Enjoying Summer

We did something wild and crazy, something we haven't done in over 10 years....we went CAMPING! Neither of us have been camping since we were in YW and YM so we figured it was time. Chase got this little beauty and we headed to Alum Creek with our friends Molly and James!

We had a lot of fun (of course I didn't take enough pictures) but decided that this trip was our trial run for the many more times we plan to go. When you haven't camped for so long, you tend to forget some important and rather obvious things...

Things to Remember for Next Time:

WATCH YOUR STEP! We discovered that you can't just follow any trail willy nilly and not worry about poison ivy! On our way back from the lake, we were warned to be careful! I think we all escaped unscathed though.

PLAN AHEAD! I learned that it's important to make the bed and get everything ready before putting the sleeping baby in the tent! Mason did really well and slept great except for when we woke him up when we went to bed.

S'MORES ARE AWESOME!! We didn't forget this part, I'm just saying.

BRING COTTON! When you take your timid, spoiled dog, cotton would be nice to try to block out some of the sounds so he can sleep. It's hard work being on guard all night. My favorite was when he climbed on Chase to peek out the window!

CLEAN UP BEFORE BED! In the middle of the night, I heard animals playing with some pop cans and other random noisy things.

HIDE THE FOOD! We thought we had everything stored safely in the car but we were wrong. I considered double checking but thought it was pointless -- no animals would come around with so many people so close together -- WRONG! We were all awakened to the sound of the lid to the cooler falling to the ground, so Chase and James got up to put them away and clean up the trash. Then it's time for breakfast and we decided to do something easy, remember we were just learning. We were waiting for James and Molly to pull the bagels out and they were waiting for us. No bagels! After checking everywhere, we assumed that they had accidentally been thrown away. Then a mysterious grocery bag was spotted in the bushes. After further inspection, there were bread remains in it! Some lucky raccoons had 8 hot dog buns and a bag of bagels. Luckily for us, we weren't too far from town and we went to McDonald's otherwise we would have had hot dog buns and cream cheese!

LOOK UP! I learned to be aware of where I put my chair. I was sitting there minding my own business when I felt something fall on me. I looked up to see that I was under a bird's nest and that little stinker was peeking over the edge to see who it hit! Thanks for that, birdie, as well as waking me up too early with your singing.

Can't wait till next time!