Camping 101

This weekend we joined one of my best friends, her boyfriend, and her parents on a camping trip. Joe and I both grew up going camping but had never been as a family, so we were excited to go and introduce the girls to it.Jillia’s family has a really nice camper that they stay in. We didn’t want to impose on them and take over the camper so we decided we were going to camp in a tent that we borrowed from my parents.

We didn’t get there till Friday around 8:30pm. We put our tent up in the dark and went to bed after a few toasted marshmallows. We dressed in layers and warm socks, and each had a sleeping bag plus a few extra blankets. It was still freezing, and the ground was as hard as a rock. I don’t think any of us slept well.

Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early. Everyone in the camper was still asleep, so Joe took Harley for a walk, and Summer, Camryn, and I went to the bath house to brush teeth and use the restroom. After that we met up with Joe and walked down to the lake that the campsites are built next to. We spent some time breathing in the fresh air and letting the girls toss some rocks in, and then walked back. Everyone else slowly started to emerge, and we got the fire going and started the coffee. Diane and Terry – Jillia’s parents – cooked a great breakfast. The mornings are my favorite part of camping :)

After we were nice and full, Joe, Summer, Camryn, Jillia, Bud and I headed to the pumpkin patch. It’s the same one we go to every year. (You can read about last year’s trip here).

I told Bud to look off into the distance. He did good, right?We told them they could each choose a small pumpkins to take home and paint. They were searching for the perfect ones. We found this one that we’re going to carve. I look like a bum. Keep in mind, I had slept in a tent the night before.Feeding the fish in the big Koi pond.After pumpkin picking, we grabbed some home-cooked take-out from the restaurant and drove over to the winery to have a picnic and get some wine. We ended up getting Peach and Blackberry. Delicious.  After the pumpkin patch and winery trip, we headed back to the campsite.

Diane, Bud, Summer, and Jillia. And Bear, the dog. They had 4 dogs, Jillia had one, and we had one. Camping with 6 dogs = Never a dull momentWe ate chili-mac for dinner that Diane had made, and then sat around the camp fire talking and roasting marshmallows. We also decided that the girls and I were going to sleep in the camper. Joe wanted to stay in the tent with Harley. I was NOT doing that again.

It turned out to be a good decision. Joe slept great outside and the girls and I slept like rocks on the kitchen-table-turned-bed inside.

This morning, we had pancakes with cinnamon apples and syrup for breakfast, and sat around the fire drinking coffee. If I could sit around a campfire every morning drinking coffee, I’d be a happy camper. (I am SO NOT a pun person, but I’m pretty proud of what I just did there) After breakfast it was time to pack up. The weekend really flew by and we’re looking forward to going again next Spring. On our way out, we stopped at the petting zoo that is located at the campground. It was closed and the cow and goats wouldn’t come to the fence, but the girls still had fun riding these little animals. Since we couldn’t pet the animals, we walked over to the lake to walk around on the dock. The girls saw lots of little minnows swimming around. We each had so much fun. I’d say Mullins Family Camping Trip #1 was a success!