Horn Creek - Day 7

Today started with the biggest spread of breakfast food I think I have ever seen!! There was everything: eggs, pancakes, sausage, hash browns, cinnamon rolls, crepes, etc. etc.! This was a brunch meal instead of a breakfast to hold us over until an early dinner that evening for Banquet Night. This was one of my favorite breakfasts of the week... only second to one I forgot to mention that happened on Monday.

That morning, breakfast was served outside (it was cold but worth it). They drove in a big grill and set a huge griddle on it and proceeded to make tons of pancakes. And these pancakes weren't just served to you in a normal fashion, because it was a pancake FLIP! In order to get a pancake, you had to station yourself on the lawn in front of the grill, plate in hand, and keep your eye on the flipper as he tossed your pancake 10 feet in the air (sometimes more) and you maneuvered around under it to catch it like you would a fly ball. Oliver was fascinated by all of the pancake catching and we sat on the ground near the launch area so we could watch everyone's attempts to catch their breakfast. I caught both of mine pretty easily as did Matt and Oliver. But some people dropped quite a few so there were pancakes scattered all over the lawn. Good times...

After our brunch, we played for a bit and then the kids started both asking to take a nap... at 10:45 in the morning!! They had been off schedule a bit because of the time change and the staying up late and the physical exhaustion from running around camp all week. We were happy to oblige so naptime that day was early - which worked out great because that afternoon Matt's brother and sister and their families were coming in from Denver to visit us! Yipee!

So while the kids slept, I got to spend sometime on Matt's Dad's computer catching up on emails and blogs (which I LOVED) and Matt and his Dad got to attend a free guitar lesson/jam session with one of the musicians who had been playing for us at Horn Creek that week. His name is Nathan Clark George and he is a great musician with an amazing story. Check out his website: http://www.nathanclarkgeorge.com (we knew we squeezed both of their guitars into our van for a reason)!




After they finished jamming (and getting sunburned!), Matt and his Dad headed out to finish up the last few holes of the Frisbee golf course they had been playing off and on throughout the week. It was a fun and challenging 18-hole course that ran through the middle of the camp. After the kids woke up, we were just killing time until the Denver folks arrived. We walked down to the Rec Center again and the guys played some horseshoes and the kids ran around until we saw the caravan pull up to the front office. We ran to greet them so excited they were finally here!!!

We all decided a trip to the water slides was in order. Matt and I took the kids down there earlier in the week and we just played in the wading pool at the bottom of the slides. The kids were not interested. Matt and I went down a few times and those are some pretty wicked slides! Whew! They have 1 short, slow, kids slides and two longer, more intense slides going down the side of a mountain. So we showed up with our whole group and took turns going down the slides with the older kids - Olivia and Calvin. Matt and I decided to go down together once which was quite a crazy ride. Two adults on a mat at once makes you go much faster. Then Matt and his brother decided to go down together. I think they regretted that decision as soon as they hit the first big drop! They ended up stopping themselves 3/4 of the way down and just climbing out of the top of the slide and walking the rest of the way down. I don't know about Daniel, but Matt had a bruised toe that I think is just now finally starting to look normal again! It turns out that two grown men riding on a mat together down a water slide is not a good idea!

We were finally able to convince our kids to go down as well! Gabby went down first so Oliver was a little bit more motivated after seeing her go down and not go under the water at the bottom. Check out the cute pictures and videos below:

Oliver and Daddy at the top...

... and bottom of the water slide!

Gabby on the water slide with Mommy

Oliver on the water slide with Daddy

After the water slides, we hurried back to the Lodge to change into our dress clothes for Banquet Night! Since it is the last evening of camp, they fancied up the dining room a bit with candle light and dressed up servers and provided us with a multi-course meal. Matt's whole family got to join us for that meal and it was a great evening. Afterward, we headed out to take group pictures. Here is the whole David Dillard clan:

From left to right: Ed Schroeder, Stephanie and Daniel Dillard, Atticus, Emily (Matt's sister), Calvin, and Olivia Schroeder, Granna and Papa (Annie and David) Dillard in the back, and our family on the right!

After dinner we, changed and headed out to the cabin where the rest of Matt's family was staying for the night. We played board games and talked and enjoyed a relaxing evening catching up with everyone! Oliver loved playing Peter Rabbit with Uncle Dan (thanks for indulging him Dan!)

Oliver being a "baseball player" so he says...

