Camping!

There was so much excitement in our household leading up to our recent camping trip. I think Macy had been counting down for two weeks straight, and during those last few days, asked me “when are we leaving to go camping?” just about every hour. She could seriously hardly contain herself during that last 24 hours, and wanted me to tell everyone we saw that morning that we were leaving to go camping…her swim instructor, her friends in her class, and even our favorite barista knew that “we are going camping!”

Aaah….the joys of being a child….excitement over the change in routine, the adventure of the open road, and the anticipation of all of the fun to be had once we got there! But as a parent, it’s somehow no longer quite that simple. Sure, you’re definitely ready for a “getaway” and excited to spend time as a family, but the thoughts that go through your mind as a parent are a tad different…..all you’re thinking is – “Did I get all the groceries?... Do I have enough diapers?... Do I have enough wipes?... Do I have enough caffeine packed in the cooler?... Do I have enough snack packs to throw into the backseat over a 2.5 hour period?... Did we really just spend $200 on gas???”

But, once we finally hit the road….and left the rain behind (for awhile anyways)….the excitement set in for mom and dad too. We were all excited that Aunt Tina was joining us too, and the girls were so excited to have her in the car with us. When we got there, it was a wonderful 91 degrees – and we all jumped out and quickly set up camp and made plans to head down to the beach ASAP! But after about 2 hours of playing & getting all settled in, we started to notice the dark skies to the southwest….and before we knew it, it was a torrential downpour, and we were all diving into the tent for cover! But with snacks and drinks in hand, we actually had a very fun picnic inside the tent, and listened to the storm all around us. Listening to the rain, and knowing that you’re dry & warm, is a fun adventure in itself!

And that was definitely the theme of our trip – crazy weather. It was 91 degrees, then the wind was blowing like crazy, then no wind and calm, then crazy wind & rain, then calm again. It was all over the place! But we managed to have fun no matter what – playing baseball, soccer, riding bikes/scooters around the loop, floating in the raft and with the inflatable duck – and Morgan’s favorite – jumping on the inflatable mattress in the tent! The only thing that finally stopped her was a face plant onto the tent floor. Poor pumpkin. But as you can guess, she made a quick recovery and quickly made her way out of the tent to find something else to play with.


We finally put the boat in the second day, after we spotted some smooth water to the north. Gregg, Tina and I were all able to wakeboard, despite a little rough water, but as Tina was boarding, we started to notice some very ominous looking clouds behind her. Once she was done, we quickly loaded things in the boat and decided that we’d better start heading back to the launch area, and the water became increasingly rough. A VERY large patch of dark clouds was heading over us, and once you start seeing white caps on the river, it’s definitely time to head in. This was a picture I took of the sky, which really doesn't do it justice:

It got SO rough at one point, that Macy actually broke into tears and no longer wanted to help Daddy drive the boat – it was “way too rough!” But she made a quick recovery, and a few prayers were said as we attempted to get the boat back on to the trailer in near hurricane conditions. However, we made it back to the campsite safe and sound, and wouldn't you know it - this is what it looked like an hour later:

But all said & done, we had a great time. The girls had so much running around the campsite, making 100+ trips to the bathrooms, walking up & down the path in the sand and playing on the beach - and we all enjoyed breaking up the daily routine & getting away on a little adventure! Thank you for going with us Aunt Tina - we had so much fun!