Girls Camp Expedition

This is a shot from the top of the cliffs where I jumped down into the water. See? I can be brave..


Our hike at sunset. We are lost at this point as we try to find -oddly enough- "Lost Lake." I wanted to make sure I caught a picture of the sunset where I was furthest away from civilization. The colors you find in the wilderness outside city limits -this far out anyway- are amazing. Everything is bright and true.

I have a thing for water. I love falls and rivers and lakes. I love the sound the water makes when it runs over the rocks. In a crystal clear river I love to look down at the river bottom and see the shiny pebbles. I love feeling the rush of the water through the current -to me it's as exhilarating as feeling the wind on my face. I absolutely love the smell in the air and all the sounds around me -birds, branches snapping, wind, trickling and gurgling water. I could have sat on that rock in that river all day if I had some kind of support on my back. This is where it's at.. excuse my grammar..


I forded the river about a mile upstream to catch up to the girls who went off exploring. An adult had to be with them, and the adult at the time was me because the other leader was simply chillaxin. The girls were overzealous and went upstream in bare feet, one or two of them in water socks. One of the girls who went in bare feet cut her foot and had to hike on that foot later that day. And that foot foolishly enough didn't have a sock on it! Can you even imagine it? Ouch! I'm so glad to have had these boots. They are definitely broken in now!


This is my camp buddy Katie VanHoven. She is my camp savior! She stuck with me the entire week. She was my shoulder, my confidante, my right hand lady. She guided me through Oakland Girls Camps politics. I would have been so lost and been so bored without a friend if I hadn't had her. She rocks my socks!


Again, me and water. I didn't bring a swim suit to camp but it didn't stop me from wanting to get in. I rolled up my pants and got in waist high before climbing the rocks to get a shot. The river downstream was breathtaking, but I didn't want to chance my phone getting tossed in the water so that shot will stay in my memory until I return. I loved this place the most.

A New Day

So shoot me.. I know I haven't blogged in a while. We all go on hiatus.. even Oprah. I took a break. I think of it not as slacking off but rather gathering and organizing. No one reads this anyway! What do you care! hehehehe ;-)

This summer we've kept extremely busy around our household with lots and lots of Dolfin swimming. Jonah is a 6 and under and is on the B team which means he's in it for the experience and not so much the race. That's how swimming should be at his age anyway, so I don't mind at all. Tyler started the season without the ability to blow his bubbles underwater so he couldn't start with the rest of the minis. Today he is doing backstroke and butterfly and caught some pennies on the floor of the pool which is more than what Jonah could do before he was a mini. Next year he may be a 6 and under and not bother with minis at all. We'll see.

I got to go to Girl's Camp this year! It was the best week of my life!! Okay, not the absolute best, but it ranks highly in my adulthood as one of the best. I got to get back to nature and remind myself why I love this planet earth. I got to go on an overnighter.. first time EVER! AND.. I got to jump off a cliff! Two cliffs actually! And live! It was exhiliarating to say the least. I posted the story on my facebook if you're interested to read up on my memoirs from camp -in my notes section, pt. 1 and pt. 2.

Sam had his first birthday. He's been waiting to devour cake like this his whole life, so I was glad to give him nothing but the best! -Costco! Jonah had a train cake, Tyler had a balloons cake. Sam gets the sunshine cake. All of them have more than enough frosting for even me, and all I had to do was order it. I know.. I'm lazy when it comes to the first birthday. He didn't even get to his presents! Sam is a happy guy, and whether I make his cake or not his birthday will come and go, and he'll have plenty more birthdays for me to show off my cake skills.

The summer is coming to a close soon. My favorite season is approaching! I look forward to the autumn time the most. Autumn is such a pretty word in itself, and the colors and smells and happenings in the fall are most exciting to me. I'm such a boring person.. but at least I look forward to things.. usually with a plate of cookies in hand ;-) All I ever do is.. well, DO. I don't spend enough time writing or pondering or reading. I need to exercise my mind more. I need to write creatively more often. Kelly has done such a wonderful and fantastic job with her novels. I want to be that. I have stories in my head, dangit! Ah, all these things I wish I could do and never get around to all because my thoughts are always so unorganized. The swimming helps.. I started swimming about a month ago and since then I've had more time to myself in a day. Yesterday I did 3600yds which is a ton comparitively. I never thought I'd enjoy it so much. And now I can't get enough.

Back to reality for a sec. I hope to start lessons up again come September. That should get my mind in gear. Jonah will be a big 1st grader so he'll be gone 6 hours out of the day. I want to start Joy School about that time also, which means 3 or 4 weeks out of a month for 2 days out of the week.. for 2 hours out of that day I'll only have Sam. Oh the thinks you can think, if only you try!

I'm glad there's forgiveness in blogging. Man I sound drab.. what the smack happened anyway? LOL I wonder when 17 Again comes out on DVD..