Off for an adventurous day trip...

I am not sure where my adventurous lifestyle grew from? I would guess that my desire for adventures and exploring came from the many homes that I grew up in through the formative years. I have been to some of the most scenic places on earth and they always seemed to offer and even encourage me to be active. I have been lucky in that I have had and still have the opportunity to explore the adventures that life offers me.

Today we were invited to venture out to one of the local hangouts at the river. The area is very well known to the locals and that always promises to be an adventure worth the effort. With the heat wave throughout the US, we look forward to cooling off a bit. We have been to this hangout once before and it was quite relaxing.
 I'm just under 50 years old and still jumping off cliffs as if I were 20 or 30. Hell yeah!
Seriously though, I really don't jump as many times as they do.

I remember all the times that we took Brooke off to explore the wonders that we could with the time that we had. The very first outing that we took was to Hanging Rock State Park. Brooke was about 4 years old. It took that long to get her mother to comply with a court order long enough to venture out on an adventure. Brooke's mom and I separated when Brooke was around 2 years old. Oh, how she loved her daddy!
We had such a good time at the lake in the park. Brooke swam and played with me and she was so happy! It was almost ruined by Brooke's mother, as a young boy had drowned in the very same lake a year or two earlier and Brooke was prepared to be afraid of going because of that. Brooke was young enough to have a short attention span which was good for us as we had a great adventure together anyway.
Of course the awesomeness was darkened by the cries of fear after Brooke returned to her mother. It was so sad to send Brooke back to her mother and brother only to have her indoctrination continued.

Later in years we were able to adventure off to Sliding Rock, (Pisgah National Forest, NC) (which she pointed out specifically). We had a great time until the camera came out. Brooke was around 10 years old. This picture was taken at Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah. Brooke was 11 years old here. 7/14/2007 "Look mom, aren't you proud of the picture"! I have pictures where she isn't aware of the camera and she appears very different unlike this pose of unhappiness. My mother in-law trying to figure Brooke's pose out...

I had the opportunity to hear my daughter say to me that she remembered and really missed those times. While the opportunity was very short lived, I realized that she did remember. I also realize that Brooke may never be free to have a relationship with me or our side of the family.

I know that I would as would our family, open our arms and heart to her and Matthew without hesitation yet would retreat at signs of drama and craziness. That is the price I choose to pay to have healthy relationships and for continued happiness.

I love that kid.