Camp Weekend

This past weekend was the annual camping trip for the sixth grade, and since it is Serena's last field trip of her elementary career, I agreed to go. Due to various things, it really wasn't the greatest weekend for me to go. We just got our dog and she's still a bit wary of Steve, who was going to be home with her alone. I was a bit worried about them both! I still wasn't feeling well from my back issues, and had some other things going on. However, I put it all aside and focused only on my darling daughter, great mother that I am. Tee Hee. I drove separately and got lost on the way up. That should have been my first clue! I got to the cabins and couldn't find a bunk. Second clue! We went on an hour long nature trail, including a rickety, scary bridge over ooky water, up steep hills, down sandy ones with mosquitoes, no water, and freaked out girls. One of them was me. Now, I'm no chicken, but I don't like water...or bogs that are extremely deep and I'm standing on it!! So, third clue that maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. After the hike, we got out our home lunches, mine being salad and fruit. Hello. I just did an hour long hike and that's what I decided to eat for the whole day?? Starving! Oh well. There was also no available bottled water and the fountain was a 1/4 mile hike to the main lodge. Really? Did I sign up and actually pay for this experience? Silly me. Believe me, I am leaving out some very unnecessary details, but this was going to be a verrry long weekend, and I just knew it. My dear daughter linked up with her friends, one group clearly not approving of the other. Have I mentioned the drama this past year? Amazing how she tries to be friends with everyone and still no one is happy. I'm so tired of that! Aside from that, we did have fun with the open activities and I was able to play some volleyball with Serena and some of the kids. They had various arranged games set up as well. Basically the kids and the chaperones were on the go the whole time. Between canoeing, archery, games, hikes, fishing,horseback riding, rock wall climbing, etc....there was never a dull moment or a dry one, for that matter. The campfire was my favorite part of the trip. It was a beautiful night and we were lakeside, listening to the loons. It was so peaceful, though I was reminded occasionally that I was surrounded by several sixth grade boys. They are just so fun. The camp counselors were amazingly funny and kept us all entertained with their various skits, one of which I just had to put on my phone. It makes me laugh, so I play it often. It is Youtube worthy! A tradition of the camp is to tell a Bigfoot story, which freaked out one of the girls, so as we made our way to the cabins that night, she finally lost it and I had to spend some time soothing her. It took some time to get the girls in bedtime mode, being that a few chaperones wanted things to settle down and some wanted to party. I just wanted to hit my bunk and die, to be honest. And I tried, when a few minutes later the girls began arguing between my bunk and another chaperone. Did I mention the drama that's been going on all year? Ugh! I sent them all to bed. No porridge for you, stinker girls! :) I did make it through the night. Barely. Getting in the bathroom was IMPOSSIBLE! I have to wonder why girls want to do their hair and then go play in a dirt pit all day. Beats me. I felt like I'd been in a dirt pit for a week after that hike, but no showers for the wicked, apparently. Anyway, I survived, and after a heart to heart with my dear daughter, she decided she wanted to spend time with me after all, and we went on a walk. It seemed she was avoiding me a bit, and it was bothering me. Here I had nearly died in a bog, slept on a metal deathbed, and she wanted to run the opposite direction of me. But we cleared it up and ended up having a really nice time. Her friends ended up mad at her because she didn't "save them a seat" at lunch. Sigh. You know why she couldn't? Because she was saving it for me. So nyah nyah, girls. Grow up. Please. We were both so glad to get home! I realized that I've never left the house for that long without my family. It was a weird feeling. I truly missed them, though it wasn't even for a long time. Steve and I both missed this trip when we were in 6th grade for different reasons, and so at least now I can say I did it. And I'll never do it again!! I came home with a sore foot (from falling in the bog), shin splints (from all the hills), and a backache from the bed. What a great time!!