month of love #7

I love camping! It is a great way for our family to hang out together and do something we all enjoy. It is easy, cheap, and fun. I grew up camping - my grandparents would take us camping out on Cape Cod in the summertime. I have so many fond memories of those times growing up.

I used to go camping with my friend and her family when we were teenagers and it was always so wonderful. We would stay up late playing games, eating, trying to meet boys... It seemed like it was always somebody's birthday or a special occasion, and they always went out of their way to make a celebration even though we were out in the woods. I always admired that about them.

As we grew older and had our own families, we started taking camping trips with our friends. It started out pretty small, but the group has grown. The last time we all went was pretty legendary - there are more "you had to be there" jokes from that trip than I can count! ("Hey - watch out for that trash can over there!") What amazes me the most from this group is the sense of community and fun and sharing. There were too many of us to coordinate everything all the time, but we still managed to come together for family style suppers on more than a few occasions.

It has been awhile, longer than we've ever gone without camping. I definitely think we are due for a trip.