Happy Campers!

Well, we've finally done it! We took the leap, we threw caution into the wind, we've trod where others have feared to trod (or would that be "tread"?). Yes, we are now the proud owners of a brand new, 1997, slightly beat up - yet still very functional - pop-up camper!

I can only imagine how excited all of you are to read about this development...

Actually, we are pretty excited about this camper. It was inexpensive (thank you e-bay) and sleeps all 5 of us with room to spare. After some clean-up and fix-up we have gotten her in pretty good shape, and we really enjoyed it during a recent camping trip to Petoskey State Park.

We have a few more trips planned for this summer - our next one being to Brown City Camp next Friday.

Smoky Vacation

Our family just got back last week from a great vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains. We went with 4 other families (2 from our church) and stayed 6 nights in a borrowed pop-up camper (thanks to the generosity of Craig and Vicky). The weather was great almost everyday, and the spot we camped in was beautiful. Some of the highlights included living with 4 other people in a pop-up for a week with no hot water or electricity - and I mean none at all, not even in the camp ground. The phrase "for better or worse" took on whole new meaning for Sandi and I on this trip! We also did a lot of hiking and the kids did a lot of biking. I joined 6 other guys for a grueling 13 mile hike up to one of the highest points in the Smokies. I wasn't sure how my body would handle the hike, but I did fine (it was just the walking around the next few days I struggled with). At any rate, it was a great trip and we look forward to more camping adventures together as a family.