Playing with his boy cousins - Atticus and Calvin!

We headed back to the Lodge that night to sleep and then got up early in the morning to meet the whole clan for breakfast at a cafe in town called Chili Bears. They served us some yummy food (especially their hash browns) and we filled up with gas and hit the road for our long trip back to Texas. It was such a great week for all of us and the kids did well on the drive home. We made some awesome memories and can't wait to do it again next year!

Horn Creek - Day 6

We were quite worn out after our late night and were up early again with the kids on Thursday. But that morning it was not as hard to get up because we knew that in a few short hours, we would be on our anniversary horseback ride!!! We ate breakfast and played for a bit and then it was bye bye to the kids, who were spending the morning with Granna and Papa, and off to the stables. Matt and I enjoyed our hike through the woods to get to the stables. They had all of the horses out and lined up ready for the ride. The day before when we were at the stables with the kids, Matt had asked me which horse I would pick to ride on of any of the horses. After much thought, I finally narrowed it down... and when we walked up that morning, the one I had picked was saddled up and ready to be ridden. So I quickly chose Red for my morning companion. Matt chose a horse named Patience.









He was first in line behind the guide followed by me and two other girls from the camp with another guide bringing up the rear. The morning was clear, cool and windy as we headed off down the trail. We passed the path to the Tubing Hill they use in the winter as we headed up the mountain for our 2 hour trail ride. We wound along part of the Rainbow Trail above Horn Creek, through a rushing stream, and off into a meadow on the side of the mountain. The wind started to pick up here and embarrassingly my hat blew off. Thankfully, one of our two guides jumped down and retrieved it for me. :) Little did I know, this wind was a tell tale sign of things to come. As we headed further on into the mountain meadow, we were met with breathtakingly beautiful views, followed by some of the fiercest wind I've ever been in. For about 10 minutes, we walked our horses up the hill toward the next tree covering while holding on for dear life and working hard to see and breathe - the wind was so strong it would take my breath away and force my eyes closed! They asked if we wanted to trot to get to the tree cover faster but I was more afraid of trotting than I was of the wind so we just walked there as fast as we could! That part was definitely not so fun, but once we reached the tree cover again, we were able to relax and enjoy the ride again. The way we were lined up, talking wasn't too easy, but it was so nice to have a long stretch of time to just sit, think, and enjoy nature.

Heading into the meadow on the side of the mountain

Looking down into the valley below. The town of Westcliffe is in the middle of the valley.

We bounced along the rocky trail some more me trying to follow closely behind Matt and his horse, but Red liked to keep to the side of the trail and not in the middle. So I frequently had to guide him back to the middle of the trail to keep from running into trees! But I felt pretty confident on the horse since I had just ridden one last fall at our church's women's retreat. It was a great morning with Matt, with nature, and with my thoughts! I was a bit sore as I dismounted, but it was worth it! We got back to the Lodge before the kids and grandparents did so we spent a little while resting our sore muscles in the hot tub attached to the Lodge! That was definitely a great end to our morning!

The kids and grandparents had gone into Westcliffe for the morning and spent some time at the fun library we visited as well as getting ice cream (again, right before lunch - but we're on vacation, right!). We all met back up for lunch and then it was time for naps for all! Well Matt and I traded off on napping because Gabriella wasn't ready to sleep when the rest of us were. But that meant a longer nap for her later and we got to spend some good one-on-one time with Oliver. Matt and I hiked with Oliver up to some forts people had built in the woods. Oliver loved being outside playing with all of the sticks, rocks and pine cones.



Then that evening after dinner was the much anticipated Skit Night! All of the campers are encouraged to prepare a skit to perform for the group. Matt's Dad recited a fun poem about dinner time rules shared in the vain of Levitical law so it was quite amusing. Check out the short video clip below.

Matt's parents and the Nelsons also did a presentation showing pictures from a hike they had taken earlier in the week... along with a few photos that were a little bit "edited" (check out the picture in the background and imagine others like it from places like Mt. Everest, Mt. McKinley, etc.). I got to practice my Photoshop skills helping them prepare and we all had a good laugh!



Oliver got to stay up late again to watch the skits and he LOVED it. Here he is sitting up front on the floor with all of the kids like a big boy!


We had lots of fun watching all of the skits and then got to play another (much shorter) game of Hand and Foot again with Matt's parents and the Nelsons after Oliver went to bed. We were not up nearly as late this night as we needed to sleep to stock up for our last full day at Horn Creek the next day.

