camping & general pansiness

Ok kids...I'm back!

Wait, what?  You didn't notice I was gone?  I'll just pretend I didn't hear that...

Have you ever spent day after day at work, sitting at your desk, staring at your computer, taking deep breaths, and repeating to yourself that you can get through just one more day?  And your eyes start to water and your head starts to hurt and you feel like you're going to suffocate if you stay in the city even one more day?  I know, this is starting to sound like an infomercial...

Well, that's basically where I was at last week.  I needed out.  And camping was absolutely the perfect distraction.

Before I go any further, let me explain something: I am a pansy of epic proportions.

When it comes to the weather, at least.  Cold weather, to be specific.

I tried talking my dad into going somewhere that would be in the eighties during the day and fifties at night.  I felt this would be a plausible compromise since I still think fifties is way too cold.  However, my dad thought this would be way too warm during the day (and he doesn't indulge my pansiness), so we ended up in Williams, Arizona.  Seventies during the day (I'm telling you, burr) and forties at night (double burrrr).

Long story short, the first night I was freezing.  I avoided complaining too much since the last time I went camping and I was super cold at night, I ended up crying in my sleeping bag in the middle of the night.  And my dad still teases me about that.  Don't judge.  It actually is pretty funny, looking back.  


But the second night, I came prepared.  Here is what I took to sleep:


long johns
a sleeping bag
two blankets
two Hot Hands...things (seriously, I think these things were made for me)
two hot water bottles
two wool socks
two jackets


Let me tell you...I slept like a baby.  And no, I didn't cry this time.  Or wake up multiple times throughout the night.  Maybe "baby" is a bad simile.  Let's try another one: I slept like a man-in-a-coma.  Or woman, I suppose.  The point?  I slept really well.


And the whole camping trip was so fun.  Including (but not limited to) that part where we hiked up Bill Williams Mountain, that part where we went to see the Grand Canyon, that part where we shopped in the Grand Canyon Village gift shops (fun for me and no one else), that part where we let my dog swim in the lake, that part where we took another shorter hike, and that part where we cooked all of our food outside [including the s'mores...duh].  Seriously, so fun.


After the hike up Bill Williams Mountain, I walked like an old lady.  [Which actually is a good simile this time.]  The hike had been so steep for so long that my knees pretty much killed me the next day.  They hurt so bad that I could barely walk (which was bad since we had another two days camping).  But on the plus side, I did look really funny.  I couldn't help giggling as I walked.  It went something like this:  pain-hobble-wince-giggle-pain-hobble-wince-giggle.  You can ask Tim.  It was pretty ridiculous.


Let me explain something else.  I am also a pansy of epic proportions when it comes to bugs.  [Except for butterflies.  I kind of like those.]  So when I was about to get into my tent one evening and a bee flew right around my head for a minute, I was not a very happy camper.  Quite literally.  So I screamed very loudly.  This caused Tim and my dad to think that I might be being attacked by a bear or a mountain lion, so they looked over at me, ready to spring into action if necessary.  As soon as I saw the worried looks on their faces, I felt very foolish.  I said, very sheepishly, "............bee."  After which they made fun of me for the rest of the trip.  


Perhaps I am always a pansy.


I have lots of pictures and even a really funny video of me being scared of a lantern [pansy], but I don't currently have them.  So I'll post them tomorrow.  Or sometime...other than tomorrow.  But soon.


Who knows if any of you will actually want to see them (I do look pretty ragged and my hair looks sicknast), but I'll post them because I don't write in my journal or scrapbook very often.  [Aka: never.]  


Here's to posterity!