fire wood & golf carts from Jesus

Last weekend for the 4th we went camping, with our small group. Our friends Jason and Rose announced they were going camping and invited any of us who could go to come along. We decided we wanted to be near Warren Dunes so we could take one day there to play on the beach. We borrowed a camper from some cousins of mine and off we went. However everyone else in America thought this was a good idea too...so we ended up finding nothing at the beach but 30 minutes from the dunes. We camped in New Carlisle. Which really was just fine. Except for there were 3 of us families & only 2 campsites next to each other. We were the smallest camper so we were put about 6 sites down from our friends. We set up but the whole time thinking...this is not going to work well. So we went to the camp office and asked if we could park our camper on our friends site. There was no one at the office so we asked some permanent campers that stay all summer if they thought it would be o.k. The all summer campers thought that Fred wouldn't mind. So while our camper was fully set up (a pop up) Donovan hitched it up and went around the block. I'm sure this is in the "you might be a hillbilly" book somewhere. But he took all the stare downs from the all summer campers like a champ. Donovan got the jacks down and all set up just in time to have Fred (the campground owner) ask us what we thought we were doing. OH GREAT! So Jason and Donovan schmoozed like no ones business and talked the owner into putting 3 campers on the 2 camp sites.

Our first full day of camping it drizzled all day long. But what a great excuse to sit under our awnings all day long and totally be lazy. I love my friends and love to be lazy with them. We also had a visit from this guy in the above picture. A traveling minstrel. He just walked up to our camp and asked if it would be o.k. if he sang a few songs for us. The kids enjoyed it...Donovan filled in on the imaginary drums, Rose did some back up singing, and Julie did some dancing on the picnic tables. It was a hoot.

We would get up every once in a while to work on the next meal...here Julie is marinating some of the best steaks I have ever had in my life. We would get up to do an occasional chore and have to sit right down and relax from all the energy we just used.

The kids enjoyed riding bikes, going to the playground, playing corn hole, and playing in each other's campers. It was so awesome how well these kids did playing together!

Be fruitful and multiply. That we did. Here are our kids.....Man I love them. I love how they could go into groups and then change it up, and play with others not their age. They seemed to acclimate to each other so well. I am loving this stage of our parenting where our kids can be more independent on a weekend like this.

I couldn't believe they were walking around holding hands. Ryan is 4 and Suzy is now 3! They were playing so sweet and then I got the camera. They both got this sheepish look. They seemed a little like "deer caught in the headlights" in this picture if you ask me.

Chillaxin'

Sunday we had much better weather for the beach.

The guys took the some of the older kids to a clay pit about a 10 minute walk from where we parked our beach gear. This is how they came back to us.

On Sunday we celebrated our Suzanna turning 3! How fun to see her excitement of her birthday cake and her birthday!
By Sunday night we were running low on firewood, so my professional Personal Relations husband went next door to our permanent camper friends and asked them if they knew where we could get some fire wood. He came back after about 30 minutes of talking with a wheel-barrow of free wood from our friendly full time camper neighbors...with an invitation to come back and get as much as we needed for cooking breakfast the next morning. And then "the all summer" (deck on the front of the camper) friends came over again and offered 2 of their golf carts to the guys to take our kids on golf cart rides. This was the best. The kids loved it!!! The most interesting part of this neighbor was that on the front of his deck he built on to the front of his camper was a wooden sign that read
"Jesus, , and Caleb"
The wife's name had been cut out of the wooden plaque hanging on the front of the deck. I realize this is not funny that him and his wife were split up...but really - to cut her name out of the family plaque with a saw?? Now that just cracked us all up!! And that is some anger management classes waiting to be taken right there. Just take the sign down Jesus. Just take it down. The part where you cut out her name is just too much.


After breakfast Monday we packed up camp and headed to the camp pool, the guys were wrapping "things" up at the dump station and we took the kids to the pool. So sorry Jason and Ed for the splashing that went on at that station!

What a great weekend. I'm blessed to have friends that love to camp and spend the weekend with! It's a memory our family will have for a long time!

Quote of the day:
William this morning driving past a golf cart that was for sale.

William: "Oh dad that is so awesome, there is a golf cart for sale. We should buy it for when we go camping."