Camping With Family and Friends

Believe it or not, but the Erickson Family went camping and not at a KOA! We headed up to Willow Flat Campground, which is just right above Preston, Idaho. It was a gorgeous campground. We camped with our friends the Downs, Leahmae and Merv (Jeff's parents), Doug and Genea and their boys (Jeff's brother), Genea's friends and their kids, and the Greene's (Leahmae's sister, husband and son).

We arrived Friday night, which of course led to setting up the tent in the dark, but there where plenty of helping hands. I must have been pretty tired that night, because when I woke up we were experiencing quite the rain storm! Fortunatley by around 9:30am it tapered off and we only exprerienced a little bit of drizzle throughout the day. It is a good thing we brought pants and sweatshirts, because the temperature didn't rise above 50 degrees all day. The area had a gorgeous little river that ran through it and some really beautiful scenery, that you could not only experience around the campground but on some 4 wheeling trails. Me and my friend Nichole took what we thought was a short ride, but when we were heading down the trail and noticed Jeff and Al coming up I realized they had sent out a search party. Apparantly we had been gone for over 2 hours and we had a few people worried about us. We were just enjoying ourselves.

Of course when you camp you definately eat really well. We had eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, pancakes, fruit, scotcharoos, candy, tinfoil dinners, banana boats, smores, hot dogs, I think I gained a hundred pounds. Although shivering in the cold, probably burned quite a few calories.

We had a great time and really relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. I think is was something we all needed.

Summer Youth Activity

Once a year our Young Mens and Young Womens group do a giant slip and slide. It is a ton of fun and the youth and adults love it. Ammon Park has water, so we can hook up the hoses and layout a couple hundred feet of plastic. We wet it down and then to make it extra slippery we pour dish soap on it. It is a blast! I however didn't join in the fun, but Jeff being the big kid that he is had a ball and so did Camry.

SOFTBALL SEASON 2009 IS OFFICIALLY OVER!!

After 4 months, ours softball season has come to end. It is a good and bad feeling all together. The good is, we might actually get to do something else, eat at home, and not have to be a the field. The bad, is we won't get to see Camry everyday, we won't see our friends as often, and I might actually have to cook.

Here is a brief re-cap of our last two tournaments.

July 9 -11th "Bat Wars" - Bear Lake


We headed back to Bear Lake. Fortunately this time it wasn't raining! Though, it was smoldering hot and somewhat uncomfortable at times, but all and all we were glad summer finally came! For some reason our team struggled in this tournament, I don't know if they weren't used to the heat, or if they were just exhausted. But out of 12 teams we ended up placing 6th? Jeff had Thursday off, but not Friday, so he had to head home Thursday night, leaving me with Camry and another girl from the team. We didn't end up playing a game on Friday until 6:00pm, which was a drag, but we headed over to Bear Lake, where one of the girl's grandparents owned some property and there was a gorgeous view of the lake and a beautiful pool. The girls were able to relax in the sun and I finally got to work on my tan. Saturday we ended up losing our first two games so, we headed home, stopping at "Dan's Delicous Drive In", which wasn't so delicous. Oh well!


July 24-25th - "Snake River Summer Slam" - Idaho Falls

LAST TOURNAMENT! This was the last tournament of the year. Our girls came out shining! They played awesome!!! WE COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE PROUD! Jeff once again had to work Friday, so I went by myself, which pretty much sucked! But I wouldn't have missed Camry playing for anything. Camry finally came out of her hitting slump, in fact she ended up hitting an in the park home run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and a double shortly after! Camry puts a lot of pressure on herself, she is a great athlete and tries her best, so it is hard to watch her when she get's so down on herself. But she is one tough kid! We played against one of our biggest rivals and she ended up getting hit in the ribs, by their biggest pitcher. I was proud of the way she handled herself as she ran down the base path, where Jeff met her. It knocked the wind out her, and other than a few tears, she was ready to play! She was bummed that she didn't get a bigger bruise to show for it, but she did have a nice "C" pattern from the stitches on the ball!


With Camry playing in two leagues and 7 tournaments, totalling over 70 games, softball has been our lives. However, despite my numb butt, and a few headaches, I wouldn't have traded my summer for anything else. There is nothing greater to me then watching and supporting Jeff and Camry! They are truly the love of my life!!!!

A Time to Celebrate!

Well, as usual I am a bit late posting the past weeks events.

