Unexpected magic

As an adult, there are very few times that we happen on to something so unexpected that even we can't help but to feel the magic in the air too...

What started as a fun last minute camping trip with the kids for one last summer hoorah before my step son had to come home... The morning started off with breakfast... or as my husband likes to call the eggs "floaters" (as in floating in bacon grease lol) Of course we were thinking of our chickens even when we were away, thanks to the eggs we brought with us! ha!

The day was lazy, and unplanned... and wonderful!! There is just something wonderful about camping... no phones or tvs or expectations...I love the simplicity of the day we spent in that camp spot. Hubby and I sat watching the fire a good portion of the day, while the kids spent time playing with the new marble sets they had gotten and coloring and playing card games in the tent...

While the boys went fishing, I thought it would be fun to pull out some twine and start looking for sticks so I could start working on a little ladder that I needed for our fairy garden.... and the rest of the day took on a life of its own from there! The girls would come to me with a handful of sticks and tell me where they needed me to tie the hemp. Their little creations were just adorable and inspiring!! J made hers look like a teepee and quickly found a spot in the camp spot to set up camp for the fairies (we made some of those out of sticks and leaves too!) R's was a little harder and proved to not be as stable but boy did it get a lot of playtime anyways!! :)

After spending the entire afternoon in the camp spot, it  led to a walk with the dogs around the campground when we happened on to a bridge that led us away from the hustle and bustle of other campers...

even at the time, I thought there was something magical about that bridge...

and was amazed by the beauty of the trees on the other side. I just kept thinking that it felt as if we were walking into a fairytale... I could just picture Little Red Ridinghood jumping out across our path, or us stumbling upon a little cottage of dwarves in the trees... little did I know...

... that forest magic was in store for us too!! We were walking along the path and trying to capture the amazing trees when dh pointed out a bunch of cool looking downed trees in the wood that would be good for picture taking... We had no sooner stepped into the wooded area when we all saw this view of what looked to be art work in a tree...

I remember thinking that this had to be a set up, this couldn't really be happening to us... to find a FAIRY HOUSE in the wood by chance!? What are the odds of this!!! ? And then right next to it we found another creation...

and then to the next tree on the left....

...At this point, I think we all scattered... hopping over fallen trees, creeping around these forest giants... finding fairy creations at every turn!!

If there really were fairies in the area, the squeels that came from us were sure to scare them off for sure! lol The chatter that followed was just contagious and I must admit that I found the entire experience to be quite magic and totally unexpected... the chance of a lifetime!! I find myself remembering that feeling of happening on to those creations, and wonder who exactly put them there, fairy or human... either way it doesn't really matter... I just wish I could tell them thank you... that was a moment that my girls and I will remember for a lifetime....

So the next morning, we all decided to add to the wonder for the next person that happens to stumble onto them...

... and just watching them, father and daughter building this structure for the fairies held a bit of magic to it too. He tries to be such a tough guy sometimes but you could tell that he was enjoying the magic of it all too. The wonder in the girls' eyes was priceless!

When it was time to leave the magic behind, I felt like we should tip toe... like if we were quiet enough we might just see the fairies fluttering back to their buildings, to inspect the one we left or to peak out around the trees at us... I half expected to hear tiny little voices laughing thru the woods... I found myself walking away backwards... afraid to miss one more touch of unexpected magic...