Camping itself is already an adventure of venturing into the unknown, with open arms, & a readiness to tackle the unexpected head on.
I've never really been an anxious, worry-wart, plan ahead extreme-o... until having a kid.
So, with the unknown of camping & the unknown of a toddler, the adventure of Friday-Saturday was ..... well, one night was enough for almost-five-month-pregnant-me.
Really though, Asher did a wonderful job. He made exploring so much more fun, because even a leaf is the Grand Canyon to him. We did camp "family" style as there were bathrooms & a little park close by. That bathroom came in handy when I woke up sick at 3 am, scurrying as quickly as I could to the bathroom.... I'll spare you the details.
There is so much I love about sleeping under the blanket of stars God has crafted. It's an oasis in the midst of this go, go, go life.
So, here are some snippets of our little trip:
Asher drove us out to the Hiwassee River, about an hour from our house. (one statement in here is a lie. you guess.)
After finding an aid station where runners would be coming through, at their mile 32, we left to go find a camping spot close to the aid station for mile 82. Let that sink in a bit. CRAZY! Josh set up camp, built the fire, & I worked on dinner prep. I don't really know what Asher did.
Mmmmm. Potatoes, zucchini, squash, cheese, garlic butter, lots of seasoning.
Wrap it all up in foil, and voila! Did I mention that Josh was a stud at making this fire?! I didn't, so allow me. It had rained on & off all day so most of the wood was pretty wet, even the wood we brought was damp. Whatta guy.
It took a while to get Asher to fall asleep... BUT, he did & that's what counts! We borrowed two tents from a friend (ours is just a two man tent) & set Ash up with his pack-and-play in one & us in the other. So. Just like any night, as soon as The Boo was out, we sat down under the night's starry sky, gazed into one another's eyes, recited poetry, while playing footsie under the table, & ate our hobo meals....ish. They were slightly burnt & nothing short of ahhhmazing.
The temperature dropped to 41 in the night. I totally wasn't expecting this... So, in my new worry-wart fashion I hardly slept as I was constantly worried about Ash being too cold. We checked on him throughout the night, & every time he was snug as a cutie bear bug could be, perfectly warm.
I probably woke Josh up every 45 minutes to ask if he was awake & thinking about Asher's warmth... almost every time he was awake..... and thinking about all the racers running through the night. Again, let that one sink in. They ran through the night. In the woods. For a total of ONE HUNDRED miles!
Around 3 a.m. I started feeling sick & was SO grateful for the bathroom close by. Here's some real honesty for ya-- at one point I was whimpering/crying because of stomach cramps, & Asher woke up saying, "Mommy...cry-ing. Mommy. CRY-iiiiinG.". My sweet, sweet, empathetic boy. By the grace of God, the sickness just lasted about 3 hours (usually these spells will last up to 7).
So, the night lacked good sleep. But you know, it was .... it was probably one of the weekend's highlights. Josh & I talked & prayed a lot through the night. We prayed that God would cover up Asher & breathe His warm breath over him if he was even cold. And, prayed for all the racers. We payed for it the next day, well... I did. Josh got home & ran up Lookout Mountain... But, it was well worth every second of sleep lost. Anytime we wake up & talk in the middle of the night, it takes me back to our dating days when we would stay up ALL night just talking. I love my husband.
Breakfast consisted of delicious oatmeal, fresh coffee, & bananas. Asher slept in until 9, leaving us precious time to make breakfast & pack up camp as a team.
Saturday morning was probably Asher's version of Heaven-- when he woke up he was outdoors & a park was just a hop, skip, & a jump away. He even got to eat while playing. His oasis in the midst of his narrow world.
He would slide ALL day if we let him. The boy LOVES them.
After eating we headed over to the finish line by the Ocoee River. All of this area is just exquisite. It was truly phenomenal watching men & women cross the finish line after running such a race. In the time we packed up at home, drove to the Hiwassee, set up camp, made dinner, went to sleep, made breakfast, played at the park, cleaned up camp, & drove quite a bit from mile marker 82 to the finish... these ultra runners had be running THE WHOLE TIME! Blows my mind.
So, in a nutshell... that was our weekend of camping. Our first time as a family of four! Baby Sa(i)ge did a spectacular job, can't even complain. I did get nauseated some on the windy roads, but peppermint oil was my drug of choice & worked beautifully at soothing that. This pregnancy has just been a story of it's own- physically, mentally, spiritually.... as they all are. I just expected sickness to be my burden, as it was with Ash. But, it's truly been bliss. I've loved every second of it.
We are so blessed to have SUCH greatness in our backyard! We could explore a new area every weekend for the next ten years & still not taste it all. The best part is doing it with my best friend & my favorite little boy in the world. I cannot wait until Sa(i)ge is enjoying God's loveliness with us outside the womb, too!
Having kids doesn't mean you can't do the things you love. It will probably look different & take a lot more planning. But, do them. Introduce your kid to what makes your heart explode. The more you do it, the easier it will become & the more they get to know your heart outside the realm of "mom" or "dad".... which, I think is such a gift for them. And, it's okay to fail. We definitely have come home at 2 a.m. when a camping trip went cuckoo & we laugh about it (now)!
Show your kids the world. Enlighten their souls with the wonderful creation God has made. There is no way you will regret it, even if it means you got 2 hours of sleep. This is the adventure. Here. Now. And, it is what you make it.
