Camping

I'm not a camper. Sure I went camping with my youth group and went to camp and all, but I didn't go "camping" with my family. We certainly traveled...all over the world (literally). It seemed like we were always taking trips in the summer. Long, road trips, with a few other families. I remember driving out to Oregon and visiting Yellowstone on the way back. Florida was another big trip, spending time in Opryland on the way. There were numerous trips to Chicago and Texas with plenty of stops on the way. Then there were always our trips overseas. As a child/young adult I went to India four times with my family. There were always stops in exotic places, like London, Japan, and Malaysia. There was always hope that we would get a complimentary stay at some four star hotel on the way, and there usually was. Camping we did not do though. My parents like to fish so there were some cabin trips, but that was about as rustic as it got.


A few years after Brian and I were married he started requesting some camping gear. A nice tent , a very nice sleeping bag, and a fancy hiking back pack were purchased from L.L. Bean. He went up North one year when I was pregnant with Katie and used the tent and all the gear. Every year he takes a winter trip with some of his friends and the sleeping bag and pack get used. Last year Brian said "why don't we ever go camping?" "We have this really nice tent and I've used it once in all these years." The quest for camping trips begun. The first one last year was on our front porch with Brian and the kids. Then on two different occasions we went to two different State parks. The kids love to camp! Brian seems to really enjoy it. Me, I would much rather go to a Hotel. I love the outdoors and the hiking, but I really like my warm bed and my hot shower. This is the sacrifice I make as a Mother. I know that we are making wonderful memories with the kids. I don't want them to look back on those camping memories without me, because I was a stick in the mud. Besides, I don't do much besides pack a few things for the kids. Brian does all the hard work...the cooking, the cleaning, and the setting up of our site.


This past weekend we went to one of the park's that we went to last year. Brian had reserved a really nice spot for us. The weather was not very cooperative though. It was sunny, but the wind was very cool. He made a wonderfully, warm fire, and grilled brats for us. I roasted marshmallows and we had s'mores for dessert. We took a short hike and headed back to our site. It was time for bed. We cozied up in our sleeping bags and I brought along a few quilts. We had many layers of clothing on included hats! We all brought books and read for awhile. In the middle of the night we realized that the air mattress had a leak in it and we were basically on the ground. A chilly morning arrived and Brian made eggs, hash browns and sausages. I was served in bed. Then we cleaned up and headed for home. These little camping trips are not what I consider vacations...but adventures. My favorite things about camping are the campfires and the s'mores. On the way home I asked Brian so when are we going again? He smiled at me and said let's take a look at the calendar.

Doesn't he look like Brian in this photo?