And That's The Way The Cookie Crumbles...: My Happy Place

It's pretty obvious that I'm not at the lake this year. And I'm bumming hard about it. Most of you know that it's our annual family summer camping trip. And by family, I mean immediate family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and sometimes even close friends of the family. We've been going for years and years (I dont even actually remember when we first started going, I was so young, but for most of my life) and it's easily my most favorite place in the world. We go for 2 weeks every summer.

"2 weeks?!" You might be thinking, "That's so long to be gone camping!"

Ha! It's hardly enough time. I love going because not only do you get to hang out with awesome people (and believe me, my family is super awesome), but you just feel so peaceful and calm and like you have nothing more important to do than relax. Here's just some of the fun things we do while on this trip:

~ Breakfast at the Charburger (we all meet there in the morning before we head to the lake and then we all travel in a line of trucks and cars the rest of the way to the lake, communicating via walkie talkies)

~ Campsites close together, where we put all the picnic tables end to end to form one gigantic long table to accommodate us all

~ FOOD (it's amazing - just think about my mom, my aunt, and my grandma (plus all us other girlies) helping to put food together 3 times a day PLUS all the guys grilling and whatnot) - there's always SO much food and such a selection. I've always said that we eat good at the lake. It's funny to look around and see other campers eating poptarts for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and hot dogs for dinner.... And then to look at us with:

- cinnamon rolls, oatmeal, cereal, muffins, fruit, potatoes, eggs, toast, and pancakes for breakfast

- sandwiches, quesadillas, fruit, veggies, soup, pasta, hamburgers, hot dogs, and chips for lunch

- salad, tacos, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, chicken, roast beef, and an array of drinks for dinner

- meat, cheese, crackers, chips & salsa, and a bunch of other snack foods and drinks to take with us out on the lake

- I wont even get into the desserts because it will just make my mouth water

- And take, for example, my birthday dinner that I always request every year: lasagna, Caesar salad, garlic french bread, strawberry lemonade, and a Funfetti birthday cake :)

~ The lake itself (Wallowa Lake); going out on my uncle's boat and securing a dock in the middle of the lake. We set up a shelter for shade and lay out towels and set up chairs. We bring out games. We have coolers of food and drinks. We bring out water toys for those hanging out around the dock while people are out on the boat. We go wakeboarding and tubing on the boat. Ahhh those are perfect summer days.

~ Go Karts (we always make it so that our whole family goes together so that we are only competing against each other) - it's always so fun!

~ Riding horses - you can go on a 1 hour or 2 hour trail ride up to the waterfall on horses. It's gorgeous and relaxing - I adore horses so it's always one of my favorite things to do

~ Walking up the hill and looking in all the little gift shops and getting Tillamook ice cream from the Matterhorn

~ Going into the small towns of Joesph and Enterprise and browsing the local shops, eating BBQ Chicken Pizza at Ember's (yummm!), and going to the one movie they have playing at the old time theater in town, the OK Corral

~ Playing games (someone usually brings a new board game or something new to try every year so we learn something different) but our old tried and true favorites are Skip-Bo, Apples To Apples, Scrabble, and the always popular crossword puzzles and regular puzzles

~ Bike rides

~ Hiking

~ Long walks with your significant other (if you have one) as the sun is setting

~ Fishing

~ The Tram (it takes you up super high in the mountains to walking trails, lots of squirrels and chipmunks that you can feed, and a restaurant at the top)

~ Campfires

~ Getting 25 cent ice cream cones at the R & R

~ Birthday celebrations for July and August birthdays (since we usually go the last week of July and the first week of August)

~ Getting randomly dressed up in Jinglebob garb (a thrift store in town)

~ Girl's Night!!!

~ Putt Putt Wars

~ And many many more things!

We had planned on going this year (even though I would be limited because I'm 8 months pregnant) but I just love the comfort and peacefulness of it, as well as the good food, great company, and familiar outdoorsy smells that I so love. But since Tony got laid off and then started a new job recently, we didnt want to ask for any more time off (especially since they're being so great about giving him paternity leave and whatnot). So regretfully, we had to turn it down. I did go to the Charburger and eat breakfast with everyone before they all headed out so that was nice. But every morning since they left, I have woken up and craved the lake. We werent going to stay the whole time, but at least for 4 or 5 days. So to not get to go at all is a real bummer. Especially since it's my favorite way to celebrate my birthday. So I have been living vicariously through the photos that my family have been posting. If I were there, I would be buying up all the baby stuff that advertises Wallowa Lake and then unashamedly sporting Anistynn in them once she arrives ;) It'll be so crazy to go next year with an almost 1 year old with us! I really cannot wait to introduce her to the best place in the world.

Ironically, when we were doing breathing exercises in our childbirth class, our teacher told us to picture something relaxing to us and to focus on it; can you guess what I pictured? :)

And speaking of pictures....here are some great snapshots of past years!

Eating at the Char (I always get strawberry french toast - mmm!)