Out in the Wilds

This year we held our first official Rice family reunion. It was a wonderful weekend and delightfully fun to have everyone together for almost 4 days! Just a few days before we headed out we decided that tradition has been consistent enough that a reunion isn't really a reunion unless you have a pinata. So we busily created a basic one the day before we left...

 There it is, hanging outside to dry. Breanna decided at the last minute to add streamers to it, but then after it finished drying we found some thin spots so we decided to add a complete additional layer after stuffing it full of exciting possibilities. Incredibly enough, with the intense heat the thing was actually dry before we left early in the afternoon!

So there it is getting the finishing touches at camp. We took the primary colors of paint and the kids took some time decorating with their painting skills. It turned out to be a primary colored camouflage design! LOL! It looked pretty good all painted up and waiting to be bashed. Breanna and Melodee primarily supervised and executed the construction of this years pinata and they made it thick!!!

There they are - a pinata truly made as a family project. By the time it was finished just about everyone had helped put it together!

Well I will spare you the numberless photos of scenery that were taken as we traveled to our destination... Naomi had the camera and she loves to take photos. She's a pretty good photographer too, but they take too long to upload onto the blog... so moving right along... we traveled in two vehicles so that we could not only transport people, but also supplies. The car arrived first as the suburban was getting a little tire TLC on the way up. We didn't have a lot of supplies in the car but... we did have tents.

 So in a short time we transformed the campsite from this...

To this! It actually took some doing to make everything fit properly. We loved having the sun shelter! It gave us shade when we wouldn't have otherwise had any! It seemed to be the preferred choice of places to sit as well. Everyone loved it there.

There were lots of different things we did - some of them will be written into different blog posts, but they included pinata painting (above), game playing, photography, hiking, fishing, swimming, hair washing and styling, BB shooting, reading and lots and lots of relaxing and visiting!!!

BB Shooting
Ready, Aim, Fire!

What?
I can't believe I missed!

Playing games

Exploring and enjoying nature

Photography - the perfect setting for great shots!

Here fishie, fishie, fishie...

Sisters - Enjoying the scenery together.

A favorite past time - reading every chance we get!

Fishing or swimming....

Hiking the hills

Warm fuzzy feelings captured on film...

Yup, that blur is the pinata after a smashing hit by Breanna!

Hiking together

Good food!

Braiding - getting readying for family photo's!

We made sure to take some family pictures before the weekend was over. They turned out well, but we didn't do any variations as the camera was running low on battery life.

I love this picture. It is funny because I have in the past suggested to my family that they wear similar colors for the picture so we all coordinate. When we were all assembled I had to laugh because we had 5 red shirts in the group! (Shylah put her hoodie on to cover hers). But as for color, I don't think I could have planned it better. The bright colors reflect our joy and happiness at being together and exploring the area as a family. I am so grateful for the promise of eternity with this fabulous group of people. I look forward to spending eternity with them. They are my joy and delight and there is nothing I can think of in this world that is more important to me than the welfare and happiness of these people.