happy camper

Summer thus far has consisted of boating, working, boating some more, working some more, camping, and working.  If you have not already picked up on the pattern, I would say we have spent 50% of our time having fun and 50% working.  Being an adult is hard… sigh.  Also, even though I do love camping, I never knew the stress level that consists of having to orchestrate a camping trip.  I miss the days when as a child, all you needed to make sure you had was

1. your sleeping bag (which you usually left on the kitchen table and therefore ended up having to sleep with towels in light of your punishment for being a forgetful 6 year old.)

2. 2-5 bathing suits (always 5, but then you would only wear 1 straight, for the rest of the vacation.)

3. Your most favorite stuffed animal (which always got sandy, dropped in the lake, left at a rest stop, got s’more remnants on it, or all of the above, which in turn got your in trouble for bringing a stuffed animal in the first place on a camping trip.)

4. a pair of flip flops (which you never wore, and happened to leave on the beach when you would go to the marina to get ice cream.  And then you would cry because you can’t go in the cool gift shop because guess what?  You left your flip flops at the beach… and were yet again in trouble.)

5. a pillow (which you did remember, but since your brothers are careless, always got dropped in the lake and for the rest of the trip you had to use a life jacket for a pillow along with your towel sleeping bag.)

In spite of all the times I was in trouble for brining too many, not enough, just plain frivolous things, I do miss the ease of just plain being excited to be on a camping vacation.  I miss the times were I could easily fall asleep in the boat and wake up on the other side of the lake (now I sit rigidly in the front seat wondering when I can schedule the next chiropractors appointment).  I miss being completely satisfied with a lunchable for breakfast, lunch and dinner (I can still each a lunchable for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but I chase it with a handful of tums).   I miss being able to tube, wakeboard, waterski, cliff jump, and rock climb for hours and hours on end (now getting up on a wakeboard takes most, if not all of my endurance and I reap the benefits of having joints comparable to a 95 year-old for the next 10 days.  I think it’s called oldassitus). 

All in all, these last 3 weeks have been wonderfully fun, exciting, and a great way to cram all of my summer desires into three short weekends. 

Joe’s Valley June 24th - 26th

 

Bear Lake July 1st – July 4th

Lake Powell July 7th – 11th