Camping ! !

Today we went camping. Oh yes we did, there were tents and campfires and s'mores and bugs, lotsa bugs, and no showers, and no hair dryers and god knows I didn't see a toilet. I had baby wipes and apparently that was a novelty amongst the hardened crowd cos they snickered a bit but I was fine with it.

Next year we might even sleep in a tent and not drive home when it gets dark. . . . . . but probably not.

Allow me to back track a little bit. We received an invitation to join some friends on their annual camping trip. I politely sent back my reply thanking them for thinking of us and explaining that they must have lost their cotton picking minds cos I DO NOT camp.

Lets count the ways that I don't camp, shall we:
1. Germs.
2. Dirt
3. Dirt.
4. Dirt.
5. No electricity. (reminiscent of post hurricanes)
6. Dirt
7. um where do you pee ??? you do. well I don't. Lily either.
8. Dirt.
9. I might get dirty.
10. I'm scared of the freaking dark people. (but don't tell my kids)

Then I received another email that said, come anyway and don't spend the night. We'll watch the sunset, walk to the beach, light a campfire, eat dinner together.

Alrighty then, we are in.

So in my mind we went camping today (that was camping I saw the tents) and had a freaking blast. It was so awesome I can't begin to tell you. My brother would have been in heaven. The people we met were all so genuine, so un-Miami, so unbelievably nice. It was so carefree. Not one "Dance Mom" in the crowd, if you know what I mean.

At first the kidlets were a little unsure of it all but after about an hour they were all over the place with all the other kiddos. Lily was a tad freaked out at first because every inch of the campground was covered in red ant piles, which is kind of scary to a kid that can die from red ants but after I found her some socks she chilled out. Not really sure why the socks wielded so much power and the epi-pen none but it's Lily that we are talking about.

Both the girls were mesmerised by the fire. There was even a burning man  that was just amazing. Rosie helped to dress him in palm fronds to be sure he would really burn beautifully. The other aspect of the night that caught the girls attention was the little dog belonging to the host and hostess, Pi. They loved her and walked her all over the place. Poor pet deprived kids. When they lit burning man on fire Lily was holding Pi and she got a little nervous so Lily covered her eyes and she calmed down, it was actually so sweet to watch. She walked her back from the campfire and just covered her little eyes with her hand.

The time flew by and before we knew it was after 9pm and we headed out. Both girls were reluctant to leave and we even talked in the car about the possibilities of buying an actual tent and some sleeping bags but thankfully I came to my senses before that conversation went any further.

Crazy sock girl playing a crazy stick game with her sister

we walked ot the harbour as while we waited for the group to set up their tents.

stunning

the only thing that would have made this more beautiful would have been if someone could have rounded up the biting bugs. No amount of bug spray repelled them

Stiltsville off in the distance

Lily enjoying her feast

Some of the kiddies making s'mores and a certain munchkin eating chips!

The campfire

Lily became quite expert as s'mores

I have no idea...Oh wait, I do. A man was playing his guitar and she was dancing.

burning man, still intact.

Bye bye burning man

Poof

I just love the way the embers looked as they floated skyward.

Now seriously don't you agree? We went camping!
A huge thank you to our hosts, we had a fabulastic time and might consider the real thing next time. But where do you pee?