Happy 4th of July. This year we decided to spend the weekend at home. It was really nice that Varsity decided to close the office on the 3rd in celebration of the 4th, but not so nice that UPS felt that every driver should work a 12 hour day. But regardless, I had a great day off. I got got up on my weeding in the morning, and spent the afternoon bleaching my hair, no more roots! Thanks Nichole for helping me. That night we did some shopping, and went to a late movie! I know shocking. I haven't been to a late movie in ages. I am feeling a lot better, so I am able to do more. The 4th started out early, as we went to the neighborhood breakfast, when we got home at 10am it was nap time. I convinced Jeff that we needed to buy a patio set, so we could BBQ outside. We invited the Downs family. Nichole and I prepared all the food, Chicken and Steak Kabobs, fresh fruit, green salad, and corn on the cob (actually the boys prepared it with Ryan's special seasoning!) I tried to make homemade icecream for dessert, but it did not set up. So we settled for Davy Crocket cookies - Ryan's favorite! We had just finished cooking and setting the table, when the skies turned black and the hail and rain came pouring down. We were lucky we hadn't started eating! However, by the time the night came we were able to sit outside and enjoy the fireworks. It was a great evening!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF!!!

Jeff celebrated his 37th birthday on the 8th of July. His first comment of the day was "I'm an Old Man"! Jeff has realized that his body doesn't recover as fast as it used to, but that doesn't stop him from still acting like a big KID! We had such a busy week, that we finally got to celebrate his birthday at 9pm that night. Fortunately Jeff is pretty laid back. Camry was a huge help!!!!!!!!!!!! It is so nice to be able to rely on her to get things ready, while I was at work! She cleaned up the house, wrapped the gifts and made the cake, which was FANTASTIC! He loved his gifts we got for him, which were "Fight Night Round 4" for his XBox 360, a couple of shirts, and plaid shorts, which I was sure he would hate, but ended up liking them. He wore them the other day and boy did he look fine!!!! Ooo La La! My Mom got him the new Tiger Woods Golf Game for the XBox 360. Jeff is not a huge gamer, but in his off time he enjoys playing LIVE with Ryan. Camry took the time to right him a letter, which I think are the greatest gifts!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE!!!!

Jaz & His New Friends

So...Jeff and I helped out the Downs family take care of their Dogs. They have two. A miniature schnauzer., whose name is Dre and a new Boxer(actually he is 5 years old), whose name is Tank. They were a lot of fun and very well mannered. As Jeff would say, Tank is AWESOME! Ever since all I hear about is how he wants a Boxer (THANKS Nichole!). But he really is amazing. At bed time we told him to lay on his pillow and he didn't move all night. Jaz loved having friends over. It was the first time in the 8 years that Jaz did not bark at everything that moved. The three of them just followed eachother around the yard! It was adorable.

CONGRATUALTIONS JEFF AND CAMRY

CONGRATULATIONS!

Camry and Jeff finally took 1st place in the Chubbuck City League.

This was Camry's first year in the 14U Division and she played an

amazing short stop. Jeff has been coaching Camry's city league for

6 years now and his team has never taken 1st! I am so proud of both of them. It is wonderful to see both of them succeed. Congrats to all the Rebel Girl's and their parents for supporting them!

Also in that same week, we played in the Chubbuck Fast Pitch Challenge. Yeah! We were finally able to play in a tournament at home, which meant I got to sleep in my own bed. I LOVE HOWE. Their were 6 Teams in the tournament. We ended up playing two games for the Championship! The FLASH Girl's were awesome, but just couldn't pull it out in the last game, so we ended up taking 2nd. It was all good though! The team that ended up beating us was from Billings, Montana and they were a talented team. Our girl's played awesome, so what more could you ask for. Congratualtions to Jeff and Camry again! WHAT A GREAT WEEK FOR THE ERICKSON'S!!!!!!!

Bear Lake Tournament

Yes I know, another tournament! But for us, this is our life and we LOVE IT!!!

The Flash headed to Bear Lake or Montpelier as my Mom would say. We were praying for sunshine, and fortunately got it on Friday. We had time before the games, so we headed to Bear Lake to enjoy the sunshine and cold water. Camry and I went with the McMinn's while Jeff was at work, it was a lot of fun to relax before the games. Thursday was so cold, we could see our breath and Saturday was a down pour. There were 17 teams in our age division. We took 4th out 17 teams in the pool play and 7th overall. Our team once again looked like babies next to some of the girls. Our team is fairly young, most of our girls are going into 8th grade this coming school year, where a lot of these teams had girls going into 10th.

Camry plays proud and has the dirt and torn up legs to prove it. We a re so proud of her and the dedication and drive she plays with.

We were all very proud of our girl's and the way they played. KEEP IT UP FLASH!!!

YET... LIFE KEEPS GOING - A WORLD IN MOURNING OR ARE WE?

