a needed kind of happy

this weekend mariah, erin, and i went camping. yes, it was a needed kind of "happy for my soul." we went to starved rock state park near utica, il. it was lovely. a midwest version of "the great outdoors" (which i'm discovering means more manicured trails/"hiking" paths than i'd like but i take what i can get :)). we collected some treasures along the way--mostly handfulls of acorns :) !!! we had fires and ate hobo dinners and made smores. we snuggled up on cold nights to keep warm and enjoyed crisp mornings (ok, this sounds like we were gone for a long time...two nights is all. haha. mariah and i on friday and erin joined saturday. but it was still wonderful). it rained and even that was wonderful because we could listen to it splatter on the tent and shake down off the trees. aaah, i'm telling you, it was just what we needed. we had good conversation and laughed a lot. we explored the park and explored the (sorta strange) little town. it was good to get away for a bit. this world is big and wide for adventuring and exploring. i want to do it. a lot.

also...everything smells like campfire. i love it.








and these. well, these were taken for Jake...