2018 in a Looong Review

 I took some time this morning to think back on 2018. God is good.

The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him." ... Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.  Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.

Psalm 135

The Instagram hashtag #livehappy popped up for me yesterday. I do try to choose joy everyday. There are days where it isn't easy.  But I've been blessed with many days that it is easy to choose joy.

I wanted to share some of my favorite photos from 2018.  It turns out that I had many, many wonderful days in 2018.

The photos are in no particular order.  That would have taken me a lot of time as my computer has completely scrambled my pics. That hasn't made me very happy or joyful this year.

Hubby and I living our best life.  I love my guy.

 I loved seeing Sam and Levi both so happy at Levi's wedding.

 This was such a good photo at Silver Lake that Kulshan Brewery used it too.

 Oh mylanta, these guys make me laugh. 

 The Pie Pals give me joy and it was fun to be reunited for an afternoon this summer.

 Jessica received her masters degree and Danny will in April.  My heart gets the chest tights for Jess and Danny, they are so happy and work so hard to reach their goals.

Entertaining gives me joy!

 Huaka'i Annie gives me joy!  My morning coffee gives me joy too.

 Oh my, Hubby and I can have so much fun together.

 My extended family brought back the Vander Haak camping trip.  It was so good to have the next generation show up, sleep in a tent in the pouring rain and still baby Aurora was good as gold.

 This tribe on the Naches River is so much good and happiness.  I'm tearing up looking at this photo because they are such a blessing to us.  If I'm not crying, I'm laughing cuz there is a lot of laughing with them.  Steve and Jean, I miss you.

 Get outside!

 Oh Liz, we don't see each other enough!  Her hubby Eric couldn't come with her to the rally this year but he told me on the phone, you have the best Liz, she is so happy with all of you and that is the Liz I love the most.  I think Liz chooses joy and it felt really touching to me that her hubby sees that in her.

 What does Tami want?  Waterfront campsites.  Rivers, lakes, oceans and pools are my jam.

Annie!

 Seeing Hubby excited to try something new makes me happy.  He took a class from Scott and Renee this summer and he is jumped on the Lodge Dutch oven bus.  The added bonus has been delicious food and less camp cooking for moi.

 This is always one of the best days of my summer. #floatingismyfavorite

Some of my trailer tribe gals!

 Hubby and I finding new breweries and enjoying the journey.

 A spontaneous day trip with Mark and Karen to Winthrop was so fun and the ride was gorgeous.

 I got running water this year.  You have no idea what a happy camper this has made me.

 Max loves his in-laws and that give me joy.

 The Fourth of July in George, family weddings, Hubby and I love his in-laws too.

 We'll be reunited in January 2019 and I am counting the days.

Mostly the guys bring me joy unless they're making mama crazy.

Thanksgiving season warms my heart.

 December is my favorite.

 

 I celebrated my 60th birthday in December.

There was a spa day from my sisters and brother and a beautiful dinner party from friends.

A trip to the W in Belllevue and Snowflake Lane with Hubby. He treated me like a queen.

 Sam graduated from fire academy in December. It is so good to see him reach this goal and feel good about himself.

 I brought back Friendmas.  It was fun to plan and a fun evening.

I didn't make the guys wear ties or have etiquette lessons like the good old days.

They are grown up and have good manners.

 Vern and Shelly with their kiddos.

 Christmas!

I bought this painting at Pike Street Market this fall.  It will always remind me of the good time we had in Seattle with friends.

  I said goodbye to my Mom and that was hard.  Still is hard. 

But my joy for her makes it easier for me.

 My guys took good care of me on the day of her funeral.

 Our last Mother's Day with Mom.

My sisters carried me through.  My Sisters on the Fly tribe and my sissies, Kathi and Jodi were such a beautiful blessing for me in 2018.

Happy New Year Friends!  #livehappy #choosejoy

Cheers!

Four Camping Trips and a Hotel Night

Hubby and I took off with Huaka'i Annie, our '57 Aloha trailer for the long, long trip in August. We took Snoqualmie Pass, stopped for lunch at DRU BRU, brewery number one.

Our first overnight stop was for two nights at Elk Ridge Campground along the Naches River.

I love this campground! Tent, RV spots and cabins, movie night, the river, the twinkling lights display at night, and the wonderful owners. Tim is the campground marriage counselor, he comes out and helps your hubby back into your spot.

The selfie isn't what is significant about the photo.  It's the rock wall pool in the background. Two days of floating, yes please!

We left Elk Ridge to attend the annual Nile Valley Rally, a private rally hosted by friends, Steve and Rita and Ben and Denise. Yes, our vent was up.  We turned out of one park and into the next, the Jim Sprick Community Park. The rally hosts rent the park and we have it all to ourselves.

On to Camp-Heep-A-Fun!
Oh Denise and Rita, you are the best!

