Camping means smores, fun times, lots of laughter and sometimes burnt toes!

I love camping!!!  I know that may come as a surprise to people who know me (it's kind of a shock to me too).  I don't like dirt, I HATE bugs, I'm a little afraid of the dark (especially in the woods) and I cannot stand to have dirty feet!  All of those things go hand in hand with camping and I still love it! 

Brynn and Hunter going for a walk two years ago at Voshell's Campground

For me, camping is about spending time with family.  I love that simplicity of the family (usually extended) just hanging around the campfire sharing old stories and making new memories.  I adore cooking dinner around the campfire (well, watching Danny do it) and taking long walks with the kids.  We generally go camping with other family members and I am always grateful for the time we get to spend with Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Siblings, Nieces, Nephews, etc.  What a wonderful blessing for our children to grow up surrounded by so many people who love them.

Walking to the Lake with Aunt Carol on a recent camping trip to NJ

                         
Dan and I have camped in just about every way possible.  We started out in a tent (that was not so much fun) and have also rented cabins to stay in.  After we got married, we used an old pop-up camper that had no air-conditioner.  I remember one particular summer when it was over 100 degrees everyday of our week long vacation.  It was that summer that I told Dan, that I was never EVER camping again without an air-conditioner.  The following year we bought another pop-up that did have an  air-conditioner.   A few years later Brynn came along and after making several middle of the night runs to the bath house (no potty in a pop-up) for potty breaks Dan decided that we could no longer camp without a bathroom.  So, this year we have upgraded to a real camper (complete with bathroom and air-conditioner).  I have to tell you I enjoy camping even more these days but have fond memories of all of those camping experiences!  BTW:  We will NOT be upgrading again!

Most of the Nieces and Nephews (and Brynn) at Voshell's Campground a couple of years ago.

I can't even begin to tell you how many funny stories I could tell you about camping: the camper with the broken bed, the night my brother and I had to sleep in the back of a truck, a now famous wife beater shirt, running through the woods with a bug beater stick, the time our dog escaped from the pop-up, the time someone tried to confiscate our golf cart...the list goes on and on.  I can remember sitting by the campfire one particular morning with my sister in law who was warming her toes by the fire.  All of the sudden, I noticed that the toes of her Ugg Boots were literally smoking.  I yelled that her toes were on fire and she very quickly removed them from the fire.  As I write this, I'm still laughing at the image of her smoking toes (she was fine but her boot was a bit scorched)  and her squeal when she realized what was happening.  It was straight out of a cartoon!

Kelly and her burnt toes.

And so as we set off on our next camping adventure this weekend, I can't wait to see what happens next...