Two Things:
- About the only things that can tear me away from writing or the business of writing are Friends and Family.
- If you remember Gams Camp 2024 and the epic-ness of it…prepare to be disappointed.
July was a lot about friends and family, especially family, and especially Gams Camp. For the uninitiated, Gams Camp is a week of rollicking fun, usually with a theme, that includes a block of days devoted to my grands. Last year, for the first time, Oliver joined Lyla and Wren, and our theme was Travel the World.
This year, things took a different turn, and the theme became SCHEDULING. Molly and Beau were going to London for a week, and since I was keeping the girls (and the two little Shih Tzus that came with them) for part of that time, it seemed logical to do Gams Camp then. Also every other week was taken up with vacation, actual camps of one sort or another, or getting ready for said camps.
But Oliver, who also had camps on top of camps, had band camp that week, and couldn’t join.
Not to be daunted, Erin and Kate said they could fly in on a Wed night in an earlier week and go see other friends on Sunday. BUT Lyla and Wren were leaving for a week-long camp on that same Sunday and had to have time for packing and parents.
My solution? Split Gams Camp 2025 into two rollicking parts. Two days with Oliver, Lyla and Wren and five days with Lyla, Wren and two pups.
So here’s how it went down. Our theme shifted to DISNEY (movie connections in parentheses–trust me, it was loose.)
Gams Camp–Part One
Oliver and Erin flew in Wed night. Kate took a flight on Thursday night. Thursday morning, we picked up Lyla and Wren, drove through McDonald’s (not connected to Disney), and went to Dave and Busters for the afternoon (Tron). Mexican food for dinner with Kate and Erin (Encanto) while I went to a planned book club appearance. The girls stayed over with Oliver. I heard them at midnight. They were probably sneaking out. They learned it from their parents.
Morning dawned, and we had donuts for breakfast (food pairings with movies are hard.) We all went swimming at the girls’ house (Moana), ate Subway, and in the afternoon, we left the girls to get ready for camp (Parent Trap.)
Oliver and I (with a ton of help from Erin and Kate) made dinner for the family (our Oregon family coming to Dallas triggers a need to eat together.) Also, we nabbed Noah, who spends most of the year at LSU, so that was a treat. That movie was Ratatouille. And while there were no rodents in the kitchen, we did have a gourmet meal of spaghetti.
After enjoying special pancakes at Whiskey Cake restaurant on Saturday morning, the Oregon contingent spent a few days with other friends. Lyla and Wren went to camp. I took a nap.
Gams Camp –Part Deux
On Tuesday, a few weeks later, I snatched the girls from co-grandparents Tamala and Richard, and we went to Taco Bell for lunch (I don’t have to keep them healthy, I just have to keep them alive.) We set up the dogs, who had a suite of their own in my house. Then we went to the Chinese Market for snacks (Mulan.) The Perot Museum was our next stop, and it was amazing. Can’t believe I had never gone. (Inside Out–cause, you know…brain.) At one point Wren looked up at me and said, “Gams, my head is so full of knowledge right now.”
She put snuggling with stuffies and Lion King on the agenda for the evening but, no, we watched K-Pop Demon Hiunters. (Look it up. It’s not Disney.)
Wednesday, we swam (Little Mermaid this time), got groceries, went to Central Market for loose tea and clotted cream, and went to Fish City Grill (still Ariel) for dinner and watched Princess Diaries while we got ready for Thursday: High Tea for their friends (Beauty and The Beast.)
We had invited a few of their friends over for a Be Our Guest Tea on Thursday afternoon. There was a lot to do.
- Wren made a balloon arch–the real deal, by herself.
- Lyla made chicken salad sandwiches, cream cheese/cucumber sandwiches, and PBJ just in case.
- We had one guest who was gluten-free AND lactose intolerant, so there were special sandwiches for her.
- We created souvenir menus for each guest.
- Lyla found two ice breaker games and we prepped for those.
At 3:30, we were ready and waiting with “champagne” welcome drinks for our guests. There were seven kids in all, including one gentleman complete with fedora. They enjoyed an introduction about tea and what would be served and were shown how to pour a proper cup of tea when the leaves are loose. They also learned about scones, clotted cream and jam. Tea is complicated, and we are snooty about it.
Our guests enjoyed the food and making the tea, but not necessarily drinking the tea. It’s an acquired taste.
We slept in on Friday and went to brunch and then to an Arcade (Jumanji). The arcade was next to Babe’s in Garland. If you haven’t been to Babe’s, it’s an experience: choose your meat and tuck into bowls of the most delish veg served family-style with biscuits and a weird salad Lyla loved. Go figure. Also, the waitstaff danced to Cotton-Eyed Joe in the middle of dinner. Yeah, it’s special.
Saturday, we went swimming again while the Wageners AC got installed (that’s a whole ‘nother story.). We ate leftovers and picked the parents up at the airport. Everyone, including the dogs, were home by eight.
I stayed in my pjs all day Sunday and rewatched that K-Pop movie. It’s an acquired taste.