Weekend Fun

After hoping to do so for several weeks, we finally got to go camping this past weekend! However, I have to say I'm very disappointed in myself. I forgot the camera. I can't believe I forgot such essential part of any adventure. Therefore, I don't have any pictures to share of setting up camp, Abby's rock collecting, Emily and her friend Brena's movie set-up in the back of the SUV, or the plentiful bunnies around the campground. I'm so sad. Oh well, life goes on and we will all have happy memories even though we don't have tangible proof of our fun at Cooper Lake State Park. Here's the (long) story of our camping trip....

We left on Friday after Emily and Brena got home from school. It was about a 1 hour 30 minute drive from McKinney so we didn't have far to go. Abby and I had already driven up earlier that morning to pick out our campsite in order to save time later and to make sure we got a site near the bathrooms! Upon arrival, we immediately unloaded every thing and set up the tent. Then, we went back toward town to try to find some firewood. No such luck at 8pm in a fairly small town. Oh well, we had a fire log we had planned to start the fire with and we had some charcoal as well as a few sticks we found around the campsite. Since it was so late anyway, we didn't need a large fire. We had a quickie dinner (ham steaks, mac & cheese, and banana boats) on the camp stove and called it a night.

The next morning while I made breakfast (breakfast burritos), Perry went back to a small store outside the state park and got some firewood. We ate breakfast and then went about improving our "home" for the next 24 hours. Around 11am, we decided to go to the park playground. Abby loved it! We all played around for about 2 hours and then had to bribe, beg, and finally threaten Abby when we decided it was time to go eat lunch. After lunch (turkey & cheese sandwiches with veggie dip and corn chips), we all got a nap which was absolutely wonderful!!!

When we woke up, we figured it would be a great time for everyone to take a shower since the bathhouse was much less crowded at that time instead of in the morning or late evening. Personally, I loved the shower! I felt so refreshed. Abby, on the other hand, did NOT like it! The shower had a fine needle spray which came out very forcefully. She started screaming "No Mommy! It hurts!" Thankfully I had remembered to bring a cup to aid in rinsing her hair. So, I stood her outside the spray and doused her with cupfuls of water after bathing her and washing her hair. I then wrapped her in a towel and sat her on the nearby bench so I could enjoy my shower. With everyone showered and smelling clean, the girls and I went for a walk around our campground while Perry made a quick run to town. He had forgotten to bring a jacket and a pair of jeans. After the very cool temp of the previous night, he decided that he preferred to face that night better prepared.

Just before he arrived back to the campsite, I started the fire and began preparations for dinner. The kids played surprisingly peacefully while I cooked dinner (teriyaki chicken & veggies with rice). It was really nice to have dinner at a decent hour instead of super late like the night before. Everyone agreed that the new camping recipe was a hit and finished with full bellies. The girls decided to fold down the two back rows of seats in the SUV and have a movie night with their sleeping bags and pillows before bedtime. They got everything ready, but agreed to have s'mores before the movie so they wouldn't be interrupted later. S'mores are an absolute MUST when camping. The warm gooey toasted marshmallows are my favorite part! When everyone was miserably stuffed yet again, the girls climbed in the SUV and settled in for their movie. Perry and I enjoyed the serene bliss by the campfire. Our bliss was short-lived though. Abby decided that movie time wasn't nearly as fun as she thought because the older girls kept telling her to be quiet and still. Oh well...that 10 minutes was nice even though it wasn't very long.

Abby cuddled up with me and we talked and played for a while. Then I noticed that she was starting to get quiet. I put on her PJs and asked Perry to get her a small snack of milk and raisins to make sure her tummy was full before she fell asleep. After the raisins were gone, she wanted more. I didn't want to give her too many raisins late at night so we finished off her late-night snack with apple cinnamon rice cakes. Apparently being warm and cozy by a campfire in Mommy's arms with a full belly is a recipe for sleepytime because it didn't take long after she finished her snack for her to fall asleep. Perry took her to bed and then join me again by the campfire. We had about 20 minutes of quiet before I realized that I could barely hold my eyes open. Thankfully, the girls movie ended and they were also very tired. I walked with them up to the bathhouse to have one last potty break for the night and to brush our teeth. When we got back, I went straight to bed. The girls straightened up their movie time set-up and then they came to bed also. Meanwhile, Perry was putting away the campstove, pushing the ice chest under the table, taking the trashbag to the nearby dumpster, and putting out the fire.

Just before he came into the tent, I noticed a really bright set of car lights shining on our campsite for about 15 seconds. Odd, but I didn't think too much about it. When Perry came to bed, he said the campers across the road from us had just packed up and left...at 10:30pm! They had just arrived earlier that afternoon. Since there had been thunderstorms forecasted for that weekend, I suggested Perry go out to the SUV and listen to the radio for a weather update. The weather had been perfect all weekend and nothing appeared out of the ordinary at the time. When he came back, he said they were still saying the same thing. Oh well. Time to get some sleep.

About 2 hours later, I suddenly woke up for no apparent reason. Every one was sleeping soundly, the campground was quiet, I wasn't nearly as cold as I had been the night before....I couldn't figure out what woke me up. All I knew was that I had a super paranoid feeling that something wasn't right. I lay wide awake for about an hour or more listening to every tiny noise and yet trying to go back to sleep. Nothing could shake the feeling that something was wrong. Finally, I thought I heard a rumble of thunder very far off in the distance. I listened intently...straining to hear it again to confirm what I thought I had heard. Then I heard it again. I was fairly sure it was thunder. I knew I didn't want to weather a bad storm in a tent and I didn't want to pack up the next day in the rain if it continued. Therefore, I decided to wake up Perry. I hated to do so, but couldn't help wonder if my paranoid feeling was a sign of impending disaster. I woke him up and told him what I thought I had heard. He listened and then we both heard it again. He asked me what I wanted to do and told me that if we decided to pack up and leave, we would have to do so very quickly since we didn't know how long it would take for the storm to be upon us. I said we should go so we woke up the older girls. The four of us started quickly gathering things together as the thunder grew louder and far away lightening started lighting up the nighttime sky. When every thing was packed except the bed Abby was asleep on and the tent, I scooped her up and placed her in her carseat in the SUV. While the older girls stayed with her, Perry and I finished up as the first raindrops started to fall. It had been a mad scramble, but we did it. It was 2:40am when we pulled out.

About 15 miles down the road, we found the rain. We continued to travel in it for about 45 minutes off and on. There wasn't any thunder, lightening, or strong wind though. I felt like I had jumped the gun so-to-speak and had prematurely ended our camping fun unnecessarily. However, no one was upset about it and reassured me that they were all okay with my decision. We arrived home at 4am. I was totally exhausted. With only 2 hours of sleep for the entire night, I prayed that Abby would sleep late that morning. Being the sweetie that she is, she obliged and didn't wake up until 9:30am!

Pretty much the remainder of the day was spent cleaning up...unloading the SUV; washing ALL the clothes that we took even if they weren't worn; washing ALL the pots, pans, utensils, etc.; washing, drying and refolding the tarp that was under the tent; unpacking and putting away all leftover food; draining and then drying out the ice chest; and finally washing/vacuuming the SUV because we had to travel about 3 miles on a mucky dirt/mud road to get to/from the park. YUCK! I asked Perry why having fun caused SO much work. Honestly though, I would love to go camping again this spring before it gets too hot. I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment, huh?