Tuesday, April 10, 2012

52 Weeks of Happiness :: Week 5

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Last week I helped to chaperone Griffin's class
on a 3 day camping trip in the North Georgia Mountains.
It was amazing!

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We hiked deep into the woods
and climbed up a rope bridge.

As each child pulled their way
across the swinging ropes,
they looked deeply satisfied.

Like they had done something hard
that they didn't know they could do.

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We stopped along the way
to admire all the unexpected beauty
that nature has to offer.

A bird's nest suddenly became a huge discovery.
Everyone had to stop and marvel at it.

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The children explored a frog pond
and tried to catch tadpoles.

An urgency reflected off the water
as they dipped their nets in hopefully
and scooped out tiny tadpoles or a confused snail.

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They all climbed into a stream
to pick up rocks and look for little creatures.

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I could tell that they felt like brave explorers
with their nets swooping into the stream,
their curiosity was contagious.

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Even I climbed into the water
and felt like a kid again.

Picking up stones and poking around,
hoping to find a mysterious non-vertebrate
creature lurking beneath the water.

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Mostly, I enjoyed watching Griffin
have such a fun time with his friends.

I know that he will forever look back
on this camping trip with a sense of adventure.
He pushed himself in so many ways.

It was honor to experience it right along with him.

I have so much more to tell you about our experience tomorrow...

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Want to join me in my quest
to scout out happiness for a whole year?
Simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy and tell us all about it.
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18 comments:

4 Lettre Words said...

What fun! (And, I still love your rain boots!)

Unknown said...

They do something similar here that is like a 4H camp. 2 of my boys went in 4th grade. Both came home talking about dissecting owl pellets. Your pics are beautiful and I am so glad you had such a good time.

Secret Mom Thoughts said...

Looks like a fun trip!

Pieni Lintu said...

Sounds very fun trip! :)

Linda D. said...

What a fantastic camping experience. What great memories! Your photos helped me feel like I was there. Your son will never forget this special time!

Unknown said...

OMG, that sounds like so much fun!

Jen said...

I love these kind of retreats. It is wonderful that you were able to go along. I would love to know more about where this was. It looks like the kind of place our family would love to explore too.

Jessica said...

WOW, that looks like so much fun!!!!

SarahMarie said...

What a wonderful experience for you and Griffin!

Gina Kleinworth said...

Oh my goodness- they sure look like they are having the time of their lives. Great trip!

Kelly Lund and Kids said...

How FUN!!! I bet they will have so many wonderful memories from this.. What a great experience :)

Caroline said...

AWESOME shots, Leigh. That last one chocked me up. SO cute. Looks like y'all had a GREAT time! So glad it was fun!

Unknown said...

Your camping trip looks like so much fun and cooler than here.

Please delete my extra link. I'm working on my new laptop and I'm not use the setup. It pasted my link into the name area too.

Tracie Nall said...

I am not a big fan of the camping - but this trip looks pretty magical.

Susan Anderson said...

What a perfect kind of field trip for kids!

=)

Katherine said...

What an amazing trip for kids to be able to take!

Andrea said...

Always love the photos of my kids with their friends, so the one of the three backs is my fave! How cool for you that you got to go along!

GretchenP said...

what an amazing memorable trip! my happy posts aren't exactly on time but i'm trying to stay caught up! :) thanks for hosting!