there was this one time, that we went camping, and i wanted to take the bikes, but didn’t have a tow kit, or a bike rack, so i did this..

ratchet tie-down straps and all my muscle/energy/patience and there you have it.  (there are 3 mountain bikes and one bmx with training wheels up there.)

this was the way to start off our week of camping.  (with a lot of fun!!)

driving up the canyon, i realized that i forgot the milk, at home in the fridge.  no big deal, we could buy some at the valley market.  so we drove on.  once we reached the turn-off for snowbasin, about the top of trapper’s loop, i realized that I also left the camping chairs, on the floor in the garage.

so we turned around.

one cannot fathom how completely crushed my children were, especially lynn, who had been talking about this trip for the whole summer..  she was driving me so crazy the day before, I nearly sent her packing, on her bike, with a headlamp, her stuff strapped to her back, and a map.  “we’ll see you there tomorrow!!”

(she was just a little excited.)

after our take two, we eventually got to camp.

(we wish we were still there.)

(like, really bad.)

you can see why:

grandpa got to come along…

lynn loved spending every day she could with sophie.

we all loved playing at the river.

loved cade’s (my nephew) expression…    james and ash.

    

just for you mom!!

     

painting rocks..

playing headbandz and other games.  uno got fierce when merrill was there.

other crafts that involve rocks.

being with our favorite cousins.

talking around the fire.

painting nails, very dirty nails..  and toes..  and feet.

who does she belong to?!  sheesh…

again.. 

my dad.

s’mores.  we (sophie and myself) tried them with caramellows.  i highly recommend it.

along those lines, i would also like to highlight some other camping favorite foods.

-tin foil dinners (or hobo dinners)

-hot dogs (usually all beef, cooked over the fire).

-easy cheese and crackers.

-um, marshmallows..  of course!

and a new one, banana boats (thanks jacks!!).

this is my niece abby.  this was the condition of her face about 90% of each and every day.

isn’t she darling?

ken would tell the girls stories around the campfire each night.  there was one in particular about a cannibalistic doll.  lynn became possessed and chased ken around camp with her little napkin tucked in and a knife and fork.

(she refuses to sleep with her doll anymore.  thanks ken.)

we had plenty of laughs.

this day, levi and ash started using the bike pump, pressed against their skin to make fart sounds.  it was pretty funny.

each and every day there was a dream, one i didn’t want to leave.  maybe because i love it up there with all my family, maybe it’s the simplicity.  maybe it’s because school is supposed to start next week…

either way, i didn’t like coming home so much to the tv, the computer, the phone…

i would seriously take washing my laundry in a small tub, hanging it to dry, and cooking over a fire, over all the crap that we have.

(call me crazy.)

my kids miss their grandparents and cousins.

i miss the simple life, the relaxation.  having two other women to wash faces and feet with every night.

i even kinda miss the mosquitoes and the fragrance of bug repellant…  the screech owl that visited us every night..

kinda.

p.s. i ate an ant.

p.p.s. it was on a dare.

p.p.p.s. my dad was the dare-er.

p.p.p.p.s. so you see, i HAD to do it.