One thing I am quite certain of is that Camp St. Charles is very near and dear to this family's heart.  So dear, in fact, that Laura has a tattoo of the camp logo that she had done along with two other camp staffers.

Laura was a counselor as a young adult.  She taught horseback riding and environmental education and was on the leadership committee until 2001 when she became director. In the summer of 1999 she met John, a fellow counselor and riflery teacher, and I guess you can say the rest is history.  They had their wedding there in August of 2000, her children have only ever spent their summers at camp with her youngest, Owen, coming home from the hospital and heading out to camp with her, and her daughter, Melanie, lost her first tooth on the dock.  To say that camp is "special" is a huge understatement, which is why when she said she would like to have their portraits done at camp, I wasn't surprised.  

This would be my second trip out to camp and both times it was very peaceful, maybe not so much when there's a hundred campers running around, but there really is something to be said about getting away from cellphone service and just sitting on the rocks watching the water roll by.  Well, it would have been nice to sit on the rocks, but the snake was there first.

This reminds me so much of myself and my daughter.  I love those moments when I can just BE with Emma, as I'm sure every mom does.  

What really cracks me up about this next picture is how the process of getting to this point makes most people feel silly, and John was sure to point that out by saying, "Yes, we normally are sitting with each other staring at the other's shoulder."  BUT, check out the great smiles and hint of laughter in the result.  It's the silliness of it that makes it work.