Tuesday, July 1, 2014

ROAD TRIP... Summer 2014



You might say we were crazy committing to a 1208 mile car trip with 5 kids under the age of ten, but I learned as a child growing up in the 50's and 60's that if you want to make memories to last a lifetime - you do it in close quarters over an extended period of time... summer road trips!



We had over six hundred miles to cover and two grandchildren to pick up after their first trip to Camp Kanakuk in Branson, MO which is precisely where David and I came in 29 years ago now.  Holly and Wade both attended for two years.



 
Day 1 we drove to Little Rock and got to see the newlyweds, Adam and Sydney.  Their house is beautiful and I just kept telling them how impressed Sydney's great-grandparents would be to see one of their very own living in a gorgeous home and in Little Rock, oh my!
Day 2 we drove to Branson for closing activities.  It's really neat.  The children are brought to the edge of the soccer field with all the parents gathered on the other side of a Camp bus.  Then comes the "reveal."  The bus pulls away and the kids starting running to find their parents... how cool is that?  I could not help but think, "might this be how it will be when we get to Heaven?"

We had a Mom who was satisfied she made the right decision in letting her 8 and 10 year old fly from California to Missiouri for camp.  As Holly told us, "This camp is where my faith became my own."  Hard not to fiercely support that, right?
HAPPY. HAPPY. HAPPY.


So we gathered them up and all their awards (half of their trunk full of clothes seems to have vaporized) and started the long trip back to the lake house.

 The first night was spent in Bentonville, home of Wal-Mart, Crystal Bridges and the new Hotel 21C. But as luck would have it this is also where my brother and his family live.  We did a quick tour of all the sites not there the last time we visited, had a great dinner and loaded up for home.
We made it back to the lake house and the new pool with a slide Sunday night. Our grandchildren love it.  And we love hearing them tell their parents, "We wish we could live with Papo and Nanice
ALL THE TIME!!


 
Mission accomplished, happy and blessed!