Some like it hot.

There are a few more things I want to post, but it is 83 degrees in our office, and my laptop is like a heating pad for my hands. So instead I am going to sit in the other room and sweat a little less profusely. Check back, some possible topics include; Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Bonfires, and Drummond Island.

Camping Extravaganza

I love camping. It is something that was instilled in me at a young age by my parents. There is nothing better than cooking outside, kicking back, watching a campfire burn, then sacking out in the tent, listening to the sounds of the outdoors. Even better if it is raining. ( As long as you have a good tent that won't collapse in the middle of the night, forcing you to sleep in the car.) I want the boys to love camping too. They have been a couple times already, and Aaron and I have been talking about taking them this year, but our schedules have been crazy and we haven't been able to get a trip planned. But two weekends ago, I had some time off, and decided it would be fun to try and take the boys camping. Aaron was traveling, so it would be just me and the boys. By ourselves. In the woods. I think Aaron said "Are you sure?" when I brought up this idea. It actually was a lot of fun. We drove to Lake Michigan, to Van Buren State Park, which has a campground and a beach. I set up our camp, with minimal help from the boys, then we hit the beach. The water was 53 degrees, hypothermia cold, cold enough to make my legs cramp up when I put my feet in, but Connor actually dunked himself under more than once! We spent tons of time digging giant holes in the sand and running up the giant sand dune that is there at the beach. The same kids that whine that they can't walk up the stairs because their legs are too sore ran, and I mean RAN, up this sand dune. Have you ever tried to run in sand? It's hard. But they couldn't be stopped.

Needless to say, after all that excitement, they passed out within about 30 seconds of me zipping the tent closed that night.

The next day we hit two more beaches, one at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, where you had to hike through the woods for a little over a mile to get there, and Oval Beach in Saugatuck, which is a great family beach. I was surprised to see there were no longer lifeguards there. It used to be one of the few spots that still had them, at least a couple years ago. After all that beach time, stopped for some ice cream and headed home. Connor passed out in his car seat almost immediately and Riley followed soon after. I would have joined them, except I had to drive. Despite the huge pile of camping gear and dirty laundry that followed us home, it was a blast and totally worth it. When I asked the boys if they had fun, Riley said, "No, because we only got to camp for one night." Next time then, we'll go a little longer. But I am definitely taking Aaron along for the ride!