Super Angie...super mad!

Dear Friends. I have to tell you about my horrible experience using reserve america USFS Maple Canyon Campground.

Heres what happened: my friends from Momentum (http://www.momentumclimbing.com) invited my family (husband and three kids including an 8 month old baby) to try outdoor climbing in Maple Canyon Utah. I went online to reserveamerica.com and reserved two campsites for the weekend of August 25th--prepaid. I printed out my receipts and packed up the gear. We got down to Maple and found our campsites were taken and there was no camp host to in force anything. We talked to the climbers occupying both sites who told us "its not our fault" and "good luck finding the host. We aren't moving to a new site". (Later when our car wouldn't start, we asked around for jumper cables and only ONE climber was friendly enough to help us. What is wrong with these climbers? Where is humanity??) We eventually gave up hope on those very un-kind and snobbish climbers and plopped our selves down in the vacant "group" site. Our trip was just so-so. The boys had fun climbing outside for the first time and we had a nice time as family, even though our sour camper neighbors stayed up drunk until 2am!!!
Anyway, When we returned home from our trip, we filled out the appropriate form on reserveamerica.com asking for a refund. Then I called and talked to Bill at the Utah Forest Service for the area of Maple Canyon. Bill told me he agreed that I should get a refund (and I was willing to pay the $15 for the group site). Bill told me to fill out a different form and reserveamerica would refund my money. So I did this....guess they don't care about climbers coming to their little campground and using their online reservations, because this is the response I got back.
Dear Ms. Miske,

Thank you for using Recreation.gov for your camping needs. It is my pleasure to assist you today.

The Group sites are $ 40. a night. You only paid $ 17. a night for your single sites. You will not be charged the additional
fees for using the group site as you were unable to find the campground host.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Thank you,

So, there you have it. There was NO campground host (found out they only come 3 times a week)! Reserveamerica.com RIPPED US OFF! They refused to give a refund on our fees. They even lied to us about the price of the group site (the sign at the group site said $15!!!).

Anyway, we are very frustrated, as you can imagine. Don't use Reserveamerica.com They charge an outrageous fee for their reservations. (The campsites in Maple are $8 each...they charge us an $9 reservation fee, for a total of $17 per campsite!!!!) If you want to camp, go to reserveamerica.com and search for the campground you like, and then google them to find a local phone number you can call to make a reservation.

So, there you go.
Frustrated Super Angie, signing off.... I'll post some pictures from the camp out in a day or two.

Super Angie...skid marks, training wheels and crawling up the stairs!

What a glorious day!
Last week I took off one of Dallin's training wheels and he has been getting used to that. Well, yesterday, I saw a talk show that talked about taking off the training wheels and learning to ride, so I thought, today is the day!

While Brennan and Tanith napped, I took Dallin outside, took off the training wheel. I held onto the back of his seat and his steering wheel. Oh man, he could not find his balance. It was hard and frustrating. Then I remembered from the show, to have him ride the bike without trying to peddle--just let his feet kind of drag. He did this and found his balance and before I knew it, I was running after him as he rode. He does a great job of regaining his balance by touching one foot to the ground as he continues to peddle. The smile on his face was priceless.

He also thought it was fun to make skid marks on the new sidewalks. We just laughed and laughed each time he made one. I love my son!

And then there is Tanith....last week she started crawling UP the stairs and today, she went all the way to the top. She is only 8 months onld and she climbed the whole flight. YIKES!

Super Angie signing off....

Super Angie... feeling great

Summer is coming to an end and I have survived the Utah heat! I have enjoyed watching my kids experience summer things like splashing in the pool, playing with squirt guns, picnics in the mountains, summer camps, making homemade pizza, visiting historical places, learning to ride a bike without training wheels...ah, the list goes on and on.

Tanith is now crawling up the stairs, so we have to be careful all the time. Brennan is still a little monkey at the rock climbing gym. Dallin is growing in his reading ability. Rick and I are getting more fit by the second and loosing lots of weight. We are enjoying our many date nights and enjoying our new sport. We have fun hiking and thinking about and planning future travel adventures.

I am getting excited for school to start and for the Parent/Teacher meeting. I am the PTA president so I am hoping and praying to get tons of parents signed up for different commitees throughout the year. I feel good about how I have scheduled things and I actually don't feel stressed at all. Phew!

I am also getting excited to buy things for Dallin and Brennan's "erste schul tag tutte". This is a German tradition. Its a giant cardboard cone, that you fill with treats, school supplies and maybe a few gifts and you give it to them on the first day of school. This will be Brennan's first one and I'm excited for him. He will LOVE preschool. He is sooo ready for it.

My trip to China is coming up soon too. (October) I am busy reading my travel book and watching shows about China on TV. I still can't beleive I get to go and walk on the Great Wall. Stay tunned...I will FOR SURE blog about that!

One thing I love about blogging...its a great way to keep a journal. I can write about silly things, serious things, or just my feelings. I can write about big events or small precious moments. Its all about finding out how the simple things make me, Super Angie. What things help you realize you are super?

Super Angie, Signing off....

WAIT! Just found this awesome quote...

Yes, my beloved brothers and sisters, life is good if we live in such
a way to make it so. Believing, desiring, deciding, and choosing correctly
are the simple actions that define an increase in happiness and an increase
in the inner assurance that transcends this life."-- Benjamín De Hoyos