Camp Chadwick 2023 Part 1: Days 1 & 2

On June 28, 2023, we loaded up and headed to Star Valley, Wyoming for Camp Chadwick. We found our cabin and got unpacked, explored camp, and set up the Clubhouse. 

Rachel then took the opportunity to lose another tooth. 

Someone got our four square volleyball game set up, and soon it was Game On! Trash talk ensued and everyone tried to become king or queen of camp. 

Chelsea and her crew got to work setting up a hammock city. 

At dinner, I introduced the theme as SummerTime. I told everyone that I didn't plan a lot of activities this year and the plan was just to play lots of summer games and enjoy the outdoors. I didn't want to constantly be asked what the next thing was when I didn't have much planned! I also went over the rules for the place so that everyone was on the same page, especially when it came to cleaning up after their dogs and the camp boundaries for the kids. 

The weather was a bit chilly and windy, so at the end of the night, we brought the clubhouse closer to the pavilion so it wouldn't blow away or get too drenched. 

We played Catch Phrase, but missed Kirk 1 and Kirk 2. I think Mom tried to play on both teams, but it wasn't quite the same. Dad is funnier when he gets frazzled; Mom is a lot more collected. 

Prior to Camp, I talked with my niece Sarah and asked her to help me come up with activities for the kids. She wanted to do a scavenger hunt, so Emily and I made up riddle clues and Sarah led them on the hunt. I can't for the life of me remember what the prize at the end was, but they had fun finding it. 

Here are our clues:

In the wind my walls may tilt, 

But my flowers will never ever wilt. 

(Clubhouse)

In my embrace, it is fun to swing

But sometimes a nap is just the thing.

(Hammocks)

In times of old, a troll you'd find. 

Today, if you cross, your mom will mind.

(Bridge over the stream that marked the edge of camp)

To be square is just fine,

But if you make a mistake, it's the back of the line.

(Four Square Volleyball Court)

Though I'm hungry in the light,

Feeding me sparks some fun at night.

(the fire pit)

To let you in or out is my fate.

For people, animals, or cars, I wait. 

(Big gate to the horse pasture)

Camp was a lot more low key. We did a lot of hammock swinging. 

Chelsea even got me to join her in a hammock for a bit. 

I probably should have hung out there more. I was a bit of an ornery stress case on this trip, and I really want a do-over now, but I guess all I can do is have a better attitude next time. I mean, this view right here really could have done me wonders. 

The next morning, we were all at it again. Lots of hanging out, some outdoor games, 

and we attempted to make bath bombs. I say attempted because most of them kept expanding and not staying in the balls the kids molded them into. I think we may have added too much water? I don't know. We all had fun making them. 

Brian and I spent some time enjoying the area by our cabin. We had a beautiful stream and willows and overall loveliness. 

And yes, I wore my Poler most of camp. 

Mostly, we all relaxed and talked. 

On Thursday night, Chelsea and I stayed out later than everyone else talking.  Brian and everyone else had already headed to bed. Chelsea and I were about to turn in as well when a little person with a flash light approached us in distress from the direction of the tent where Gabe and Taryn's boys were sleeping. Gabe told us that he had thrown up and was quite pathetic. I sent Chelsea to my cabin with Gabe so she could have Brian get him cleaned up. Then, I knocked on Taryn & David's camper to see what they wanted us to do about their kids. Brian got Gabe settled in our cabin, and joined the grand clean up party. David, Taryn, and Chelsea ended up helping us clean up sleeping bags and switch out Elijah's sleeping bag for a fresh one, since Gabe threw up on it too. We did our best to rinse everything out, and then headed to bed. 

The kids had more fun doing kid things. 

Brian and I headed to Thayne to try to find a laundry mat to wash the sleeping bags and blankets that Gabe soiled the night before. The biggest concern was finding quarters. There was a Wells Fargo in Thayne, and I felt like we should have stopped and got a roll of quarters, but I ignored that prompting. There wasn't a laundromat in Thayne, so we headed to Afton. We were really hoping that the laundromat there would take a card. No such luck. We tried getting cash back at the grocery store, but that didn't work either. Finally, we drove back to Thayne, got quarters from Wells Fargo, drove back to Afton, started the stuff in the washers, grabbed some lunch, and then hit up this hardware store to see if there was anything interesting. 

