#17 - Go Camping with Tom 7 Times

This weekend was camping trip #2 out of #7. Yes! Makin' progress.

Here's your proof. That's me AND a tent.

I made this goal because I felt like I had lost the desire to camp and be outside. The last few camping trips I'd been on were a big hassle. I was always freezing. I was setting my tent up at 2:00 am (after driving 5 hours in a squishy car). I was tired all day because I didn't sleep well. I got attacked by bugs. I was always forgetting my flashlight, water, or some other essential. They just weren't the funnest trips. I enjoyed the people I was with and the things I saw, but the actual camping was, um, how can I put this nicely?
Lame.

So, with Tom's help, I decided to make these camping trips easier on myself. First, Tom and I got me a new sleeping bag. A warm one. From Shopko. For $30.00. And it rocks my world. Seriously, I haven't been cold on either of the two trips this year. And I am always cold! Except for right now because my laptop is getting all hot on my legs and the fan is pointing the wrong way but I just woke up from a nap and I don't want to get up to move it.

Second, we are just camping for one to two nights at a time and we are throwing, literally stuffing, our gear into laundry baskets and getting in the car and driving somewhere nearby to set up camp. Not a big deal. We aren't unloading all the gear, we are just using the car as our storage unit and sleeping in the tent.

Third, we are going so simple on the food. We aren't packing a huge cooler full of eggs, sausage, and gourmet dutch oven ingredients. We just buy some bread and peanut butter and fruit and snacks and call it good. Maybe we'll stop on the way and eat at a yummy restaurant and use their restroom and brush our teeth with running water before we set up camp? Who knows? I'm just saying, we are going for simple.

*I'm moving the fan now, I'm going to die of heat stroke if I don't*

These changes I've made aren't rocket science, I am just writing them down so I will remember how fun camping can be! It doesn't have to be a huge ordeal. You don't have to go to some far off place or make gourmet meals every time to enjoy being outside. I'm glad I made time to go this weekend. If I hadn't I wouldn't have woken up to this.

There were at least 12 different birds flitting about, it was so great!

Or taken 50 pictures of these flowers.

Or eaten this giant donut for breakfast.Yes, that is a grapefruit.

And isn't that what life is all about? Taking time out of your mundane, busy schedule to enjoy this beautiful world, to stop and see the flowers, and to eat giant donuts? I am starting to think so.