11 things i learned from camping..

ok. so this past weekend we.. as a family.. decided to go camping.. we recently bought a vintage pop up camper with dreams of road trips, beach days, smores, cards and the pounding of the surf..

well.

we had NO idea what we were in for...
none.
we decided to go for a trial run out front of our home. about 1 mile west is a campground on the cliffs of the ocean and it is gorgeous. sooo gorgeous. we are close to home and what could go wrong?

hardy har. har.

what could go wrong?

let.

me.

tell.

you.

so the day was good. we set up. the girls played in the camper and climbed a tree all day. we painted rocks, played cards and i took a nap on the beach..

it was gorgeous weather and we were so excited about our great set-up..

then came night fall..

it was cold within seconds of sunset..
we went to light a fire..

turns out
1.) you do not just throw logs in a tee-pee style and light it (wait. back up.. we forgot a lighter and had to borrow one from a neighbor) yes. i am serious..

moving on..

so lighter fluid, big logs and a bit of fire do not start a fire..

it MUST be the wood right?

well. lets light the new propane lamp that we bought so we can at least SEE this mess of a campfire..

we slid the cool green lantern out of its sparkly box and realized..
oh.
2.)you need loooong matches to light a propane lantern..

do you think we had those?

you guessed right.

we did not.

soo. we took wood skewers and lit those and the wind was not helping matters...

after awhile of that fiasco.. we actually got the lantern lit and moved on to the fire again...

damian ran to the store (good thing we were 1 mile from ralphs huh?)..

bought more wood and asked the rangers on the way back in.. with our sweet, (i know i sound so dumb but i really need to give my girls smores and it is freezing" desperation of a voice).. any tips on starting a fire?"

we got some tips about
3.) kindling (not the kindle you read from)..

and
4.) breaking wood into smaller pieces and FINALLY.. we got a fire..

yay! we are happy...
oh ya.
5.) do not touch the top of a propane lantern because you will get blisters IMMEDIATELY..
(poor damian)
 ..

one of my favorite moments was that night, on my birthday.. both my girls fell asleep in my arms..

it was divine.

first chloe.

then we transferred her to the tent then snuggled makena and she too fell asleep by the fire.. in my arms. 

it has been years since the girls have done that and it was the best gift ever.

so once makena was asleep we thought we'd transfer her and took the to the tent..

well.

did you know that..
6.) 400 pounds on one side of a tent camper would umm... MAKE IT TILT!
7.) those silver triangle stilts that were in the cabinet of the camper... um. those are for stabilizing the camper so it doesn't tilt...

yes.. we see-saw'd..

popped a wheelie.. reared like a horse into the sky..
you get the visual right?
whatever you want to call it...

and thankfully between my screeeeaches and makenas shreeeeeks.. damian ran to the other side and brought us back down to the ground..

o.m.g.
so, we evvvvveeeentually made it to bed.. slept decent and then came sunrise..
it was beautiful.
we brushed our teeth and hair.. afterall it was a NEW day..
we sat in our beach chairs and were so excited to get our bacon and eggs..
we went to hook up the propane tank to the camp stove and i had my french press all ready to go..
you see. the ONE thing i NEED is my coffee. i was dreaming of waking up.. having a delicious cup of joe on the cliffs over looking the ocean while my gorgeous husband cooked and our beautiful children sang, danced, and rode unicorns on rainbows.. {that last one might as well been}
because.
well.
the propane tank hose or valves or something were nott right and we couldn't hook it up
{sigh}
so.
8.) starbucks really are everywhere
hubby climbed tn the car made a starbucks run including breakfast sandwiches..
this was not camping my friends..
{side note: a friend of ours stopped by later that morning and hooked up this "crazy valve hose to the propane tank and we had fire in 2 seconds}
really damian?? really?!!

moving on...

we went on to have a great day..
a wonderful day.
then came nightfall again..
we got that pretty green lantern lit, the fire going and the the camper was stable as can be..
9.) you learn a lot by experience..
i was ready to throw in the towel especially when we got home and i had 8 loads of laundry including comforters to wash..
10.) everything smells like campfire after you go camping
but hubby reminded me (blistered fingers and all) that
11.)everything takes practice..
and look how much we learned just this weekend..
so.
we are not throwing in the towel..
we are having a couple more go arounds and i hope they will be successful..
afterall...
i have 6 nights in tahoe booked for august..
that gives us 6 months to get it down..
6 nights..
oy.

here are some photos of our first camping trip...

{our first photo taken of our first camping trip}

{there is nothing like the ocean..nothing}

{caprese is amazing}

{front row seats}

{you can see alllll down the coast}

{those little silver triangles}

{serious game of cards for hubby..}

{million dollar view}

{nutella face}

'

{we have fire!!}

.

 {until next time..}

ps. see where those triangles are? duh! no wonder we tipped! 

we are so dumb!