Did someone say snakes!!!!

For the 4th of July we decided to go camping at Lake Roosevelt. Maybe that was my first mistake--camping with a 5 year old, a 18 month old, and a 2 and a half month newborn!!! Call me crazy. So Joel and I, kids, and my parents loaded up our boat and set sail to beach camp for two nights. Joel and my Dad went a little earlier than my Mom and I to set up some tents...the weather was so so so hot. After we were set up some campers from down the beach walked over to us to tell us that they have had a problem with these...

RATTLESNAKES!!!! Okay this is not cool! I am petrified of these things. The funny thing is that about two years ago I read an article from the Ensign about one of the quorum of the seventy who rented a house boat on Roosevelt. A really bad storm hit and they had to beach their boat. Unfortunately the beach that they were forced to stay at was infested with rattlesnakes and he told of the power of faith and prayer, anyways. This story has always been in the back of my mind since Joel and I love to go boating at Roosevelt. I guess the camper had killed two in just that day. The camp around the corner from us actually had one swim across the lake and land straight in their camp! I was dying, especially since Drew and Jenna were running all around the place and our dog Rocky was too. The funny thing is that Rocky usually runs crazy all over the hills and through the forest above us...and he did just once...right when we got to the beach. But after that he stayed in camp with his ears back the rest of the time. Well, my Sister Natalie and her little family came out to meet us for the weekend. We told them of the snake problem and late that night we were sitting around talking when Brandon needed to venture down the beach to go take a whiz...anyways, he was NOT going to take a flashlight and it was the darkest night! I made him take my flashlight (thank goodness) and he was only about 15 yards away when we see him come running back to camp saying "SNAKE!!!" Sure enough there was a 3 foot rattler about 15 yards from where we were...gross!!! I think Brando wet himself and I immediately went to bed--not to get a wink of sleep the whole night!!! Needless to say we left the next day. It was a quick camping trip but one to remember for sure. It is just funny that this is the one time we go camping as a family and run into snakes...yuck!

P.S. Wasn't I the one who said if anyone runs into a snake or gets bit it would be Brandon ( I guess you would have to know him)...and yes he did throw rocks at it so it coiled up and started to rattle it's tail.........SO sick!