So Michael Jackson died this last Thursday. Will life go on? DEFINATELY! Don't get me wrong, I loved Michael Jackson growing up, and still enjoy his music. Who can ever forget the white glove and red jacket. I remember watching Brandon and his friends breakdancing and doing the moon walk. Who could forget the Pepsi commercial he was filming when his hair caught on fire. He was definately the King of Pop and brought back the meaning of Pop Culture and Dance. Would he make his glorious comeback? Probably, not. But as I thought about this over the weekend, while listening to every radio station play his music and every newspaper and internet site mourned his name, it brought a sick feeling to my stomach. Though this man did a lot for music can we forget what he did with his life. When was the last time we read about his music? 20 years ago? In my mind, he got away with molesting children, spent his money foolishly, not only on on material things, plastic surgery and probably drugs, dyed his skin white, because he was ashamed of his background, donated his dna to produce three children, which he makes them wear veils in public, which by the way where are they?, and claimed to be a victim. I questioned why people cared so much and why did I. I think for me, it is easy to get caught up in the gossip and ways of the world, and after awhile, I thought WHO CARES! He is just another celebrity who didn't take care of himself, and was so wrapped up in his only little world he didn't know what reality was. He hasn't had a single for probably 15 to 20 years and like I said his comeback was never going to happen. For me, I guess I really don't care that he is gone. And, I guess it is a contradiction, that I posted his music, but like I said, I still enjoy his music, but it definately doesn't make me want to mourn the man. If you would like to see a history of his face, go to this link: http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Jackson.html

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Happy Father's Day!

This was a crazy weekend for our family, so Father's Day was kind of overlooked! But I wanted to take a minute and tell all of the Father's in my life how much I love and appreciate them! I have been blessed to have a GREAT DAD! I couldn't be luckier. He has always been there for me and even though we have had our challenges when I was younger, I feel our relationship has grown in so many ways. I know that whenever I need something he would drop everything to help. He is a hard worker, something I truly admire! It doesn't matter the time or the place there is always something to fix and though we tell him to relax, I think that is a form of relaxation for him. Although our trip to Hawaii proved that he does enjoy reading and I even caught him reading this weekend in Bear Lake while we were waiting for Camry's game to begin. I have learned so much from my Dad and I continue to do so! THANK YOU DAD~~! FOR EVERYTHING~! For your love, your laugh, your "Maughan" patience and your support. There aren't to many dad's that would sit in the pooring rain to watch his grand - daughters, but he does. I LOVE YOU!!!

The next Father I need to Thank is Mervin, Jeff's Dad! Merv is a silent Teddy Bear! He has shown me such love and affection since I have joined his family. He always has the best intentions for his family and I know he loves all of them and worries about them. He has always been a hardworker and I know that Jeff has learned a great deal from him. He loves his grandchildren so much. He makes every effort to go to softball, basketball, football, baseball games. He is willing to drop everything to help. Merv has a twinkle in his eye that shows love and happiness. He is a wonderful man and I am grateful that he is part of my life.

The last and probably the most important Father in my life is my husband Jeff! I couldn't have been more lucky to have found him. He has blessed my life in ways that I can not even measure. Jeff shows me so much patience and love! I know I can be a pain and somewhat of a mess at times, but I know he tries so hard to be there for me and love me. He puts up with my shopping craziness, the mainy headaches in my life, my complaining, my forgetfulness etc. Though we have not been unable to have a baby of our own, Jeff is a wonderful Father to Camry. I don't know to many Dad's that would sacrafice so much of his time, and love for his daughter. He constantly worries about her and exercises a lot of patience when she has a Drama Queen moment. He teaches love and kindness and is always being the bigger person. He loves the Youth and his church calling. Many people do not see it, but he has a strong testimony of the gospel and is a great example to me. I know he would do anything for me or for Camry. I am truly one of the luckiest women to have such a wonderful husband.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!!!

June 12 - 13

Twin Falls, Idaho

Summer vacation for the Erickson involves one thing SOFTBALL! I won't complain, though because we enjoy the fun we have with friends and family that come out to support Jeff and Camry. This last tournament was in Twin Falls, ID, which is about 1 hour and 45 minutes away. Our 1st game was at 10am on Friday, so we were up and ready to leave by 7:15am. The team is getting matching logos for the cars of the team, the girls are really excited! For this tournament we only had Camry's and Kali's, but I think the new logo is pretty sharp.

Twin Falls was a tough tournament. We ended up taking 7th out of 11 teams. Not great, but like I said it was a tough tournament. We played teams from Blackfoot, Boise, and Buhl. It rained, imagine that. Janelle went and grabbed the jackets, but she grabbed mine. Jeff was so cold he wore mine, while I snuggled in a blanket! Doesn't he look HOT!!!! Camry played well and we are always proud of her and the effort she puts in.

Since we ended a bit early on Saturday, the McMinn's suggested we check out the Falls in Twin. Although, we got lost (big surprise), we ended up viewing some gorgeous scenery. If you haven't seen the Falls and are in the area, I recommend picnicing there. We got home around 5pm and went and had Chinese and saw "UP" the new 3D pixar movie. It was really cute and had a good message.