Yesterday LD and I met up at Turner Falls Park. A somewhat half-way point for the two of us. Boy did we get our exercise!!! We walked up and down a mountain (that was HARD), swam, and then walked a trail around the springs in Sulpher.

We timed our arrivals just right, pulling in within minutes of each other. We were both hungry, so we got some food from the only food stand that was open. Once we finished eating I went and changed into my bathing suit and then we started walking around/exploring. Not to long after starting we had to make a trip to the infirmary. LD had stubbed her toe on a rock and took a chunk of skin off of it. We decided to give her foot some time before getting into the water and headed in the direction of the caves. We were walking along the road when suddenly we were at the foot of a mountain, looking up. We looked at each other and said “We should have drove.” So we turned around and got in the car to drive to the top of the mountain. We parked the car and then started heading DOWN another side of the mountain, where the caves were supposed to be. I found the walking up and down the mountain much harder than I thought it would be. I had to stop and rest a lot, and I think I might have worried LD a little. But she was patient with me and would just sit and wait until I was ready to continue. We didn’t end up seeing any caves because we just couldn’t go on anymore.

So we decided to swim instead. We both decided to leave the clothing we had on over our bathing suits on, since there wasn’t really anyplace to put them. I was wearing capri pants and LD was wearing some shorts and a coverup shirt. It was a bit strange wearing pants in the water, but once I was fully in (it was COLD at first!), it was not a problem. The water ended up feeling great and we stayed in the water for several hours. LD kept eyeing the slide and said it looked like fun. So we decided to give it a try. LD went first and somehow ended up landing on her face! I went down next and ended up with water clear up my nose! We decided we’re too old for slides now. We went back to a quieter spot where we could just sit in the water and talk. My hair got caught in my necklace, so I reached back to pull it out. And as I did electricity shot through my hand! I pulled it back and there was clearly a spot where I’d been stung! My entire hand felt like it was stinging and it was swelling up right before our eyes. At first I thought I’d be okay, but it just kept hurting and growing worse. So we got out of the water and went back to the infirmary. They checked to see if there was a stinger (there was not), then gave me some ice to keep on it. The ice helped some, but melted quickly. My whole hand seemed to be swollen and I couldn’t bend my finger (the one that got stung). It was painful for quite a while, but fortunately the swelling and pain HAVE gone away.

LD and I decided that the park was too dangerous for us, and we’d rather go into Sulpher for awhile. This required getting out of our wet clothes. Only problem was, the capri pants I’d worn into the water were the only pants I brought! Stupid me didn’t plan very well. We looked in the gift shop to see if there were any shorts I could buy, but there were not any. We used the dryer in the bathroom to try and dry my pants, but it was useless. Instead we worked on drying LD’s shorts (less material) and I ended up wearing those damp. Then we headed for Sulpher and stopped at a Walmart so I could buy myself some dry pants. We thought it would be hilarious to find some shorts that said “Oklahoma” on them, just to bug N (he keeps teasing LD that “Okies are gross.”), but they didn’t have any. So instead I got some new capri pants.

After we left Walmart (which took longer than it should have), we started driving toward Sulpher’s downtown area. But on the way LD pointed out the springs/creek where her family had gone last weekend and she wanted to show it to me. So we parked and started walking. We wound up walking and talking for at least an hour! We only turned around because we got to a part on the trail that was getting steep and neither of us had any desire to work that hard at walking! We got back to the car and drove back to Turner Falls (we left LD’s car there). We took a quick picture then headed our separate ways.

On the way home my back started hurting. I was pretty sure it was burned. My bra was hurting, so I took it off in the car. When I got home I looked in the mirror and sure enough, I was read as a lobster! I had N put some aloe on it and this morning it looks a bit better, but it’s still hurting some. I think I’ll be doing camisoles with shelf bras for a while.

I’m so glad we were able to get together. Even though we both got injured, we were laughing about it and enjoying ourselves the whole time. We talked about everything under the sun and just had a real pleasant day. I can’t wait until next weekend when she’ll be coming here! I’m looking forward to introducing her to family and friends. LD’s kids were asking her why they couldn’t come and meet me yesterday and she told them they would get to see me next week. She says they’re excited about that. I am too. I’ve heard so much about them and can’t wait to meet them myself.