Summer 2007 Kick-off Report...

We Woodlands have had a super-busy summer. We are lucky enough to have so many friends and family that we have rarely even seen the inside of our own house this summer!


To start out the summer we attended the wedding of the beautiful and talented Dave and Megan Carter in Etiwanda Gardens. Megan made the most beautiful bride and Dave was not so bad either... but of course the best part of the night came when the Chico Girls got down on the floor:

What with Matt's rendition of the 'Carlton Dance' from Fresh Prince mixed with a bit of the Hustle, and Colette's excellent booty-dancing the floor was literally "en fuego"!!
Needless to say, we BROUGHT IT!
Congratulations to the newest Mr. and Mrs. Carter!!

Memorial Day Weekend found us getting our camp-on in Santa Cruz, California for the 345th Annual Sacramento East Stake Multi-Family Campout (okay, some liberty was taken with the name of this camping excursion, but that's the basic idea).

Further reading of this blog must be prefaced with a disclaimer:

***Matt and Kelly Woodland are best classified as "unhappy campers" ie. we LOVE camping when it involves cabins, with running water, a place to plug in the blowdryer, and preferrably a jacuzzi hot tub thrown in for good measure***

The rest of the weekend was a haphazard series of highlights and lower-lights. We will attempt to give the most accurate portrayal of these in the following list format:

Highlights:

• Arriving at Camp just after Mom and Dad Woodland who had (as if by magic) already set up our tents, meals, fire, etc. for the following three days despite the fact that they were indeed NOT staying for an equal length of time. In other words, we have such wonderful parents that they prepped the campsite and didn't even stay to enjoy it!

• Soon after the commencement of our own camping experience, the Stimpson Family ~ Ange, Tate, Alaina, Tiana, and "Baby Belly" ~ arrived on the scene and hilarity ensued...the following is a picture of our dear niece Tiana embroiled in combat with her first S'More (apparently she only likes the Marshmallow...no Chocolate, no Graham for this girl please!)

• We got to catch up with friends and family that we literally had not seen in YEARS! Shout-out to the Astle family, and Lindsay and Kevin who kept us up 'till all hours of the night telling us scary stories that kept me awake for the entire three days we were there!
• Finally, in a show of anti-camping solidarity, Mom and Dad treated us to a delicious breakfast of Egg and Bacon Burritos and Frittatta at a nearby (heated) breakfast restaurant...Kelly was in heaven!

Now for the Lower-Lights:

• Santa Cruz is cold in most cases. On Memorial Day Weekend this year the lovely beachtown hit historic LOWS and Kelly was left a huddled mass with barely any semblence to her former self. This did not keep darling Matt from helping her to "enjoy" the beach scenery with nice walks etc. when all she wanted to do was read her book by the fire or eat Frittatta in the (heated) restaurant nearby.
• Tiana's favorite camping activity turned out to be running away from the campsite as soon as Mommy looked away. This actually turned into a highlight when Kelly realized that running after babies keeps you WARMER!
• It RAINED on our Parade...literally...and the final day was spent packing up tents, cookstoves, babies, and Matt's brother Darren in the consistent drizzling rain.

All in all this was a trip NOT to be forgotten for years! And when asked if the Wonderful Woodlands would be in for the 346th Annual Campout the answer was a resounding YES!!!