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Monday, October 20, 2008

Fall Camping


Me and Brian headed into Shenandoah National Park this weekend for our first camping trip as a married couple. I have to say, it was pretty incredible! I even survived a little Joan of Arc episode. :)



We couldn't have picked a better weekend. The leaves were at their peak, and everything looked perfect. That being said, looking back on it, I think it was all the little mishaps and imperfections that made the experience. For example:

*How many Eagle Scouts and Young Women Certified Campers does it take to start a fire? Apparently more than we had with us. It was freezing, and we HAD to have a fire...we're talking survival here. :) But, after gathering the driest wood we could find, we realized it obviously wasn't dry enough. Thank goodness for the Campstore, equipped with fire-starter logs and bags of dry wood. As you can see in the picture above, we eventually got a rip-roarin' blaze going, and the hot dogs and smores were DELICIOUS!



*I mentioned it was chilly...but it's worth mentioning again. It was chilly! For those of you who have emailed telling me what a romantic life we lead, picture this scene: 2 newlyweds, each layered and looking like marshmellows, bundled in their respective, blanket-lined sleeping bags, when one turns to the other to say goodnight: "Brian? Wait...Brian? Where are you? Oh...burrowed down in your sleeping bag...huh. Guess I won't kiss you goodnight."
The answer is muffled and sounds really far away: "Huh? What? Did you say something?"
" Hm. Guess talking is out of the question too... can you at least peek out for a second so I can take a picture?" :) he he he. Priceless.



*The signs that greeted us as we entered the campsite told us we were in bear country, and there were pictures of bears in campsites last week. I was terrified when I woke up at 3 a.m. and heard all kinds of creepy sounds. Did we for sure put all the skittles in the car? Images of getting dragged out of the tent over one green little piece of candy had me going nuts. I would've woken up Brian...but I probably wouldn't have been able to dig him out of his cacoon if my life depended on it. :) I had no reason to fear, though. We ate, slept and hiked part of the Appalachian Trail encountering nothing scarier than Bambi.



*Cleaning up camp doesn't sound fun, but it actually turned out to be quite the bonding experience. Our true dorkiness came out when we high-fived, whooped, and got WAY overly excited about getting the tent, tarp, sleeping bags and air mattress all back into their original packages. Seriously, that's an accomplishment, right?! We thought so!!



Yep, it always seems to be the unexpected, quirky, little things that make an experience worth it. Anyway, here's the pictures! Enjoy the colors! We sure did.


3 comments:

Aly Goalen said...

It looks like you guys are having so much fun! I'm so happy for you.

Olivia Jane Designs said...

HOOORAY! So pretty sure I will be there tomorrow :) Can't wait to see you! I thought I'd come out of it scotch free but apparently my corp. manager Jason thought that paying for my little vay cay called for some penance so he's making me come up with our itinerary for Saturday HAHA. You better brainstorm up some ideas for me :) Can't wait to see you! I'm finding my camera tonight so you best be feeling in a photogenic mood :P Wait... oh sorry I must have thought I was talking to mom there for a minute - you usually aren't the one running and dodging the pictures haha. Oh and since I haven't seen you for a little while, here is your forewarning - you'll be looking for a blonde at the airport (DUN DUND DUN!!!!) That's right, you heard me- Anywho- call you tomorrow on my lay over in Rochester (still have NO idea how they thought that was on the way to DC but whatevs) LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Looks like fun, I think Larry and I need to get a little tent and start communing with nature again. Brian, it's good to see someone getting you out camping...can anyone say Boy Scout Camp with a straight face?
Love you!
mom