Columbus Day Campout

If you can remember all the way to last year at this time, I wrote a post about the "Feast of Booths"--a festival where the Israelites ceased all work for seven days and lived in "booths" or structures made partly of plant material, as a reminiscence of how they lived during the 40 years they lived in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. As they remembered that time, they could remember where they came from and what they were delivered out of. While not for 7 days, we did dwell in booths (our tents) and spent time with the Lord-enjoying His creation and fellow-shipping with His children. This year, we followed suit and camped again, celebrating God's goodness and having fun together. Our IL friends were gracious enough to travel up north so we could go too.

It was an amazing time! We weren't able to be there the entire weekend, because Ryan has all of his exams this week and he needed time to study, but the time we did have was so precious. It was wonderful to see our friends again (Kenny and Steph Ober, Luke and Angie Luginbuhl, Tyler and Laura Hoerr, and Isaac Funk), and for me, it was so good to see Ryan relax, "let loose", and just be free from school for a while. It was also really good to see him with some of his dearest friends. While we are so thankful for all the friendships we've made here, there isn't the same camaraderie yet that we have with our friends from Illinois.

After we arrived on Saturday, we got our tent set up and just hung out and let the kiddos play until dinner. After we ate, Luke got a fire going, and we prepared to worship. Kenny and Ryan played their guitars while we sang songs of praise. Steph brought along glow sticks for the kids to wear so we could see them running around in the dark field! After some time, we put the kids to bed, and the adults continued to chat and share. Pretty soon, a little figure approached the fire from the direction of our tent. Sure enough, here came Abe padding along in his moose jammies! I guess he didn't want to miss out on the party! Truly, I was stunned that he figured out how to unzip the tent and then was brave enough to walk over to us! I checked the tent, and there was a space unzipped about 7 inches that he somehow managed to wiggle through! We let him stay up a little longer, and then I took him back to the tent and laid next to him for a while. He just starred at the moon for the longest time (we didn't have our rain fly on), and finally drifted off to sleep. It was just precious to lay there next to him! We hung out around the fire for a while longer, and then we went to bed as well.

Sunday morning dawned a crisp, beautiful day. As usual, Abe woke up first! He whined a bit (at which point Ryan and I woke up), then he rolled over, sat up, and rubbed his eyes. First, his face twisted in joy and confusion as he wondered why Daddy and Mommy were sleeping right next to him! Then, he looked up and saw the sky, and the sheer awe that passed over his face was just amazing. Ryan and I were both captivated just watching him! What a reminder of the glories we can behold if we just allow ourselves to be content with the simple things!

Ryan and I were in charge of breakfast, so we set out to get that started. Ryan started a fire so we could get started. Biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, and warm apples were on the menu. Ryan successfully cooked the biscuits in the dutch oven, and Isaac perfectly scrambled the eggs. I manned the gravy and apples (I had prepared both at home and just had to reheat them on the camp stove). Soon everyone else joined us and we ate together.

After breakfast, we had a Sunday School lesson, and then Angie presented us with a craft to do: she had purchased each of the kids' initial to their first name, and each of the adults were to write a Bible verse or phrase that would speak encouragement and purpose into the child's life. After we finished, the kids got to paint their letters. It was so neat! Afterward, Angie shared about the Feast of Booths while the kids finished their letters and played.








The rest of the day included more outdoor play (did I mention that Abe LOVED being outside all weekend?!?!), lunch, afternoon naps (for kids and adults!), and dinner. Steph made tacos and homemade ice cream, both of which were a huge hit! We hung out for a while longer, and then we bid farewell. Obers and Luginbuhls were staying until Monday, but Ryan had an exam first thing in the morning so we had to go; Tyler, Laura, and Isaac headed for home as well. It was sad to say goodbye, but we were so thankful for the time we had with them!

Abe really enjoyed playing with Sam Ober--they're only 4 months apart and seemed to have a lot of fun interacting! He also loved being with Uncle Isaac, who was an amazing uncle...he played with him often and entertained all Abe's silly antics, and he even endured being tooted on and peed on! Truly a good sport, to say the least!



Anyway, we headed for home, and with about 15 minutes to go and still on a lonely interstate, Abe started making strange noises in the back seat.

"Abe, do you have to go potty?"
[No response]
"Abram, do you have to go potty?!"
[Whining ensues]
"Abe, buddy, if you have to go, that's okay! Tell Mommy, don't go in your pants. Do you have to go potty?"
[Reluctantly] "Yes!"
"Honey, pull over!"
"What?!?!"
"Yes, pull over, I don't want to clean up his pants and carseat!"

We had his little potty chair (we had brought it along to use outside the tent), so I plopped it down beside the car, and Abe sat down and did his business. A few minutes later, we were off again, and Abe left a little memoir laying alongside Highway 41.

What a wonderful weekend! Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you continue to pour out!