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Post by Abbie on May 30, 2006 12:30:48 GMT 10
I can't wait to see Abby on a camping Trip!!! This is going to be great! Update ASAP!!
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Post by larue on May 30, 2006 12:51:47 GMT 10
Camping Tip Number Three: “Everything but the Kitchen Sink”
“Which side do you want this on?” Luka asked as he headed toward the apartment door with the car seat. “Behind me or behind you?” Abby looked up from the cooler she was packing with sandwiches, water bottles and fruit.
“Does it matter?” she asked. Luka sighed heavily.
“I have to use the other side of the seat for supplies.”
“You mean I’m not going to be able to sit in back to entertain her if she gets fussy?”
“She’s not going to get fussy...” he groaned. Abby cast an apprehensive glance toward the little girl sitting in the high chair next to her. Lauren smiled up at her angelically and held up a small rubber duck that she’d been playing with. She dropped the duck over the edge of the tray and leaned over to watch it fall.
“Uh...uh...ooooooo,” she said. Abby bent down to pick the toy up and put it back on the tray. Lauren promptly pushed it over the side again.
“Uh...Luka,” she warned. Luka sighed.
“She’ll be fine...” he said firmly. “She’ll probably sleep most of the way.” Abby shrugged as she absently picked up the duck again.
“Behind you then, I guess,” she said. “Might be easier to reach her.” Luka left with the car seat and an armload of sleeping bags and pillows. Abby sat in a chair and surveyed the little girl sitting next to her.
“You had a good night’s sleep, right?” she asked as she swept Lauren’s long dark hair into a ponytail on top of her head. “You’ve had a bath and clean diapers...a little snack...courtesy of Mom’s Milk Bar...” Lauren leaned forward and batted her long eye lashes at her mother.
“Naw...those Lukalashes work on Dads, not Moms,” Abby warned. Lauren sat back and grinned, flashing a deep dimple in her cheek...another trait from her father.
“Uppp...uppppp...puuppppp...” she mumbled as she pushed on the tray of the high chair.
“Good idea,” Abby nodded. “I’ll let you get a little exercise before strapping you in again.” She undid the straps of the high chair and lifted Lauren free. She sat her in the middle of the livingroom where she could keep an eye on her and finish packing their lunch.
Abby pushed some of the buttons on Luka’s stereo and grinned as strains of the Wiggles came through the speakers. Lauren clapped her hands and held them up as Abby pulled the little girl to her feet and they ‘danced’ together. Abby laughed as Lauren giggled and stamped her feet. Luka opened the apartment door and stopped when he saw them. He grinned. It was so much fun to see Abby so lighthearted. The change in her had been so incredible since Lauren had been born. He’d worried about depression. Sometimes he felt like he saw a glimmer of that occasionally but she seemed determined to have a different kind of relationship with her daughter than she’d had with her own mother. Luka crossed the room to the cooler Abby had been packing.
“Is this ready to go?” he asked above the din. Abby nodded as her lips moved to the song coming from the stereo. He winked at her and snapped the cooler shut. She swept Lauren up in her arms and twirled around to the music. Lauren squealed and grabbed her mother’s face. She planted a sloppy wet kiss on Abby’s nose. Luka grinned at them and carried the cooler and yet another bag of items out to their car.
Abby settled Lauren in the middle of the livingroom with a small basket of toys to keep her occupied. She made a quick check through the apartment rooms, grabbed a jacket and extra pair of shoes from Lauren’s dresser and locked the window in their bedroom. She looked down at the street below and rolled her eyes when she saw Luka strapping something to the top of the car. A hotel would have been SO much easier!
Luka was waiting for her when she came down the steps from their bedrooms. He had Lauren under one arm and the basket of toys in the other.
“Ready?” he asked. Abby sighed and nodded. She locked the door behind them and followed him out to the street. The doorman was standing near their car and opened the door for her. Abby surveyed all of the things inside the car and on top of the car. Luka fastened Lauren into her car seat and shut the door. He looked at Abby as she put her hands on her hips and scratched his chin.
“Don’’t think you might have forgotten anything, have you?” she asked as she shook her head. Luka grinned.
“If I did we can find a store when we get there.”
“It’s kind of embarrassing,” she added as she wrinkled her nose. Luka sighed and drummed his fingers on the hood of the car.
“Ready?” he asked. She sighed and nodded as she climbed into the front seat. She fastened her seat belt as Luka started the engine. Then he stopped. She undid the seat belt and then ran back into the building. Luka shook his head impatiently as he waited. The doorman laughed as she hurried back out with the Wiggles CD in her hand.
“Now we can go!” she laughed as she redid her seat belt. She waved to the doorman as Luka pulled the car away from the curb and into the slow moving traffic.
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Post by Lubyfanatic316 on May 30, 2006 13:15:08 GMT 10
Great update!
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Post by lubyfan on May 30, 2006 20:25:53 GMT 10
Update soon
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linda
Marquise of Luby
Hope for the future
Posts: 221
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Post by linda on May 30, 2006 20:33:47 GMT 10
mooooooooooooooooooooore! I love it! I really do!Its soooo cute. awwww
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Post by Tannii on May 31, 2006 1:06:24 GMT 10
your ff is awesome! Can't wait for the update !
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Post by sammiejm on May 31, 2006 2:42:20 GMT 10
Ah, another great update Larue. This camping trip sounds like fun.