Nile Valley Rally is a summer camp theme and we can earn badges, take classes, flamingo float, enter the rubber duck race, go to potlucks, and have an open house for the public on Saturday. 

Since Annie is so small, we used a trailer dolly and flipped her around, so our front window had the river view.  I took this pic out of the window and I am guessing Hubby is reading instructions for something.

It's dry camping so we rely on our battery for lights and fans and solar lights.

Liz taught a wood burning class. Students made leather bracelets.

I taught a Old Book to Scrapbook class.

Every one's book turned out so great.  The creativity was just overwhelming.

Meanwhile, Hubby went to a cooking with a Dutch oven class.  He is psyched to find some cast iron and get cooking.  There was axe throwing too.  Lisa led a domino necklace class. Something for everyone on Friday.

Saturday morning we all cleaned up and got our trailers ready for the bed making inspection and for the public open house.  I think we clean up pretty well considering it's a 3 minute campground shower and no power.

I love my peeps!  It was fun to be neighbors.

We're ready!

Okay, so we were ready, but wow, not ready for that many people!

There were so many visitors. Larry and Shelly went for a walk and while they were gone I had a line up to see their Airstream.  Crowd control!

After open house we went for ice cream at Elk Ridge.  Huck and Bean ice cream is crazy good and has the best story.  The owner, Izzy, started the business when she was 11.  She is 14 years old now and is restoring a vintage trailer to sell her ice cream.  Her little sister works for her.

 

 Saturday afternoon everyone brought their flamingo float to the river and we relaxed.  Hubby floated across the river to take photos of camp.

 Our neighbors, Cindy and Wade relaxing by the river.

 Larry and Shelly floating the natural lazy river.

Saturday evening after burgers and potluck we enjoyed the closing ceremony and got our badges.
Our rubber duck came in first place so we won the cash.

Some people are always working...

Sunday morning we enjoy sweet cream pancakes and raise funds for the local fire station.

Then it's time to say good bye.  

The third stop was Yakima for Hubby and I.  We enjoyed Bale Breaker Brewery and Guerra's food truck. Then we checked into a hotel for the night. 

I had the pool to myself. We took an uber (remember we had Annie hitched up to the Jeep) to dinner at Cowiche Canyon Kitchen and Icehouse.  Yum! We had long, hot showers and a king size bed.

Monday morning we took the back roads to Moses Lake where we stopped at Ten Pin Brewery for lunch. A stop at Safeway and we were off to our next destination.

Smokiam RV Campground in Soap Lake is a very well maintained park with a lot of amenities.  I was excited about the pool... until I got there.  I went in the morning, every chair had something on it, no one was actually sitting on a chair, there were 23 children and myself in the pool area. Uhm, yeah, I wasn't happy.  I went to the office as it clearly stated (in two languages) no one under 14 could be in the pool area without an adult. I was not willing to be any one's adult.

It was disappointing.  After the office lady kicked all of the kids out of the pool, she left and they all hopped back into the pool. 

I had high hopes for this campground for family reunions or Sisters on the Fly gatherings but unless you come with your own tribe you'll have a tough time using the amenities.

We did relax in our site, read a lot and played cards.  Max and Kassie came for dinner and that was fun too. The scenery is very pretty. The bathrooms are new and nice. Besides the pool area and unfriendly people it was a nice campground.

We spotted this little Hanson Love Bug on our trip and I did talk to the owner.  He wasn't willing to sell but I'll keep checking in with him.

 Next stop was at Max and Kassie's house. We had a great visit and it's fun to see them settling into their home and marriage.

 Bo likes to lay in Annie.

On our way home we stopped at Flyer Brewery at the Skagit Airport.  It's a great setting, marginal beer, good food and boring wait staff.  I'll let you decide.

 Then it was home for one night where we did laundry, got groceries and packed up to leave again.  This time we went to Silver Lake with my family.

 No family trip is complete without Jeans bars and licorice.

 Jeff and Kathi tented, Bill and Jodi car camped and the kids tented. Ken took his camper.

 There was a shelter behind our spots and that was fortunate as it rained most of the time.

 Aurora was the cutest little camper.  It was her second trip and she is 3 months old. Her Mom is pretty determined to camp.

Hubby and I played pinochle with Jeff and Kathi and reminisced about what a great card player our Dad was. It was good to get together, remember Dad and Mom and all our camping trips with them. 

This is a long post and it should have been five, but one and done!
Elk Ridge Campground
Nile Valley Rally at Jim Sprick Park
Best Western Hotel in Union Gap* not camping but hey we needed to shower and stretch out.
Smokiam RV Park
Silver Lake Park

Hubby went back to work today, school starts tomorrow and fall is in the air.
The mornings are foggy, the nights are cool and I am freezing peaches... must be the end of August.

We are thankful for all of the safe miles we had, the fun with friends and family and a beautiful summer.
Good stuff, my friends!