This ward camp out of 2010 started in the planning stages for 
Brent and I back in July of '09. Brent started out wanting to ride his bike. If you remember from the previous post about our ward camp out of '09 he tried to ride his bike up to Dixon Lake and ended up crashing and needing to be rescued. This time he wasn't to be thwarted and this time he made it! Way to 
go babe! You know I've given a lot of thought to this year and last years camping trips. I've thought about friendships and trials and our life in general since our last ward camp out. See I sorta mark last year as a beginning mile stone for the Hedden clan. We moved into our new ward and then only a short few weeks later found ourselves camping with folks we barely or didn't even know. Looking back I remember those feelings of such frustration, loss, and loneliness over having to leave my Linda Vista 1st Ward 
family but knowing the Lord had lead us to where we were and struggling to understand why we were to move and what he had in store for us. I remember sitting there watching the fire while everyone else was cooking S'mores and feeling SO left out because we were not on the email list that had been informed to bring our own sticks. It was just one more straw to add on to an overloaded feeling of loss. I tear up thinking about good friends who must have either felt a nudge from the Spirit or just has nice guy syndrome, offering his stick to roast marshmallow's and what that simple invitation did 
to make my spirits soar. I wonder how many times over this last year, I've thought about that simple invitation and I wonder how many times it's gotten me through a rough patch. I've wondered how many times as well that that family has gotten me through a rough patch! Like I said...family, we've found family here in our not so new ward. We've found more than just friends. Sometimes I still find myself, a year later, feeling like I'm on the outside of a conversation and that I don't fit in but I have come to realize that that in and of itself is part who I am and part how life is. Well now I can add another mile stone - Ward Camp Out @ Dixon Lake 2010 where the Heddens are a family in the Del Norte Ward...established! 
I know it sounds silly. I know it shouldn't matter where I hang my hat. I know I can worship anywhere in the world and the gospel will always be true but it feels nice to be a part of something. Just like the song from Cheers says, "Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and their always glad you came; you want to be where you can see, our troubles are all the same, you want to be where everybody knows your name! I was so grateful to be able to know every single person and their names at our fireside this year. I felt like I had family! Ok so enough retrospect! This years camp out was so great! As the pictures show there was a 
pretty good turn out. Not as many from last year but it was cozy and I thought it was a success! I brought up my brand new camp stove and loved it. I know we were only cooking hot dogs over the flames but in the morning it was great to have and cooking hot dogs with Emma and Brent was such fun. Emma's never done that before so that was a first for her. Bro. Smith brought this totally fun game to play that was all about team work (and I think I might steal his idea and take it to our next family reunion....watch out family!!!). The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the kids were all so happy to be together. 
I know kinda funny to bring up the kids like that but it's true...Happy kids....Happy campers! We had S'mores when it got dark and lots and lots of skits and jokes. The kids were so cute about doing skits. Emma got into it big time this year and made up skits that of course made absolutely no sense!!! Love it!!! I made her memorize some jokes to tell while we were roasting marshmallows and she did a great job. She's such a ham when she gets in front of people. After we came back from the fireside Emma and Brent were pretty tired so they tucked in and went to sleep. 
I laid there for a little while with them but for one I was way to wound up and two I was way to hot. Brent didn't mind that I wanted to go play cards with Bro. and Sis. Ward and others so I left them to sleep while I went to have fun! Sometimes I'm such a night owl. That lasted for awhile and then I finally hit the sack. About an hour after I fell asleep I woke up with a really terrible headache and shoulder ache. I laid there for awhile wondering what in the world I was going to do but then remembered that I had oils! Thank goodness for Peace and Calming. I didn't want the Peppermint because I was already so cold (that was part of the problem) so I went and found the some medicine and the Peace and Calming and almost immediately I was asleep again. It was a bit of restless night and then at 5:30 Emma had to go potty and didn't want to go alone (can't blame her). Before I knew it, it was 6:20 and I had to get up to start getting breakfast stuff set up so that when my committee was supposed to arrive at 7 we could start cooking. Everyone on the committee got lost! 
It was so so so so foggy that you couldn't see anything. Some had missed the turn, others had forgotten the map and were winging it. See the picture that looks over the valley of Escondido? I wish I would have gotten a picture of the fog. You couldn't see the valley at all below and it seemed as if we were up in a cloud. It was the neatest feeling in the world. Breakfast was a huge hit with a few twists and upsets. Thank you sweetheart, I know that wasn't easy. Again I got to play with, I mean use, my new camp stove which was so SWEET! After Breakfast Brent got everything torn down and put away and then changed into his riding gear and rode back to town. Emma and I took off a while later. She asked me tonight when we were going camping just as a family. I wanted to tell her tomorrow! I'm not sure but I hope it's one more time before our season of warmth ends. As breakfast prep was getting cleaned up I talked with a few sisters about next years location presuming I'm still activities chair. We decided that looking into beach camping at Camp Pendleton was an awesome idea and maybe this time we can do it for a couple of days instead of just over night. Wish us luck!
