6 Good Reasons to Camp With Your Family and Friends

I'm consumed by 13 loads of laundry and lots of clean shoes that were full of sand and are now unable to dry on the front porch because it's too cold today. It's all worth it; we enjoyed another great camping trip with my sister's family and friends. 

This trip was great for several reasons. 

1. The kids were amazing and well behaved for all three days even considering the two warnings to stop the potty talk and one referee reminder on sharing and not screaming. 

Me: Is there another way you could handle taking turns with the football besides screaming and throwing yourself in the dirt? 

Travis: Find another ball?

Me: Grin.

2. All the kids entertained themselves with good 'ol fashion dirt, balls, sand, and water and kites. I am an enthusiast for wholesome entertainment and camping holds all the possibilities. 
3. I remembered to sunscreen and re-sunscreen the boys to keep their skin young, and I remembered to tell my daughter to remember to sunscreen and she did. We spent hours and hours in the sun and sand. Everyone took turns being buried and even the warm running water from the showers didn't remove all the sand, and we kept going back to collect more in our ears. 

4. This picture is the camping night life which includes guitaring and singing and smores and history. I love this picture because it reminds me of a picture in my belongings of my cousin and me in front of my childhood house with our front teeth missing. I always had a crush on my cousin and I knew I couldn't marry him, but I enjoyed our time together and I hoped some day I would marry someone as cool as he was. 

These two are stuck together like glue when our families get together; they aren't bothered by the 294 miles between them, they just pick up where they left off in their own kid fantasy land. 

5. I got to boogie in the ocean with Makayla, Tiff, and Raelynn. Our girls were out in the surf and standing 50 feet above the ocean I said to my sister, "I wanna go in. Go with me, please" She was never one for peer pressure, but there we were 10 minutes later choking on salt water and flying on our boards like we had been shot out of a cannon. 

Makayla: When I say bump, don't take the wave, but if I say take it then take it OK?

Me: (Thinking) You are so much cooler than I ever was at 11. Ok.

She took it.

6. The amazing dutch oven cooking that my sister always orchestrates.  Before the trip she begged to plan, shop, and transport all the food for our trip and being a supportive sister I admitted. She did ask me to help prepare and clean up with her and so I did. And yet, she still does way more work than I can ever offer. 

Sidebar: I did marry someone cool and stunningly good-looking. Grrr.