Horn Creek - Day 5

Wednesday dawned promising to be a fun day... there were many things printed on the schedule for that day that peaked our interest. We spent the morning doing what we did best during our trip - eating. There was no shortage of good food and it was nice to have a hot breakfast every morning. We spent the morning in one of the kids' favorite buildings - the rec center. We played with the footballs, basketballs, and spent a lot of time in the racquetball court. For our boy who loves to throw - this was heaven. And I'll have to admit it is quite fun to throw a ball really hard and watch it bounce off the walls, floor, ceiling, etc. Another fun morning of family time.

Playing ball...

Daddy shooting some hoops

The gym (and volleyball net!)

My sweet racquetball boy

Waving to mommy up on the viewing platform above the court

On the schedule for the afternoon was something that I had been looking forward to all week... a Volleyball Tournament!!! Volleyball is by far my favorite sport to play; it is the only one I am any good at which is probably the reason it is my favorite sport to play :) So I was pumped and ready for the afternoon tournament. Matt's Dad graciously sat up at the Lodge with our kids while they napped (and provided him with one of his favorite Oliver quotes of all time - David this is for you "Dropped her baa baa"). So I was happy that Matt was able to accompany me and cheer me on.

There were three camper teams that played against a staff team. I played in the first game on the camper team and we lost a close game... but it was wonderful to play again. I don't think I had played since we moved away from Phoenix where I was extremely blessed to have a group of friends who got together to play sand volleyball every Monday night. I did that year-round for over a year and LOVED it. Great friends, good competition, and a good workout... awesome. So even though this was played in a gym, I still had a great time. I got to play again with the third camper team and then once more in a 3 on 3 match that was significantly more challenging than the 6 on 6 games we had been playing. But it was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Time to myself, doing something that I love... very fulfilling.

After volleyball, it was time to head back and get spruced up for Western Night. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, baked beans, and all kinds of yummy BBQ food for dinner. The staff and the campers were all dressed up in western gear... hats, boots, etc. Oliver was sad that he did not have a hat and boots like most of the older boys that he looked up to, but I told him we would work on that for next year. He did have a very cute western vest that Aunt Stephanie's mom had made for him. He was very proud to be wearing that! After dinner, we moseyed on down to the Area where they had a fun carnival complete with face painting, popcorn, root beer floats, horseshoes, and of course - pony rides! Now, we have been exposed to the opportunity for pony rides for the kids many times. And these invitations have always been met with a resounding "NO!" from both kids. But I guess the vacation attitude and festive atmosphere were working on them because they both wanted to ride! I was so proud of Oliver for once again facing something that was fearful for him and being so brave... and I think he actually enjoyed it! He went around the whole loop with Daddy's help.

Oliver finishing his ride... while sister looks on

Gabriella is not one to be left behind - especially when brother is doing something. So up she went (albeit with a very concerned look on her face). We made it about 30 seconds into the ride when we had to navigate down a very small dip in the terrain. The shifting of the horse as he walked down the incline through her for a loop and off she came.

Our little cowgirl... before we started moving

The night ended with a Western night music performance, melodrama, and square dance! We enjoyed singing some fun songs like "You Are My Sunshine" (which Gabby loved - that is HER song), "Keep on the Sunny Side" and one of the Dillard family favorites "I Cannot Come." Matt and I got to participate in the square dance with a live caller and really enjoyed ourselves. Except next year, we'll remember to pack our boots from our Trinity University Ropers Dance Troupe days...

After the dance, we headed back to the Lodge and joined Matt's parents and their friends the Nelsons in a game of my favorite card game Nertz as well as a long game of Hand and Foot (a rummy based card game). It was a fun and enjoyable evening with them... that lasted until almost 1am (boy were we feeling that late hour when the kids got up the next morning)! It was great to be able to have that time with the kids snoozing away in our room while we relaxed, unwound, and continued vacationing...

Horn Creek - Day 4

On Day 4, we decide to all get up together, have our breakfast, and then head over to the Horse Barn to visit the animals there. The kids LOVED that place. Gabby kept saying "neigh" to greet all of the horses and Oliver enjoyed pretending he WAS a horse. He also liked naming them... or rather having us come up with names for all of them. That takes some creativity folks because there were a lot of horses and our boy is a very thorough boy.

