Well, I'm not sure where to begin the saga of our weekend.
We had a lot of fun seeing all of our extended family--some we only get to see once or twice a year, others every few years. This family camping tradition started before I was born and has been one of those fixed events of my life. I look forward to it all year long.
Now, if you know anything about my dad's side of the family, you'd quickly agree that they are a fun-loving, rowdy, inventive, and servant-hearted bunch. Every time we're all together I'm reminded of how blessed I am to have come from such a strong, faith-oriented heritage--a family that loves being and laughing together. Stories abound, we help one another, and seek to support one another in the good and the hard times. It's truly a blessing to see the values and faith of my grandparents passed down from generation to generation.
To the casual observer, this camping ritual is quite a sight. We take up about 6 sites for our tent village. We joke that we've bought out Walmart's supply of blue tarps because the place looks like a tarp city! We all tent, with the exception of Grandpa and Grandma (in their late seventies and early eighties!) who sleep in the back of their minivan. There are 5 or 6 picnic tables drawn together in a long line to accomodate the 30 or so of us at mealtimes, and all of our food is prepared over one fire.
Now...I sadly was not able to take pictures this past weekend, but there was a very good reason for that. Primarily exhaustion because our sweet little girl did not sleep well--AT ALL! We laugh about it now, but at the time it was quite a test in patience and longsuffering. I'll just add that since coming home she's making up for lost time--and we are so grateful!
If you're curious to see some pics of our time, check out Musical Jean's blog here. Keep scrolling down through the multiple posts for Sunday, June 29th. There are 25 pics chronicling our weekend.
One highlight is always our Sunday morning family church service in which we sit around the fire. After one of the men shares a devotional he's prepared, we sing some worship songs and hymns, and each family member gets to share what's been happening in their lives in the past year--recount God's goodness and faithfulness through life's blessings and trials. Usually there are some tears followed by laughter, and it always encourages my heart.
A lot of work goes into this weekend, but regardless of weather, we always have fun and come away with great memories.
6 comments:
Aside from the fact that Natalya didn't sleep this weekend, do you have any tips for novice campers who want to camp w/ their kids this summer?
What an awesome time you guys must have with your family (minus Natalia not sleeping well). I can't imagine cooking for 30 over one fire!
I remember all the stories from Stauffer camping weekend. How fun that Lisa, George, and Sophie even made the trip. We are both blessed with wonderful families.
How fun to read an account of camping weekend from someone else's perspective for a change!!
Yes, Krista, we are RICH in family heritage and love. (How many people have a younger childless cousin who would spend an hour or more carrying their two-year-old around until she was asleep?? Ha, ha!!)
Bri, your solicited advice is coming! :-)
Danielle, it helps to have a few mechanical engineers in the family to design a swinging "stovetop" grate that can be leveled no matter how it's hammered into the ground. (It's marvelous--wish I knew how to figure these things out myself!)
The Stauffer men are constantly figuring out ways to make this orchestrated dance better--it's been over 30 years in the making folks!
And Aunt Jeanie, YES, how true!
So sorry to hear that Natalia didn't sleep well for you .. and the fact that tent walls are pretty thin didn't help the situation, huh?! It sounds like you had a great time with family in spite of being quite tired. Those family traditions are so special!
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