10. Stops along the way:
This is the stop we ALWAYS make on our way to Sacramento. Honking through the tunnel and then stopping here let us know we have almost made it.
We made a slight detour past Cloudcroft to show the kids where I lived when I was their age.
Edison has a lot of passions. Volcanoes are one of them. We decided to stop at El Malpais National Park for lunch and some quick exploring on our way home. We think this will be the next camping destination.
9. The Food, with a capital F!
Brenna spoiled us all at Sacramento. We were the only group at camp for most of our stay. Let me explain that to you. We had staff providing three amazing meals a day and cleaning up after us and only us for most of the week. Wow! The meals were amazing. The kids got to make smores the first night in the fireplace that was also always lit for us and only us during our meals. We got to have the famous cinnamon rolls, brisket, homemade rolls and apple butter, and on and on. I did not have to cook or clean a bit, and that was a favorite for me!
8. Snack and Gift
We were gifted this vacation at Sacramento, and it was quite a gift! We decided to make it extra fun for the kids and give them each $20 to spend or save. We asked for the snack and gift shop to open on one of our last days there, and it was fun to watch the wide eyed kids decide how to spend (or save) their money. Edison saved most of his money and bought only snacks. Zade bought some sunglasses and snacks. Cassia and Basia bought jewelry. Jotham and Asa teamed up to buy matching sunglasses, little stuffed animals, and one snack each. Tobias spent every penny on the cutest large stuffed fox. Soren bought a Sacramento blanket and a metal straw, in addition to his snack.
7. The porch:
I spent hours on this porch. The view was beautiful in any light, but the morning sun was my favorite. I spent time inside reading and finished two books, but my porch time was just for enjoying and reflecting. It was something I do not find time for back in the city. I could watch the kids climb and hike and build and explore from the porch. It also became the home of many treasures like fall leaves, fossils, interesting sticks, and beautiful rocks.
6. Wildflower bouquet:
Cassia and Jotham collected lots of fall leaves for me to bring home, but it was Asa who kept bringing me more and more flowers to add to my wildflower bouquet. He would climb all the way down the mountain to bring me one more flower.
5. Throw Throw Burrito, Extreme Outdoor Edition and other games:
This is quite the family game, and it occupied an entire afternoon.
The first full day at Sacramento we had archery lessons. All of the kids are hooked. This may lead to a family Christmas gift.
A friend sent a new Star Wars Monopoly, and it was a hit. My kids think that Chicago-opoly is the main, real version of this game, thanks to the same friend. The absolute winner for games this trip, though, was poker. Yep, poker. They have heard of poker in a couple movies they have watched, such as the WWI movie, Sergeant Stubby, which is Edison's love right now. We decided to teach them a bit of poker, and my mom taught them even more. They play anytime they can get their hands on a deck of cards.
4. Simple play all day
I would open the cabin door and send the kids out to play the day away. There were so many places to hike and climb that even the youngest two went on hour-long hikes all alone and felt so very grown. The climbed mountains, built a fort, collected treasures, had trench warfare, played capture the flag, and simply sat in nature. It was divine, and I wish we knew how to make this a reality every day.
3. The animals:
We left all our own animals in the wonderful care of Brishen, but it seems that we are animal lovers wherever we go. These ducks became our best buddies. We fed them camp-approved duck food and treats after every meal. We laughed as they ran as fast as they could waddle across the entire field when they saw us coming. I looked forward to feeding them as much as the kids did.
This little guy was different than all the rest so we felt it was our particular duty to make sure he got some food, too. The kids named him Joseph. They want to bring him a mate the next time we go.
Asa could watch the fish for hours and insisted I try to get a picture of one he was particularly interested in watching.
The ducks are following Cassia for a treat.
The kids spent an evening feeding these two horses grass that they couldn't quite reach. Soren went to horse camp last summer so he made sure we knew what was okay and what was not allowed.
This is not a great picture, but you can see the deer that were regular visitors. We also saw some on our horse ride, near our cabin, and on our hikes. There were two adorable little ones.
2. The setting:
24 years after we were married in this chapel
1. My birthday:
When we were planning a trip to Sacramento this fall, I thought it would be great to spend my birthday week at camp. The day started with a lovely fire in our cabin's fireplace, moved on to a breakfast made and cleaned up by someone else, and kept getting better from there.
Since a couple of our kids were disappointed out of horse camp this summer we had signed up for some horse riding. We let them know that they were all different levels and ages and did not know what to expect. I assumed the youngest would get to ride around the corral a bit or otherwise be led here and there for a few minutes. I assumed I would need to be near and helping them and not get on a horse at all.
The birthday surprises started as we walked down the hill. My mom drove up to surprise me for my birthday! It was time for horses so she joined us on our trek down the hill. They had lots of horses saddled and ready to go and handed out helmets to all of us, my mom and I included. Then they took us all-10 of us!!--on a trail ride. We saw beautiful scenery. We came upon a deer nursing her fawn. We rode through a light fall rain. It was one of the most special experiences of my entire life.
My horse was named Blush. She was a bit ornery as we waited. She is the reason I don't have pictures of each of the kids on their horses.
My mom and Edison
Soren--the horse camp pro
Jotham--I really can't believe that the two little ones just rode along with the rest of us. I was near the very front of the line so I couldn't check on them or worry about them a bit. It was all under control, and I had nothing to do with it.
Cassia
You can see Asa if you zoom into this one. It's good enough to make him happy. Unfortunately, I definitely didn't get pictures of a couple of the kids since my horse started acting up, and I tried to keep her from wandering away.
The day continued with lunch and games and cake and a great time with my mom and family. It was a dreamy way in a dreamy place to spend my birthday, the one half-way between one decade and the next.