Daddy and Gabby watching the horse eat

Sitting on the haystack

Mother and Daughter

Very beautiful baby girl! I loved that wall as a background too!

Daddy and daughter

After the horse barn, we headed into the little town of Westcliffe, CO which is the closest town to Horn Creek. We were looking forward to spending a little bit of time sitting down during the drive since we were all pretty pooped from all of the walking, running, playing, etc. we'd been doing all week. Much more active than we normally are! Also, I forgot to mention that for our anniversary the day before, Matt and I took some time in the afternoon, while his parents watched the kids, to go to the rec center. I played my first game of racquetball and really liked it (even though Matt won each game) and I decided I wanted to keep up with my workout schedule and do some weight training after our games. So all of that added with the increased walking up and down the mountains left one tired mama! One of our missions in town was to find me some caffeine!

Our first stop was at a great playground we found right away when we pulled into town. We got out and played for a while in the perfect weather. It was a nice relaxing change of venue for everyone. This playground has the most amazing view (which I failed to get a picture of) but imagine looking up from the slides and swings to realize you are in the valley of a beautiful mountain range which is set against a cloudless blue sky. Breathtaking!

Oliver conquering the tunnel slide

After the park, we headed to the grocery store to purchase the aforementioned caffeine, and a few other fun items and then went on to a cute local cafe to get some yummy and inexpensive ice cream cones. Who says you can't eat ice cream right before lunchtime when you are on vacation! We sat outside on their patio to continue enjoying the beautiful weather. We walked down the town's quaint main street for a little while after our ice cream, eventually coming to a fun looking library. Our kids are fans of libraries and they quickly found the awesome kids section filled with many fun books, puzzles, giant foam building blocks, tan grams, and more. We enjoyed just sitting and focusing on playing with our kids there!

After lunch back at the camp and naptime for the kiddos, we looked out our window to see some boys doing something I still can't believe I let Oliver do. Although it really didn't turn out to be too dangerous, I was still a little nervous his first time down. Check out the video below.

The view from the top!

It turns out one of the other families with young boys had brought these trucks with them to the camp last year and discovered this awesome roll down the hill game... which Oliver fell in L-O-V-E with! I was so proud of him for going down all by himself! Once again, my big boy shining through. I think his Daddy was just as proud that I actually let him do it! But as Matt keeps telling me, boys are different than girls in their need for adventure.

Oliver looking on in excitement in true boyish fashion!

Again (and again, and again, and again...) please! Fortunately, the family just left the trucks out there for the rest of the week so he got to ride MANY more times. And Gabby even got to go down a few times... with Daddy holding on to the back on that one!

Another yummy dinner (with a very happy little girl)

... and a very silly little boy!

After dinner and Round-up, the camp hosted a bonfire and a family movie on the big screen (Horton Hears a Who). The kids were out right after Round-up and Matt and I were still feeling worn out, so we skipped on the bonfire and movie spent some down time together before hitting the sack early for a (much needed) goods night's rest.

Horn Creek - Day 3

Monday morning we did our normal routine... wake up at 5:45am (BOO time zone change), wallow in bed for half and hour while the kids played in our room and unsuccessfully tried to get us up, then finally one of us does get up and takes them upstairs for first breakfast (the meal preceding breakfast for those small children who cannot wait until 8am to eat) consisting of cereal and milk... or as Gabriella likes to say "RaRa Milk." Monday's lucky winner of the early morning rising was Matt who sweetly took them to the barn and playground while I slept a little bit more. What a man! I joined them on the playground outside of the Lodge for a few minutes before breakfast and then we headed up for our first feast of the day. They feed you well at Horn Creek!

We walked down to the rec center after breakfast to join in the family outdoor games. Gabby couldn't navigate the rocky trails too easily so we carried her most of the time when we were outside. Gabriella was a little exhausted from being off schedule so she fell asleep in my arms walking down. Now carrying a 21 pound toddler down the mountain to the rec center is no easy task. So then just imagine the state I was in as I carried her back up!!! Whew! And I was already sore from the trek we had taken the day before with Matt's parents to their old Horn Creek stomping grounds - the Mountain Meadows camp. The high altitude and hilly campus really gave us a workout. Fortunately, it only took us 2 days to learn what most of the other families with small children had already been doing... driving their CARS up and down the mountain. Ingenious.