Brent and I back in July of '09. Brent started out wanting to ride his bike. If you remember from the previous post about our ward camp out of '09 he tried to ride his bike up to Dixon Lake and ended up crashing and needing to be rescued. This time he wasn't to be thwarted and this time he made it! Way to 
go babe! You know I've given a lot of thought to this year and last years camping trips. I've thought about friendships and trials and our life in general since our last ward camp out. See I sorta mark last year as a beginning mile stone for the Hedden clan. We moved into our new ward and then only a short few weeks later found ourselves camping with folks we barely or didn't even know. Looking back I remember those feelings of such frustration, loss, and loneliness over having to leave my Linda Vista 1st Ward 
family but knowing the Lord had lead us to where we were and struggling to understand why we were to move and what he had in store for us. I remember sitting there watching the fire while everyone else was cooking S'mores and feeling SO left out because we were not on the email list that had been informed to bring our own sticks. It was just one more straw to add on to an overloaded feeling of loss. I tear up thinking about good friends who must have either felt a nudge from the Spirit or just has nice guy syndrome, offering his stick to roast marshmallow's and what that simple invitation did 
to make my spirits soar. I wonder how many times over this last year, I've thought about that simple invitation and I wonder how many times it's gotten me through a rough patch. I've wondered how many times as well that that family has gotten me through a rough patch! Like I said...family, we've found family here in our not so new ward. We've found more than just friends. Sometimes I still find myself, a year later, feeling like I'm on the outside of a conversation and that I don't fit in but I have come to realize that that in and of itself is part who I am and part how life is. Well now I can add another mile stone - Ward Camp Out @ Dixon Lake 2010 where the Heddens are a family in the Del Norte Ward...established! 
I know it sounds silly. I know it shouldn't matter where I hang my hat. I know I can worship anywhere in the world and the gospel will always be true but it feels nice to be a part of something. Just like the song from Cheers says, "Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and their always glad you came; you want to be where you can see, our troubles are all the same, you want to be where everybody knows your name! I was so grateful to be able to know every single person and their names at our fireside this year. I felt like I had family! Ok so enough retrospect! This years camp out was so great! As the pictures show there was a 
pretty good turn out. Not as many from last year but it was cozy and I thought it was a success! I brought up my brand new camp stove and loved it. I know we were only cooking hot dogs over the flames but in the morning it was great to have and cooking hot dogs with Emma and Brent was such fun. Emma's never done that before so that was a first for her. Bro. Smith brought this totally fun game to play that was all about team work (and I think I might steal his idea and take it to our next family reunion....watch out family!!!). The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the kids were all so happy to be together. 
I know kinda funny to bring up the kids like that but it's true...Happy kids....Happy campers! We had S'mores when it got dark and lots and lots of skits and jokes. The kids were so cute about doing skits. Emma got into it big time this year and made up skits that of course made absolutely no sense!!! Love it!!! I made her memorize some jokes to tell while we were roasting marshmallows and she did a great job. She's such a ham when she gets in front of people. After we came back from the fireside Emma and Brent were pretty tired so they tucked in and went to sleep. 
I laid there for a little while with them but for one I was way to wound up and two I was way to hot. Brent didn't mind that I wanted to go play cards with Bro. and Sis. Ward and others so I left them to sleep while I went to have fun! Sometimes I'm such a night owl. That lasted for awhile and then I finally hit the sack. About an hour after I fell asleep I woke up with a really terrible headache and shoulder ache. I laid there for awhile wondering what in the world I was going to do but then remembered that I had oils! Thank goodness for Peace and Calming. I didn't want the Peppermint because I was already so cold (that was part of the problem) so I went and found the some medicine and the Peace and Calming and almost immediately I was asleep again. It was a bit of restless night and then at 5:30 Emma had to go potty and didn't want to go alone (can't blame her). Before I knew it, it was 6:20 and I had to get up to start getting breakfast stuff set up so that when my committee was supposed to arrive at 7 we could start cooking. Everyone on the committee got lost! 
It was so so so so foggy that you couldn't see anything. Some had missed the turn, others had forgotten the map and were winging it. See the picture that looks over the valley of Escondido? I wish I would have gotten a picture of the fog. You couldn't see the valley at all below and it seemed as if we were up in a cloud. It was the neatest feeling in the world. Breakfast was a huge hit with a few twists and upsets. Thank you sweetheart, I know that wasn't easy. Again I got to play with, I mean use, my new camp stove which was so SWEET! After Breakfast Brent got everything torn down and put away and then changed into his riding gear and rode back to town. Emma and I took off a while later. She asked me tonight when we were going camping just as a family. I wanted to tell her tomorrow! I'm not sure but I hope it's one more time before our season of warmth ends. As breakfast prep was getting cleaned up I talked with a few sisters about next years location presuming I'm still activities chair. We decided that looking into beach camping at Camp Pendleton was an awesome idea and maybe this time we can do it for a couple of days instead of just over night. Wish us luck!
3 comments:
We had a great time! Awesome job Cyndi. You are a natural at bringing people together and making everyone feel welcome and important.
P.S. Bro. Smith makes him sound so old. Oh wait, he is nearing 40. :)
Cyndi, I cannot imagine our ward without you. To me, you are such an important part. I was just admiring you the other day, how easy it was for you to just jump in and help with my kids. That really means a lot. So thanks for all that you do and who you are. I love ya!
Just for the record I love every time you come to an activity. You light up the room or outdoors whichever it may be. You are a ray of sunshine where ever you go and I love it! and you!
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