Fathers and Sons

I am finally getting off my keister to write about fathers and sons. Hopefully I can remember all of the fun things that we did. This year I decided to go up Thursday evening and get an extra night of camping in. The boys have been looking forward to this for so long as have I and I wanted to make sure that we had a great time. We left around 5:00 p.m. Thursday evening and headed to WalMart to get all the necessary goods for the trip. We got all we needed and then hit McDonalds on the way out. The boys loaded up on nuggets and soda and we headed out. On the way up I looked in the back seat to see both of them playing on their Nintendo DS game systems. I am still amazed at how much easier it is to travel for kids toady then when I traveled. I got to play the license plate game or stare at cows in empty fields! We got to the campsite around 8:00 p.m. and it was already dark. Craig and Bryce had gone up earlier in the day and set up a campsite and had a fire going already. That was nice that we did not have to do that in the dark. We got all of our stuff out and got everything set up. It is nice to have a tent with poles that goes up quickly. We sat around the fire and told stories and hung out for most of the night. I watched closely how much candy the boys were eating. I did not want to get barfed on again this year. The boys went to be around 10:30 p.m. We stayed up and got ready to help put the turkeys in the ground. Every year Lloyd Price puts on a turkey dinner for the ward. Craig and Bryce dug up the pit and then put rocks around the pit. Then they started a fire and Ethan and Boston kept it going by throwing in lots of wood. After there were lots of coals we shoveled out the coals and then wrapped the turkeys in foil and burlap and then placed them in the pit surrounded by rocks and then burried them with the dirt. They stay underground cooking for 12 hours. The night went well and we got pretty good sleep. It was pretty cold. I believe the overnight low was 28 degress. The boys complained about how cold it was, but eventually fell asleep. We woke up and had bacon and eggs and donuts. After hanging around the campsite for a little we headed out to catch some fish. I was determined to catch some fish this time, but we caught nothing once again. I am sure that the spot we chose was bad and we won't go back there again. The boys still had fun casting the line and reeling it in. It was perfect weather and there were a lot of high clouds which made it nice. We stayed there for a couple of hours and then headed back to camp for the turkey dinner. When we got back to camp a few other fathers and sons had shown up, but it was still pretty light all things considered. By the time the turkey dinner was served more people had shown up. At about 12:30 p.m. a big group showed up including a lot of the boys friends. They were happy for their friends to be there. I think they were getting a little tired of me and wanted to do fun things with their friends. They took off the play airsoft games and play in the woods. Some of the other dads brought up dirt bikes and quads. I was able to use Richard Stocking's bike and it was a blast. I had not ridden for so long and soon was flying down the back stretches going way too fast without a helmet. I was able to take each of the boys with me on a little ride and they had a great time doing that. I think they were both surprised to learn that I knew how to ride a motorcycle. Later that night I cooked up steak for dinner and had some french bread. We say around the fire and had a great meal and then headed over to the main site for the meeting. The bishop gave a great fireside on missionaries and preparing to go on a mission. The boys were freezing, but I think that they were able to get something out of it. We headed back to camp and sat around the fire trying to stay warm. After about an hour we headed into the tent to go to bed. The boys again complained about how cold it was, but eventually fell asleep. I was able to get some sleep, but was cold also. Around 5:00 a.m. I hear a group of people outside our tent talking. I was not happy and opened the tent to see what was going on. They just sat there around the fire talking. I knew a couple of them and they invited me to come and visit with them. I went and whized on a helpless tree and then went back to the tent and tried to sleep. I don't know that I got back to sleep. We had to wake up early to get back for Boston's soccer game. He had a 9:00 a.m. game and we were an hour and a half away. We got up and ate breakfast and then headed for home around 7:00 a.m. We made very good time and got home around 8:30 a.m. We stripped in the garage and then headed upstairs to clean as best we could. Everything is covered in the dirt when you go to fathers and sons. It is amazing to see where dirt can get.

We hurried and headed off to Boston's game. Boston did not disappoint. He scored another goal and has scored a goal in every game this season. I am happy for him because he tries really hard and is rewarded for all his hard work. We had a great day at home as a family, but the boys were kind of dragging from a lack of sleep the previous two evenings. I am grateful for my family and for the chance I had to have some time with my sons. I remember the fathers and sons I had with my father and they really mean a lot to me. I hope that they have the same fond memories as they get older.