Aspen Grove 12 years later

12 years ago, I met a particularly special guy working one summer at Aspen Grove during my college years. It was a BYU run family camp called Aspen Grove Family Camp. We lived up the Provo canyon the entire summer. These pictures aren't very good because I don't have a scanner. Yes, it looks like I took a picture of a picture. :) because I did.

     
  I worked in the dining hall and Jonny was a camp counselor to the 8-9 year old kids.

  Jonny looks so young here, but he didn't really look this young.

After a while of sifting through 80+ single college coeds, we decided we liked each other. Then we decided we loved each other. Then we decided we wanted to marry each other. Since then, we've always had a soft spot for Aspen Grove. After all, it was where we met and fell in love. So decided we absolutely would go back there one day with our own family. It finally happened this summer.

When we arrived and I saw this mountain site, it brought back many memories of sitting and staring at this gorgeous mountain view. It looks like a painting in real life. 

 For those of you unfamiliar with Aspen Grove, and most are, it is a wonderful place that provides a clean and fun environment for family centered fun. There are many activities to do every day and evening. A lot of it is corny family fun, but that is what children love best. My very very very favorite part of it all was that every day I put all the kids in age groups where they were entertained by camp counselors. They had many activies to do like swimming, hiking, wall climbing, ropes course, arts and crafts, etc. They even had a baby center to take of the baby. The husband and I got to spend several hours each day just being together. We went to wonderful CES lectures, played bball, baseball, dodgeball, raquetball, golf, tennis, volleyball, ropes course, wall climbing, art and pottery classes, and we took hikes and went on lots of strolls holding hands.

Oh, and the meals are all cooked for you and they were so so so good. (seriously, think about it...not having to entertain the kids and not having to cook...its huge.  That is an ACTUAL vacation for MOM)

   The boys thought tomahawk throwing was awesome.

  This little man was in heaven being in the outdoors an entire week.  We stayed in a little cabin and we were hardly there except to sleep.

                                               Going on a hike together (with no kids)

At the end of the week there is a family dance and then a teen and young adult dance. We found out they had been doing a particular dance for many years that had become a tradition. It's the Tragedy Dance. It was a big deal when it was found out that Jonny had been the one to bring the dance to Aspen Grove. So, they got him to lead it when we were there. It was fun and I think he got a huge kick from all the attention. :)

Jonny and I went back to work at Aspen Grove for a second year not long after we'd been married. We found the old cabin (shack=free rent) that we had lived in . Oh the memories....

That week had been so wonderful for us. Walking around the grounds brought back so many nostalgic memories of our beginnings and the family we now have. We had so much fun. As a family and as a couple. We are definitely going back. The kids thought it was the best vacation ever!