Different Childhood Experiences

As I was dating my now husband, Mike, we would get lost in great conversations until all hours of the night.  On our 3rd or 4th date we were interrupted by the police, not for what you're probably thinking, when the beach had closed and they asked,"Do you know what time it is?" "Yeah, maybe 10:00."  "Try 2 am...". There were travel adventures to tell, loads of questions to ask and answer, storytelling and always laughing.  We always laugh, it's essentially a family rule.

One chat went like this...  "We camped a lot growing up.  My mom had a pop up camper in grad school and used it all the time.  And I went on this great camping trip with my cousins and then one time with my Dad.  I love camping. I did it for most of the time I rode my bike across the country, Virginia to California. Did you camp as a kid?"

"Well, sort of....  It depends how you define camping," I said with major hesitation and the inflection in my voice rose with uncertainty.

"Define camping," he coaxed.

"Umm, my mom said we were camping when we went up to Maine."

"I have a friend with a camp up in Maine."

"Right, lots of people do, buuuuuut ours isn't really a camp, per say.  It's this great 4 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath farm house, winterized, fireplace, really it's a full, complete, real house."

"So then how was it camping?"

"Well, when we first started going up to Maine, we didn't have a microwave or a washer and dryer.  So, my mom said we were camping because we didn't have all the amenities of home.  Over the years, we added the microwave and then the dryer.  After too many trips to the laundromat, my mom over ruled my Dad's concern for the septic system and put a washer in.  Now it's definitely not camping.  It's been updated that there's a dishwasher, new appliances, granite counter tops, beautifully refinished hardwood floors-- the works!"

"That's not camping!  That's not even roughing it!"

Different perspectives.

We've been married a little over a year and Mike has continued to talk about this epic experience of camping.  My students go camping as part of school.  Real camping.  This adventure is going to be the start of expanding my vocabulary and adding a new way to define camping.

My preparation started with the purchase of a sleeping bag-- warm but lightweight.  We were at the REI in California while visiting my in-laws and Yosemite.  When we arrived home my announcement was, "Don't bother going to REI, we bought the whole store out!"  Mike and my MIL dug out their cute little pop-up tent and we were in business.... my first night sleeping in a tent, in a sleeping bag, outside, granted it was the backyard and it was turf.  But it's a step in the right direction!

Once we made it back home to Connecticut, I had the tent for the trip that I was borrowing from a friend. (Shout out to the adventurer Ed Sweeney, who camps all year round under the stars, so not to be claustrophobic in a tent).  I set it up in the backyard and again, we slept outside.  This time, the dog was with us and I had my self inflating mattress.  **side note: Did you know that when it says self inflating, it means you inflate it yourself, with a coupe really big breaths.  I thought it meant something different-- another learning experience.** I didn't take the tent down the next morning and that afternoon, as rain clouds moved in, but my husband says, "Great!  Perfect night to sleep in the tent, in the rain, to see if it's waterproof!"  He was so much more excited than me. But we did it!  We did three nights of sleeping in a tent in the backyard and I learned 2 of the first rules of camping.  1. Always keep your tent zipped to keep the bugs out and 2. Shoes stay outside the tent. 

With that, I set forth into the great unknown, willing and ready to learn!