Our last day in Duluth, we decided to go see Canal park and Lake Superior for a little bit. We parked next to the bike place and on a whim decide to take a surray (not a tantem like I misqouted in the day one email), this time my mom wanted to get a double one and help with the peddling and it was decided that Kim gets to do the steering.
My mom sat behind me and our pedals were connect, I peddled to fast for my mom, so some of the time she just sat while we peddled. Both on Wednesday and Today we were told that we are to bike to a certain point (a big smoke stack with the name F.... on it), we passed it Wednesday without realizing it, but turned around shortly afterwards because we were running out of time due to stopping and hiking down to the water). Today we passed it again without realizing it and I kept saying lets go further, I want to make it all the way, so we went down some hills and had to climb some hills and many times I had to jump out and push us up the hill. My mom then said we passed the smoke stack a while back.....Thanks mom.....We had fun, but definately worked up a sweat and lots of laughs.
When we got back to the canal there was a huge barge going through. I don't think I have seen one that almost the same length as the canal, In the above picture it at the tip of the lighthouses
Half way out of the canal. we were able to get the bike back in time. Then it was time to head back to the cities to make sure I picked up Erin at 3 from her friends house as she is done with her 2 weeks at summer school and Kim to be there for the kids to get off the bus. It was great seeing my girls again. Erin enjoyed her time at summer school, she had some good things to say about her time there, but also complained a little bit about some of the kids asking to many questions about sex and private things that Erin doesn't want to share. I said to her that you have asked me a lot of private questions, she said "but when you say it is private and don't want to answer, I respect you, they didn't" I asked her what did she said to them then, she said I kept saying it is private and stop asking. I am proud of her, sticking to her guns and not caving in and telling them something she doesn't want to tell. She also learned that everywhere you go, you have rules. She didn't like some of their rules and I told her that all places have rules. She said she learned some things, but that it was hard because she can't read much. Overall I feel it was good for her, she learned a lot of new signs and I think some of them are "slang" signs. she also witness (and personally had) girls picking on others and her. I told her that I was sorry to hear that and that she was picked on, I also used this time to reinforce to her that she how some people behaviors hurt others like her and she agreed, I tried to bring her dad up, but she started with the body language that indicated that if I push it, she would shut down and I didn't want that to happen. She also decided to cut her hair while she was there, she said it was because she was hot. I was really surprised that she cut it and when I told her that she said she didn't care that she cut it. As we talked more about her time down there, she said that a lot of people (staff, teachers and kids) were saying she was beautiful, I asked her if that is why she cut it (it isn't a lot of hair cut off, she still has long hair), she said again she was hot, but I wondering if it had to do with something down there because she doesn't have a problem wearing her hair in a pony or doing things with it and putting it up. I talked to her more about the deaf Christian camp and asked her if she liked it, she said it was ok....but she made some neutral references about Jesus, about not having sex until married and respecting yourself, she then changed the subject, so I let it go. I am glad she learned something positive there and accepted it. When I had picked her up last Sunday, she gave me four "friendship bracelets" and said I got to pick first and then the rest was were for her sisters. She brought these while at camp. It made me feel so good that she spent her own money on those bracelets and thought about us. This is the first gift I had gotten from her that was her own doing. I thank God for opening the door for Erin to start learning and hoping accepting God, to see that Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit are wonderful people to have in your life, to see that everywhere has rules, that not only boys can be mean or pick on girls that girls can too (not that is a positive thing, but with her thinking sometimes about boys).
No comments:
Post a Comment