10 on Tuesday Memorial Day Weekend Edition

1. Every year (with I think 3 exceptions) I have gone camping with my family for Memorial Day weekend.

2. We drive about a half hour down river from my hometown of Salmon, Idaho into the Mountains near Montana. It is so beautiful.

3. Sometimes it was just my immediate family and some years we brought special friends. Some years (the best years) all of my Dad's family was there. We would play with our cousins, hike, ride four wheelers, pick wildflowers, play old sal, play cards and have the most wonderful time. Perhaps because it was so consistent, these childhood memories are so vivid in my mind. Treasures that I hold in my heart to pull out and remind me how blessed I am to have had such a childhood.

4. This year, I honestly did not want to go. It is so much work, such a long drive, Evelyn is still so little, and I knew the weather would be terrible. Joe finally said, "I think we should go". So we went ahead with our preparations.

5. I was a little terrified as we drove over Lost Trail Pass in a huge snowstorm, and the weather wasn't great (it rained most of the weekend) but we still had a great time.

 Snow storm on the pass

6. QOTD: Rachel (as we are driving over the pass) Why didn't we go camping Memorial Day weekend like we usually do? It's freezing this weekend!! Us:  It is Memorial Day weekend!

 Higbee kids

7. We wore lots of layers and ran a heater in our tent at night. Evelyn stayed warm by sleeping with me and Joe. She liked to make sure Joe was close by scratching his head and face all night long. Everyone slept great (except Joe).

8. Highlights for me this year included: winning at rummy (my apologies if I was a jerk about it) I think it's the first time I won in years and I may have been a little aggressive in my game, the talent show (I especially loved my cousin's musical interpretation of a particularly hilarious redneck news interview), and Joe doing the haka.

My Niece, Avery with a silly face

9. We sat around the campfire, and confessed our biggest fears, our hopes for the future, and shared our memories of Kevin, James, and Gpa Walt.

 All of the cousins there (missing Dan and Jill's kids)

10. As were packing to leave, our children ran and chased butterflies with their cousins, went on one last four wheeler ride with Uncle Jason, and made mud pies to be judged by Gma Nan and Melina. They were devastated to leave and I felt a great satisfaction that I was providing the same treasure trove of memories for my children that my parents provided for me.

Thanks to the Chaffins

I'm sure the weather will be great next year;)