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(This is an extra long blog so feel free to skip it and just enjoy the pictures. Yes, I know there are lots of pictures of a cute little girl but..)
Well my most favorite time of year has come and gone. The tents have been stuffed back in there small bags, the coolers have been emptied and washed, ropes and tarps have been returned to their crates, the dirt under my fingernails has been removed and the washer and dryer have been going since I walked in the door this morning and although my hair has been washed 5 times since returning to civilization it still smells of campfire smoke but it was all so worth it. Sydney and I left Thursday morning around 9:00. She was so excited to be riding in Papa's truck, sitting up high and being able to see out the windows. We turned on the GPS and off we went. We sang, played "This Lil'Piggy"and ate goldfish. She was great until out GPS led us astray to Highway 28. Things went uphill and round the curves from there but after 20 miles in 45 minutes we were dumped back on to highway 74 just down from exit 67. We went immediately to see what sites were available, registered and then had a nice picnic lunch on one of our sites. After lunch she and I began to unpack our stuff and set up the tent. Some nice folks helped with the raising of the tent. I thought she might be getting ready for a nap so I set up her pack and play under a shaded tree however, there was too much going on so needless to say we played in the creek instead(sorry, Sara). She loved the water! Later she helped me shop for groceries at the local Ingles store. We built a fire and waited for Summer to arrive but due to some lack of map reading skills from the co-pilots, they did not arrive until almost midnight. Friday was a very enjoyable day. Summer, Sydney and I took a long walk after breakfast. Luke and Ryan decided to go on an overnight hike and left about 10:00 am. Summer and I busied ourselves with the duties of securing the campsites, setting up camp and going to the grocery store again. That evening we had delicious roasted hotdogs with all the works. We took a long walk with Sydney and were going to go listen to bluegrass @ the ice cream parlor but were just too tired. So Sydney, Summer, Maddux and I retired to our nice cozy tent. About 11:30 that evening I heard someone rustling around in our kitchen. I was almost ready to hollow at whoever it was to get away from our stuff when I realized it was Luke and Ryan. They had gotten rained on and had decided to come on back from their hike. On Saturday we anxiously awaited the arrival of Auntie, Chris, Chesed, Charis, Tony and kids and the Jacksons with the boys. While waiting Ryan and Luke reluctantly put a tarp over our kitchen area. Everyone arrived and we had just about gotten things put away when it began to rain again. Quickly we threw tarps over everything we could and all gathered under the kitchen tent. We were beginning to think we were not going to survive without Papa there to get the tarps up. That night it rained off and on so the next day the guys were ready to put up the rest of the tarps. They did a great job and we no longer had to worry about the rain. It did rain off and on throughout the weekend. It also turned off cold. Colder than I can remember it being in many, many years. We later heard that we had had a record low of 47. Ma, those blankets and extra jackets you always bring sure would have come in handy. The meals this year were outstanding!!! It is amazing how many great cooks we have in our family. We really should start a catering buisness for campers. Of course, Samuel thinks we should hire someone to do all the cooking/cleaning. Hey Brenda and I will gladly accept tips anytime!!! Ha Ha!! We had fried green tomatoes with goat cheese along with corn fritters and succotash. Tony definitely receives the award for being the BEST Sous Chef. He was in the kitchen helping with prep every night and those fried pickles were scrumpous! Josh's salad was beautiful and quite tasty not to mention the roasted sweet potatoes and vegetable medley that accompanied the superb marinated roast he fixed with the help of Sous Chef, Luke. Summer and Josh's chili/fritos/hotdogs were a big hit and of course the Mexican night was yummy as always. A very special thank you to the Jacksons for that delicious meal. Charis and Tony were able to use up some of Josh's left over roast and fixed some Taco Soup that really hit the spot and according to Jon it works well as a colon cleanse. (Don't read this, Ashley) The kids helped out with dinner on Thursday by catching some huge trout. Tony and Ryan cleaned and cooked them. Auntie came up with a new recipe for hushpuppies, some more grilled veggies and Josh's salad went great with the