Rancho Rendezvous 2015

The Rancho Rendezvous actually took place during the first weekend of August, and this year- by far- has been my favorite since this event's inception. 

I was blessed to bring my husband, Justin, to camp for the very first time this year. He volunteered to do all of the cooking for us, and I'm pretty sure we all gained 10 pounds because of how good it was! 

Bringing Justin was a bigger treat for me, because if y'all know anything about him, it's that he HATES camping and all of it's associated activities. I haven't quite figured out why, but he does. He agreed to go so that he could spend time with me, and do something that I love doing- and after we got home he volunteered to go with me this next year!

Anyway, on Saturday, we bushwhacked our way up Signal Mountain this year, stopping in several places to practice different katas.

We spent Saturday evening around the campfire, singing songs, celebrating Emily's birthday, sharing stories,reminiscing, and remembering how much we love being at Rancho. If you've never sat quietly around a campfire, surrounded by friends and family, it is one of the best experiences in life. For me, the song 'On the Loose' pretty well sums it up.

Sunday morning, we hiked up to the Aspen Grove- my favorite place on camp. It's a magical, peaceful place to be. It feels as if you could almost see a fairy if you sit quietly long enough. I was happy to see that it was growing strong again. In 2006, there was a forest fire in the area, and it had scarred Aspen Grove, but that's the thing about aspen trees- they're some of the first to grow back after a fire.

All too soon, it was time to leave- to say, 'until next year,' for it is never 'good-bye.' And, I look forward to this year, and all the coming years.