So last year's camping trip (that went unblogged due to my lack of motivation for the year of 2013!) held the discussion of trying out a new adventure for 2014. There would be 2 new additions (baby Violet and baby Hawthorne) that would make the prospect of tent camping a challenge. So we discussed the option of renting a house instead, giving us the comforts of bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen but still enjoying our family camping comforts (campfire, camp food, and adventures.) And after much deliberation, Dad settled on a house on the Northern California coast between Crescent City and Brookings. July 2-6 filled with adventure, fun, laughs, love and memories. (And while my brother may veto the posting of the above photo for the look on his face, I have to make note that, out of 12 attempted shots I chose this one for the following reasons: besides Joey, everyone else is at least looking at the camera and the majority are smiling... It was one of the only photos where his son *bottom left* was not fidgeting... Nadine had her eyes closed in almost every other shot... and while he looks like he's just caught a whiff of a fart, I believe it also captures his true personality, I love you Joey and this shot reminds me why ;)
After arriving on Wednesday, texting each other along the way, racing to be the first, choosing room assignments, unpacking, hugs, and smiles, we took the kids on a quick walk to the beach, ate dinner in exhaustion and rested up for the next day's adventure of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. It was an amazing day spent in awe of the beauty of such magnificence. Hiking, picnicking, bridge crossing, rock skipping. The weather was perfect and the day ended with "redneck night" whose all-too-real costumes brought a whole new level to the newly added "theme nights."
The following 2 days involved a trip to Battery Point Lighthouse (which was closed for the 4th of July), an in depth hunt through the tide pools, fireworks seen from the front yard, Crissey Field State Park, sand castle building and several rounds of Deer in the Headlights. And when we said our goodbyes on Sunday we were already looking forward to next year.
Things I learned on this year's "camping" trip:
-you can still make staying in a house feel like camping
-it's called a "sea star" not a "starfish" :)
-the ice cream ball is real... it's not something Joey made up just to mess with us
-ants like Triple Sec and they will get all up in that business and stagger around drunk or drink themselves to death
-getting up to go for a run on the beach in the morning is both delightful and awful at the same time
-there is something touching and awe-inspiring about standing hand-in-hand with family around a giant redwood
-my baby's cuteness can make people forgive the fact that she was also the resident alarm clock
-Shawna is a baby whisperer and her heart is filled with love for her little cousins
-the reason Shawna can accurately remember the rules to Deer in the Headlights is because she's the only one not drinking (how did this not occur to me before?!)
-putting on fake mustaches will make you laugh. Every. Time.
-there is nothing like losing your daughter on the beach to show you how much your family loves you and would do anything for you
-there is an un-measurable value in making lifelong memories with family
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