I Love Not Camping!

Ok. . .so I am not much of a camper. In fact I really really dislike camping, but I do LOVE the great memories and pictures that I have when I get home. It makes it almost worth it to do it all again next year.

Every year we go camping with 4 or 5 families. We usually go to Detroit Lake, but every few years we switch it up a little bit and go to the Beach. This year we were at Beachside near Yachats and Waldport. I dislike camping so much that we only go once a year, and I refuse to sleep in a tent (primadonna . . .I know). My kids love camping so much that I always feel guilty and vow to go more often when we get home. The weather wasn't great, a little bit cold and windy as well as overcast, but that didn't slow the kids down at all. In fact I don't even think they noticed.

Brendan, Lucy, Ellie, Max, Ben, Jack, Ethan and Sam

(Colin was not in this picture)

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A few years ago, my good friend Steph gave me this picture on a postcard and I had it hanging on my fridge for a long time. It still makes me laugh whenever I look at it because it is so me!



I asked Pancho to buy a pump to pump up the air mattress in the tent. When we got there, he unpacked a hand pump. I asked him in a slightly annoyed voice why he didn't spend 10 more dollars and get one of those "new fandagled" electric pumps. He immediately answered "because we already have free labor . . . kids get over here" (we are so classy). Lucy and Ethan pumped up the air mattress all by themselves and they were so proud! Pancho gave them this big speech about working hard and finishing a job and having a feeling of accomplishment when you are finished. It was actually really cute to see their proud faces! OK Pancho maybe you are right . . . sometimes.


The proud cuties playing on their newly pumped up air mattress.

See the van to the left? That is where I sleep!

The rest of the family sleeps in a tent.

Lets just say that I am not a tent person.

OR public toilet/public shower/being cold/being dirty.

I could give you more, but I don't want to sound like a complainer (too late)!

I can't believe that we get invited back every year!

Max, Brendan and Ben

Amy, Liz, Christy and Me

things I LOVE about camping . . .

spending time with these wonderful friends,

laughing, telling stories around the campfire, eating junk food

I could give you more but it might sound like I am trying to kiss up after being such a complainer!

The kids finding their first jelly fish.

They ended up finding hundreds more!

Sam thought this seaweed looked like the palm trees in Hawaii.

Don't I look happy?

The guys - Doug, Pancho and Donnie

(Kevin missed this pic)

The kids played in the forest around our campground for hours.

They all got along so great and had so much fun!

. . . I am not sure what is going on in this picture, it looks like Sam is being rescued!

Ethan and Lucy

oblivious to the cold and playing on the Beach

a shot of our Beach hangout and view

Lucy

she didn't get those legs from me

. . . or Pancho for that matter hmmm!

The Moms all bundled up.

Yes, we were feeling the cold and wind.

Max, our little engineer, worked all day on this with Ben, Brendan and Donnie.

Lucy and Jack roasting marshmallows for smores.

Ellie and Sam

Sitting around the campfire making smores

. . .these are some good memories!

Max and Jack perfecting their marshmallow roasting technique.

group shot around the fire

Lulu playing in the sand

Oh Yes . . . those crazy kids were playing in the waves the whole time

brrrr! I remember doing this when I was a little kid, but now it seems crazy!

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All in all it was such a fun trip. When I get home and I look at the pictures, I am always so happy that we went. We always have so much fun with the Hakalas, Dacars and McCarthys. When I asked the kids in the car on the way home "Did you guys like camping this year" the response was a resounding "YES! we can't wait for next year". Hopefully by next year the memories will have faded of the 8 loads of laundry that I have to go fold and put away right now, and we will happily head off to the campground to make more fun memories!

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I Love Not Camping!