Day Fifty-Seven to Fifty-Eight

Treasure hunts.  This is what my life has become and for the most part I don't mind them.  Every day I wake up and wonder if today is the day that I find the treasure or if it is just something that eludes me.

I get to go on these hunts with five amazing treasure hunters as well as three treasure dogs.  

The first is big and tries to be so brave.  He hunts alone but at night needs the lights on and something to distract him.  He wants to be so much like his dad.  He wants to share random things (videos, stories, experiments) that he learns or finds with others but mostly his dad.  I watched him bravely say "If you don't have hair, I don't need it either.  Lets shave it."  It wasn't necessary, but a loving gesture to show in his way how much he cared.  I know he is scared but tries not to show it.

The second is sensitive and bright.  She wants to run into the hunt even if she doesn't have her lava shoes (Yes, they are real and yes you need them to make it across safely).  She gets sucked into the lava at times and sometimes can't stop dwelling on the issue at hand.  "I don't want daddy to die" was something she would frequently say the first few days of Ryan's hospital stay.  There are no reassuring words you can say when you don't even know the answers yourself.  All I have been able to do is to work to pull one foot out of the lava and put it back in the lava shoe for one more day.

The third treasure hunter is generous and curious.  She will climb the highest trees, be the first to jump into the darkness, and run the furthest even if that means needing to double back because she missed the mark.  She does not want to be left...she does not want to be alone.  She wants to be independent but is at times afraid as she doesn't like to see scary things.  She doesn't want to see Ryan's scar and she doesn't want to see the shaved head as those things are scary and new and different.  When she is scared it is surprising what a hug can do for her.

Treasure hunter number four is the tracker and is fiercely independent.  Only he can ready the compass, find the maps, talk to sloths and knows what it means to have the correct treasure hunting hat.  Sometimes this hat becomes so full of gadgets that he can't even wear it on his head.  The compass doesn't not always point in the right direction and a few course corrections are always required.  

The fifth is so sweet and can scream like a banshee.  She will not tolerate being left behind by anyone and if she is, you will hear about it for weeks.  She is loyal to a fault and will compromise as often as necessary to make the others happy.  She loves to snuggle with her dad or just lay next to him doing her own thing.

Treasure hunting is an interesting thing.  All hunters are needed, the compass is a necessity, but everyone is not always ready to go on the hunt.  

Morning hunts require packing food, new clothes and shoes, and finding the right treasure hairdo.  Some mornings this is an easy feat, some mornings it is a nightmare.   It would of course be easy if the same treasure hunter had this issue each morning, but alas it rotates and is more like Russian roulette or a Happy Gilmore box of chocolates.

Evening hunts are typically easy to navigate, with still stories, campfires, marshmallows and brushing of teeth.  Hunter #4 turns into an old man at times and is not able to move.  Banshee has also shown up a time or two to the horror of all the hunters.  

Although I couldn't tell you how to have a successful treasure hunt, I do have some tips I can share:

• Make sure your hunters are well fed.  More fights and disagreements have been started due to this.  An early lunch is always better than a late one.
• Early to bed and early to rise is a myth.  Early to bed and late to rise is the key...still not sure how to achieve it.
• Treasure hunting away from home can be an adventure, but be wary of the "I have to go to the bathroom" hunt.  It can go wrong very, very fast.
• Treasure dogs are great...they always know where to go and when in doubt it is ok to follow one as long as you are still in the backyard.   
• Adults are the only ones that can read the map.  Maps also only give one clue at a time.
• You can always restart a treasure hunt if needed...especially if it is dinner time.
• Don't forget to find the treasure.  If money is not part of the treasure, the treasure better be good.
• When a treasure hunt ends, it is ok to take a break.  Most maps also need to be reset.

 That's what I know.  

-Amy