The Longest Day of the Year

I hope you are enjoying yourself on the longest day of the year! :)

Well, I think our Camp Rock movie party last night was a hit. :) We started the entire event with a picnic outside. The kids certainly seemed to enjoy it and we even acquired a couple extra neighbor kids who couldn't resist the sight of us roasting s'mores. :) They all really enjoyed watching TV on the porch from the comfort of a tent.

Sarah, Tom, and Matt did finally coax me into a sleep-out on the porch since the big tent was already up and we just had to add one more. They slept in sleeping bags and were content UNTIL they saw me haul out my queen-sized air mattress! HA! :) I was most comfy, even if FREEZING all night. I really regretted not keeping Peachie (my golden retriever) with me! It was a bit more brisk than I was anticipating, shall we say, and she is a superb foot warmer.

At one point in the night something four-legged came walking along the porch. I could see the shadow of it through my tent. I saw a SNOUT and a TAIL! EEEEKS! I woke up enough to realize it was probably my cat Tigger and not a GIANT RAT just in time to avoid screaming REALLY loudly. :) I did flap the tent flaps at it for good measure. I am not sure what good that did, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. :) However, that was still an hour of sleep lost forever.

Morning came pretty early. The birds around here are VERY loud. :) I think they were twittering extra loudly on purpose. :) So we were all up in plenty of time to go hiking at 9 AM with the neighbors. Our neighbors slept in the comfort of their own beds, so they had pancakes to start their day. We were more sluggish and less creative, so we started out with granola bars. :) We had brunch for lunch to make up for it, though.

The hike was tons of fun, as always. It's only an hour long trail, but we always find new things to enjoy. Today I sat at the lookout and just enjoyed the sights and sounds. You can hear the brook bubbling away in the background. The sunlight filters down through the pine trees and glints off of the surface of the water in the ravine. It is really beautiful and very peaceful. There is something about the serene beauty of the hills that speaks to your soul. I think God sends some moments just to take your breath away in wonder. It was especially peaceful because Kim took the kids away and down a little hill to sign a "signature log," so I had at least 10 minutes to enjoy it and revel in the joy of His creation. :)

So, now we are relaxing until we go swimming later this afternoon. It is a completely gorgeous day and PERFECT for being outside. It is a terrific "longest day of the year!" :)