Spring Showers

They always say "Spring showers bring May flowers....." well what about snow in June? What a surprise when we woke up to a winter wonder land. So much for the happy 80degree weather..... I think I’ll pull out the snowmobile instead!!!

This is a picture of the ranch i snapped yesterday. Summer was around the corner.

Here is this mornings suprise

A family Affair

Throughout the last four months getting the campground into shape, i failed to keep up on the blog. Thanks goodness my Aunt Margret is as obsessed with blogging as i am. She is really the most incredible person you'll meet. I copied her entry for you to enjoy.

BIG MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND........WHAT'S IN A NAME?

On Saturday, May 7, 2011

 brothers Brandon and Michael Kay

grandsons of owners

Jim and Carolyn Ockey

   and the new managers of  

BIG MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND

called for the annual family campground clean up.......

They are HARD workers

and were

able to get their Aunt Melanie

to work her butt off....

Wait, she already did that....

working at home....

I try not to hate her cause she's cute and skinny.....

Michael explaining to us how to strip the paint so that the

fence can be repainted....or... maybe this is where he

was wondering "What have I gotten myself into?"

 Morgan....our 9 year old chauffeur

(you can barely see him on the left)

transfers those who are too lazy exhausted from

all the hard work from one end of the campground to the other.

(I would have been on the cart, but someone had to take the picture)

 Melanie helping me clean a cabin. It looks like

Melanie was the only one working.........

my muscles said otherwise.

and.....someone had to take the picture....

Each cabin comes with a double bed and a bunk bed

maid service included.....but not by me.

Next up, repainting all the hook up sites...

all

239,394,288 of them

maybe a slight exaggeration,

 but it certainly seemed like that many!

My fabulous, wonderful, can....and does...out work everyone

76 year old mother.....

known by all the grandkids as

Grandma Great....

and she lives up to that name....

She is incredibly amazing, and we love her,

and her example of work, dedication and love.

God kept the mold after he made her....

He knew he could never improve 

 that model of perfection.

Our family......(a few of us anyway)

Lauralee, Kevin, Dad, Me, Brandon, Jamie, Mom, Karen, Larry

Melanie missed the "I'm SOOOO exhausted" photo op.

Raise your hand if you want to do this again tomorrow.....

Jamie always was a little slow......

The good thing about a cleaning day....

no one cares if your clothes match or not....

look at that dimwitted fashionista 4th from the left.....

I mean, DON'T look at that dimwitted fashionista 4th from the left...

The award for getting the most paint

 "not" on the object being painted

goes to......(insert drum roll here)....................

Laura

She "sacrificed" her dollar store pants for this project.

Now that's dedication....and

$5.00 she'll never see again......

As soon as the grass is back in, the campground

will almost be back to its former glory...

The previous managers.......

 (who were not family)

 thought gravel would look good  here....

Ummmm.......not so much

For your camping enjoyment.....6 cabins are available....

(look how CLEAN they are!)

This is your view on one side .....

and this is Mt. Nebo

the view on your other side

The trees still show their battle scars from the fire that

destroyed some of the campground in 2007.

Though the name has been changed over the past 40 years...

Ranch Kamp, KOA, Camperworld, and finally

 Big Mountain....

one thing has remained constant

The OCKEY'S

who will be

 FAMILY FOREVER

and

campground connoisseurs...

as lo

This is what it's all about!!!

Sometimes you forget what really matters most in your life. For me it lies in my family. Life comes so fast and is always prowling like a shadow to follow my every move. Getting caught up in its enchanting yet exhausting grasp is something that always seems to happen to me.  But today I felt rejuvenated and free. The annual spring clean in the campground took place. The day started at 7 am. I woke up brushed my teeth, took a cheap shower, and headed out the door. At 9 the family started to show up. I have been very blessed to have such great and inspiring family members. With open hands and hearts they came from across the state to lend a helping hand. There was a ton of work that seemed to be quit overwhelming, but as the day rolled on things started to finally to come together. I stopped to look around the campground and saw all of the people I love and care about devoting their time and efforts to this great place. Lucky for me i was born into a circle of many relatives. They were scattered throughout painting, mowing, chopping, and cleaning. It hit me then, this is what it's all about....this is what life is meant to be... this is family.

BiG SHoEs!!!

So here we are.... 20 days and a few hrs. away from opening!!! Time has flown by faster than fast itself. There’s always something to keep our heart rates up, raking leaves, mowing, fertilizing, cleaning, cleaning, and some more cleaning. We are so excited for this year to start. Grandma and Grandpa just can't seem to let themselves go from this place. Every day like clockwork here they come ready to help us out. The place has been through a lot of changes over the years, and with their special touches it is starting to feel like its back to the old campground. When I walked into the lower restrooms today it took me back to the earlier days. The smell seems to get me the most. Fresh, inviting, and clean. That's the way grandma always has it. It really does take ya back to when life was nothing more than simple times. The more I look around the more I realize how much sweat, blood, and tears those two put into this place over the many years. We defiantly have big shoes to fill!!!