Here we go camping!

Now let's see, where were we?  :)

Yup, we are back from our whirlwind tour of all things summer.  It has been wonderful and frustrating all in the same breath.  Thankfully we are catching our breath, although I'm still a bit winded.  Gary is out of town for the week.  Once again I tip my hat to all the amazing single mamas and papas who are doing this day in and day out.  I know that my honey will return to me.  I can also call him in the middle of the day to just chat.  So many don't have that luxury.

So, this past week-end we went camping.  We actually went real camping.  Tent camping.  With no electricity.  I'll admit that there were toilets (a great luxury in my opinion!).  We set up on a group site with four other families.  In all there were ten adults and eighteen kids that invaded Platte River National Park Campground. 

It was glorious.

It was awful.

Glorious--I can't begin to fill the pages of the great things.  We saw baby raccoons in the trash bin.  We played for hours in the river.  We played for hours on the beach.  My kids got to know other kids and learned how to be better friends.  We love our new tent.  We made up games.  We cooked for others and others cooked for us.  We sat around the campfire laughing and sharing memories.  Our entire family slept in a tent together.  The post-camping shower was one of my best ever--thus cementing the fun had during the hot and dusty week-end.  Our kids slept in!  I discovered a new packing system that worked for us.  I didn't run out of Diet Mountain Dew.  We prayed together.  We listened to a story called "Poopy in the desert."  I watched my children's faces every time my friend Dave said the word "poopy".  I had some great meaningful conversations.  My children didn't get hurt.  We tubed down the river.  We saw a snake.  Noel caught a crayfish.  Simon realized that he can in fact ride a bike. Glorious things.  Love it.

Awful:  Picture it.  Night 3.  1:30ish a.m. Penny wakes up screaming and can not be consoled.  Nothing is working.  Gary and I are frantic. . . o.k. I am frantic.  Gary is rather calm.  I'm beside myself because WE ARE IN A TENT and every one of our friends can hear us.  Everyone.  We are waking up 22 people.  I finally grab Penny and the car keys, fumble with the zipper (the only bad thing on a tent in my opinion!) and hurriedly march down the path.  No glasses.  No shoes (ouch).  No plan.  As soon as we are outside Penny smiles (this does not help) and says, "Simon sleeping.  Garrison sleeping.  Noel sleeping."  Yup, not right now.  I make it to the car, get her buckled in, and hop in the front seat.  Then I cry.  This is not the little cry, but the sobbing with your head hanging down cry.  I calm down and we wait together in silence.  I'm weighing my options: do I drive around sans shoes and glasses?  Do we go back to the tent?  Do we sleep in here?  I asked her.  "Penny, do you want to sleep in the car or in the tent?"  "Car."  Oops, I forgot the rule in giving choices.  I need to be o.k. with both options.  I do not want to sleep in the car.  I wait a few minutes and then ask this question "Penny, do you want to go to the tent to sleep now or in two minutes."  "Now."  I get her out and we return.  My sweet hubby has left the lantern on so I can easily find my way back.  I set her in the tent and she crawls to her bed and falls asleep immediately.  IMMEDIATELY.  I shake my head and cry a little with Gary.
BUT
All is not awful.  The next morning, what had seemed awful to me in the middle of the night, was not.  My friends were very gracious.  They were very understanding.  They totally got it.  Most of them were awakened, listened to the events, felt bad for the Spricks, and went back to sleep.  We hadn't ruined their nights.  We were o.k.  There were even a few who hadn't heard a thing.  I learned again that things always seem worse in the middle of the night.
So there was one truly awful thing.  After living in the heat wave for four days, after not taking any showers, after packing up our belongings in some humidity. . . my hubby was. . . ahem. . . stinky.  I made him keep his arms down the whole way home.  Do not wave.  Do not lift anything.  I of course smelled like flowers.

So we made it.  We showered and scrubbed sand out of our hair.  I gave Gary a much deserved hug.  We watched a lot of videos.  We did lots of smelly laundry and we put away the tent.  It was great.