Camping, as it should be.

I love Nature. I love the outdoors. I love it, if it stays with its own and I stay with my own. If I can look at it from a bug-free, reptile-free, air-conditioned space, we get along just fine. I just don't so much like nature or the outdoors if it gets on me. And I have to wash it off. Yeah, really? I am not so much of the camping type girl. I prefer camping with comfortable beds, running water, maybe even a nicely scented body wash, thankyouverymuch.

This weekend we went camping with a bunch of other families from the Children's Cancer Center. The event is called FLIGHT Camp. (The acronym stands for "Fun and Laughter In Groups Hoping Together".) It was beautiful and amazing and wonderful. And this? THIS is TOTALLY the way I like to camp.

I am alllllll about this as my tent,



this as my grub cooked in the great outdoors,



and this as my sunset view, on my deck that is located off my very cute room, with the very comfy bed and air conditioning.



We all had an amazing time. I have said 1.3 million times how much we love the ladies who give so much to all the families that go to the Center. They truly give 110 percent to make everything wonderful for the kids and parents and hit it out of the park every single time. This was no exception!

There were plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained. Ice cream social, arts and crafts, a hoe down and just lots of great company with all the other families that we have come to love and adore. This is not an easy road by any means, but having other families who really "get it." Well, it just means more than I could ever express.

Thank you to everyone at the Center! It was an amazing weekend!

This is the "Booty Shaking Club." There are currently about 8 members ranging from 4-10 years old. I am proud to say my daughter, Bella, and Rachael were some of the founding members of this newly minted club. Color me proud.



Zachary and Nathaniel going on a gator hunt. Is it just me or does Zachary look totally ready to push Nathaniel off that rock and into the mouth of whatever gator comes along while he runs screaming like a little girl in the other direction? Just asking.



And, this picture, I just love. I took this walking back toward the kids dorms on Saturday. I called those "Jesus rays" when I was a little girl. I believed with all my heart, and still do, that it was God sending his love directly down via those sun beams. I just thought it was so telling about the weekend. The dark cloud is there, but the beauty and hope, love and joy is what you notice and what you feel when you look at this picture.



Love to all~