Matt stayed down at the rec center and finished the game of Koob (yes I did spell that right, check out the link) he was playing with the group gathered down there, Gabby napped, and Oliver and I got some mommy-son time that I just loved. Another shining example of the fun, focused playtime we got while there. There was nothing else for me to be doing at that moment except playing with my son. We turned our pretzel snack time into a spelling lesson... spelling the only word he knows how to spell:



Here are some more pictures from the day:

Gabriella being girly

The view from the front porch of the Lodge

The Dining Hall

My big boy waiting for the bell to ring signifying the start of meal time!

His newly made friend Michael joined us for dinner

Horn Creek made it easy for families with small children! Lots of high chairs, booster seats, sippy cups, and plastic bibs... which Gabriella immediately ripped off every time. Grr.

Granna and Papa (Matt's parents) getting ready for our yummy dinner of homemade bread, salad, turkey, stuffing, veges, and (my favorite) pumpkin pie for dessert! I was so happy!

Husband and Wife

That night after another awesome Round-Up, we let Oliver stay up late to join us in Game Night. We played some fun team games - a scavenger hunt around the Lodge, and a back-to-back-with-a-balloon-between-you race which I got to do with my sweet son, but we had to bend the rules a bit because the height difference didn't exactly allow for us to be back to BACK!



... but none of them as fun as the grand finale. Once again, since I was new to Horn Creek, I had only heard whispers about this next game... the whispers being the phrases shaving cream and cheese balls. Once again, you'll just have to see it to believe it! And somehow my dear husband was the only one from our team who was willing to take one for the team and suit up in a garbage bag, get plastered with shaving cream and receive the cheese ball darts thrown at him. The team with the most cheese balls sticking to their "shaving cream head" at the end, won.

Getting lathered... the lather-er did an amazing job!

Mid - competition... notice the cheese balls in mid-air

Counting the cheese balls that stuck - 26 in all! We win! Oliver was fascinated.

And the coolest thing of all about Monday at Horn Creek was that it was our 7th anniversary. We had a great day together spending time with our family of 4 and remembering that day 7 years ago when we started our life together. I am so happy with the life we've created and so thankful for the thoughtful, wise, hard-working, and loving husband that God has blessed me with. Here's to many, MANY more years together Mattie!

Seven.

Horn Creek - Day 2

Sunday was our first full day at Horn Creek and it was a full one... yet different from all of the other days schedule-wise. The normal schedule of the week was free time in the mornings, lunch, and then free time in the afternoon. But on Sunday, we started the day with breakfast and then a worship service. There is something about worship at camp... when you are feeling close to God already just from being in nature... and then throw in a relaxed, vacation attitude and a smaller group of people all completely focused on singing praises to God. Amazing. We heard from our speaker again that morning and each time he really challenged me personally to reflect on my relationship with God and how I am living my life for him. It was great to spend time focusing on that every day for a week. Honestly, I don't always dedicate that much time every day in my regular life to reflecting on how God has made me and how he wants to use me. So I really appreciated the Biblical teaching we received and the impact it made in my life.

The kids napped after lunch, and Matt's parent's were gracious enough to sit in the Lodge while Matt and I headed down to the Rec Center to sign up for a horse back riding trip as an anniversary celebration... 7 years (more on that in coming days). After naps, we played outside in the beautiful weather. One of the main things I loved about this vacation was that we didn't have the normal responsibilities of life (making meals, laundry, cleaning, etc.). We were there to just spend time together as a family... and play! So play we did. Sunday afternoon's play consisted of the American classic - baseball.

Father and son got their gloves on and Gabby got in on the action as well. But before the serious baseball playing could get started, Oliver had to run inside and take care of some business... that's right, Oliver is POTTY TRAINED! And he did it the day we left for camp!! He stayed clean the whole time in the car, used the rest stop and gas station bathrooms like a pro (except for the scary/loud hand dryers), and continually let us know when he needed to go. This is HUGE people - for you other parents out there, I know you understand! We are so proud of him - it's been a long time in coming, but when he learned how to let us know BEFORE it was time to go, it made all of the difference in the world!

Gabby "enjoying" nature while we waited for the boys to come back from the potty break

Our "Texas Girl" getting ready to play

LOVE him in that hat!!

This boy has got an arm!

