This past weekend, the family on my mom's side got together for a summertime tradition. For more than 10 years, we've celebrated Christmas with a summer camp out.  The locations have varied over the years, but most recently we've gathered in the cabins at the Weigand Campground in Nebraska.  It's a beautiful area with lots of trees and Lewis & Clark Lake nearby. There were a couple of camp-outs I missed over the years because of work, but for the most part, we all make a tremendous effort to get there.  I have one cousin who, with his wife, drives about 14 hours to get to the camp-out on a Friday, only to make the long trip to Texas again on Sunday.  This year, only 9 of us were missing. As you can see from the picture, there were still a lot of us who made the trip.

As I get older, I realize how neat it is that we all still consider family so important that we make an effort to get together.  Now, most of my cousins have babies of their own, so it's a chance for the next generation of cousins to get to know each other and play all weekend long.  For those of us who are now adults, it's a chance to reconnect and find out where our jobs and personal lives have taken us. It's a weekend filled with lots of laughs, lots of memories and lots of food. But when it's over, I think we all feel as determined as ever to make it back for next year's celebration.

On a side note, I just want to thank everyone for their words of comfort since my last post about my dog Griffin. Reading your comments has made this difficult week a little easier.