First Annual Carpenter/Knowlton Vacation

I could just call the it the First Ever Carpenter Vacation. Yes, we've travelled. Yes, we've called those travels vacations. But EVERY vacation we have ever taken together has involved visiting our family. But I digress...

This time around we planned a week long camping trip at South Carlsbad State Beach with our BFFs the Knowltons. Rachel and I have been best friends since we were 15. Our husbands, kids and dogs are all the best of friends. Rachel likes to say they have no choice :-) but they really do all love each other. Here's the proof...

What we did on our summer vacation...

We had lots of visitors! Some of us looked cute. Har surfed for the first time.We all played in the waves. We relaxed in the shade.We had an impromptu Pirate Day.Nobody liked this stuff, and there was LOTS of it. Everywhere.We enjoyed the view.We paid 50 cents for 3 minute showers. Well...some of us may have paid more for longer showers.We roasted marshmallows. Some of us ate s'mores.We enjoyed cool treats. Some of us were messier than others.And we exercised...lots.

Beach Dogs

We couldn't take a vacation without every member of our family, so the dogs came, too. Rachel's retriever mix beauties are Copper and Tucker. Lula loves her "dog cousins" as Dedan calls them. The two girls love to wrestle. Getting hogtied in her leash didn't even stop Lula from having a good time.

Story Telling

One night near the campfire Dedan started telling me this elaborate story. As I sat there watching my nearly 8-year old middle child I was struck by how truly beautiful he was. As I listened, I couldn't help but notice how the expression on his face and the light in his eyes showed his passion for not just story telling but for entertaining - he kept trying to involve me in the story by giving me choices as to what a character should do next. I was so overwhelmed that I grabbed my camera and started snapping away. He was so engrossed creating these pictures for me that it took him a while to notice I had my camera. It's times like this I wish I had more skill with a camera, but maybe the spirit of a child isn't easy to capture. You'll have to trust me: his soul is unmatched, alive, the essence of beauty.

Foil Dinner Night

Our last night at camp we made foil dinners. You know: season some meat & veggies, wrap it in foil and throw it on the campfire. If you've been a Scout or gone to Girls Camp you've probably done this. JP, our resident chef, had not. (I love to cook, but when JP is around I don't do very much - although, he says I make "the best peanut butter & honey sandwich"). Rach & I enjoyed educating him with our outdoor cooking skills, and these were delicious!