We Survived!

...and, dare I say it, I had a good time :). I could have done without the mosquitos and being grimy when I went to bed, but other than that it was fun. We packed everything in about 1/4 a mile to Lake Bonnie and set up camp only a few yards off the shore. We hiked in the mornings, fished and swam in the afternoon, and sat around the fire eating treats and telling stories at night.

I caught my first fish since I was about 9 with my grandpa West - I screamed like a little girl and scared Charlie half to death...not only because I was screaming and jumping up and down, but because the fish was flopping around on the ground and he didn't know what to do. And I found out lots of things about my family.

Aaron - is not as big as a sissy as I thought. He was quite a mountain man and even braved freezing cold water in his swim trunks to take a bath everyday.

Aleah - must have the sweetest smell ever because no matter how much OFF we put on her the misquitos still feasted. And she is an excellant fisher and would go out to the lake by herself for hours.

Cameron - loves to hike. He was always the one in front. He loved to explore every tree, rock and lake...and there were a lot of them. He never complained once about no TV, Computer, indoor plumbing, or taking a bath - in fact, he still didn't want to take a bath when we got home.

Charlie - still amazes me...not 1 misquito bite! How is that possible? The rest of us came home with a minimum of 10 and he didn't have 1. He also can sleep anywhere; he even slept on Uncle Clay for over 1/2 hour while he was hiking up and down trails with rocks and mud.

Clay - should have been born 200 years ago. He loved every second that we were there and I'm pretty sure he didn't want to leave. It was fun to remember stories of Wallowa (SP?) Lake and other times we had been camping as kids.

Jade - will eat anything. She never complained about the camp food and even endured the burnt toast and burnt marshmellows with a smile. She is also quite the poser. She knows her Aunt Candi loves the camera and would find different places and say, "Take a picture!"

Jessie - not only endured 4 days of camping, but 4 days with my insane family - 4 days of Akes stories, crazy kids, and being bossed around by me, "Jessie, Hold Charlie...wash dishes...help with dinner...give me chapstick." Okay, so I wasn't that mean...I did say, "Please." She was wonderful and I wouldn't have been so cheerful without her - yep, she's a keeper.

Overall, I guess it was the perfect memory I was hoping for - at least for my kids sake, and now we have to go a few more times to make all the camping gadgets Aaron bought worth it.