous just watching them. If something happened, there is no way they could get help quickly due to being deep into the mountains...
Once we made it back to the cabin, we ate dinner, then went out and soaked our tired muscles in the hot tub, roasted marshmallows, and made S'mores...
This was one of my favorite places to sit...
Brittany hid underneath the porch in an effort to scare Abby...
This is one view I never grew weary of seeing...
Only one more full day ahead with white water rafting on the agenda!
