Easter Campout

After a lot of internal debate about if we would continue camping this year, I decided I was strong enough, brave enough, and doggone it...pretty enough to do this. I had a lot of awesome help from some amazing friends (thanks Evan and Dave - not that they will ever read this because guys reading blogs is lame - no offense to guys reading this blog) we got the trailer locked and loaded and sitting in front of the house in the "just pull straight out and stay on the road position". Evan asked me repeatedly if I wanted to at least pull it around the block to get a feel for how the brakes worked and such. I declined. My plan - always go straight, never check the mirrors, just keep going - and never get in a position to BACK anywhere! (FYI - valid plan - totally worked!)

I posted this picture the morning we were getting ready to leave, with a caption of something like "Here is praying that there is a truck driving gene, and that I got it."

And just to be clear, that is not a mini pickup with a little trailer. That is a full size - jacked up - truck with like a 32 foot trailer (or something like that - I forget, and who cares, it is behind me - and I have a no backing policy)

The trip down (and back home) was fairly uneventful. Thus allowing us to have many more camping trips over the summer. However, the complete and overwhelming anxiety every time I pull out of the driveway never did go away. Maybe that is a built in safety mechanism that I should stop trying to medicate away. I did learn to back in to the driveway - and as far as I know, I never did have to back in public (like at a gas station), however, I did have to have a guy come out and watch me once just to make sure that I was clear, because it was a really tight parking lot. I chose my gas stations more carefully after that.

Really, almost the entire trip was uneventful, except for one unfortunate accident that Chad's friend had on one of the motorcycles and ended up with a mangled arm that had to be put back together surgically. I don't have pictures of that (you're welcome) so I will just share a few pictures from the camp out.

Even though I go to all the stress and anxiety of pulling that massive trailer down, my kids love to sleep in a tent. Well, this camping trip, sadly, was the last for our tent. By the last day of camp it was duct taped and caution taped together. (Lucky for us, I found one at a yard sale in May for $5!)

No particular reason for this picture except to say that Gage is a fashionista and I am mom of the year!

The obligatory "can we just go pick up the Easter Eggs, yet" picture.

Courtney with her super clean face from riding dirt bikes with a helmet. I will take the 5 o'clock shadow look though, because it means they are WEARING THEIR HELMETS!!

The dying of the Easter eggs.

The annual "Gathering of trash to make a THE GREATEST HUT EVER"

One happy camper. (Actually, I can't believe there was a picture of me taken that I don't completely hate. I refused to change clothes or brush my hair the entire weekend in protest of being forced to sleep in the wilderness.)

Easter camp would not be complete without collecting caterpillars that then crawl in the trailer and procreate for years to come on all the camping stuff!

When I got home, my awesome neighbors had "egged" my house!