Lake Jocassee Family Photographer and Adventures in the Airstream

We always try to fit in one last minute”Dear children, we still love you even though our lives and our business are crazy this time of year” trip before Fall hits in the studio. This year was a little harder because Fall craziness seemed to hit a little earlier than it usually does. We found a few days in early October, loaded up the Airstream, and set out for the upstate to a lake none of us had ever been to before, Lake Jocassee in Devil’s Fork State Park. Y’all, it’s Gorgeous up there!! I had no idea that something like this existed in our state. It reminded me a lot of Tahoe, only on a much smaller scale. It’s definitely going on the short list of Smith Family Favorite Camping Spots.

We started out the trip with our family session for our Christmas card. That’s always ugly. Seriously, it’s the only time that Collin and I fight. You know how family portraits are always stressful for you? Coordinating outfits, picking a location, making sure kids look semi-put together, and making sure you look like you have things a little bit under control {Thanks to Barbi at The Salon for doing my hair that morning and Rhonda at Pretty N’ Bliss for clothes!}? Then put your kids in a car for four hours. Then set up a campsite super quick before you run out of light and said portrait session can’t happen because it’s too late. Then notice that oops you left the remote trigger for the camera at home so your photographer husband will be setting the timer on the camera and running back and forth. NICE. There was not a lot of grace and kind words flowing from any of our mouths that evening. BUT…I love these portraits. I love these people like CRAZY even when they drive me absolutely out of my mind. And Hallelujah, it’s over until 2015.

I’m not even going to tell you the cause for the laughter here. Let’s just say that our daughter can be completely inappropriate and gross.

With the portrait session behind us we were able to enjoy the rest of the trip. Except when we woke up on Friday morning we heard the soft tapping of RAIN on the tin roof of the Airstream. I love that sound, y’all. I had a good book, a pile of pillows and quilts in a comfy bed, a chilly, rainy day, and my husband. That’s perfection. Except I also had a 10 and 8 year old who failed to see the beauty in the situation. We played board games, had mandatory get in your bunk and READ time, ate, and finally the rain stopped. Glory. Truly, it wasn’t that bad, and before we knew it we were in a canoe on the lake. Clara Beth recently broke her wrist and had a cast on, so I was a touch paranoid about the canoe tipping and ruining the cast. It was amazing out there, though! I want to do it again when I feel a little more comfortable about venturing further into the lake.

Saturday was Sky Top orchard day! That was actually supposed to happen on Friday but remember, rain. It was really crowded and the line for apple donuts (which we had promised to the kids) was three hours long. No way. Sorry, little sugars, that’s not gonna happen. We’ll take you to Freeman’s for an apple fritter when we get home. But we did score some apples that we picked from the tree and a jug of real cider. YUM.

Girly couldn’t climb trees because of her cast so Daddy hoisted her up on his soldiers. Her hero. I love that man.

This guy didn’t stay out of the trees.

It’s just so pretty out there!

Doing an apple orchard with an eight and ten year old is way different than doing it with a four and six year old (which was the last time we were there). Gracious they grow fast.

Back at the campsite to head out for fishing.

They fished…kind of. No bites, but it was fun and pretty! And I wasn’t about to clean a fish anyway, so it was a win.

He’s such a dork. I love him to pieces. He makes our family so much more fun.

I couldn’t get over how clear the water was. It was incredible!

And I’m just going to throw it out there because I’m a boy mom and I know how difficult they can be to dress…Tomlinson’s, y’all. He loves this shirt and I love this shirt. And the prices can’t be beat. And, yes, it’s my family’s store but I would still love it even if it wasn’t. Best selection, best prices. And he looks like a BOY in the clothes I get from Tomlinsons. I’m not sure what’s going on in the boy fashion world these days, but it seems like the lines between boy fashion and girl fashion are getting blurred. I’m not okay with that. As Mak says, it’s hard to be a boy in skinny jeans. Amen and Amen. =)

This girl. See, she does understand the beauty of a lazy morning in the camper. We hung out here and read and did art the next morning while the boys went fishing again. Love this little lady!

There was so much coffee. In a tacky, touristy mug. It was lovely.

The cast that is thankfully now off!

Pancakes by Mak!

When other campers leave their sites we raid their leftover firewood. Because we’re cheap like that. Look at my mountain man carrying a still smoldering piece of firewood.

Throw in a few more hikes and canoe trips and that’s the rest of the trip. It was a perfect Fall Break. Now bring on the studio Christmas craziness! We’re ready!