Camping with family

Last weekend I was able to go camping with my extended family. The Roberts family once again had their summer reunion. This time it was at the Heber Valley Girls Camp. I left early on Friday to drive to Heber Valley, which is less than an hour from where I live. I followed various children around while other less fortunate grownups fixed dinner. It was so funny to see Tanner, Lauren, Wyatt, Isaac, and Aaron's reactions to seeing squirrels, chipmunks, and deer. It was an adventure walking along a wooded path with kids because I was constantly aware of things that could hurt them or the fact that they could wander off and get lost. After dinner, and when it got dark, we built a fire and roasted marshmallows. A lot of the adult women got together and had a baby shower for Christine and beautiful baby Lillian (and it's about time we had another girl in the family.)
Sleeping was a real adventure. Each family (according to what parent belonged to the Roberts family) took over a cabin. Each cabin had bunk beds in it. We all set up our pads and sleeping bags (and once again I made the mistake of bringing a horrible pad.) The young kids had a hard time getting to sleep. Once they were asleep, my cabin had the unfortunate luck of having two snorers. Isaac awoke screaming in the middle of the night. The poor kid eventually got back to sleep. I lay in my bunk thinking about life and such and eventually got back to sleep on the hard, hard surface. All in all, I may have gotten 3 hours of sleep. Oh well.
The next morning we had pancakes, eggs, and bacon for breakfast and then went boating. Isaac and Aaron had a great time on the water although Aaron insisted on using an oar, which was actually kind of funny to watch. We got off the lake when it started to sprinkle. After boating we went back to our camp to have lunch and to clean up. The obstacle course was next. The huge Roberts Clan split into groups and then did different activities.
My group's final activity was the zip line. Some of my readers may know of my fear of heights so climbing a high pole and walking along a beam is not my idea of a good time. I did, however, want to go on the zip line so I braved the height. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards I was talking to Jordan and he and I realized a spiritual implications. Climbing the pole was hard, like life. Walking across the beam was scary and we had to trust the lines that were holding us and we had to focus on the end result. Both of us looked and talked to the woman at the end of the beam. By keeping our eyes on her and trusting those helping from below we were able to make it to the end. The end results was happiness as we rode the zip line down. It reminded us of our eternal journey. The pole and beam were a lot like this life with its hardships and fear but the end result of eternal life with those we love will be filled with joy. Hey, who knew such insight could be found in this situation? It was nice to cheer on other members of my family who were doing the same activities.
After the obstacle course I decided to go home because I was exhausted. I drove home, staying awake eating spicy red vine candy and singing along with the radio. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Aunt Nancy, and Aunt Renee stopped by to see my new home, which is only about seven blocks from my old one. I was exhausted so I didn't do much to celebrate the 4th of July.
I always love our family reunions even though I didn't get to talk to my cousins or aunts and uncles very much at this one. It is always great to get everyone together. One brief note for my readers: you may notice that no pictures accompany this blog entry. This is because I was far to busy having fun with kids. If you'd like to see pictures from the camping trip, feel free to visit my Dad's blog, my Uncle Mike's website, or Jeremy's website. These three gentlemen are amazing photographers.