Roughin' it

Dirt, sweat, bugs, wild berries, smoky fire, more dirt, more sweat....yep that was us for about 24 hours or more.

We finally ended up getting off Thurs. afternoon and heading to our camping spot. We got there and realized it was far from any running water (otherwise know as a stream, or lake, or pond, or even a mud puddle). So we had drinking water but no "getting clean" water. Anyway, Ed set up the tent while the kids (including Anna Laurie who was along on this trip) all gathered sticks and pinecones. This was after I sprayed everyone down with bug spray. It was a natural one I found and it worked wonderful. I don't think the mosquitoes bothered us at all. We finally got our fire started and from there went about getting supper. Our menu:

- hot dogs, chips, and s'mores for supper

- bacon, scrambled eggs, bagels, cream cheese and fresh berries for breakfast.

Aside from the bacon, everything was cooked over the fire, and the berries we found there. The kids picked them before breakfast and they tasted sooooo good. I guess being outside makes everything taste so much better but that was some good eatin'!

After supper was done I went about trying to remove some of the dirt before the kids went to sleep but I think I pretty much wasted my time. I felt like I was just smearing the dirt around. And I couldn't see very well by that time, it was dark and we just had the oil lamps. It didn't seem to faze them though. They fell right into their sleeping bags and slept hard. Myself, on the other hand....I wish I could say the same, but once my back stopped hurting, and I finally stopped sweating, I still kept feeling all the dirt in the bed. And let me just say it was a freshly inflated air mattress and clean sheets. =} I guess I did fall asleep because Asher woke up at some unearthly hour of the morning (it was still dark in the tent) and wanted to eat. And kept wanting to eat about every hour or so after that. Then Aaron woke up at the crack of dawn and wanted to start "doing things". First he gathered more pinecones, then he rummaged around in the camp gear for something or other until Ed told him to go sit on the log (we are all still trying to get some sleep), then he shot his BB gun for awhile ( I could hear it pinging off the trees and kept hoping he wouldn't accidentally hit the tent), then when he got tired of that he came to the window and started making faces at Asher and trying to get him to laugh. It was a long morning, I'm not sure what time Ed finally got up but I think I slept a little bit more after that and then finally just gave up and got on up. After the kinks shook loose and I had a cup of coffee, I was good to go again.

It took us the rest of the morning to make and eat breakfast and then starting breaking camp. We got everything cleaned up and packed by around noon (I think...neither of us had a watch so it was hard to tell until we got in the van).

When we got home I sent the kids to the back yard to hose off and I got a shower. I'm not sure which felt better, the air conditioning or the shower, but it was soooooo nice to be clean again. I bathed Asher and Ky, sat down to feed my once again clean baby and took a nap on the couch.

We went to Cracker Barrel with Josh and Rachel for supper, then I slept (quite well) in my own bed again.

Call me crazy, but I would do it all again...just give me a couple of weeks.