Camp Chadwick 2023 Part 3: Last Night and Morning

At one point during the reunion, my frustrations with life got the better of me and I went on the longest, fastest power walk that I've done since getting diagnosed with Afib. It felt so nice to pound out all my anger and frustration without getting lightheaded, going into Afib, or keeling over. After calming back down, I headed back to camp, feeling a little sheepish for losing it, and when I was still a little bit away from Camp, I saw Cal approaching me to check on me and bring me back. (He insisted he would go when Brian started to go get me). I told him how frustrated I get that there's always someone that gets grumpy about things I plan and how I wish we all got along better, and he said, "Devri, we're all here. Take the win!" Now, as I look back on this last reunion, that's what stands out. We were all there; we prioritized it. 

We've all got a fair amount of orneriness, hotheadedness, stubbornness, but when it comes down to it, we're there for each other. We may be mad at each other and hold some grudges, but when push comes to shove, we're all incredibly, fiercely loyal to each other and will show up when we're needed. We joke about the Chadwick Mafia--you mess with one of us and you get the whole crew ready to come at you!-but it's not too far from the truth. We will never win family of the year, but this family has been my biggest supporters for my entire life, and I love all of them--the O.G.s, the in-laws, and all my nieces and nephews. In so many ways, they understand me better than any other group of people. My appreciation for my siblings grows each year. There aren't enough words to express what they mean to me. 

I love so much that Cassidy embraces all of us and our quirks and is all in with us. She's quite spectacular. 

David is all in too, and a huge blessing to our family. Pete shows up and supports Emily so much, even if being in the outdoors isn't his favorite. Hopefully, Erika will keep feeling more comfortable around us, and hopefully Thomas will realize that he has the protection, love and support of our Chadwick Mafia too. He's one of us, and we're all cheering him on. Alright, moving on. 

The flamingo head was kept as a trophy. 

We had Dutch Oven for dinner, thanks to Mom, David, and Taryn. 

I have to say that this Four Square Volleyball set was the best purchase I ever made for our reunions. Most everyone plays. My brothers went out and trash-talked all their nieces and nephews, and we all would just play for the longest time. 

This long line didn't even deter everyone, because the line always went quick. 

I honestly thought we'd all play more games this time. My mom did too. She even said, "I just want to play a game with everyone" and maybe realized that we were all playing this game. 

We probably played until the light was basically gone. 

I made a slideshow of our past reunions (Ben and Jenny gave me the idea), which included a few videos of Dad. I made Cassidy cry when his voice came over the speaker, and it touched me so much to see how much she misses my dad. There were plenty of emotions watching it. A few regrets, and so many good times over the years. (Honestly, we may have watched this the night before--all the nights kind of blurred together). 

We lit a fire and finally enjoyed the promised S'mores before the younger kids had to go to bed. 

I think it was this night we stayed up late around the fire talking, looking at constellations, reminiscing about what the famous Chadwick family stories were (and seeing if the in-laws agreed on the number [ie. Story #5 is Cal's graduation story].)

I actually headed to bed before Chelsea, which was kind of a miracle. I think Chelsea, Cal, and Ethan talked until pretty late. 

The next morning, we packed up and headed to my mom's house, but not before taking a selfie in front of our cabin. (We got the two room cabin for our crew, and I felt a little bad because I think it's the nicest one, but my mom made the final decision). It was really nice staying in this one this year. The porch over looks the creek and it is so peaceful. 

I promise to be more positive next time, and I think that Brian said that this was his favorite reunion so far because he enjoyed relaxing and reading a book the whole time. Hopefully the kids had an amazing time. 

My Aunt Ramona got married that evening at my Grandma and Grandpa's house, so we opted to get the group picture there, so stay tuned for that.