Camping with the Courters

When our friends, the Courters invited us to go camping with them both Chris and I although eager were not exactly sure what to expect. Being the first time we have taken our family of six out into the woods, we don't own much camping gear and truthfully I was a little nervous. We ended up borrowing a ton of stuff from family and packing really simple food that didn't require much fancy prep.

We rolled into the campsite after dark on the first night and there was a burn ban on so no campfires allowed. We managed to get the tent set up in the dark and everyone asleep and after that first disappointment of the campfire we then were joined by the rain.

But by morning the sky had cleared some and the rain lifted the burn ban (yes!!!) so for the next three days we were all pretty happy campers exploring the beaches and lighthouses and getting really dirty of course. The kids rode bikes for hours on end, made some new friends and on the final morning we found a baby mouse right by our tent freezing to death. The boys all took turns warming him with leaves and things and the Courters decided to bring him home!

All in all it was a wonderful first experience. Next time I would prefer a bit more of a "glamping trip" if you know what I mean but we had a great time. When we loaded all of our incredibly dirty belongings back into the van on the way home Chris and I looked at each other and said "we did it"…and then we came home and turned it around in less than a day for the big Gough family vacation…it's been a fun few weeks, stay tuned for more!

summer so far

(Instagrams)

Oh june and july you've gone so fast, you and your string of eighty degree days. Sweaty foreheads and late late nights, staying in swimsuits days on end and eating ice cream and outdoor gatherings and sparkling water to splash our toes in. Picking daisies from the garden and watching Josie dance in her first ballet recital, learning how to skateboard and riding bikes until the sun goes down. Top Pot donuts first thing saturday and painters tape and projects littering the dirty floors.

Summer you're almost over but I am not ready to let you go just yet. This is the only time when my kids will be at these exact ages and then they will grow bigger and things will shift and of course there will be more beauty to behold in the light in their eyes…but just go a little slower august, ok because I am not quite ready to let this summer go…what a sweet sweet season it is, such a gift I can't afford to take for granted. xoxo

project weekend

We spent the weekend working on lots of little things that will hopefully add up to some bright new spaces in the next few months…it felt good to get some projects started and a few things ticked off the list. Looking forward to the week at hand - hope you had a wonderful weekend friends, happy Monday!!