You Take the Mallow...

Camping.

I used to go camping with my family several times a year.  But I would say the last time I went was, oh, over 10 years ago.  And Matt couldn't even remember if he had ever been camping.  We're more hotel kind of people, you know?  T.V.  Warm bed.  Showers. 

Clearly you can see where this is going.

We got to the campground Saturday morning and hustled to get up the tent.  We saw rain on the horizon and the winds were picking up.  Lucky for you, I volunteered to document the process instead of really "helping." 

 

Look at my honey hammering away!  He's a natural!

 

All done!  Isn't it huge?  Apparently it can fit 9 people.  I beg to differ...but 4...yes.

 

 I helped build those doors by the way.  No really.  I did.

 

Okay, I did a lot more of this.  But I was on vacation!

After we set up the tent, we headed out to find some lunch.  Geneva on the Lake is a really cute little town that I'm sure is all hustle and bustle during the summer time.  On a cold, May, early afternoon.  Not so much. We stopped in the only open food joint, Eddie's.  It was awesome.

 

 

And then we saw this sign.  Classy.  And yes, we're planning a trip back.

After lunch, we headed out to the wineries.  There were billions to choose from (yes billions) so we went with some recommendations I got from a friend.  So glad we did!  

 

Do you see all the cheese?  $8.  I know! Insanely good deal.

 

If you didn't know, my husband does not drink.  At all.  So at this point in our adventure he was starting to get a little annoyed.  What a good sport, huh?

Back to the campground we went...hoping our tent was still standing from the monsoons we just witnessed.  It was.  

We played a few games and then decided it was time to start the fire and make dinner.

   

I did this instead of help with the fire.  Hey, I did set up all four chairs there in the background....which involved taking them out of their bags and unfolding them.  Don't give me that face.  There were FOUR!

 

Did I mention yet it was freezing?  Okay, just checking.

 

Check out the hot dog I made all by myself!

 

S'mores!!  The whole reason I came!  Oh, and to spend time with my family...blah, blah, blah.

Now, the nighttime was when this whole camping thing got a little sketchy.  Sister and BIL were kind enough to loan Matt and me two twin air mattresses that we pushed together.  Which was great in theory.  But in order for me to stay warm in my three layers + winter coat...I had to be touching Matt at all times.  Seriously.  And do you think the two of us can fit on a twin mattress?  Answer, no.  So I slept in the "crack" almost all night.  And then it was Matt's turn.  I remember waking up in the middle of the night and having this conversation:

Jenny:  "I hate camping."

Matt:  "Me too."

Jenny:  "Next time we come here we're staying at The Lodge."

Matt:  "Yeah, we're more room service kind of people."

So after maybe 2 hours of sleep, we woke up, made some breakfast by the fire, and packed up.  How we got that huge tent back into that little bag, I will never know.

So will we be going camping again anytime soon?

Perhaps.

Maybe in July.