Camping

So camping season has officially begun and many of you know and are quite shocked that I enjoy camping. We will be taking our first trip in the next few weeks. (Call me if you wanna join us) Camping was a big part of our summers when I was a kid. Some of my best memories growing up were of camping trips. There are certain foods we'd make only on camping trips. My Daddy would always win the pancake contest with his fluffy buttermilk concoctions. And of course who can forget nights around the campfire? Tromping out into the woods to find the perfect wooden skewer and sharpening it so you could blacken the perfect hot dog. I love that smell! I am quite the s'mores aficionado by the way and I have an old pie iron I inherited from my folks, I can whip up a mean cherry pie with some slices of bread and some butter and some canned cherries.

We were hard core tent campers back then. Now that we live in the south and the weather is not quite as predictable as it is in California we have resorted to "sissie" camping. I say that negatively but in all honesty I love my 23' expandable trailer. It's the playhouse I never got as a little girl. I have decorated it and outfitted it with matching dishes, silverware, sheets and towels. We just grab our clothes, load up the fridge (that's right no leaky, muddy coolers) and hit the road. What is it about eating outdoors? The food is almost yummier. I don't have to worry about anybody spilling something on the carpet or knocking something off the wall. Outside is our boys natural habitat. Our favorite thing to do is to head out for an early morning hike to build up an appetite and then come back to camp for a hot breakfast of biscuits and gravy.......mmmmmm.

This year we plan on doing a little rafting and rock climbing. The boys have all conquered the rock wall at the mall a few times and are anxious to try out the real thing. It's been a few years since I strapped on a harness but I am pretty excited about tearing up my hands on a few local spots I've heard about. I don't think the kids are quite ready for the class III and IV rapids on the Ocoee but maybe we can find something a little more tame to test them out on.

I am so stoked to make some fun memories with my kids this summer. If you've never tried camping or have and it was a disaster you need to tag along with some pros like us. We'd love to show you the ropes.

I think the thing I love most about camping is that it takes us away from all the daily distractions. TV, telephones, computers and forces you to really TALK to each other. You'd be amazed at how close you've become when you return from a weekend away.