Always check the tent poles

Ian and I joke that he would never get along without me. So, there are a few important bits of information that would be necessary if he were left to fend for himself. He knows them by heart and repeats them often, so he doesn't forget...just in case. A couple are:

Always marinate the chicken
and
Respect the hierarchy of Snacks (save the gummies for true emergencies)

This past fun filled and action packed Labor Day weekend has added a new mantra to our list:
Always check the tent poles

I bet you can figure out where this is going, but humor me and I will share my tale of woe.

Long, long ago in a galaxy far far away I declared,"NO CAMPING THIS SUMMER!!!" These two children at this age did not seem like a recipe for a fun and relaxing camping experience. Just the four of us and Scout sounded like a lot of work, sleepless nights, and tears (mostly mine). I say just the four of us because I told Ian that if he could find some sucker to go camping with us, to help with the kids I would go....no takers! I had thought I made it. It was Labor Day for goodness sake. Then comes the phone call from Bill in California...uh oh. He and his wife Cristina would love to come and visit over Labor Day. The guys can do a fourteener and the kids and girls can just hike and camp. What could I do? I had to say yes. And that is where the turmoil began.

It seriously took me 6 hours to shop, cook, and pack. We had the brilliant idea to leave at naptime, so Ev and H would both sleep in the car. Hee Hee We hit I-70 thinking we were set, why would there be traffic on Saturday at 1. AHEM, apparently everyone started their weekend late because our 2 hour drive took 3 1/2. And oh yeah, Everett did not sleep, he mostly screamed at the top of his lungs while I tried to finagle my behind in between their car seats, no easy task. I fed him cheerios and sang a very animated and extended version of Old McDonald while we sat on the highway. Luckily, Bill and Cristina were driving in the other car.

However, we did finally arrive and by the grace of God landed a beautiful, quiet, and private camp site. We couldn't believe our luck. We jumped from the cars, unleashed Scout and Holden to explore and breathed in the crisp mountain air. We immediately started unpacking and organizing because we arrived late and the little munchkins would be hungry soon. I busted out the Exersaucer-well worth it- and Ev went to town jumping and playing.


Then, I heard a worried whisper, and then more whispers, then, "Kim......the tent poles are broken." Excuse me? This can't be, we have only used the tent twice. Not our huge luxurious tent that can fit a playpen, 5 people, and a dog? Those poles can't possibly be broken. Snapped they were. Both of the major ones.

OK, Bill and Ian were sure that with a few beers and 30 minutes the poles could be mended. So, we continued unpacking, 'hiking' with Holden and entertaining Everett waiting for the good news.






Cristina and I decided to set up the second tent while the guys worked on the firs one. AHEM, "Ian, these poles are broken too." You have got to be kidding me. This is not possible. But somehow it was. Four adults, two kids, one dog, and no tent. I took this as a sign from the gods that we were not meant to be camping. Like, we were going to be eaten by a bear if we stayed. No one else shared my thoughts and the fixing continued. Cristina fixed the smaller tent. But after 1 1/2 hours the large tent was a mess and I put my foot down, began repacking the car and got ready to head home. The guys decided to stay, Bill did fly out here to hike a fourteener after all. Cristina, the kids, and I were not up for any more excitement and left around 6:30 pm.

What happened next will be hotly contested for years to come. Since this is my blog, I will tell you my side (the truth). I had never driven down that way before and having spent most of this drive in the backseat doing a song and dance for my children, I had no idea where I really was. Ian told me, "Follow 24, back towards Copper to I-70." I said, very clearly I might add, "Follow 24 ALL THE WAY TO I-70?" He said, "YES." So what would you do in this situation? Follow 24 all the way to I-70. Too bad that took me 2 HOURS IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. All I will say is we got home at 10:30.

Kids were crying, no one wanted to sleep. Everet was up till after midnight. It was loads of fun. I am actually surprised Cristina didn't have me drop her off at the airport that night.

We recovered, believe it or not, and took the kids to the 16th Street mall to window shop and have lunch on Sunday. All of which went smoothly. The guys had a great time hiking and got home for dinner on Sunday night. Bill and Cristina had a great time exploring the kids toys, reading bedtime stories, and blowing bubbles. I just hope we didn't scare them out of having children!