Higher Ground

For the past 5 years, our family has attended the Higher Ground Music Festival.  We camp from Thursday evening until Sunday morning.  It is probably the highlight of the kids summer.  This year the the kids were excited to see Elizabeth Hunnicutt, Go Fish, Kutless, Matthew West, Jeremy Camp and Mercy Me.  Each year brings about its own challenges and stresses and each year we choose to go back, because like so many things in our lives, the positives out-way the negatives. 

The Negatives:
Pumpkin was a bit cranky.  She wanted me for most of the weekend and would scream when she was frustrated.  I suppose I would probably do the same if I was two years old and couldn't talk very well yet.

The mosquitoes came out in full force Friday night.  I did apply bug spray to the kids, but poor little Sweet Pea was eaten up.  Her forehead began to swell, almost immediately.

It did rain the last night, not for very long, but enough to have us take cover.

I did pack rain gear (for the first time ever), but left it in the van.

Due to the rain, the kids woke up in wet sleeping bags, two of which I had to wring out by hand.

Sometime during the night, Honey Bunches threw up and didn't come to tell us.  As a result, Sweet Potato rolled in it as he was waking up.

My brother-in-law was loading up his fish house (he and my sister use it as a camper) and a cable snapped, striking him in the head and sending him to the hospital.  He wound up having surgery to repair the injury.  He is recovering well.

The Positives:
Preparing for our trip was a bit easier this year, due to the invitation from Silly and her husband to stay with them in their camper.  They also set up their tent for all the kids.  So we basically were responsible for packing for each child and preparing one meal for the group.


The weather was beautiful - a little hot, but very bearable.

We were with wonderful and fun people - Silly and her family, my sister and her husband, and two families from church.

The music.

The campfire.


Playing games.


Good food.

Fun conversations.

Measure of Success:
The kids didn't want to go home.

Sweet Pea keeps asking when are we going camping again. 

A couple of times when I asked the little ones to put their dirty clothes in the hamper, they start going outside because they think I'm saying camper.  We don't even own a camper.

Monkey Toes and I agree that each year it gets a little easier, as the kids are growing up and becoming more independent.

Reminiscing about the weekend has dominated all conversation in our household.

Cucumber gave me a hug and kiss this morning and said, "thank you mom for taking me to Higher Ground.  I love you."