MBA Father/Son Camp-Out 2013

What a perfect weekend for camping and the turn-out was great for the annual Father/Son camp-out! There were the usual fun activities such as bow shooting, air rifles, hatchet throwing, sling shots and blow darts thrown in with plenty of food. 

Exploring the trails and fishing took place as well. This year was a bit different as Jeff Whitehead and a group from Hillwood Baptist provided some great music. I overheard several comments throughout the day about what a great addition this was to the event. 

As always Chris Wilson did a great job putting this thing together and Sam Kelly was all over the place taking care of many different things. 

We saw several friends in this group including Evan Wagner and Matthew Hillis. 

Speaking of Evan, we were all over at the obstacle course when it began raining acorns and Evan took a few direct hits. 

The kids went through the course just fine though I don't remember seeing any of the dads take their turn. I think Jeff Whitehead said he went through it....surely there are witnesses. 

We are already looking forward to next year !

Hawkins/Mohler Wedding

This has been the fall for weddings up at the camp.  This past weekend, the camp had the pleasure of being the venue for both the wedding and reception of the Hawkins/Mohler wedding party!

The families did a fabulous job in decorating the pavilion.  They really wanted the rustic, outdoorsy look, but also wanted the 'touches' that make it a wedding.  

The candle chandelier was a clever touch!

As was the welcome station.

The bride wanted to save the pavilion space for the reception.  They decorated the mantel . . .

And even had a sweet gift table set up.

And even the table decorations were cute, with burlap-covered mason jar votives, embellished with boots:

But where was the wedding going to take place??

They were really thinking outside the box on this one!  They set up square hay bales in a semi-circle out in front of the pavilion . . . 

Such a clever move and it really looks terrific.  At the end of the 'aisles' they set up end caps of tree trunks. This was a fun way to make Kleenex handy to guests:

And they dressed up the opening in the fence for a very sweet focal point of the wedding, too.

We wish a happy and blessed lifetime for the happy couple!

An American Heritage Girls Weekend

This weekend, we had a first visit from American Heritage Girls!  This is a Judeo-Christian focused organization that was established in 1995 as a Christ-centered alternative to Girl Scouts.  There are actually several 'troops' in Madison County.

They arrived Friday afternoon and got busy setting up tents.  This was a family camp out, with a group of their older girls branching out on their own (pitching their own tents, setting up campfires, etc.).  There was a total of 66 participants and at least twelve different families! 

They even had a family pull their pop-up camper up!

There were children of all ages; seriously, I saw a woman carrying a baby who couldn't have been more than two-three months! 

Like hardcore campers, they stayed out in the main campground, and did all their cooking at the site and over the campfire.  We came up Saturday morning to see how their night was.  Everyone we talked to said they slept great -- the cool, camp air with a tinge of wood smoke does that!

They did some badge work that morning. . . 

They were working on a fishing badge . . . where to find bait, how to bait the hook and how cast, etc. Several of the dads gave demonstrations.

After they worked on their badges, they had their closing flag ceremony.  After that, the families were free to wander the camp and do their own thing.  Several took to the trails, some packed up, some enjoyed the camp fire circle for a little longer and some headed over to the playground and obstacle course.  One family took their gear and a picnic lunch down to Serenity Pond for a little fishing . . .

And another hit the trails and found a turtle!

Sweet girls!  They'd heard about the turtle sanctuary, so they came knocking on our door.  We were thrilled! It's the littlest box turtle we've ever seen . . . 

And not long after letting it down, she (dubbed Fredrika the III) headed for water and a hiding spot!

We thoroughly enjoyed having this group up here and meeting some awesome families.  We had a lot of inquiries about family groups camping -- we're so glad they had a great time at the camp!

A very *busy* weekend!

This past weekend was very busy for the camp, with three back-to-back events, each with fifty participants or more!  Luckily the weather was fabulous for all three events, spanning four days.

The first event to kick off the weekend was the Martin/Blair wedding.  They got it started on Thursday, getting the pavilion all set up for the festivities.  The bride wanted a rustic, country look, complete with hay bales!

From the seating, to the table arrangements, the lighting, the gift "table" and even the cake stand, the bride definitely succeeded in pulling off the look she was going for.  

It all made for a lovely and fun Friday evening wedding and reception and even included a post-ceremony hay ride around the camp and hot dog and marshmallow roasting over the bonfire!

We wish Mr. and Mrs. Blair a happy and God-blessed life together!

The next event -- on Saturday -- was a family reunion ... one that's taken place up at the camp every year we've been hosts, and who knows how long before that!  This was the Jack's family reunion and it turns out that this year they had the greatest participation they'd had in a while, with fifty family members showing up!

As always, the food was plentiful and they were gracious enough to share with the camp hosts, so I can say with authority, it was good!

They had a good time and enjoyed each others company into the afternoon.

Finally, Sunday afternoon, the camp hosted the third event of the weekend, Lakewood Baptist Church's annual church picnic!

They had a terrific crowd -- one hundred members turned out to enjoy the food, fun, and festivities!  They even set up a sound system for music and a time of worship/devotion after the meal.

While we ran into quite a few members who had been up here before, there were also a few who were seeing the camp for the first time.  It never fails to impress, especially since our rainy, cool summer and lovely fall temps have really kept the camp looking green and pretty.  Brother Terrell Boyd, Lakewood's pastor, has been a good friend to the camp and we always enjoy hosting their church picnic!

Weekends are thoroughly packed with events through the end of November -- this past weekend was a terrific reminder of how much of a blessing this camp is to so many people, in such a variety of ways!