Back up...

It's necessary to note that before school started full steam ahead,

we took a chance to be together up in the mountains.

 

The mountains are one of the best places to have your family gathered around you.

 

Woods Canyon Lake was our landing place this time.

It was lovely. 



Maddie's phone was put away (the battery lost it's charge - yipee!)
and so time passed while we enjoyed the finer things in life like...

paddle ball and more paddle ball. 



 

And watching the wildlife roam through the campground.

This momma elk had her baby with her but was not afraid at all to make herself at home. 

 

And building fires,

roasting marshmallows,

making s'mores (I've noted that it's not necessary to eat a s'more to enjoy a s'more.)

playing 5 fingers,

quoting Brian Regan,

staring into the blaze and getting lost in the flickers.

 

And then scurrying off inside the trailer when the rain begins to fall,

playing Mancala, 



 

playing UNO,

and playing them both again and again. 



 

And listening to the dripping rain fall on the trailer roof for most of the night.
It sounds like bacon sizzling in a frying pan.   



 

And waking up to a warm, crackling fire that our resident Fire Marshall
was all to happy to get going for us,

 

and practicing your tomahawk throw for hours on end until you are sure you can beat Brother Buck and challenge him to a contest on the next ward camp out. 

 

And don't forget the finer things like...

shooting your compound bow and being really good at it. 

 

And finding extra time to nap.

Any given spot, any given moment. 

Finding your inner Katniss and liking it! 



 and wasting away the afternoon shooting off more rounds of ammunition
than your dad thought possible. 

 

 

And then of course, there is the fine art of catching crawdads or crawfish.
(it depends on who you ask around the lake) 

 

a little left over chicken from our delicious dinner the night before and there you have it.
It requires skill to some degree. 

 

ahhh!!!  The finer things in life make me very happy : )