Reflections on Jellystone

After a couple nights' sleep I can safely reflect on the past weekend. I look forward to it every year (well...for three years...) and at a couple points during the weekend - I wonder why.

I like the place that we camp (Jellystone near Natural Bridge). It has a lot of activities for the kids - game room, lake (Pond!!), splash park, 2 water slides and a pool. They also have these two big pillow things that the kids jump on. Mostly the point just seems to be to bounce smaller kids onto the sharp looking little rocks that surround the giant boobs. It is an odd activity.

The best thing is that our campsites for the past two years have been right on the James River itself. It is a short stretch of shallow rapids that are fun to lay in and skim along like a skipping rock. I got to sit there with my niece and nephew for a little bit. Braeden loved watching my hands and arms creating waves. And when his Dad was safely downstream to catch - he loved being swept down and passed back up to "do it again"!

After that we went to the calm lake (seriously...it is a pond...) and I got to be the Water Monster chasing Taylor around the slide. Braeden's favorite activity was being thrown 5-6 feet through the air. Okay...since I was throwing...it was more like 3 feet. But he could have sworn that he flew halfway across the pond. I had a great time.

Left camping for awhile on Saturday to go to a wedding back in Lynchburg. It was strange to be back in civilization. I felt kind of disconnected to what was going on in the REAL world. I adjusted. And then when I returned to camp - it felt strange to have to reconnect with the people who had been there all day. I felt like an intruder. But then I adjusted.

Highlights?

- Bacon and pancakes cooked over the fire on Sunday morning. That was the best bacon I ever had in my whole life.

- Cooking pancakes with my brother. Nothing about cooking over an open fire goes smoothly - but we made an outstanding team.

- Sitting on the "porch" of the White House Annex (my brother-in-law Kenny White's cozy popup camper) and hearing stories

- Moments of meditation during the Saturday night and Sunday morning devotions. We were a group of about 50 adults and children...but remarkably...when asked...all were quiet and tuned into the sounds of nature. The river. The crickets and cicadas. The peeping frogs. The crackle of the fire. It was a God moment. And it was worthy of stopping for.

You know what?

After listing the highlights...I can't remember what I was going to complain about.

I can't wait for next year.