Wicked Traditions of our Fathers

Over Memorial Weekend we went camping.

That's right, CAMPING, again!

I swear, I don't know how I get talked into these things. Okay, I do. Peer pressure works. When I say "no" to something... if you keep asking me, I will eventually cave and agree to it. This is a fault of mine. In high school I almost joined the Army because the Army recruit kept calling me and asking me to join. I eventually made my mom pretend she was me and she told them "No, I don't want to join. Stop calling!" Can you picture ME in the Army?!? I never leave home without my eyelash curler!

Some fourth year friends of ours called and invited us to go camping with them. Eric said, "Our dads took us camping so I feel like we should take our kids camping." (*sigh*) Eventually I agreed/caved because Eric said he would plan, pack, and unpack everything. Helaman 16:20 came to mind, "...we know that this is a wicked tradition, which has been handed down unto us by our fathers..." I am certain they were referring to "camping" in this scripture.

I don't know what I would do without Aila's "magic blanket"! She will sleep anywhere with it.
Kinsley had a BLAST this time. She LOVED playing with Jaxon and Jonah.

We made homemade ice cream in a bag.

We went to the Civil War, Fort Pillow Museum. There was a battle here that is very controversial. Some say it was a massacre. The Union was in control of the fort and contained black soldiers. The Confederate army came and overtook the fort. Many people were shot and killed after they surrendered- the majority of those killed were black soldiers. The Confederate Major Forrest wrote, "The river was dyed with the blood of the slaughtered for two hundred yards. The approximate loss was upward of five hundred killed, but few of the officers escaping. My loss was about twenty killed. It is hoped that these facts will demonstrate to the Northern people that negro soldiers cannot cope with Southerners." There was a mile hike to the actual fort but it was nearing nap time and I didn't want the girls to have a melt down on the trail.

All in all, we had a great time. The Johnson's were great camp buddies! My only complaint is the bugs. I have over 100 no-see-um bites on my legs (this is not an exaggeration because I counted them)!

However, next time Eric says, "Our dads took us camping..." I will have to remind him that my dad no longer takes us camping... he takes us to condos- with indoor plumbing, electricity, beds, a kitchen, pools, and air conditioning.