Even from a young age, I’ve loved everything about being outside. Maybe because we grew up without air conditioning, so the inside felt just like the outside on a sweltering summer day in Indiana…as well as a sweltering summer night. So, choosing to live my life this way really comes as no surprise. At least not to me, maybe to you all…but definitely not to me. Growing up we camped as a family. Well, as good as our family could camp. Not everyone was on board with sleeping on the ground, using an outhouse full of spiders, and little to no personal hygiene. Ahhhh, the good ole days, right? Ok, maybe not but my point is, camping has been my thing for a very long time.
As a young adult, I was freshly married (we shall call him #2 so I can get everyone up to speed on my commitment issues) and we were out rummaging through another person’s junk looking for anything we couldn’t live without.
Also, my thing, rummages. Why? Because you can find some cool shit at them, especially camping items. Seems most people think camping sounds like a really fun time and then they do it and realize how much work it is. Here’s my pro tip for all you novice campers, don’t do it. You’re welcome.
Anyway…there was a large green duffle bag unzipped and laid out around it, there it was. My next mission to get #2 on board with. TENT CAMPING! In response to my squeal of delight, he returned with a shrug of his shoulders and it was settled. We paid the $5, yes $5, because rummages are CHEAP! And off we went with our newest prized possession. Well, my newest prized possession, I’m fairly confident #2 could not have cared less to sleep on the ground and be bitten by bugs. I can’t imagine why?
Now we did have a little camping gear, things I had picked up in the past, things my dad had given me, #2 had some hand me downs from his family, etc. But my mission was to build our camping empire around this $5 Coleman tent. And let me tell you, that is exactly what I did. For those of you that know me, you know just how weirdly organized and nerdy I am. I had labeled totes, master check lists so nothing was left behind from the giant pile it was kept in (organized of course) and routines for packing and unpacking. Like a well-oiled MACHINE it was!
So, on our maiden voyage, we decided to leave the step brats at home (calm down 🖐🏻, they call me their step monster, we got this) to make sure everything went off without a hitch and I was going to celebrate!
We arrive at our destination, unload and start the setup process. Everything is coming together nicely (because I am an organized badass) so as I am making the bed (also known as an air mattress) and crawling around inside the tent I came across an interesting find. Like a bonus to our rummage sale steal. I called for #2 and as he peeks inside the tent, I show him the toothbrush (used) and condom (unused, I would have flipped my wig…and burnt everything to the ground if it was) in the pocket of the tent. I said, “Look Babe, it even came with a starter kit!” As with most of his reactions to my shenanigans, #2 shook his head and half-laughed/half-sighed as he exited the tent. God bless his little baby heart, you guys should remind me to tell you about the time #2’s sweat dripped in my mouth…another summer tent camping story for another day…
I’ve been stuck at a service center in Clearwater, FL for a minute now. All I’m gonna say is FL can keep all this humidity. I’m ready for a day that EVERYTHING doesn’t sweat. I’m hoping to leave my blacktop prison after the holiday but as my luck goes who in the hell knows when I will get out of here. Considering traveling north and then west so I can see the Dakotas and Montana. What would you guys like to see pictures of?
