Years ago, long before The Boy was even a twinkle in his daddy's eye, Mister and I and Buddy and Chickie went camping in the mountains of Colorado. We were supposed to be there for a week, but it rained an icy rain and we were trapped in a tent for three days. When the tent started leaking, we packed up and went home early. It was miserable.
7 years ago, when The Boy was only 2, we took him on his first camping trip. About two hours into the trip, he grabbed the lantern and burned his hand so badly that we had to call an ambulance. When the paramedics were done with him, we packed up and went home early. It was miserable.
Still, I love to camp. We haven't been since The Boy was burned, but we were ready to try again.
The morning that we were supposed to leave, Mister totaled his car. I spent the rest of the day at the ER, then cleaning out the car, calling the insurance company, filling prescriptions, and babying Mister. That was Day 1. We decided to leave on Day 2 instead.
On Day 2, we left Mister at home and The Boy and I went by ourselves. It was hot while we set up the campsite. It was so hot that I literally had big droplets of sweat dripping off my body and my hair looked like I had dunked it under a faucet. While I was doing that, The Boy went to explore the woods. Unfortunately, we took the wrong walkie talkies. I thought we grabbed the REAL ones, but we only had toy walkie talkies with a very limited range. Needless to say, he got lost and I was frantic. When we reunited, we were both in tears. He stayed close after that.
Later he tripped and grabbed the fire pit grate as he fell. His hand blistered right away, but no paramedics were needed, so we stayed.
Then it started to rain. There had been NO rain in the forecast, so we didn't even have the canopy top of the tent with us. We pulled a tarp over the screened tent ceiling, but it was an old tarp and it leaked. The inside of the tent was wet and even had puddles on the floor. We gave up that night and went to sleep at my mom's house a few miles away. And that was Day 2.
Day 3 was beautiful. The Boy and I went back to the campground and dried out our bedding, tent, chairs, etc. The day was gorgeous, the reunion dinner was delicious, and hanging out with my cousins was a blast. Chickie took The Boy fishing, which he loved. Then I visited with my cousins some more. We laughed until my sides hurt. The Boy and I snuggled up in the tent and slept well. That was Day 3.
Day 4 was even more beautiful. We cooked a leisurely breakfast, visited with friends who were coincidentally staying at the same campground, went swimming at the beach by the dam, and packed up to go home. That was Day 4.
So, even though it started out rough, it ended up great. We had a lot of fun and are planning to camp on our next canoe trip. I've never taken The Boy canoeing. I was worried I would accidentally drown him. But since the camping trip turned out ok, I'm feeling brave.
7 years ago, when The Boy was only 2, we took him on his first camping trip. About two hours into the trip, he grabbed the lantern and burned his hand so badly that we had to call an ambulance. When the paramedics were done with him, we packed up and went home early. It was miserable.
Still, I love to camp. We haven't been since The Boy was burned, but we were ready to try again.
The morning that we were supposed to leave, Mister totaled his car. I spent the rest of the day at the ER, then cleaning out the car, calling the insurance company, filling prescriptions, and babying Mister. That was Day 1. We decided to leave on Day 2 instead.
On Day 2, we left Mister at home and The Boy and I went by ourselves. It was hot while we set up the campsite. It was so hot that I literally had big droplets of sweat dripping off my body and my hair looked like I had dunked it under a faucet. While I was doing that, The Boy went to explore the woods. Unfortunately, we took the wrong walkie talkies. I thought we grabbed the REAL ones, but we only had toy walkie talkies with a very limited range. Needless to say, he got lost and I was frantic. When we reunited, we were both in tears. He stayed close after that.
Later he tripped and grabbed the fire pit grate as he fell. His hand blistered right away, but no paramedics were needed, so we stayed.
Then it started to rain. There had been NO rain in the forecast, so we didn't even have the canopy top of the tent with us. We pulled a tarp over the screened tent ceiling, but it was an old tarp and it leaked. The inside of the tent was wet and even had puddles on the floor. We gave up that night and went to sleep at my mom's house a few miles away. And that was Day 2.
Day 3 was beautiful. The Boy and I went back to the campground and dried out our bedding, tent, chairs, etc. The day was gorgeous, the reunion dinner was delicious, and hanging out with my cousins was a blast. Chickie took The Boy fishing, which he loved. Then I visited with my cousins some more. We laughed until my sides hurt. The Boy and I snuggled up in the tent and slept well. That was Day 3.
Day 4 was even more beautiful. We cooked a leisurely breakfast, visited with friends who were coincidentally staying at the same campground, went swimming at the beach by the dam, and packed up to go home. That was Day 4.
So, even though it started out rough, it ended up great. We had a lot of fun and are planning to camp on our next canoe trip. I've never taken The Boy canoeing. I was worried I would accidentally drown him. But since the camping trip turned out ok, I'm feeling brave.
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