the smell of a campfire... the crisp sound of a tent zipper... the quiet babble of the nearby river... squeals of ecstatic delight from neighboring campsites... hot dogs and smores permeating the cool night air...
Some of my greatest memories of when I was a little girl were from the magical summer nights when our entire family was enjoying the anticipated annual camping trip. We would run throughout the campsites, dodging tents and firewood (while parents tried in vain to keep track of all the cousins' sticky fingers and mischievous smiles), planning for the evening of marshmallow roasting and games. Finally we would be tucked in, exhausted from the day's important activities, and fall fast asleep under the dreamy stars.
Little did I know of the immensity of planning such a memorable vacation! Apparently it is extremely easy to take the brilliant, well-orchestrated planning of moms and dads for granted.
In a last minute decision of spontaneity we decided to take advantage of our final weekend off by camping in eastern Minnesota. Thankfully, Kalan had a kindhearted coworker named Bob who hooked us up with some outdoor camping necessities... a small tent, two chairs, two sleeping bags, and a cooler.
Before I continue, I must take a brief timeout to expound upon this kindhearted coworker. One sentence is all that is necessary, actually one word. Talladaga. Joe and his wife went to Talladega for their honeymoon. Yes, Nascar was the event of choice for these newlyweds and Talledaga was the exotic location.
Now I will continue with the rest of this riveting narrative that I briefly interrupted with the amusing details of Bob's pastimes.
So Kalan and I set out in search of a state park that rendered itself worthy of spending one night. We ended up finding a neat park right on a river that was a stones throw away from Wisconsin. After we picked out a picturesque campsite we decided to set up camp. We took out the mangled looking tent and couldn't stop laughing as we stared at the heap on the ground. I'm ashamed to say that I've never actually put a tent up entirely myself. All growing up I've had the expertise and knowledge of my Dad and brothers, not to mention willing uncles and cousins.
I looked at Kalan and all I could say was, "I refuse to be one of those girls who can't figure out how to put up a tent." We kicked into gear.
Within minutes we had our humble campsite set up. We were ready for a relaxing day of reading, hiking, and enjoying the outdoors! By the end of the night we were sitting by our fire, in a full fledged battle with the mosquitoes, enjoying a warm drink with the slight sounds of crickets in the background.
Some of my greatest memories of when I was a little girl were from the magical summer nights when our entire family was enjoying the anticipated annual camping trip. We would run throughout the campsites, dodging tents and firewood (while parents tried in vain to keep track of all the cousins' sticky fingers and mischievous smiles), planning for the evening of marshmallow roasting and games. Finally we would be tucked in, exhausted from the day's important activities, and fall fast asleep under the dreamy stars.
Little did I know of the immensity of planning such a memorable vacation! Apparently it is extremely easy to take the brilliant, well-orchestrated planning of moms and dads for granted.
In a last minute decision of spontaneity we decided to take advantage of our final weekend off by camping in eastern Minnesota. Thankfully, Kalan had a kindhearted coworker named Bob who hooked us up with some outdoor camping necessities... a small tent, two chairs, two sleeping bags, and a cooler.
Before I continue, I must take a brief timeout to expound upon this kindhearted coworker. One sentence is all that is necessary, actually one word. Talladaga. Joe and his wife went to Talladega for their honeymoon. Yes, Nascar was the event of choice for these newlyweds and Talledaga was the exotic location.
Now I will continue with the rest of this riveting narrative that I briefly interrupted with the amusing details of Bob's pastimes.
So Kalan and I set out in search of a state park that rendered itself worthy of spending one night. We ended up finding a neat park right on a river that was a stones throw away from Wisconsin. After we picked out a picturesque campsite we decided to set up camp. We took out the mangled looking tent and couldn't stop laughing as we stared at the heap on the ground. I'm ashamed to say that I've never actually put a tent up entirely myself. All growing up I've had the expertise and knowledge of my Dad and brothers, not to mention willing uncles and cousins.
I looked at Kalan and all I could say was, "I refuse to be one of those girls who can't figure out how to put up a tent." We kicked into gear.
Within minutes we had our humble campsite set up. We were ready for a relaxing day of reading, hiking, and enjoying the outdoors! By the end of the night we were sitting by our fire, in a full fledged battle with the mosquitoes, enjoying a warm drink with the slight sounds of crickets in the background.
