Gone campin'

Thirty years from now I want my kids to remember stuff like Sunday night.  It was Memorial Day weekend and we were finally forecast a night without rain.  We decided to make it a camping night.

Our first time ever camping!

We pitched a tent in the backyard.

We bought a very fancy "firepit" for $5 at Walgreens.  The charcoal cost $3.50.

While the boys and I went after s'mores necessities (and the firepit we stumbled upon) Bryan ran over to Home Depot for some tiki torches.

Why don't we sit around a fire as a family more often?

 

The boys tried to put out the lights as bedtime approached.

And the giggling inside the tent was more than I could have imagined. 

We no sooner got semi-settled before our next door neighbor let their dog out.  As the dog barked at us, we couldn't help but bark back. I hope he's not scarred by it - we thought it was hysterical.

To help us settle down again, Bryan invented a game that involved giving compliments to each other, in alphabetical order.  A for Daddy...  Daddy is AWESOME!  The boys' favorite was Q for Luke...  Luke is QUEEN!

As my family drifted off to sleep, I recognized each of their breathing patterns, body twitches and snoring.  I was so happy to be there.  I was wide awake, so I stayed still and prayed.  How could I not?  God gave us an incredible evening that I will forever cherish.

Talk about a simple, yet wonderful, staycation.