Camping!
Roughing it amidst nature!
I truly think the presence of coffee gives me super hero powers useful for camping adventures.
I do have to be able to get to the coffee though for it to be able to work its magic.
There was a time when I was separated from the beloved coffee pot and I will now tell you about this!
For some reason I went to bed at midnight the night before our camping trip and got up at my regular 6 a. m. to get my kids off to school, so I went into the weekend mildly exhausted.
At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon I started having a bit of a panic attack about being exceedingly tired and having to sleep in a tent with the swish swish of sleeping bags, and all the sounds that come from sharing a small space with 5 other people.
I get insomnia every single time I spend the night away from home and did not relish the thought of fighting my own sleep battle along with trying to be patient with my dear family who wouldn't be trying to drive me crazy, but inevitably would.
I tend to wake every hour.
Every hour.
I decided at that point in time that I would have my own private cabin.
It was luxury accommodations perfectly suitable for one, that I had in mind.
Yeah...something like this!
Not exactly like this but very close!
Oh, yeah, that would work just fine.
I imagined how it would be.
Take out a seat, fold down the back set into its pocket and voila, a nice level surface to put my mattress on for sleeping.
Oh yeah, I had a plan and I was sticking to it.
I let my husband and family know that I was in fact ditching them and I would be doing it alone.
My husband let me know that he was just fine with that arrangement as long as I took the dog.
Hey, I could handle that!!
DEAL!
Night seemed to descend quickly and I found myself snuggled down in my sleeping bag, with a blanket and all my clothes on including a jacket and a scarf, inside my Honda van...locked in secure til morning!
Oh, I must have forgotten to mention that it was around 48 when we hit the sack and it sank to around 37 through the night.
It was cold.
Really cold!!
I felt confident in my ability to get up in the morning though because I had confidently set up my coffee pot and set the timer to go off so that I (and any one else who may want it) would have fresh hot coffee to pour upon need.
Coffee is an excellent motivator!
I did indeed wake every hour.
I wake, roll over, check my clock, lay back down, force myself to breathe deeply and eventually fall asleep again only to wake minutes later.
I finally gave up when I checked my cell phone clock and saw that it was 6:30 a. m.
I noticed the battery light was flashing but didn't worry much seeing as how I was with my family and I knew they were snuggled cozily in the tent just a few paces away. I didn't really have much need for my phone on a camping weekend!!
I also knew the coffee was ready and waiting AND I really had a need to hit the little girls room.
I sat there contemplating getting up and out into the cold.
It was then I noticed my youngest boy out walking around the campsite.
He walked over to the window and tapped on it to say hi.
I cheerily waved back, happy to see him up and ready to go exploring in his new blue hooded coat.
Then a terrible thought struck my mind.
I was stuck in my van.
I had no way to get out from the inside.
I could not go to the little girls room.
I could not get coffee.
I could not cross go or collect 200 dollars.
When a Honda Odyssey is locked, if it is then unlocked from the inside, the alarm sounds.
It is a safety feature.
I hurriedly texted my husband on my quickly dying phone.
"r u awake???"
then I texted my sister in law who was also with us and in the tent with my family...
"r u awake??? i need help!"
Little did I know my husbands cell had already died and the texts moved so slow through the network that my sis in law didn't get hers til several hours later when I was sitting there with her. (oh the irony!)
I was really beginning to panic.
Then I saw the flash of blue again signaling my sweet child was still moving about the camp.
I madly waved at him.
He cheerily waved back...as though to say...hey Mom, yes I see you there and I saw you there awhile ago too! It was a wave full of dismissal.
So I sat up very quickly and began banging on the window shouting at him, which sent the dog into fits of barking which in turn got his attention even better. (thanks Shelby!)
He came over and rubbed a circle in the fogged window with his gloved hand.
"What Mom??"
"Is your Dad awake?" I yelled.
My husband confirmed later that he was in fact awake because our dear child had already been in and out of the tent once telling his Daddy that he needed to get up and get a fire going. Hee hee hee.
He responded "Yeah, I think so" and he turned to walk away again.
I screamed "No, come back, come back, come back!!!"
Shelby is still barking and hopping around.
"Go and tell your Daddy that you need the keys to unlock the van" I yelled.
I am needing more and more to make that visit and claim my coffee.
See how the order has switched.
"Why do you need the key, just unlock it from in there!" He responded with a bit of derision.
"I can't...just get the keys already!!!"
He just shook his head like I was crazy and took off across the site to wake his Daddy yet again in order to get those keys because he is a good boy and does what his mommy says.
My hero came back unlocked the van, reached in and gave me the keys and sweetly asked if I would like to go walk down to the water with him.
I assured him I would in fact do that, right after I went to the little girls room.
The sun was rising as we walked down to the beach early that morning. There were a group of deer who flicked their heads up at our presence then darted off as we stepped nearer.
The sky was layered with colors of pink and orange fading into crystal blues. Over the water hoovered a cloud of steam blurring the colors with the mist.
Everything was quiet and still. I was walking with my sweet middle child and soaking in a bit of God's creation and breathing in the joy of being awake and alive and happy.
The only thing that could have made it better would have been if I had grabbed a cup of coffee before taking that walk.
AHHHH ha ha ha ha.
I wish I were joking!
When you have three children it is a rare occasion to spend a few quiet moments with one and this was very sweet and special to me and God made it even more amazing by having the sunrise be so stunning.
So, despite my momentary panic and discomfort I did survive and I did have my coffee.
I must rush off now.
It is haircut weekend around here and it is my turn to do the cutting.