There were a lot of funny things which helped put us in a better mood. I was kicking myself about how much time we wasted looking for quarters. We finally got everything washed, and we took everything back to camp to dry since we didn't have enough quarters or time to dry them at the Laundromat. I was grateful that we weren't too far away from civilization, and that we had running water at camp, as well as so many sympathetic and helpful people! 

June 2023 Part 6: The Daily

In between family stuff, and projects, and road trips, things were fairly chill around here. I mean, so chill that our theater room usually looks like this in between it's biweekly cleaning. Well, the rocking chair isn't always on the seat like that, but there are three of us in this house that are REALLY bad at putting the footrests down when we're done sitting in the chairs. 

Sometimes, we like to channel our inner 80s rockstars and 80s photography poses. 

We got to go to the temple with our friends, Brian and Stephanie, to do Sealings, and it was wonderful! 

We continued our tradition of having Bereavement Nachos on June 12. 

I can't believe that it's already been 4 years since my dad passed away. It was a less stupid day than others. My siblings all checked in with each other, which was the best part of the day. Gabe thinks that Bereavement Nachos are an actual restaurant menu item. I tried to explain that its something Scooby came up with at a ward thing right after I came back from Dad's funeral. We had a potluck, and somebody brought Nachos and they just sounded so good to me. I decided that when a neighbor loses someone close to them, I'm going to drop off some Nachos. Scooby promised to make me some Bereavement Nachos, which she did.  After Dad's sister Melanie's funeral, Chelsea and I went to Cafe Rio to share some nachos, and now it's a thing with her family and mine. Now we have Nachos every June 12. 

I got to go to the temple with Michael two times in June. I love going to the temple with the youth. 

Gracie continued to be the lazy mooch that she is. 

We went grocery shopping, and the kids helped with self-checkout at least one of the times. 

Gabe decided he should lose a tooth. 

Here's pictures from our second June youth temple trip. First, Me, Noah Empey, and Michael. 

And our whole group. (Me, Ashley Stromann, Amy Richards, Jen Nichol, Eric Moyle, Annabelle M, Krisit Tashima, Natalie's friend, Ginger S, Natalie D, Bridget R, Sam T, Noah E, Michael, Micah J, Brady Jones, Ryan Tuttle.)

Our Chadwick reunion was coming up at the end of June, and I had this idea to make a clubhouse out of the PVC pipe that we got for my failed greenhouse. Here's what Michael thought of that idea. 

Then he had to go point out how much his hand has grown since we poured concrete in fall 2020. 

We must have taken a walk to the park and found our neighbors there, or else we planned this walk with our neighbors. Either way, here's proof that sometimes, we went to the park. Here's Rachel and Brooklynn

And Gabe on the swings with the neighborhood boys. 

I designed a planner for the 2023 year, and Taryn was interested in it, but she was on the academic year schedule, so I revamped it for July 2023-June 2024 and ordered her a copy. At the same time, I posted it to sale on the publisher's website. I sold one without much advertising, so I was pretty proud of that. 

We had plenty of lazy mornings, usually on Saturdays. 

We got an outdoor projector and screen and had a movie night for Michael and Rachel. They watched Cool Runnings. 

I made a cover for the clubhouse using a couple of flat sheets, and then hot glued felt for window trim. 

Gabe hung out with me while I worked on it. 

We made it to the end of the Gospels in June from our Come Follow Me studies. I had the lesson and wrote down everything that Jesus said while He was on the cross. Here are his last words before He died. 

Michael got on the deck roof for some reason. Probably getting something that got stuck up there. 

And we found another Gracie stash in our room. This time, she stole and stashed Michael's trek hat. 

We also discovered this little bit of graffiti on our fence and caught the culprit, who was punished. At least it's in a spot hidden behind our shed. 

We finished of June by heading to Wyoming for Camp Chadwick, which is coming up next.