Friday, June 19, 2009

Sleep Out!

Here are some photos from the sleep out. I'm sure Jared will write more up about the event....and since THIS is supposed to be a family journal I may have to not only link to him, but rewrite the stories here. LOL

This is another family tradition. There were s'mores, bon fires, rain, rocks and sand....all the things that a good camp out is made of. OH - and m/ms for Bible verses.


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Bre and I talked about seasons yesterday. It was two summers ago that I was SAD to miss the hike up to Marble Cave as I watched little ones. I stayed home with Stacia last night...but by our next trip down this season will be over and I will be sleeping on the beach once again....something I've not done since little ones began to arrive. LOL

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Rafts, Rocks and FIRE

The children have been dreaming of building a raft out of driftwood.

We spent yesterday on the river. We've enjoyed a run of great weather...like none I've experienced in 27 years of visiting. Mike and the kids built their raft and all had fun either floating it or watching it.

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We ate lunch on the sandy beach. The beach USED to be very rocky. The beach and the bottom of the river are now sandy. It's fun to watch the river change with the years. We discussed sand ettiquette and I was reminded NOT to bring supplies to make lunch at the beach. ::snort::
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THIS is BIG ROCK....

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...generations have been swimming or floating out to Big Rock and playing. The water around Big Rock is DEEP and so the rock itself is great for diving off of.... I KNOW but GENERATIONS of Gocker's have been doing this and Mike is always very careful to check the water levels and such before the kids jump/dive.
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Over the years a small, sandy beach has developed by Big Rock....we spent the afternoon down here swimming, sunning, reading and sunning. Stacia, our little fish, brought me an orange life jacket and told me, "Please give me a life so I can be safe." She and Zander had been wading by the sandy beach and not out in the deep waters of the rock. I obliged. The next thing I knew she was SWIMMING out to Big Rock....if the others could so could she....then Zander swam out and back several times, not about to be outdone by his little sister. I stayed on the beach with my book.
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We had the beach all to ourselves - with the exception of these visitors.
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Fire? That is what I'm sure several of us are feeling this a.m. despite the 30 spf sports sunscreen we used. The BACK of my knees and thighs are burning.....Stacia is up now and yes, she has a moon burn (you figure it out).

This girl did not get sunburned...
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We came back to the trailer. I made cornbread to go with the stew that had been simmering in the crockpot all day.

All but Stacia and I went out to sleep on the river beach. We did sandy laundry, watched a movie and slept.
Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...