The last leg of our vacation found us camping in tents in Whistler's Bend.  Do these places have cool names or what?  I didn't really think of it at the time, but while working on this post and editing these photos, I noticed that it is already cool and cloudy and gray today, I wore leggings and boots earlier this morning and I just FEEL it........summer is over.  And so that would make this kind of the last "trip"of our summer, closing the chapter of summer 2014.

   Which is extra sad when you stop to think about the fact that you only get maybe 17, 18 summers with your kids TOTAL.  And they're off on other adventures of their own, and not tagging along with you on every camping, swimming, frozen yogurt run adventure you come up with.

Kinda terrifying, isn't it?


   These pictures were taken during a little mama/daughter time down at the river trying to help pass the time because Randy wasn't with us.  He had driven back home to squeeze in a day of work and everyone was missing him and I was tired of the single mom life.

   The girls were grumpy and tired and long story short, one of them ended up throwing a rock at me.  It certainly was not as idyllic and peaceful and perfect as these pictures portray, but really, is it ever??

   But that's the beauty of photos....I won't remember the little frustrations of those moments, but I will remember the breathtaking landscape on a sunny September day, with my little adventurers beside me.  I mean......WOW Oregon is so beautiful.  I feel like a total broken record, but I never really get over it.  Every time I venture out again I am astonished all over again at the rugged, wild, raw BEAUTY of this place that we call home.

We are blessed.




  Randy returned that evening and all was right in our little world.  We sat around the campfire late into the night as the children slept in their tents and all told stories and laughed and laughed.  It seems like growing older results in laughing a little less.  Maybe it's because bills and home owning and parenthood all gets a bit weighty and serious after a while and less of a laughing matter.  I don't know.

But that evening I laughed and laughed, and it felt GOOD.


   In the morning we had a big brunch, complete with a delicious egg scramble, bacon, and homemade sourdough french toast topped with strawberries and syrup.  Maybe a little bit of an over-achievement for a camping breakfast but that morning we sure weren't complainin'!  YUM.




   Later on in the day we took the kids to the playground to burn some energy and eat a picnic lunch.  I discovered later that it was also burning right through their nap window and so that turned out to be a little bit of a difficulty, but all was well in the end.  Randy and I floated down the river on inner tubes while others watched our kids (lucky us) and then we held down the fort (or the camp) while the others got to float.  Who says parents don't get to do fun stuff??






   All in all, it was a wonderful vacation and just what we needed to try and wind down our crazy, whirlwind summer.  And with a little more camping/summer fun under my belt, I can finally say I'm ready for the new season.

Bring it on, Fall!