The Fab 4 at Camp D

Ashley/Mary Stewart Donald, Me/Perry, Lee/James Jackson, Katharine/Ella Anderson

Several weeks ago Perry and I took a road trip to Ellijay, GA to spend the week at Camp D with some of my best friends, Lee, Ashley, and Katharine. The four of us are scattered around the Southeast--Katharine is in Charlotte, NC, Ashley is in Marietta, GA, Lee is in Baton Rouge--so it has been difficult for all of us to get together. We each made it a priority to make this trip happen and I'm so glad it all worked out! Perry and I left Shreveport on Monday and drove to Jackson, MS where we stayed the night with my friend Joanna. Lee and James drove from Baton Rouge and stayed in Jackson with us too. Joanna and Jason were such great hosts and were extra kind to take in two babies for the night. We had a great time catching up with Joanna and spending time with her before the arrival of Baby McNeel. On Tuesday morning, Lee and I and the boys hit the road at 8:00 and arrived at Camp D some time after 5:00 pm Eastern. The drive went pretty well, but we were so happy to finally get there! We were greeted by Ashley and Mary Stewart and Katharine and Ella. It was a dream come true for all of us and our kids to be together. On top of that, the only thing on our agenda for the week was to relax and hang out!

Camp D was so peaceful and beautiful! It's actually quite more then a "camp", but that's what the Donald's call it. Perry and I had the downstairs to ourselves, which turned out to be a good thing since he cried ALL NIGHT LONG the first night. He never does well the first couple nights in a pack n play. We basically stayed at the house the entire time, but we were all busy with 4 little schedules that the days passed so quickly. The kids played a lot...they played inside with toys, outside at the park, watched a little TV, roamed around on the back porch, and chased each other around. 

 Mary Stewart and Perry

 Sweet baby James (his hand was healing from a little injury)

Two little monkeys (Perry and Ella) sittin' in a chair

For me, the best part of the trip were the evenings after all the kids were asleep. The four of us would just sit around eating cookies and chatting. It was such a sweet and uplifting time. I really wish we could do it more often! 

This was the best attempt at a kids group shot.

Mary Stewart (17 months), Perry (16 months), Ella (13 months), James (7 months)

I think Perry and I were filled with enough joy and hugs to last us another year, but not a day longer! We can't wait to do it again! 

Thank you Ashley for taking such good care of us and a big thank you to Dee Dee and PaPa Donald for letting us use Camp D.