This weekend we went camping. And I can tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed the entire weekend. Even the 12 hours of rain. Our boxer Maggie got more than enough exercise to keep her happy. She made a huge game of knocking her ball down the steep banks, into the lake and racing back up. Her tongue was hanging out of her mouth so far I thought that she would step on it. The pug....well camping is not her thing. In fact the only reason she comes is for the hot dogs.
Delaney loved camping. She was super excited that she was able to sleep in her princess tent. It was a big event for her to set it up. It started out just right outside our tent door and she was determined to sleep in it. By bedtime, she still wanted to sleep in her tent but we had to move the tent inside our tent. In reality she lasted five minutes in her tent but she loved every minute of them. She spent the rest of the weekend hogging my sleep mat and sleeping bag. She loved not having to wash her hair. Building sand cakes. And playing in the playground. She also loved the option of having hot dogs for every meal.
My husband liked the fact that there was no set agenda. He was surprised at how well he slept.
I, on the other hand did not sleep well at all. A single sleeping mat and bag is not designed for a three year old, two dogs and a tired mama. Each time I noticed Chris sleeping peacefully I wanted to poke him in the eye. The first night was so cold that our boxer woke me up with her chattering teeth. When you can see your breath in the tent in the morning...It is chilly. I was so thankful that I could sit in the CRV with the heater on high and the heated seats on. Maggie enjoyed it also. By the time Chris and Delaney woke up the sun was shining and it was much warmer.
As we walked around the campsite I really questioned whyy people camp with RVs. The number of satellite dishes astounded me. Few people we out enjoying the sunshine. They were in their trailers with the tv on and the air conditioning running. I couldn't understand the point of packing up things to go and sit in the trailer. Why not just save money on fuel and watch tv at home? I questioned this reasoning behind this until approximately 8:30pm...when it started to pour. And it continued to pour until 8:30am. LOL. There was a part of me that was wishing that we had a cozy trailer to crawl into. I was happy that I got to crawl into bed extra early. I was grateful for the tarp we had put up above our tent. Only one corner of our tent filled with water. And the area that flooded did not contain my pillow. LOL.
I am very grateful that we were able to spend this weekend together. Quiet, early mornings, sunrises, campfires and sunsets....all of these things make me smile. Watching my loved ones laugh and play made the weekend worthwhile. Being able to take Delaney on her first ever camping trip created a memory for a lifetime. Maybe not for her but for Chris and I.
What did you create this weekend? What did you try for the first time? How will you stretch and grow yourself this week?
Lead Life Joyfully
Much Love,
Lisa
Who doesn't like the option to have hot dogs for every meal? :) While I'm in complete agreement with you about the cost effectiveness of staying home if you want to watch tv, when I camp, I bring an air mattress. I want to enjoy nature but I want to Sleep at night. :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband, who has never been a camper but who quickly realized he was going to have to become one if we were going to get married, and I are talking about getting a small camper. Not a huge RV but also not a pop-up. While I love camping and we have a sweet tent that always includes an air mattress, my increasing arthritis makes a camper sound more appealing. That's about all I want it for, though. I love cooking over the fire pit and everything else that goes with camping. (a camper would mean our doggies could come with us...our lab escapes the tent in the night and wanders the campground making new friends *sigh*)
ReplyDeleteI can tell you Ladies that I like to sleep at night as well. And I was totally envious of the RV's when it was pouring for that long straight. At this point in our lives I don't think we will get an RV soon. We don't use it enough to even begin to make it worthwhile. Having it in storage so we could use it once a summer just doesn't work for my budget lol. Thank you for commenting on my blog! Have a beautiful day!
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