To .... This Years Family Camp Trip -

So I was going to wait till the end of the post - but I am overly impressed with myself on this picture :)
I photo-shopped Amie into it, she's even standing by a tree.
Since she couldn't be there live & in person.
Great, right.
Right, so right.

- - -

Ok next - back in the creative memory days or even more recent shutterfly days, you'd make a whole album or book about some event you wanted to remember & since it was yours to make you could add whatever pictures you wanted and not have to decide between pictures like this one

or this one

They're pretty much the same but I like them both.
So this post is gonna be like a whole book.
I go back & forth in writing .... either writing for me or us or you.
This is for us.
And Amie.

Dedicated to the one & only Amie Louise ~
With love.
Come next year.
What's a $700 airline ticket anyway.
Only money.
:)

- - - 

This is how we camp.
Go big or stay home.
Bring the couch.
And the American flag.
And the down comforter.
Fill the trailer.

Each kid had their own seat belt & we had room for Grandma.

We also bring tables & a highchair & tin dishes :)

See what I mean about not wanting to decide between pictures :)
Oh, and you're wondering why he's wearing a life jacket at the table in the middle of a field?
It's how camp boy Chad rolls, that's why.
We'll just say he's safe.
Very safe.

Back at Easter we made online reservations sight unseen at a campground we'd never been to.
We'd camped at the lake as kids.
But that was a long time ago.
We usually stay at the lake house now .... with showers & flush toilets & comfy beds & amazing kitchens.

It looked good online :)
In reality it was totally different.
Dry & dusty & hot, with more dry and dust and heat.
Where was the lake house??!!

And just to make things extra fancy, it was a walk in site.
So all that everything we brought - we carried through all that dry dusty heat.
Good times :)

Chin up.
Buck up.
Man up.
Make the most of it.
So we did.
For 5 great days.
We camped.
We made memories.
It was a super trip.
It was hot enough that the lake was not cold.
There was no one around our 'lake front' site.
We never ran out of marshmallows & there weren't any mosquitoes.

- - -

These are my favorite 3 pictures - 

or 4 ....

- - -

Bananas, graham crackers & red vines were the obvious pre-breakfast meal, followed by ham & eggs.

Unlike Chad .... Ams had a far lesser opinion of life jackets.

- - -

4th of July morning -

I'm bias .... but she's a beauty ~

- - -

He was ready any time, anyone would take him out ....

When he wasn't boating, the young doctor was educating himself.

She lost ... twice in a word search competition.
He loves to win.
She hates to loose.

- - -

We call this 'brother fixes his tent'.
To speak nothing of his fool air mattress that ate his lovely wife every night.
:)

Benny photo hopped.

- - -

His after fireworks camp fire got too hot ..... also when did he grow up and have abs like that?

- - -

- - -

- - -

Conquering camp hair.

- - -

Paddle boarding to the dam proved to be a lot farther than originally thought ....
But they/we made it.

- - -

It was heavy.
He was strong.

- - -

We call these 'who lived where'

This is the good side of their tent.

The white stag lives on.

And us :)

- - -

Yep, fashion is our specialty :)

 - - -

Chad burned the tops of his feet to a crisp & Jack gashed his toe open.
Manning up & taking care of wounds.

The obvious take home here is real men bathe with their hats on.

- - -

 Heading home - 

- - - 

Chad pictures - 

- - - 

I love these people .... like crazy.

Next time, Lou.

- - - 

and that's all :)