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Post by zelda on May 31, 2006 3:43:52 GMT 10
Larue, always a pleasure to read a new chapter! Like you said, it's so nice to see Abby lighthearted! But I don't know why, I'm waiting for a huge surprise about the camping adventures! ;D
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Post by *Natalie* on May 31, 2006 5:33:29 GMT 10
Loved the last one and now loving this one too.
hope you do more soon
Natalie x
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Post by <3 LubyII <3 on May 31, 2006 5:53:16 GMT 10
Loved the update!
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Post by larue on May 31, 2006 21:04:07 GMT 10
Camping Tip Number Four : “Read the Directions"
Abby adjusted the light blanket around a sleeping Lauren and smiled as she tucked the stuffed bear next to her daughter’s head as a pillow. She settled back in her seat and refastened the seat belt. She glanced over at Luka. He was watching the Lake Michigan shoreline as he drove and was grinning from ear to ear.
“You’re loving this, aren’t you?” she asked. Luka glanced at her and then nodded.
“We did this in Croatia,” he said. ‘We would drive up and down the coast from one beach to another, my friends and I.”
“And camp in a tent?” He shrugged.
“A couple of blankets maybe. We would sleep on the beach...cook on a big bonfire...” He snickered. “We were just stupid kids.”
“Sounds like fun,” she sighed.
“Did you do anything stupid when you were a kid?” Abby snorted.
“Oh...yeah!” she cried. “But nothing like that...and nothing I want to tell you about right now.”
“Oh, come on...” Luka cajoled.
“Nooooo...” Abby laughed. “But let’s just say that anything that one back there tries to pull on us won’t be a surprise.” Luka chuckled and glanced in his rearview mirror at his sleeping daughter.
“She’s not going to pull anything on us,” he sighed with a smile. Abby grimaced and shook her head.
“She will,” she said. “It’s in her genes...on both sides.”
“No...” Luka said. “I’m keeping her under a locksmith.” Abby laughed and sat back in her seat.
“Lock and key...” she corrected. Luka shrugged and focused on the road. She glanced over at him and her smile faded a bit as she searched his profile. Her heart seemed to swell in her chest until it threatened to choke her. Sometimes she was just overwhelmed with the feelings she had for him. It was scarey. She wasn’t used to feeling like that.
Luka looked over at her and smiled.
“What are you thinking about?” Abby shrugged.
“I am wondering how I let you talk me into doing this,” she sighed. Luka reached over and squeezed her hand and she laced her fingers through his.
“You’re just putty in my hands,” he said. “Did I get that one right?” Abby laughed and nodded as she lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it.
It took them four hours to drive from Chicago to Muskegon State Park on the shores of Lake Michigan. Abby had to admit that the park was...beautiful. Tall pines liberally dotted the camp area and the ground was sandy and warm. The campground was full of families and Abby’s eyes were wide as she took in the different camping set ups and smelled the sweet campfire smoke in the air.
Luka backed their SUV into the campsite they’d been assigned and unfastened the folded play pen from the top of the car. He set it up and Abby dumped some of Lauren’s toys into it. Lauren was happy to be out of her car seat and able to move again. She pulled herself to a standing position on the side of the playpen and watched her parents. Abby helped Luka move the picnic table as they settled on a good spot to set up the tent. He grinned and pulled out the bag that stored his tent, poles and stakes.
‘You’ve done this before, right?” she asked as she surveyed the confusing array of plastic, tarp, ropes and aluminum.
“Not in a couple of years but what’s to remember?” he shrugged. He pulled out the tent and directed her as they staked down the corners. He pulled out the poles and frowned as he tried to remember which one went where. They ended up pulling up the tent stakes again and trying to put the poles in first. The entire tent collapsed..
“Were there any directions with this thing?” Abby asked as Luka refigured the tent poles.
“Oh, they’re long gone,” he sighed. Abby shrugged and went through the remaining items in the bag and pulled out a tiny square of paper that was lodged in the corner of the bag. She unfolded it as Luka cursed in Croatian and pulled pole sections apart...again. She glanced over the paper with a smile.
“Um...Luka...” she said. “Let’s try it this way.” She went through the poles on the ground and picked out two. Luka frowned as they snapped together. He watched as she assembled the tent poles and then handed him the hammer.
“Maybe it was a good idea to stake it down first after all?” Luka regarded her suspiciously and moved to hammer in the stakes...again. Abby grinned and slipped the tent directions into the pocket of her jeans.
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Post by Lubyfanatic316 on May 31, 2006 22:26:29 GMT 10
Great update!
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Post by <3 LubyII <3 on May 31, 2006 23:12:01 GMT 10
Loved it!
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Post by Noora on May 31, 2006 23:18:57 GMT 10
This is another amazing fic from you larue, you're a really good writer!
I loved it!
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Post by rorygilmore on Jun 1, 2006 2:57:54 GMT 10
Abby pushed some of the buttons on Luka’s stereo and grinned as strains of the Wiggles came through the speakers. Lauren clapped her hands and held them up as Abby pulled the little girl to her feet and they ‘danced’ together. Abby laughed as Lauren giggled and stamped her feet. Luka opened the apartment door and stopped when he saw them. He grinned. Awww, I love this part. It's so sweet!!!!
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