*** in defense the first line of the journaling! Neither my friend John nor I had children. Our friend’s and my brother’s kids knew us as an aunt and uncle. The term “kidnapping" meant mom or dad got the day off and we took the kids to do something. In this case it was an overnight kidnapping. Mom, Nancy, was glad for the break.
Credits: #2019 July by Connie Prince
Journaling: In August 2003, John and I kidnapped Heather and Eddie for a camping weekend. After a night at Interlochen State Park, which included the Campfire dinner and marshmallows before bed. In the morning it was and strike the campsite and head to Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Our main event for the day was the Dune Climb. The four of us went right to the bottom of the sand hill and started climbing. John, Heather and I immediately realized why climbing to the top was such a big deal. Every step up you took the dune the sand collapsed and brought you about a half-step back. Somehow, if you're nine-year-old boy that doesn't happen. Eddie just started running up to the top and by the time we’d taken four steps he was halfway up the hill!
I kept a close eye on him as he ran the rest of the way up to the first plateau. I knew he couldn't hear us but the three of us were motioning to him to come back down. And he did run back over to where we were. He asked why it was taking us so long. I think we actually told him it was because we’re old. Then he laughed at his sister because that meant teenagers were old too.
We kept climbing on all fours. Eddie ran up to the plateau and ran down again. John went back into the store and bought a couple of short walking sticks for the two of us. Heather was already a good way ahead of us. The walking stick was great for giving me something to help boost me up the hill of sand, I didn’t think I was going to make it up from the bottom, and we eventually all made it to the plateau. I had some bottles of water in my bag and we all sat down and had a drink of water. Eddie had run up and down the long first hill several times by the time the rest of us caught up.
After a short break Eddie was all set to go up the shorter hill to the very top of the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb. The three adult bodies were saying "No way!" Eddie started up the last till.
I'm not sure what came over me but I looked at him running up the hill and said "I can't let him go up there all by himelf." I grabbed the walking stick and started up the last hill.
Eddie was my cheerleader at the top of the hill yelling "come on Aunt Davonna! You can do it!" Now I had to do it because I couldn't let him down.
When I got to the top I felt victorious. I'm sure part of that was because of a High-5 and cheers from my nephew. I made sure we got pictures of each other on the very top. You can see Lake Michigan from where we were at, something John and Heather wouldn't seeing until we had a picnic snack later.
In a wheelchair now, I wouldn't make it to the top. But I refuse to wallow in self-pity that I can't do it now. I prefer to celebrate that I did it then. And I owe that to an Energizer nine-year-old that wouldn't stop and didn't let me stop.
