Daddy-Daughter Time

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A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to hang out with Trinity for a couple of days. It was a really nice chance to just be with her in a relaxed environment. Many of you know that I am involved with Young Life here in Baker City, an organization that brings Christ to kids outside of a formal church environment. I love working with high school kids, so it's a good fit for me. Well, the committee that oversees the Baker City Young Life decided to surprise all the volunteer leaders with a couple of days in a cabin on Wallowa Lake. All we had to do was show up, everything else was taken care of. Sweet! So Trinity and I hitched a ride with some other folks and were on our way!


New York Richie's for lunch!


When we arrived it was a about time for Trinity's nap, so we got settled into our room and Trinity laid down for a little bit. Everyone else went for a walk, leaving me all alone...oh darn! I'm not saying that I don't want to be around people, but it sure was nice to read in a big quiet house! Mission accomplished!


Well, to tell you the truth, the nap wasn't in the cards and Trinity ended up getting up after an hour of "quiet time" and so we were off! The lodge we stayed at had a huge tree house that had three floors! Good stuff!


These pictures do no justice, as the first floor is about 10 feet off the ground and then there are two more ladders to go up if the first floor isn't high enough!


Child-safe? Ha!


Friendly guardian beaver!


Yeah, it was a little stressful...not. We spent most of the day just chatting and goofing around. Oh yeah, we ate a lot too!


By the way, if you fall asleep early...


...you might end up in the middle of a group photo without even knowing it!


I was up around 5, thinking that I would go for a run. We were in one of the most beautiful places on earth, with some great trails. How could I resist? Well, a drenching rain outside and a hot pot of coffee inside convinced me that the trails could wait...so they did. Trinity was up an hour later, where we set her up with crayons, juice and a muffin. Everything a little girl needs!


The rest of the morning was stressful...


Pure torture really/


Well, Kristian and Greg did torture Chato. Chato is (in his own words) violently ticklish. It took two to hold him down while his mother-in-law tickled him. Good times!


More treehouse fun! Yeah, it was tall.


Lacey, Katrina and Trinity just sitting, er, standing around!


The one thing we had to do was throw rocks in the lake. It's an unwritten written law in our house that if you are near water, you have to throw at least one rock into it. Mission accomplished!


I have to say that it was super fun to hang out with my daughter for a couple of days while people showered love on both of us. It's an experience that money simply can't buy. It reinforced my belief that it really takes a village to raise a child. In this case Trinity and I were both cared for by the village. Thank you.

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