Impromptu Photo Shoot

We went camping this weekend.  It was lots of fun.

Except for the nights.

I have never had a problem sleeping in tents.

And I can sleep almost anywhere.

But I haven't been 7 months pregnant and sleeping in a tent.

That drips.  

On my face all night.

And gets buffeted by the wind.

Which makes more drips.

And wakes me up all night long.

And then there was the acid reflux.

And 2 kids who were coughing a lot.

And 1 kid who slept on the air mattress with me and peed.

He hasn't peed the bed since he was 2 years old and potty training.

I thought I was having a bad dream.

So we put down some beach towels and I slept in a shirt that was partially damp with pee.

Then I had to pee in the bushes at 3 am since I wouldn't go to the bathrooms by myself and wouldn't wake up Aaron who had finally gotten 1 of the coughing kids to sleep.

And I had a Wiggles song stuck in my head.

I kept checking the clock all night long to see if the night was almost over.

Despite it all, I did manage to laugh quite a few times because it was just all really too funny to believe.

It was quite a couple of nights.

In the morning, after a small bit of sleep, I woke to birds singing.  

And I decided I still liked camping.

And this morning, I woke again to birds singing and to this sight.

It wasn't yet 7, when we all piled in the van and headed south just a bit to our favorite breakfast spot.
The sunrise seemed like it was just for us.

We ate at Pannikin.  It's a big, old coffee shop in Encinitas.
Aaron and I used to go there a lot when we were dating.  
They have the most amazing pastries.
Now it's our camping tradition to go there.  The kids love it too.
We sit out on the 2nd story deck, watch the birds, the trains and enjoy being together.


William and James took these pictures of us squinting into the sun.
I love them.(camping hair, no make-up, pregnancy moon face and all.  it's real life.)

17 years and 5 kids later.

Lots and lots of sleepless nights.

Lots of laughter, tears, and joy abounding.

Now we're visiting the same old places with our little people and building new memories.

James is making already making plans for us to go to Pannikin for breakfast with his kids.

Dreams do come true.

Happy Monday.

Love from,

Greta

Life Made Lovely Monday:

I'm linking this post to Life Made Lovely. 

I have never had such a response to any other post I've written and I am so thankful to all of you for your kinds words regarding it.  To those who reposted it and shared it with others, thank you so much.  
Aaron and I have made some mistakes in our marriage.  We've messed up sometimes and at others been selfish.

But by God's grace, we are learning to love each other better and in a more real way than ever before.  If my story can encourage your heart, then I give the praise to God. 
Because I am realizing more fully each day that no matter how badly we mess it all up, God can fix it.  Because, like my dad always says, God is in the business of redemption.
Yes He is. 

Now go check out Life Made Lovely for all sorts of inspiration.