Camping 2011

I love camping. I'm not quite sure camping loves me though. Once again I had a tent commit suicide while I slept in it. I mean it was bad enough that this tent was much smaller than advertised and that I had to sleep in a very small corner on the unforgiving ground. But the tent caved in on itself, smothering me and letting the rain fall on my face! This happened the first night. I slept in there for two more.

The rest of the trip was fun though. We camped near Bear Lake, up by Minnetonka Cave. I love it up in that area. This is where my Mother's family is from. My Aunt Charlotte (Chuck) lives in the house my Poppa (Grandpa) was born in, in a little town called Bloomington. My sister Sarah is currently living up there too. Up the dirt road on the top of a hill overlooking the Bear Lake Valley is my Mothers and Grandparents final resting places. Obviously I am deeply rooted to this area.

We camped with Jill's parents, who I adore. They are such great people. Jill's had extended family there too and they feed us delicious food every night. So much in fact that I gained 5lbs! My brother Brian and his wife (Krystal) and son (Issac) came up with us. Those three shared the lovely tent with me. But what was really cool is that my Aunt Suzie (on my Dad's side) reserved the spot next door to us. She came up along with my brother Keven and his family (Tiff, Tayvia, and Eyslee). It was cool to have so many loved ones up there from all sides of the family! I just hope I did a good job of spending time with everyone and not making anyone feel left out.

We went to Minnetonka Cave and we hiked to Bloomington Lake, which by the way is the prettiest place on Earth. My Poppa once said something along the lines of - "God created the Heavens, the Earth, and then Bloomington". The hike isn't too treacherous, but when you're as out of shape as I am and you are caring your 20lb baby girl, your legs will feel the burn. Plus, it was especially hot this time of year up there. I think we all melted a bit each day!

The best part of the trip though was spending time with my wife and daughter. Lucy has been a bit cranky lately and she let us know when she was unhappy, but for the most part she was an angel. Jill and I had a great time taking her cute little pictures. She's such a ham for the camera. Oh and speaking of Lucy, my Aunt Charlotte has given her her very own horse. That's right, my 8 month old baby has her own horse. She's a cute little pony named Bumper. Lu was a bit confused around the horse, but I am sure, especially since she's from my family, she'll be on that horse in no time!

I'm sure this was our last camping adventure of the year, but I can't wait for next year! I'm going to buy myself an awesome tent, built for a king! Or at least one that isn't all emo and hurts itself and whithers away!