When Mark brought up the idea of a family camping trip, I was firmly against it. That’s a two on four situation and we would be in the woods with no electricity. Hard pass. He suggested we ask my parents.
I asked my parents to take me camping all the time when I was a kid and it never happened once. My mother did accompany me to Girl Scout camp one year, which was nice of her, and another time we went hiking at Allegany, which was fun but would have been better if we had brought a tent.
So, when I was in the hospital, I thought long and hard about the camping idea. I was a Girl Scout for my entire young life, and Mark spent his weekend roaming the woods as a child, so we have no problem with the scenario at all. We’d go camping at any opportunity, if we had a tent. As for my parents, people tend to go the extra mile for their grandkids, so I don’t know why I was surprised when my mom was all in on the idea. Now were at a 4:4 ratio, 5:4 if my sister can get off work. That’s doable. That’s achievable. That doesn’t leave me and Mark searching the woods because M wandered off the beaten path.
And so, we’re going camping. The first task has been to find a cabin, which I have, and am just waiting to book until later today after my mother checks her work schedule. It has no electricity, which means the children will have to detox. (And, lets be real, the adults. We’ve already discussed whether to get a power bank for our phones.) It is, in fact, the exact same cabin I stayed in during my last camping trip when I was 19. My mother wanted electricity at first, but booking of those cabins happens a year in advance, and the only available ones I found were outrageously priced. Instead we will haul out lanterns and flashlights and find a way to make it all work. The kids will learn new skills that will help them someday, and they will have the experience of camping for the first time. We will go hiking and fishing and swimming, and we will enjoy our summer days and our time together.
I’m really looking forward to camping. Which is surprising considering how against it I was in the first place. Now, though, it seems like a celebration of my family, and that is what I’m really anticipating.
Ham 'N Eggs 