Making memories with less….is always more
Memories from when my kids were little still stick with me sharp, funny, sacred.
We didn’t need theme parks or fancy gear.
We had imagination, a busted lawn mower, and zero sense of self-preservation. That lawnmower had the governor ripped off, we also had a borrowed golf cart with no brakes, and a dirt road that dared us to go faster.
My kids called it Redneck Mario Kart and once we hit that hill (a little hill but still a hill) , it was on.
Bugs in our teeth. Tires going bald. No stopping even when we probably should have.
We’d barrel down like we had nothing to lose and everything to laugh about.
It was messy. It was wild. It was 100% unforgettable.
That was our kind of adventure.
No manuals. No helmet. Just creativity, courage, and a full send into the next bend.
Vacations weren’t always in the budget- okay, they rarely were.
But instead of boarding passes, we collected aluminum cans so we could send the kids to 4-H camp most years.
That in itself was an adventure sticky bags of soda cans, trips to the scrap yard,
cheering every dollar, we earned like we’d won the lottery. We made hard times look easy.
Becoming Grandma? That Was Camp Jamma Time.
When I became a grandmother, I kept that spirit alive.
We didn’t go to Disney. We went to Camp Jamma- right in the backyard.
Camp Jamma was a vibe. We built campfires in the fire pit. Roasted marshmallows until they caught flame (and ate them anyway). Read books like Put Me in the Zoo . We made zoo animals out of paper plates-paint, glue, googly eyes, the whole nine yards.
And the next day, we’d actually go to the zoo.
We’d take pictures, eat ice cream, and pretend we were on safari sticky-fingered and wide-eyed. It wasn’t fancy. But it was fun.
And my grandbabies didn’t care that it wasn’t a resort.
They just cared that we were together.
Looking back now, I realize-
We didn’t just invent fun. We invented legacy.
Skinned knees and belly laughs.
Camp Jamma and before that it was aluminum cans. Bugs in your teeth and no brakes on the hill.
The kind of memories that don’t cost much but live forever.
Some of life’s best lessons are learned when you keep going, with a blown tire and a peanut butter sandwich in your hand.
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” - Isaiah 30:21
God doesn’t always lead us to luxury. Sometimes He leads us to the lawnmower path, to the paper plate zoo,
to a backyard fire that becomes a holy place.
Adventure isn’t about arrival. It’s about showing up. So keep rolling.
Even if you swallow a bug.
If you liked this, you can read more about these adventures in my upcoming book! stay tuned!