Camping Fun

Oh what fun we have had the last couple days! (Not that every day isn't fun....)

 I had the opportunity to go camping with this fun family:

 We drove up the North Shore to Eckberg State Forest (everything else was full), found a nice piney campsite right on the river, and settled in for a couple days.

 We hiked up the river (no, not the riverbank...the actual river) on Tuesday morning and that was quite an adventure hauling a 25 pound baby on my back :) But the river was shallow, and I only went in a couple times, and then, only one foot ;)

 We went (well, the kids went) wading in this little bay while we sat on the warm rocks and rested. (What?! Yes....rested.....I needed it after walking down and up steps with said heavy baby. I'm not as in shape as I might give myself credit for, ha!)

And we napped at camp, ate popcorn and string cheese, watermelon and crackers. We watched the campfire smoke (oh yes, we are professional campfire-smoke-starters), practiced crochet, and listened to the little stream burble behind our site.

I wasn't sure how Little Girl would do camping, but it was a fine experience, thanks to the help of 4 extra babysitters! The highlight for the littlest sitters was pushing the stroller (with or without Sunita in) and taking turns holding her on their lap. She savored every bit of attention I'm sure.

So thanks, Martha, for a fun time and for your efficient care of us all!

Now I'm off to do laundry, fold tents, and re-stock my camp kitchen with things I neglectfully left behind so we're ready for "next time!"

Jackpine Retreat

Every year we pack up our gear and head north for a weekend get-a-way.

I'm sure it's not the most luxury trip you've ever heard of....or even the most restful! But it's fun. And we look forward to it every fall.

This year we braved rain and mist, but it wasn't as cold as it can be (below zero!).

The campground is hosted by a small congregation in Warroard, MN. We sleep in tents and eat around campfires and use outhouses. We play volley ball and roast marshmallows and listen to Bible studies. We sing songs and play games and cuddle up in warm sleeping bags. (Just for the record, I made sure to enjoy lots of toasted marshmallows!)

This year's theme was Running the Race. We were reminded of how important Preparation is before beginning anything.

We were encouraged to Participate. To actually go out and DO IT, not just prepare ourselves and then never start.

We were reminded of how Perseverance is important. Even when tough stuff comes, to keep heading for the goal.

And finally, we were reminded of the Prize, our goal....Heaven....God's arms open wide.

M. and I got home yesterday afternoon with wet tents and gear, and a wet afternoon outside. So, here is what our house looks like right now (add dirty dishes, loads of laundry, and drying sleeping bags to the other parts of our house and you get the picture):

In a hilarious and embarissing sort of way, I also receieved a call this morning that the state inspector was here with our landlord and was going to check out our apartment today! There's not much I can do about it now!

Weekend Camping Trip

We had such a nice and restful trip this weekend. Rather spur-of-the-moment, it was hard to find a campsite near Duluth that wasn't full to bursting!

After praying about it, I found one called Amnicon State Park...over on the Wisconsin side. It turned out to be a great place to camp.

We were about 15 minutes away from Duluth/Superior, and the park had Amnicon River flowing through it, with a couple waterfalls. Nothing huge, but pretty all the same! We even found some wild blueberries!

We ended up having to move camp Saturday night, but got a better site because of it....right next to the river and away from the other campers. How quite and peaceful! And no bugs!

We (I) ate lots of smores while we were there. We all took naps on Saturday afternoon. We went for a hike and took lots of pictures. We ate chocolate malts. And we explored Duluth just a little.

We stayed through Sunday afternoon, so had "church" there at the campsite together. That was fun.

We also played frisbee, and Sammi and I played in the mud. We ate Taco Hotdish and Hobo Dinners and French Toast. Yum!

We can't wait for another trip!