In a nutshell,  our recent one-night camping trip had its good side - and its bad side.  Stop here and visit another blog if your eyes have glazed over.  I'll try to be brief, as it was a brief trip after all.

We'll start with the Good:  The campsite turned out to be better than expected.  The 4 big barking dogs across the way and the 1000 children running amok all day didn't make a peep after 10:00 pm sharp - I kid you not!   My dh and I seemed to be the ONLY people up after 10:30.  We had a nice chat by the fire until midnight and watched for meteors - he saw 2.  I saw 2 satellites but they are man made - not quite the same thrill.  The stars were amazing.  No one got bit by mosquitoes except my dh - he counted 14 today.  I guess they flock to him and leave the rest of us alone.  That's why we take him along when we camp.  We all slept well.  My kids were unnaturally well-behaved.  (I'm not bragging, just thankful!)  My dinner was a hit  - I asked my daughter what her favorite part of the trip was and she said, "That delicious dinner!"  I didn't singe my eyebrows when I fired up the propane stove.  Hard to see the flame in the daylight!  The sun came out long enough to watch it set.  We had a nice long walk on the beach the next day.  Kids got to make sand castles and play in the waves a bit.  Another one of my daughter's favorite things from this trip - she LOVES letting the waves hit her legs.  She was so fun to watch, giggling as each wave hit her. 

Now, the Bad:  Well, it doesn't seem so bad now that we are home.  Kind of funny, sort of.  My dh worked the night before and got all of 3 hours sleep before we left.  So, he didn't help me pack.  Uh-oh!  I take forever to get it all together and finally, we started off.  We live just above a bay and there's a long bridge to cross - of course, 2 fishing boats picked that time to stop traffic to cross under the bridge.  I mean, we were the 4th car back - I kept thinking, "If I hadn't stopped to do such & such, we'd be beyond this".  My dh was incensed that those fishing boats would have the audacity to cross right then!  (Remember this incident.)  We had a nice drive down (2-1/2 hrs) and just as we were turning into the campground, I asked if anyone had packed the chairs.  Uh, no.  Then we pulled into our campsite and looked around.   Like I said, there must have been 1000 kids everywhere.  Well, o.k., maybe 200.  And the campers across from us unloaded their 4 big, barking dogs.  At least they brought a cage for them.  There were multiple families camping together and people were going back and forth constantly.  Someone had a bad cough.  And then there was "Charles".  We heard a mom yelling "Charles" all afternoon.  That kid was into trouble constantly!  I think he was all of 2, maybe.  At least all the moms around us were trying to keep their kids in check, there were no trouble makers really.  Just constant movement, and we kind of like things a little more low-key when we camp but, hey, this is Aug!  It was sunny all the way down the coast until we got to the campground - then, clouds!  It was freezing the minute I stepped out of the van.  I started setting up for dinner while my dh and oldest son set up the tent.  That tent is evil!  My poor dh was so tired when he got done that he curled up in the back of the van, amongst the rolled up sleeping bags and foam pads.  He was out!  We didn't know what to do, so the kids and I went down to the beach.  The wind picked up and started rolling sand across the beach, Carmen got swept up in it and her hat went sailing.  Chad caught it just before it would have hit the water.  That gust was strong and huge!  After another similar gust, we high-tailed it back to camp.  Todd was still out.  That's when I tried to light the stove by myself (a first for me, since he's the firestarter).  I bent down, trying to see the flame and WHOOSH!  Good thing I jumped back!  I woke Todd to ask him how to turn it down - I was afraid to do the wrong thing!  He got up long enough to help me and then eat dinner.  Then he went back to the van and slept again.  The wind was too cold to stay out so I sent the younger kids into the empty tent to play chess.  My oldest and I sat in the van reading.  And waiting.  We couldn't move the sleeping bags until dh woke up!  I tried to relax but it was hard.  It just felt strange to be sitting there with Todd asleep in the back.  It wasn't how I thought things would go, I guess.  Anyway, he did finally wake up and then we proceeded as usual.  The next day we went for that long walk but the sun never showed itself.  I didn't think to pack a parka, I should know better.  I walked with a beach towel wrapped around me.  So, we enjoyed the day at the beach and drove home.  As we neared that bay bridge near our house, we see all these brake lights.  Another fishing boat is going under!  Dh makes a quick 3-point U-turn (we have a 15 pass. van) and we take the long way around the bay.  Hah, we've got you now!  WRONG!  Just as we neared the Lewis & Clark river bridge - that SAME boat had made it that far and now THIS bridge was going up!  Dh was NOT amused!  I wanted to laugh but knew better! 

Considering how tired my dh was, he did well (except for those cranky times) though we are still recovering.  It really tired us out.  We only stayed 1 night because right now, that's all his schedule will allow.  All in all, it made good memories for us and that's a great thing.  I really loved talking with him in the dark by the fire.  God gave us more stars to watch than I've seen all year.  The sky was amazing.  I was surprised to see so many moms at the campsite, apparently without dads.  I've thought about doing that but think I'll wait for my youngest to grow a bit.  And for me to get more brave.  After my dh set up that blasted tent, I commented that we needed a tent that was easier to set up.  He suggested that we buy something with a kitchen and bathroom (like a trailer or something).  I was overjoyed.  I've always wanted something like that but he's always been in favor of "roughing it".  I guess age brings wisdom!  Praise the Lord for keeping us safe.  Thank you for all the encouraging comments.  I didn't rest much but now that it's passed, I guess the good outweighed the bad by far!

In case you were wondering, that "delicious dinner" my daughter still raves about was just this:  In one pan, boil water and cook farfalle (bow tie) noodles.  In another pan, cook one large can of Dinty Moore Stew.  In another pan, cook one can of green beans, whole or cut.  Serve either separately on a plate or layer in a bowl - noodles, stew and beans.  Simple and really good, especially when you are cold and tired.  Canned stew isn't my choice but for camping, my family loves it.  And I remember once, when they were very small and we were broke, we served it for dinner.  My kids turned their noses up at it.  Again, with age brings wisdom!

I should never promise to be brief.