When Meric and I first moved to Glendale Campground we thought it would be for only 3 months. Our intention was to move to the Army campground closer to Fort Knox so that Meric wouldn't have such a long commute. Now 3 YEARS later we find moving away from Glendale Campground to be our hardest move yet.
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| Our Glendale home |
Glendale Campground is owned by Lynne and Mike Smith and is truly a family ran campground with the help of their daughters Jessica, Hannah and Emma. Where Meric and I are "full-timers" most of the campers at Glendale are "seasonals" and come on the weekends throughout the April-October season. There are also campers that like to come every year on certain holiday weekends. Between the Smiths, the seasonals and the recurrent campers Glendale Campground is full of some of the best people you could ever hope to meet. The Smiths are the most genuine people I have had the privilege to know. They sincerely want everyone to have a good time and go above and beyond to help whenever they can. It is not hard to see why they attract people of the same quality.
The Smiths and campers became our family.
We spent holidays together.
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| Fireworks over Glendale |
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| Skydiver coming in for a landing |
They all watched over me and helped me while Meric was deployed. Mike spent days helping me figure out some electrical issues I had while Meric was gone.
I learned to swim in the Glendale Campground swimming pool. I helped plant the flowers that surround. the pool. I even got to help paint the pool one year.
In the off season we would go shooting together. I went skeet shooting for the first time with the campers and used Dave's gun. (Dave was with Meric when he bought me the same kind of gun for my birthday.)
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| Meric and Jessica loading ammo |
I painted Emma's nails for her first day a school 3 years in a row. Emma and Kyla spent so much time with us and the dogs I was often asked about my 2 blonde daughters.
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| Emma, Mel and Kyla |
They were among the first to know about my pregnancy and my first night home from the hospital was spent at the Smith's house. Lynne was Mel's first babysitter.
Meric and the guys would go to breakfast every Saturday morning during the season. We had game nights, parties and countless nights around the fire. I stole Dave's fire poker whenever we would do a fire during the week so often that he gave it to me as a going away present. (We didn't need to do a fire on the weekends because we would just use Dave's.)
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| Mike holding Mel her 1st night home from the hospital |
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| Emma and Hannah with Mel |
Meric and the guys would go to breakfast every Saturday morning during the season. We had game nights, parties and countless nights around the fire. I stole Dave's fire poker whenever we would do a fire during the week so often that he gave it to me as a going away present. (We didn't need to do a fire on the weekends because we would just use Dave's.)
At our going away party the Smiths presented us with the hand print flag the campers made on the 4th of July. They made it for us.
We have been through a lot at Glendale Campground and have so many wonderful memories. They aren't just our friends, they are our family. Moving away has been so hard but it is good that it is hard. It means that we have formed deep bonds that will last for a long time.
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