Sometimes it is easy to forget that Ellie is still a kid. Yesterday her behavior reminded me that she still very much a kid. Part of that is the highs and lows concerning both energy level and emotions. She can go full speed ahead for several days, and then be a slug in an office chair in front of a computer for days, too. It is such an interesting dynamic that is so very different from my own. I am more steady. I need some up time and some down time every day.
On paper and in discussions it seemed like doing the three day bike race series, camping and then going to art camp would be fine. After all, there is a lot of down time in between things. There were ample opportunities to hang out in the hotel room, to play card games, watch a little cable t.v. (which we can’t do at home) and time to visit with friends. There is all of the driving that I am doing. However, yesterday proved that theories that look good on paper do not always translate to real life.
After pulling into the campground very late on Sunday night and not having stuff organized on Monday morning we found ourselves at Anderson Ranch without time for her to really eat a proper breakfast. She just snacked on food in the car until we arrived. She figured it would be no big deal to hold out until lunch time. So off she went to class. The girl I picked up at the end of the day was less exuberant than I had hoped. All she could think of was that she was cold and hungry. She needed food and quick. The hunger, combined with the cold exhaustion showed itself in her sarcastic, biting attitude. Her first comment about the class was to ask how many days she would be doing it because she could not imagine doing what she did for many more days. She said it was too much sitting. She said she could not think of things to draw and that her classmates thought she was funny because she was having trouble cleaning up the big mess she made on her work table at the end of the day. Her responses to me where short and kind of mean.
I spent my time in the dorm lounge doing online work and a bit of laundry. Not an exciting day, but a necessary one.
Off we went at the end of the afternoon to Aspen in search of a battery operated air pump for the air mattress that we could not use the night before, a shower at the Red Brick Recreation Center and a warm dinner. I was also hoping to tuck in a little time at the Laundromat as some of the clothes were still damp, including her warm sweats.
We did not find a pump that would work for our purposes so I changed my plan from having the mattress in a tent to having it in the back of the van. This way I could pump it up using my plug in pump and my power converter. The stuff in the van would go in the tent and Ellie would have a better, warmer place to sleep. At the end of the day she declared it good and went to bed.
During the hunt for dinner we also came across the consignment store I had heard about so we took a quick look. Ellie perused the clothing racks and I helped the shop keeper close up shop. She was supposed to lock the outer door, but it was not functioning correctly. In the end I handed her my stuff, stepped up on the step ladder and used all my strength to get the latch to go down. She was very thankful and sold us the Volcrum hoodie that Ellie liked for half off. It was a nice gesture of thanks. Next we stopped at the grocery store for more food for lunches and then found a restaurant for dinner. We ended up at Boogie’s Diner where we had a nice warm meal. I had a grilled cheese sandwich and a side of wonderful mashed potatoes with gravy. Feeling better, we headed home.
Back at the campsite, we worked together to get things more organized and a sleeping den set up for Ellie. Thankfully we were able to get it done and her in bed by a much more reasonable 9:30 last night. I am hopeful that it will net an improved attitude today. Yesterday’s attitude caused me to take note and reconsider whether I will plan back to back events in the future. It also reminded me that I need to keep a stash of snacks in my van like I used to.
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