Spring Break Adventures: Camping

Richard and his family grew up camping! They camped in a tent and then camped in a Pop-up camper too! They have lots of fun stories and camping memories that they love to share!

My family has never camped in our lives! We consider staying at the Red Roof Inn roughing it to us! 

So, needless to say the thought of him actually taking me camping was really just a joke! He knew "I would never go"!! 

Also, let me add to the story I had never even been to a camp ground until after Jackson was born and honestly did not know people camped in tents! True Story: my friend Mandy and I were going to Wind Creek (a camp ground near Lake Martin where my in laws live) to see her mother and my mother in law line dance with their line dance class when Jackson was a baby! We pulled into the camp ground and I said "why are all these tents everywhere" and Mandy proceeds to tell me people are camping in those!!! Do what?!? People really do not camp in those!!! So needless to say, I learned something new that year! People really do camp in tents! 

Fast forward twelve years and Richard and I were discussing spring break options! 

Naturally I would choose the beach every single time and then some! But honestly the beach is no fun during Spring break with kids! They want to swim and the water is just too cold! They want to play on the beach and the it's usually too windy for all that! Sure you may have a few hours or a day that are pretty but realistically it's not the best option! We need to wait and go in the summer! 

Richard suggested going to the indoor water park in Pigeon Fodge and we even had reservations but I got "cold feet". Something about an indoor water park stinking of chlorine, crawling with little kids, and getting in a bathing suit in March with zero tan just did not sound fun to me! 

So we decided to discuss day trips and things we could do and he said "I know what we can do... We can go camping"!!! And much to his surprise I said Ok I think that sounds like fun! His response was "really"?!?! Ha! ;) 

And that my friends is just what we decided to do! We did not tell the kids until Thursday night and they were SO EXCITED!!! 

We went camping at Oak Mtn State Park which is basically in our back yard! It's about 15 to 20 minutes from our house and about 2 seconds from Richards school! Ha! ;) 

We wanted to start slow and make sure we could "handle it"! ;) 

We checked into our camp site around 11AM! The first site they gave us did not have water or electricity! I looked at RP and said this is not going to work! So he looked around and found one that was empty that had water and electricity and they let us change! Thank goodness! 

Oh and did I mention we were camping in a tent! (Side story: Jackson got this tent for Christmas from my parents about 3 years ago) 

We set our tent up first and "set up" our camp site! Thank you Survivor! Shelter first then fire! Lol! 

Jackson and Brylee were so much help... This is what they did while we worked! They hung out in the ENO! (That was another pre-rec to our camping trip... I told RP I wanted an ENO... So he and the kids went to get me one... I failed to tell him they were $100... Oops!) 

However, we loved it and all enjoyed hanging out and ENOing... 

Then it was time for lunch... We brought stuff for sandwiches and lots of snacks! Don't want anyone going hungry! 

After lunch, we rode around the camp site (and I found a $500,000 RV I told RP I thought I could get used to camping in that! Ha! ;)

The kids rode their bikes around and played on the playground! Even RP and JP went on a bike ride! 

When they came back Jackson and Brylee declared it to be snack time! So Richard stoked the fire and they roasted marshmallows and made s'mores! They also roasted a hotdog too! 

JP roasting his marshmallow! We used the flat s'mores ones and they worked great! Brylee roasted some too! 

Then they decided that was not enough for a snack so they roasted a hotdog!

After their snack we rode over to their new playground and even ran into one of their baseball buddies so they played and we talked to his parents!

After that it was getting close to dinner time! GoGo and Grandaddy came to visit us at the camp site and ate dinner with us! 

We had sausage dogs and hotdogs and I even heated up some chili on the fire for our hotdogs. This is when RP decided he needed a picture of me cooking on an open fire! ;) He said I cooked more at the camp site than i do at home! Ha! Funny funny! 

We enjoyed eating dinner, sitting around the camp fire talking, roasting marshmellows and making s'mores! It really was so relaxing! 

Granny and Pap Pap decided to come by as well and make a special delivery!!!

They brought Jackson's favorite KK donuts! And this was his way of getting them Hot and Now the camping way!!! They were super yummy!!! 

After all our visitors left it was time for bed! We all climbed in the tent and went to "sleep"! I say sleep loosely because I think I woke up every time a train passed, a leaf resseled, the wind blew, etc! The kids actually slept pretty good! RP he was out too! Except when I would wake him up asking "what is that noise"! Ha!;) They both woke up about 3:30 or 4 but once it they knew the time they rolled over and went back to sleep! I woke up around 3:30 and never could seem to go back to sleep! Every little noise kept me up! Then around 4:30 I started to see lightning! At first I could tell it was still far away but I was glued to the radar on my phone! Then it started to get closer and around 5:00 I nudged RP and said its lightning and thundering and I showed him the rader! He said we can do one of two things stay in the tent and ride it out or go get in the car! I quickly said lets go get in the car because I don't do lightning or storms for that matter! We woke the kids up and ran to the car! We sat in the car for a few minutes! Then I suggested we go get breakfast and I needed to go to the bathroom too! So we drove to Chick Fil A and waited until the opened at 6 am and we were their first customer! ;) 

Don't we look lovely! PJ's, bed head and all!!! We went inside, ate breakfast, and waited out the rain storm! We knew it was going to come in and out quickly so we stayed at CFA for about an hour and then it was over! We drove back to camp and climbed back in the tent and all went back to sleep for our morning nap! 

After our nap we got up and we're ready for our day! Jackson cooked breakfast round 2 for us!!! 

Bacon, Bacon, Bacon!! 

We made egg in a hole too!!! It was a yummy breakfast!

After breakfast we got dressed and ready and headed to the golf course! One of Jackson's spring break request was to play golf! So, that is just what we did!!! 

My little Twinkie Twins played golf and Brylee and I were their caddies! She sure is a crazy driver for a caddie! Thank goodness the course was not crowded... We were not very quiet!!! LOL!!! 

After golf we went back to the camp site ate lunch and packed up! We were going to stay another night but all the sites were reserved. I think RP was releved he was going to "let us stay" but I think he thought two night the first time might be too much! Ha! ;) 

So we took the kids to ride their bikes on the BMX bike track and then we rented a canoe and went canoeing! 

After our canoeing adventures we called it a trip and headed to the house!

I will be the first to say I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun we had camping! It was not "as bad" as I had envisioned! We are already talking about going back!!! 

Thanks RP for suggesting we go... This city slicker, pedicure lovin, sale shoppin', hotel stayin' little chick and her chick a dees had a great time roughing it in the woods!!! 

Happy Spring Break Friends!!!