Camping Fun for Gary's Birthday Weekend

It was so much fun to camp together. We literally THREW the weekend together at the last minute, cancelled it, and then re-instated it.  It is really an "updated version" of our old time camping days.  Old days we set up a minimum of five tents, made all our own meals, and just plain got grungy, soaking wet, and poison-ivy'd for a week (or sometimes even two) at a time!  

NOW, our "updated version" includes going to Bally's to work out and get ready, a Starbucks coffee, shopping AFTER we get there, and going out to eat!  Although we keep the hobo pies around (thanks to Gary's efforts), the s'mores, and coffee and hot chocolate and snacks there, the rest of it is really minimum work.  Also, it IS a relief to sleep on cots instead of on the floor!

Although I really miss the old days with all the extraordinary efforts, it IS a relief to be able to just throw a weekend together and still feel we have the "camping experience".  Also, we had to rent a trailer because we sold our mega-trailer that we used to use to haul all our equipment.

Everyone made it up except Danny...  

It was awesome to have everyone together and enjoying "semi-camping" together.  

After the rain finally stopped, we played tennis, football, kickball (and Russell literally got KNOCKED OUT and had to go to the hospital to see if his jaw was broken), rode bikes, sang, did our Bible studies by the fire (awesome), played board games, read books, and just kicked around doing nothing together.  

A mini-vacation -- just enough to add a few more awesome memories to our summer...