Family Camp!

We just got from Family Camp. Yes, for the first time, we experienced the fun of the Family Vacation Center in Santa Barbara.  It was recommended by a friend of a friend. So, instead of our normal Tahoe trip with just the 4 of us. we went to camp.

Let's start by saying that the kids had a blast. We opted for the mini week (Sat-Wed) versus the full week (Sat-Sat). Even though we explained this to the kids (aimed at Haley) Haley was not happy to leave. "But on Thursday we have a beach day and Friday is campfire and s'mores and our performance!"

We found the mini week to be perfect. The camp is completely organized and the staff was AMAZING. I loved that there was no forced mixers or other "campy" things for the adults. I feared that I would be forced into a water balloon toss with a stranger. As outgoing as I am, that stuff is not for me. No, everything was offered and you could participate in as much or as little as possible. There were kids groups and activities every day. It took Ry just a bit to warm up, but soon he was happy to ditch us for kid stuff. Haley didn't even wave to us when she joined her friends for a couple of hours.

Josh took a surf lesson while I ran the campus trail along the ocean. Another day we took 2 hours to ocean kayak where we saw 2 dolphins about 20 yards away and a sea lion popped up an arms length away from our kayak. They offered yoga, tennis, hiking, mountain biking, wine tasting, a night on the town, and on and on. We swam at the pool and played games on the grass with the friends the kids made.

There was a family carnival with simple toss games. Like I said, so organized yet so flexible. For us it was the perfect combination of relaxation, activity, family togetherness and alone/couple time. We stayed in the dorms suites (2 bedroom and living area).

All food and drink was included in the price. one day they brought in a BBQ, but mostly we ate in the dining commons. My, how college dining commons have changed. They had organic food and many many options. Hot food, cold food, a made to order station, a Korean style BBQ, and wood fired pizza. We were for sure done with it by the end, but it was nice to have fresh choices every day.

And now for my favorite story of the trip. One lunch we were in the commons during a freshman orientation so the place was PACKED. Josh was taking our dishes to the busing station so his hands we full to the max. At the last minute Ryan decided he wanted to go with him. He ran over to Josh and jumped up and grabbed the top of his basketball shorts and pulled them straight down. This was no plumber's crack show. This was most of a full moon. My jaw dropped and I immediately started laughing. Here's Josh with his hands full and his pants down with hundreds of people all around. Let me say now that i did not get up to help. I did not run to his aid. This was not on purpose just simply not in my thought process. I saw him struggle with what to do. He balanced all the dishes in one arm and pulled his shorts up, but many seconds had passed. He turned around to find support from his loving wife and all he saw was me crying as I was laughing so hard. He bused his dishes and I sat and laughed (out loud) in his absence. I am sure people thought I was nuts. It was just too good. In fact as I write this, I am laughing out loud.

So not much of a camp story, but my favorite story from camp.

We had a great time...all of us.