trout! As we were all breaking camp on Friday evening, Auntie was resourceful and made grilled sandwiches using the rest of the lunch meat and cheese. We had very little food leftovers. Later that evening Jake and Amber brought us a pizza from town. Every meal was completed with a trip to the ice cream parlor. I think their sales for the week trippled!!! Thanks to Luke, Ryan, Summer, Tony, Charis and anyone else who helped by herding the kiddos. Yes, we did do other things besides eat. After hearing from Ryan and Luke what a breathtaking view it was from the Noland Divide, the women of the the camp accompanied by Mr. Jackson and Maddux decided to hike up and see for ourselves. But you know us (LOST was named after our family)... We made just one wrong turn(I think someone forgot to mention something about a sign). After over an hour hiking we came to a graveyard and a deadend trail. We ate lunch, posed for pictures and headed back down without finding the view. We did lots of tubing, some went white water rafting, played Mexican dominoes, watched the children, and sat by the fire. But some things were just not the same. We missed Sara, Chara and Judah terribly and the absence of Ma and Papa was almost unbearable at times. Not a single game of Rook was played, in fact we never got around to even putup the game tent. The piemakers were used for shovels, the kitchen tarp was used as a tent cover and I am not sure how many showers were taken at the cabin but lets just say I hope Greg has a DEEP well. All the snacks were eaten in record time and we did not buy enough bacon but the Bryson City sausage was delicious as usual. We bought and ate the candy from the Schuler's Market and meant to send some for you, Ma, but not sure if it ever made it. Overall I think everyone had a good time. They really enjoyed the new Corn Hole game. I am not sure who ended up being the champions but I heard Uncle Chris was pretty good. Spit baths were given and s'mores were made. Auntie and Jake took the kids on lots of bike rides. Summer took the kids for many wagon rides and Karin and Charis were great at keeping up with the babies. The kids were GREAT and helped with clean up after supper each night. We had 28 attendees(12 of which were 11 and under) so needless to say things got a little hectic at times, we sure could have used some extra eyes but we did return home with each precious one accounted for. I especially enjoyed my special time with Summer and Sydney hiking and setting up camp. She and Josh were a tremendous help with the children. Thanks, Josh for staying late on Tuesday. The tubing trip from the top with my boys was another highlight of my trip. Every year I think, I really can't go from the top but they always encourage me to do it and it is always so much fun. Tubing with Landon, Parker and Bryce from the second bridge was fun, too. On Friday Auntie, Norman, Jon, Ashley, and I decided to try again for the Noland divide. It was a 3 mile hike...straight up!!!!!! It took us about 2 hours to get to the top but we did it!!! At ages 57, 56 and 54 we felt quite proud of ourselves for this accomplishment. We could not have done it without the support and encouragement from our children. Thanks for giving us the push to go. The view was definitely breathtaking and it just gave me the desire to hike again real soon. Thanks Ashley and Jon for tagging along with the old folks. The conversation helped pass the time and take our minds off the trek. Some of us enjoyed shopping in Bryson City/Cherokee and the late night fireworks in town. There were many coffee runs each morning. We had a huge slumber party at the cabin on Friday night before everyone departed. Everyone really pitched in to get everything done and I appreciate so much everyone's efforts to come. A special thanks to the Jackson's for bringing the boys and helping so much with the children and taking our group pictures. Thanks to Tony and Charis for making the T shirts. Karin thanks for the Kids Olympic Games. Thanks to Brenda for all her hard work in getting everything together and traveling such a distance to get there. If I have forgotten anyone, thanks to you too. I love you all and I am already looking forward to next year. Enjoy the pictures!!
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This summer my sister and I hiked up the Noland Divide Trail. This trail was not your typical some up and down areas, it was straight up for about 6 miles. It was not an easy hike for two 50+++ ers but because we had each other encouraging one another along the way, we made it. We were so proud. The view was magnificent. I am thankful I have a sister that encourages me not just on hikes but throughout life. Happy Birthday, Brenda! I love you.
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