Going to Heaven

Oh gosh... where do I start? I have so much catching up to do, and I definitely do NOT want to fall off the bandwagon of writing this blog. I have to say that although it was somewhat of a relief to not have phone and internet while at camp, I did miss writing this each day. And I attempted to take copious notes like I said I would, but handwriting it just isn't as fast as typing. Let's see if I can recap the week in brief AHA moments...


Monday, June 28: Arriving at camp in and of itself was a moment of AHA. Although it took me an extra 20 or so minutes to figure out where the heck I was going on those back dirt roads, once I saw our "Cleveland Lake Club" sign telling me I was headed in the right direction, everything was ok. My aunt has found her second calling as an amateur film director, and she filmed a great deal of the latest family mockumentary at camp. We spent a good part of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday filming various segments of the film, which is just always great fun. Let the imaginations run wild, and have fun! Always good for some all-out, can't-catch-your-breath belly laughs. I admire my family's willingness to just let go and be crazy. Even my kids got into it, and all 3 loved it!


Tuesday, June 29: My little sister got married! The girls all spent the night in a hotel, and everyone got all gussied up in our bridesmaid dresses and the guys in their tuxes, and we headed back to camp for the ceremony. It was a beautiful day. A little breezy, but just about perfect. And no bugs! Which is just about as perfect as you can get for being in the middle of the woods. We threw gummy fish at the happy couple as they walked from the cabin to the boat house, aka reception hall. My aunt brought a ton of picnic food, and my cousin cooked up the hot dogs and hamburgers for the "reception." It was a beautiful ceremony, but goofy enough to reflect our family. Everyone had a great time. And who doesn't get just a little misty-eyed at a wedding, after all? I'm so very happy for my sister, and I wish her all the best.


Wednesday, June 30: Back to movie making, as well as the typical camp activities- hiking, boating, a little fishing, swimming (although it was cold), and our family tradition of pinochle, and other various card game playing. I think AHA was sort of all over the place this day. My mom and her 3 siblings hadn't been together at this camp in 9 years. That's the last time my uncle, who lives in Florida, came up. It was wonderful to see them all, as well as two of my cousins. Growing up, I always swore that I'd bring my kids here, and I'm thrilled beyond anything that my 3 kids love it as much as I do. Watching them run around the cabin, swim in the lake, search for frogs and hike in the woods, all without any care at all, makes for some absolutely wonderful AHA moments. And although I have taken up the role of the "concerned mother" who keeps a cautious eye on where the kids go and what they are doing, I love being able to just let them go without worry about Stranger Danger or getting hit by a car or anything like that. As long as they stay close to the cabin, and away from the water, not a whole lot of damage can be done.

Thursday, July 1: Personal hygiene day. Meaning, we go swimming and wash up. Unfortunately, I think today was the coldest day of the week. Soaping up in a spring-fed, cold lake definitely makes you quickly appreciate the comforts of a nice, hot shower. On warm days, when I was growing up, the gang would all grab their various soaps and shampoo bottles and swim out to the raft. We'd climb up, soap up as fast as we could (to avoid the cold air), then all cannonball back in the water and race back to shore. Next year, I'm making my oldest son do that with me. Washing up in the "shallow end" just doesn't have the same appeal. More than half the family members that started the week at camp had left by this point. The only ones left were my parents, me and the kids, and one uncle. We played cards after dinner, and I could see the sunset through the kitchen window. So I excused myself and captured some incredible photos. Another nice and easy way to achieve AHA - a beautiful red, pink and gold sunset.

Friday, July 2: Our last day. We spent most of the morning packing and cleaning up, but managed to get in one more boat ride and a few games of UNO with the kids before we headed out. The kids and I were all sad to leave camp and to have to separate from the family members we don't get to see very often. But I'm so very glad that we have this tradition to look forward to each year. This week was my summer highlight for as long as I can remember. My friends all thought I was crazy, because there's no running water, no TV, no phone, the electricity is run by a generator which generally only gets turned on at night, and we have to use an outhouse. But this was the one thing I looked forward to most.

The first year I couldn't go, I was in college. I had just gotten a job, I believe, and when the realization set in that I would have to miss it, I cried. There were a few years when I couldn't go either at all or for the whole week. And after a 7 year hiatus of not going at all, I was absolutely ecstatic when my uncle sent us a personal invitation, and a map, to come back in 2008. You just can't find peace and quiet at home like you do up there. Even now, the kids are in bed, I don't have any music on, and I can hear the fish tanks running. But I also hear the cars outside my window, an occasional siren, or people randomly yelling in the night.

My AHA at this camp is summed up like this: Cleveland Lake is one of the most beautiful, serene, peaceful, soulful places on Earth, at least to me. I get to sit and listen to the wind rustling through the trees, the water gently lapping on the rowboat, the pine needles sprinkling to the ground, the voices and laughter of my beloved family echoing across the lake. This place is Heaven on Earth, and home to me.