The kids were worn out after dinner and Round-Up so off to bed they went. But Matt and I still had a big evening ahead of us... because Sunday night is Hanging Log night. Now, since I was new to Horn Creek, I was trying to understand what this meant. I had heard something about a log hanging from the rafters, mattresses, pillows, hmmmm. Well it all made sense soon enough and we enjoyed watching all the little kids take each other on. But Matt and I decided that watching wasn't enough. Check out the video below to see what the phrase "Hanging Log Night" REALLY means... and enjoy the happy ending!

The Mean Mean Mama vs. The Smooth Nougat

Horn Creek - Day 1

Our family just returned home from a week-long vacation in the mountains of Colorado. I am planning to chronicle our week there one day at a time since everyday held so many special moments... cramming them all into one post would make it TOO long for anyone to enjoy reading. I hope my blogging will help to cement this week into our family's memories for years to come and allow us to come back often and remember our first visit to Horn Creek as a family of 4.

We had the awesome opportunity to join Matt's parents and venture back in time to a Christian family camp that his family went to for over 15 years when Matt was growing up. The name of the camp is Horn Creek and it is located near Westcliffe, CO. It was such a fun family time for all of us and a neat opportunity for Matt to share this camp, that he SO enjoyed while he was growing up, with his kids! He always went at Spring Break though, so this was his first summer trip there.

Now... as you probably noticed, I mentioned that the camp we went to is located in Colorado. And it's location being in the southern part of the state makes driving to the camp the most efficient and cost effective way to travel there. The trip takes 14 hours. That number was a little daunting to me. Not for me personally as growing up our family routinely drove the 30 hour trip from Houston to northern Utah, but for me as a mother... with 2 small children... who have never traveled more than 5 hours straight on the road. I definitely covered the driving portion of the trip with lots of prayer. And I'm so thankful to God who answered those prayers and blessed us with a great driving trip. There were some testy moments of course, but on the whole the kids did amazingly well!

We carpooled with Matt's parents which was a wonderful addition to our trip. Having 2 more adults in the car was wonderful for so many reasons: extra kid entertainers, drivers, and conversationalists. So on Friday afternoon, they came to our house and we loaded up (and I mean LOADED up) our mini-van, swung by Matt's office to get him, and hit the road headed for Amarillo, TX where we were going to stay the night before continuing on to Horn Creek. We went through Denton, Decatur (and waved to our neighbor Heath's family), Wichita Falls, and finally into Amarillo. For those of you who are not Texans... the majority of our 14 hour trip was spent just getting out of Texas. It takes about 9 hours just to get out of the state!

Where are we going to put Oliver??

The kids slept for the last few hours of that trip and we rolled into our motel there around 11pm. Our kids LOVE being in motels - so many new things to explore. So we spent some time the next morning running around outside, in the lobby, and playing in our room. We didn't have to leave too early because we didn't need to arrive at camp until 4pm. We made a few stops along the way at various gas stations, rest stops, and eateries, and made it to the camp a little before 4pm!! We made great time - and it didn't hurt that we gained an hour because of the time zone change.

The weather felt amazing as we stepped out of the car into 65 degree weather after getting in the car in 95 degree weather in Dallas. I don't think we wore shorts once while we were there. And there was a lot more jacket wearing than I expected. We stayed at the Lodge facility at Horn Creek (click here to see some more pictures of the Lodge). The kids loved running around it's open meeting room, our fun room with a bunk bed for Oliver, the beautiful forests outside, the fun playground, and the toy-filled playroom/nursery for the kids to play in. Here are some pictures of the Lodge and the playground right outside of the front door.

The entrance to the Lodge

Our room is on the first floor... 4th from the left. Room #7!

One of the many fun playgrounds at Horn Creek! Oliver loved the merry-go-round and Gabby (of course) loved the swings

We had a buffet dinner in the dining room upstairs and then headed back to the main meeting room for the evening Round-Up which included some awesome worship and the first meeting with our speaker for the week Wille Bolen. The kids were completely worn out and went to bed right at 7pm. And since our room was just 3 doors down from the main meeting area, we were able to just put them to bed for the night and didn't have to miss any after bedtime activities the whole week! What an AMAZING blessing that was. They really set us up well there to be able to enjoy ourselves while taking care of our children as well. There was a nursery there that was staffed by one of the summer staffers - Tori - which we took advantage of during the Round-Up time for the rest of the week which was also a huge help to us!

We hit the sack early that night because of road trip exhaustion... but with excitement about our first full day at Horn Creek the following morning.