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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Camping trip 2010 (Part 3- Day #3)







Monday was Packing Up Day. After another breakfast of Pancakes and sausage we got to work taking down tents and cleaning up camp. Once everything was done the kids went back to the beach for one last time and swam until it was time for us to leave.
I really enjoyed myself and I'm sure everyone else did also. It was amazing looking up at the sky and seeing it filled with stars. Simply beautiful. I have to say the dark at night was really dark. I can't ever remember being anyplace so dark. It's funny the amount of noises you hear at night. You want to get up and check and when you do you can't see anything.
Looking forward to doing it again soon.

Family Camping trip 2010 (Part 2, Day #2)




Day #2 Sunday



Sunday was our first full day at camp. We started off with some issues... mainly no socks, needing bigger pan to cook pancakes in, and a few other small things. So we headed off to Wal-Mart while my niece figured out a way to cook pancakes and sausages for 10 hungry kids.



By the time we got back to camp my niece had finished cooking breakfast and the kids were off playing ball and swimming. We decided to rent some bikes for the gang and they were off... tearing around the campground, having fun, smiling and laughing.











'Cole drove a car for the first time. She did pretty good. She really enjoyed herself.
We finished off the day with a ghost story and the kids retired to their tents happy, content and a bit leary that an indian ghost might come by in the middle of the night.

Family Camping Trip 2010 (A Tale of Rains, Winds, and No Socks)

This past weekend was our first family camping trip. The 14 of us spent the weekend at Indian Lake State Park in Lakeview, Ohio.

I have to say this one thing...none of our trips ever go easy. We always have some sort of trial that (hopefully) makes us stronger and more united in the end.


Day #1- Saturday Rollout And Arrival Day- I really wish I had taken a picture of the amount of stuff that we took on this camping trip. We looked like we had 50 people going instead of 14. We filled the storage area of the van and the trunk of the car and still had to stuff stuff in every available nook and cranny. It took about a half hour to get our gear loaded up. Then we were finally able to hit the road.

We arrived at the campground a little after 3am. It was humid and warm but it wasn't too bad. Rain had been threatening all day. We immediately set to work putting up the tents.



















My daughter Pinky has developed an amazing talent for putting up tents (and taking them back down, too) She put up one of our larger tents almost entirely by herself .



We spent the rest of the day getting familiar with our surroundings. Some of the kids headed to the beach for a swim, others went up to the camp store for basketballs for a quick b-ball game.


Dinner was hamburgers and hot dogs, we were hard pressed to get the kids to eat something. they played until they wore themselves out.

The wind had started to pick up late in the evening, but there was no sign of rain. The rustling of the trees was non-stop. By 2am the rain had started. Torrential rains, heavy winds, thunder and lightning...everyone was concerned but nobody said anything. The tents held up amazingly well. They barely moved in the wind, maybe that's why we weren't as worried as we probably should have been. We found out the next day a tornado had hit a city 34 miles from where we were.

About 4am I had to make a potty run. I NEVER have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The storm was churning around us and I had to go to the bathroom. I tried to wait it out, but the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the tent was making matters worse. Finally, I had no choice... I threw on my shoes and raincoat and hiked over to the bathroom. It wasn't a long walk, but it was long enough. By the time I got back to the tent my socks and shoes were soaked.

It was at that very moment that I remembered that I did not pack any socks. Neither had any of the kids. Now I have wet socks and shoes and cold feet.

By morning we were just glad we made it through the night.