We had another sibling camping trip.  We love our tradition.  Always some place new, always different activities, but always sibls, always tents and pickup trucks and campfires, and always fun.  The last trip was 1.5 years ago (January 2009) and the oldest cousin, Eddy, was the age that the next-in-line, Caleb is now!  Everyone kept getting confused over this fact ("Caleb MUST have gone with us...there was a baby there!")  It's an easy mistake.  Eddy is so grown up now.  He converses casually with the adults and occasionally even contributes helpful information (though it's rarely noticed on account of his kid voice).  He has his many moments of "accidents" and tempter tantrums, but he's certainly not the wobbly wide-eyed munchkin Caleb is today.  Just the memory of those days makes me smile.  And to think, next camping trip Caleb will be the new toddler-mania, and Whit will take over for Caleb's mobile baby stage =)

Every year our lives are so different, too.  Sam & Nicki are new parents, Lukas is married to Suzy, and many other life altering changes have occurred for each of us.  Still, they were good old times getting together like that.  My sister Jule is amazing at meal planning, and with everyone's cooperation we were able to eat high class-yet-campy food for every meal, even with the budgets of 20-somethings.  We also kayaked on the small river by the campsite, went blackberry and cat park adventuring, went for ice cream, stayed up late playing games, sacked out in the sun to nap and read, sang and played guitar, and soaked in the togetherness of these siblings whom we seem to never get to see.  I was lovin' the California-ness, too...oh, and the extra babysitters!

Tomorrow Eddy and I go home.  It's been a long trip and can't wait to see my Danny boy!  But I'm so glad to  renew my relationships with siblings.