Camping in the Canyon Part 1

Well, we did something the past few days that is totally & completly not us-- we went on a camping trip on the spur of the moment! Now, usually I like to plan out & organize a trip. You know, wash clothes, grocery shop, pack ahead of time, then clean the house really well so I have something to look forward to coming home to. Well, late Saturday night, Stephen & I were trying to sleep, but it was really hot & uncomfortable. Stephen made the comment that it would be nice to go some place cool, & I commented on how fun roasting smores was.... and our conversatiom evolved into taking the kids on a camping trip, something we haven't done in a few years. And we decided to leave on Monday.
So yesterday, we packed, shopped, & rearranged the storage room so we could get out the camping gear (it was in the very back, under the stairs). I also attempted to get the normal household chores completed, but I was also trying to make cookies for the trip & convincing the girl's they did not need to pack their entire rooms for a overnight trip. Kaitlyn & Emily caught on fast, but I was pulling out Hannah's suitcase of her most "favoritest" books (15 in all) out of the van right before we left. So, the house was left in some disarray. We finally pulled out of the driveway around 5:30 pm.
The drive up the canyon only took about 45 minutes. Once we entered the canyon, we lost track of time. Stephen didn't have his watch & neither of us had grabbed our cell phones. What fun to just enjoy ourselves and not watch the clock. We pulled into camp, and it was deserted! We had the entire place to ourselves!
The girls were really excited, it took some effort to get them to focus on helping setting up camp. Once the work was finished, Em & Kait set off to collect wild flowers. Hannah & I sat by the fire pit & watched Stephen build a fire. Jonathan grumbled. Why? Because camping trips are usually just him & Stephen, & we were invading on his territory. But Stephen & I decided to ignore his attitude & just focus on the good. Soon, he decided having girls along wasn't "too" bad and had fun.
We made dinner & then roasted Starbursts over the fire. We all intended to sit by the fire for awhile more, but a summer rainstorm blew in & we decided to call it a night.
Here are the pictures from yesterday & last night:

picture of the meadow just below our campsite


Smoke follows beauty, right?





Be sure to check back tomorrow for part 2 of this great adventure!