The Andersons Have Some Fun

In my journal I found my account of the Anderson family camping trip of summer '08. Here it is:

We were out of the house before 8:30 a.m., which is not bad considering that by that time Jeff had already fixed a leak in the shower, rescued a halfling rabbit from the softball net in the backyard, and stuffed an incredible pile of our belongings into the van. Then, down the road we went.

There was a contest for the best sunglasses. Jeff said I was the most beautiful girl and Liz's hat was cute, but he didn't vote on the sunglasses. Liz was sure that her shades with palm trees on the lenses should have won.

Liz informed us that Amy shampoos her arm hair to make it silky. Amy also said she mousses it unless it's very stubborn, in which case she uses gel.

We saw sky divers near Colorado Springs. Jeff said his favorite extreme sport that he hasn't already done is sky diving. Or gliding, or flying in an ultralight. Ultralights have lawn mower engines.

Liz informed us that in Nevada it's legal to take home roadkill for dinner. But not for breakfast, jk.

Liz said I showed only one tooth when I smiled. Neither of us know how I did that.

We were laughing about the fact that my dad calls chickens "livestock."

We arrived at the Sand Dunes at noon, pitched the tents, and ate a fine lunch at our campsite. A deer walked right by us. The weather was perfect. We played 20 questions and learned that the rock 'n roll hall of fame is in Cleveland. Liz said Elvis is dead, but we all know he's alive.

Kelly grabbed the pen and wrote: Liz burped.

Jeff said driving around in circles is more fun than going somewhere (as we were going around and around the camping area.)

We went to the sand dunes and it was very beautiful and very warm. God makes beauty out of a pile of sand--amazing! Jana got the wettest and dirtiest and had a ton of fun.

Amy and I walked upstream for awhile to explore.

We were out in the hottest part of the day. When the air is 80 degrees, the sand is 140 degrees.

5 p.m. at the campsite. Kara climbed a tree, and Liz and Amy played cards.

6:10 p.m. Jeff said that the boy at the adjacent campsite reported seeing a boy bear. Jeff thought it might be dangerous to get close enough to a bear to determine its gender.

Kara made the mud into a shape that looked like a Mexican hat. Then she took a wood chip and put a "disco ball" on top of it (a tiny pinecone).

Amy and I were sitting around doing nothing, like the Culhanes. Liz asked who the Culhanes were, and I said they're like the pirates who don't do anything. I asked her if she wanted me to sing the song, and she got quiet, then said "Amen." She said she'd been praying that I wouldn't sing that song. By that time I had the giggles, and Liz said that if she said "cheesesticks", I would laugh. I laughed. Kelly said "cheesesticks" and I didn't laugh because it wasn't original enough. So she said "cheese slices," and I laughed. Kara said, "Hi," and Jana said, "Quack." I laughed.

We had dinner--the potatoes baked in the fire were yummy!

Later in the evening, we toasted marshmallows, looked at constellations, and went to bed.

We had pancakes for breakfast. The paper towels caught on fire, so we put out the fire. Then Jeff put the paper towels next to the fire so they could burn some more.

We hiked up to Zapata Falls, a very pretty place.

On the way home we stopped at a place that had alligators, snakes, turtles, and a scorpion. And a big bunny and ducks with ducklings.

As we continued the drive home, we saw Kelly Automotive. Also, Kelly told me to buckle my seatbelt so I won't die in a crash. She's so thoughtful.

I asked Jeff if he had any comments. He said, "I have no comments at this time. I know nothing about the problems that are alleged to have occurred."

It was a wonderful campout, the best (meaning warmest) weather I've ever experienced in Colorado. It was also the first time I really prayed for God's guidance and blessing for a recreational outing. I should do that more often.

By the way, my family is a lot of fun to be with when we're relaxed and just enjoying one another's company, without the stress and busyness of everyday life. I think it was wise of God to tell us to rest one day a week. It's good for the soul.