It was fabulous!
I surprised myself over and over again.
I helped find wood and stow it under the car, so it stayed dry because dry wood equals food and I need my food especially breakfast. I reached for one particular branch only to realize at the last second there was a spider on it. Ew! But I just stopped, took a breath and moved to the next one. I have no idea how many things I touched that contained bugs.
If you have ever seen LIFE, then you know about the monkeys that use rocks to open the palm tree coconuts. When Saint was using a rock to pound in the stakes for the tent, it reminded me of that video and I started laughing, hysterically and couldn't stop.
It took about half hour to set up camp. The tent he owned said, "Sun Tent" not knowing exactly what that meant, we were lucky we bought a few tarps because it didn't have a solid roof, just netting. We did buy an aero bed, but a very cheap one. Mental note, you really get what you pay for when it comes to an aero bed. But I was glad to have it. One of the few luxuries for us. We borrowed a lantern from my dad and bought a big flashlight. I planned food for all meals before we left. We also were lucky to have my parent's lend us a big duffel bag of utensils, plates, coffee pot (bless you for having a coffee pot), pans and pots, a metal grill to place over the camp fire to cook, cooking stove and a few other things.
Here's me lounging in our pretty cool tent.
This is called organizing. It may not look like it, but I really was very helpful - when I put the camera down.
It doesn't take long for things to calm down and then all of a sudden, it hits you. I have to go to the bathroom. Can I get a drum roll? I actually used the bathroom in the woods. The first attempt at it, I peed on my shoe. Whoops! I re-learned real quick. Eventually, I just walked out back of our camp, dropped trow and went. I even forgot to look for people after awhile. As far as bugs and such, I tried real hard not to even begin to look around. I don't want to know.
Not to bad for a bunch of city goers who haven't camped in a few years - apparently over 15 for Saint. He did well. I was so proud of him - after he finally told me - "I wasn't dating an outdoors man." Big shocker! (haha) For not being an outdoors man, he sure took hold and led the way.
We spent the first day basically enjoying our camp and exploring what was around.
I figured out around dinner time that I forgot to buy something to eat for dinner the first night. Whoops! We ate sandwiches - PB&J for me and PB for Saint. He apparently doesn't like strawberry jam. Only grape. We did get a fire going later that night and enjoyed a few smores. Also, a first for Saint - though he's eaten them, he's never actually made them. There is something about making them, that makes them better tasting.
It was pitch dark at night. No moon at all. Weird, but not a big deal. Kind of like when I watch a tv show and when they turn the lights off, the lighting gets a little brighter. When we turned off a lantern, our eyes would adjust and there was a soft glow of some sort to see very fuzzy shapes.
Why is it, we drive out into the wilderness and all of a sudden I have to go to the bathroom every hour at night? Poor Saint, he was kind enough to accompany me out into the dark to pee every time. What a guy!
There were these bugs that were flying around the lantern and flashlight. They looked like a cross between a beetle and a grasshopper. Saint did not like them at all. I guess he has a thing about certain bugs. I'm not a bug fan, but to see him was calming for me. Or maybe I was so distracted laughing that I couldn't begin to be afraid. What freaked me out, is being inside a tent where I can't see outside. My imagination just shot off the roof sitting inside wondering what all the sounds were. After a few nails into the skin, Saint started to really talk to me, distracting me.
It was like heaven to me. We would sit in the tent and read next to each other before falling asleep. This is what I always pictured marriage was supposed to be like. I remember climbing in between my parent's who used to read side by side in bed.
It is very true that I learned a lot about Saint on our trip. A few quirks, but all good things. Just reinforced the way I already feel about him.
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