The Clark (Griswald) family camping trip

May 31, 2009: Trey had been excited for weeks about taking the girls camping in the backyard. He envisioned relaxing by the campfire, enjoying the sounds of nature, and watching the joy on his children's faces as they roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. I was already tired that day and suggested it might be more work than he thought, but he insisted. Later that night, the phrases "fiasco" and " you couldn't pay me enough to do this away from home" were being thrown around! I think when he was planning his perfect evening, he forgot to factor in that small tornado in pigtails known as Isabel!

DISCLAIMER: The photos you are about to see of a happy family camping do not accurately represent the chaos that took place that evening. What you will not see in these photos: the mosquitoes, sticky marshmallows smeared all over Isabel's skin, clothes and hair, my constant state of panic as I rescue Isabel from backing into the fire over and over again, Isabel trying her best to wreck the food prep area, spilled food, dropped food, Trey making dozens of trips up and down the hill from the house to the campsite- which is quite a hike, that our roasting sticks were too short, so we cooked the girls hot dogs and staged pictures of them doing it and Trey and Ava waking up freezing at 3:30 a.m. and coming back to the house!




"Are we having fun yet?"



Of course, there were lots of good things to remember about the evening. And honestly, isn't every camping trip a mixture of good and bad? I can think of some camping disasters that my family has told me about or I have been on in past years. Who can forget Amanda being charged by a water moccasin while bathing in the river! And at least we didn't have to eat cold beans out of a can, listen to howling wolves or scavenging raccoons, or sleep in wet sleeping bags in a flooded tent!!

Good things about our night: The food was delicious- you can't beat hot dogs cooked over a fire! The girls really did have fun. And the night got better when Commie and Big Daddy showed up, and we had finished eating and were able to all relax and enjoy ourselves. Then Commie took Isabel to the house for a bath and rocked her to sleep, and Big Daddy told Ava a bedtime story under the stars. Ava loved sleeping in a tent, she jumped right in and was so happy. I made her laugh by making shadows on the outside of the tent and pretending to be a bear. Ava said she had a great time- and that's what really matters.