At the end of August, Pete was scheduled to teach an advaced life support class at a small hospital on the Iron Range, so I decided I would pack up the littles and tag along in the camper. Had I known the first two full days would be in the mid-50s and raining, I may have made a different choice. And I surely would have packed coffee. Friends, I don’t even know what possessed me to only pack tea on our four day adventure. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy tea. But it simply cannot substitue my deep desire for a cup of coffee goodness when I am feeling stressed. As soon as there was a break in the rain during the afternoon of our second day, I plopped Sam in the stroller, told Ella to hop on her bike, and we booked it to the quaint campground shop for my small cup of heaven. I realize that my need for coffee at that time was primarily emotional, but it absolutely did the trick. I was ready to take on the world – or two kids in a little pop-up camper – after those 12 ounces. We painted glittery sticks, read Curious George, played Hello Kitty Uno, and had a bit of a dance party, all before Daddy returned from the hospital for dinner. Thankfully, the next two days were sunny. We spent the entire time outside! It was absolutely lovely.
Sadly, this was the only camping trip we were able to take this summer. I’m so glad we managed to get this in before school started. Next summer we will do our best to squeeze in as many camping adventures as possible before we head off to Kenya. Because boy oh boy, do we adore camping!
