Almost Stranded...

This past Saturday, Tucker and I invited our kickball friends to the lake for a day of fun and relaxation. The day had a grand start. Everyone showed up, we enjoyed a delicious lunch, we were laughing and enjoying each other's company. Then trouble started....as in Bonnie Brown (the boat) would not crank. We have never, and I repeat, we have never had a problem with this boat. Faithfully, every year she cranks right up. All we usually have to do is make sure the battery has enough juice. Tucker was baffled to say the least. After tinkering with it for a while, Tucker and friends (Lofton, Anthony, and Andy), got the old boat to start. We were thinking that it must have been some sort of glitch. We were also thinking that the problem was fixed. WRONG!

Hindsight is 20/20 they always say. Looking back on it, we should have probably never made the drive over to Chimney Rock. My sweet husband just wanted everyone to have fun and have a wonderful experience at the lake, and you can't really say you have been to the lake unless you can say you went to Chimney Rock. We made it out there fine. Jay had his boat too, so we just split up our crew. We enjoyed a few hours of floating, chatting, and lots of laughing. A little pruney, we decided to head back to the lake house to eat some snacks, then maybe ski and tube. The only problem with that plan was that the boat would not start. Shoot!

We all immediately panicked, especially Elizabeth and me. She had her darling three year old son, Reese, with her, and Tucker let us know that it would take about two hours to tow us back home. While Reese is one of the best behaved toddlers I have ever met, the heat and hunger were beginning to wear on him and understandably so. My main concern was Reese and Elizabeth, and getting them home as soon as possible. The tow ride back wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. We imagined stifling heat, but we actually had a nice breeze. Reese had the opportunity to take a nap. Things were looking up...until we see the storm clouds rolling in. Then there was a bolt of lightening in the distance. We were literally 10 minutes from the house!

We decided the best option was to put the women and children on the boat with Jay and for him to rush us home before the storm him. Unfortunately, that meant Elizabeth and I had to leave our husbands floating in a boat that would not start in the middle of the lake. It was the best, and only, answer to the immediate problem. Jay was able to get us back safely, then he and Jim went back out to retrieve our husbands. Thankfully, the storm was holding off. Reese, having awoken from his nap, then sat in Mymama's recliner to watch cartoons and eat snacks. Reese is one of the most precious little boys, by the way. He has blond, curly locks and sweet blue eyes. Mymama and I just wanted to eat him up, but we also didn't want to scare him! Ha!

Elizabeth and I kept looking out the windows checking to see if we could see any signs of our husbands or Jay. The storm wasn't as bad as it looked, thank goodness. After about 15 minutes, they showed up safe and sound! We hated the day ended like it did, but we still had lots of fun. We are not really sure what is wrong with the boat, but hopefully, it is something that can be easily fixed! Somehow, our kickball team is ranked 4th, and we start playoffs this week! Wish us luck!

Amanda