500 +1

This is my 501 blog post. Blogs have evolved pretty dramatically since I started my own back on Blogspot. Some people stay with what they know and that’s cool. I’ve the coffee cup from my first job out of college – back when I first started my blog. But along the way I changed gears to better control and create a space all my own. With Justin’s help, we converted my Blogspot blog to WordPress and it felt like home. I know enough to do some damage and thankfully I haven’t really damaged anything except my ability to post more often.

When I first started, I really didn’t have a plan with it. The online world of journaling was still in its infancy and best practices of blogging wasn’t really a thing. People were more worried about their credit cards getting stolen by unsecured websites. Nowadays you have to worry about what you’re reading is even true. Life online can be very staged. (Check out getoffmyinternts.net for a slew of online weirdos.)

Since 2005 I’ve been sharing random bits from my life for family, friends and anyone who happens upon my blog while searching for random (sometimes horrifying and/or hilarious) things. Looking through the archives, I think it’s a pretty good representation of my life and while reading some of them, I’d love to go back to a few of those days. I’d love to relive some great moments. To have those feelings again for the first time – ones you can look back on with a variety of feelings that are so nostalgic, reading about them just takes you right back. However…

Recently, Justin wanted to go camping. “Just one night,” he said. I immediately thought, “NO F-ING WAY, not with a baby!” She can’t walk, there’s fire pit, how are we going to sleep with her in the tent? She just doesn’t lay down and go to sleep like a reasonable baby because reasonable babies don’t exist. Nope, don’t want to do it. Sounds like a nightmare.

He eventually convinced me and even managed to get me to bike the 16 miles to the camp site with all of our gear and our children. We got there, set up, cooked dinner and I went to bed with the baby. While I tried to sleep, she scooted all over me as if I was her personal jungle gym, climbing up my hips then sliding down the slippery sleeping bag and landing on her face, laughing. Two hours later, Justin and Jules joined us in the 2-person tent (yeah, kinda small) and she immediately thought it was group playtime because more bodies to climb and slide on!

Long, long, LONG story short, she did fall asleep and so did Jules. Justin and I on the other hand found ourselves sleeping next to miniature ninja fighters who would smack us with their feet, hands and arms, turn so fast you had no idea where they went, and sit up out of nowhere and then layback down all grumbly and confused. It was kinda like dealing with a drunk. Drunk miniature ninja fighters.

I won’t even mention the raccoon.

If anyone ever says, “Let’s go camping!” when you have a child under the age of 2, smack them in the face. Hard. Then smack yourself in the face once you get there because you were dumb enough to go along with it.

That is something I never want to do again.

Lo and behold…upon retelling this story to my in-laws, they said they were stupid enough to try camping with Justin who was just a wee toddler too. It was supposed to be a 2-nighter, but left after the first night because it was a nightmare. Oh! OH! My mom had the same.exact.story except she had 3 little kids. (Face palm.)

People! Please, learn from my mistakes (and past generations). Do NOT take your toddler/baby camping. This is something I wish to never relive. But hey, I blogged about it so I never forget how shitty a time it was.

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Don’t let Justin’s smile and wave fool you. He was just as miserable as me. Jules on the other hand was sad to leave. He had the.best.time!

 

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