Roughing It (in which Ken and Anne go camping in the barren wilderness, aka a campground)

This weekend, Kenny and I went camping! We went with two of our dearest friends and their stinking adorable puppy, Phoebe. Camping with a dog is THE WAY TO GO, hands down. Don’t even question the logic–the next time you head out to the wilderness, grab the dog nearest to you and take it. You won’t regret it.

I managed to snap a few pictures on my ipod during the weekend since I could not be troubled to take actual photos on my actual camera. In the wilderness, technology doesn’t get a second thought. But I’m thankful that I have these photos, and of course I am going to subject you to pictures of our vacation. Hunker down. This slideshow is gonna be a good one.

Here is the car packed to the brim and Ken and Anne’s happy faces.

Those happy faces would not last long–setting up a tent is one of the biggest stressors of our marriage. Both of us think we can do it best–and neither of us really know how to to do it well…

But we do know how to do camping food right. Here are steaks over the fire–seriously the BEST steak I’ve ever consumed–and a breakfast scramble. Everything tastes about 6x better in the wilderness, so we eat about 6x as much as we need to.

Oh, and did I mention that our friends brought their puppy, Phoebe?!? This small bundle of fur brought us so much joy and laughter. ‘Twas good for the soul.

Phoebe LOVED the beach (we camped on the shores of Lake Michigan, duh), and when Kenny and our friend Steve were playing frisbee while the sun set, Phoebe would tirelessly chase the frisbee as fast as her short little legs would take her. Kelli and I were in stitches watching.

Though the tent set-up was stressful, our home away from home served us well. Let’s not talk about the constantly deflating air mattress.

Now we’re rubbing lotion into our sunburn, cleaning melted ice and mud out of the cooler, and still finding sand in every nook and cranny of our backpacks, but it’s a happy type of exhaustion.

Wish I could do this every weekend…anyone else in?

Advertisement

Beachy Evenings (in which you are inundated with sunset pictures)

My favorite person took me to the beach this weekend. We detoured first to Captain Sundaes, since he knows the way to my heart is first through a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup flurry.

It was one of the first actually warm days here in West Michigan, and though Kenny had to study for law school exams during the day, we took full advantage of the temps at night.

I will never get sick of a Lake Michigan sunset.

Each sumset is entirely different from all the rest, entirely unique; each seeking to bring glory to their majestic Creator.

Words are inadequate–or unnecessary–on nights like these, so we mainly enjoyed the sky in silence.

All in all, a perfect evening.

Weekend Wanderings (in which I sunbathe on the beach in a winter coat)

On Easter weekend, the sun finally came out. In Michigan as we transition from winter to spring, this is a big deal.

So we went to the beach, even though it was still cold. Perhaps someday it will be warm?

We even did a little (slightly modified) sunbathing. Had we stayed long enough to get tan lines, they would have been horrendous.

Then we got flurries at Captain Sundae’s, so basically, this was a perfect day.

Chaco Tan Lines (in which I make you long for summer by sharing photos of my feet)

Late January to March is not my most favorite time of year. Don’t get me wrong; I love celebrating MLK day and President’s day with the best of them, but I really like the sun and warmth. Remind me of this when I complain about my car’s lack of air conditioning next summer.

Therefore (and because of my appalling lack of creativity during this time of year), I’d like to share some summery photos from years gone by. Namely, I’d like to share some photos of my Chaco tan.

Warning: The following photos may disgust you. And that’s okay.

Except for this one. You are not allowed to be disgusted by this beautiful photo of my favorite place on Lake Michigan.

During the days of my youth, I spent several summers working at a camp on this gorgeous place. Those three months (times 5 summers) were (for lack of a better word) fan-freaking-tastic.

My uniform consisted of tie-dye, athletic shorts, and Chaco sandals. It was perfect.

The sandals, however, did result in a pretty wicked tan line, since they were basically an extension of my body while at camp.

See exhibit A, taken in early July in 2010.

(Do you see how cool my job was?!?)

Here’s exhibit B, taken at Grand Haven in mid-August 2010.

Unfortunately, that blinding skin color is my current skin color all over. Pasty, pasty white. It’s winter, after all, and I’ve worked in a cubicle for the past 17 months.

I’d revert to my camp uniform in a heartbeat if I didn’t think it would result in both frostbite and a reprimand from Human Resources.