Camping. . .

Last year, unequipped and with some trepidation, our family started out on our first camping expedition. We had a fabulous time. There were some bumps in the road and we learned some things, but it was a success. Our second time out last year was a success, but due to the poor campground, wasn't very popular an outing. We packed up quickly and quite frankly, did a lousy job of it. I kid you not--some of our cooking items were not washed until this year when we packed up for our first trip. . .
Enter 2011. Weird weather and crazy schedules prevented us from getting out there until August, when we camped with our homeschool group. Now, this group camping was a new thought to me and I really didn't know what to expect. I really wasn't thrilled about going, since in the past, family getaways have been few and far between and have been just that--getaways. Taking people with us seemed to kind of defeat the purpose. As our group got closer and closer to the camping date, I got more and more excited to go. I have grown to adore these ladies and their families and by the time we actually packed the car, I was busting with excitement!
We had some pretty big hitches in our get-out-of-the-house plan but we did finally make it to the Willow River Campground.
The trip ended up to be a blast--even the torrential downpours that sent us running to wait out the storm at Heidi's house. The children, age 18 down to 4, all played together and interacted incredibly. I was so proud of them. The older 'kids' were a great influence on the younger ones and included them in their conversations and activities. All in all, I am so very glad we went on this new adventure. It has just increased my love of camping and of community. I am very much a homebody and this greatly challenged my tendency to want to just hole up with my family and let the world go by.
During the planning and at the outset of our camping trip, we prayed that the Lord would be glorified through our group. I believe He was.