The "camping trip"...

So our first mistake was going to sleep on a battleship last Thanksgiving. Once we completed that outing we were politely told that we would not be allowed to skip out on the camping trip this year. Previously we have managed for one reason or another to luck out and not be able to sleep overnight on the campgrounds. So, we bowed our heads in defeat and shopped for our tent. We found a tent in a clearance section in Costco, worked for us...2 room tent and not too expensive. We bought it, attached the receipt to it (for the secretive wish of them cancelling the trip this year)and put it along side the sleeping bags and air mattresses from other boy scouting events.
So now the weekend has approached. Father's Day weekend. Yes, this is the weekend we go every year. The Friday before, I had plans with my girlfriend to go out for dinner and drinks. I figured why not, I really didnt have much packing to do for this trip. However, we had a change in plans and wound up cancelling "girls night out". Still, I put off packing until the next morning. So the next morning, off the boys go to my sons weekly drumming lessons while I starting preparing for the trip. When they came back we did a few last minute errands and off we went to the campgrounds. We were smart enough to have a big breakfast that morning knowing that the people who mainly took care of the meal preparation were at sporting events with their boys. They would be arriving later in the afternoon.
We arrive around 2:00 and pick our spot and start to pull out the tent and gear. I should begin by saying that the cub scouts pitch their tents in what looks like a parking lot. The older boys in Boy Scouts camp in the actual woods. So we pick what looks the most level spot and lay out the tent, pull all the poles out and find the instructions. A few fellow scout parents are close by and ask if we need any help. We say no, we should be fine. We begin to read the instructions. OK..."take the yellow poles and insert them along the top of one of the domes criss-crossing them as they pass through the sleeves not missing the loops in the center". GREAT! Step one complete. We look at each other with confidence...we are intelligent people, this will be a breeze!! Then we go back to the instructions, and attempt to follow the next step. ATTEMPT was the key word. As we looked at what seemed to be now incomplete instructions. What size poles do we use? What color? After that first step, nothing was clear cut anymore. There were so many poles and we had no clue which to choose. We start to look confused, on-lookers realize that we are about to walk away, cut our loss on the purchase and find an excuse to get out. The two men that offered before (which I should state that their tents were up and they were enjoying a "drink" now) came by again. Luckily my son wanted to go to the restroom and wanted me to take him since I knew where it was. I quickly dropped a set of poles that I was holding and said that I would be back in a second. Relieved and now out of sight, I bent over and kissed my son and thanked him for his wonderful timing. We proceeded across the camp sight to the restrooms. I told him that there was no rush. Unfortunately boys are quick in the bathroom. So, head down and in defeat yet again that day I figured I would head back to tackle this horrible tent.
As we neared our sight, I realized that the tent was completely up. Our "five star" accommodations as a fellow scout mom and friend commented on our tent as we walked up. WOW. Thank you Scout dads!!! I proceed to set the rest up (need to hang the shelves very important!!), put out the chairs. Put all the bedding and the snacks in the tent. As if I was at home...ugh!!! We break out some "adult" drinks and join the others. We were all informed that no alcoholic beverages were allowed on the camp grounds...so we were told to "HIDE IT WELL!!!". As we all do every year. Anyway, now we are hungry and drinking in the sun. Not good. Don't want to get a buzz just yet...pull out the "nutritious" snacks you grab for these outings...Doritos and potato chips. YUM!! NOT!!!! But we evidently missed lunch, since the hospitality committee was all due to be late, someone prepared and served lunch early. So once again, my family missed a meal on a scout trip. This is becoming a pattern, I think I need to get my act together so my family can eat with the others. The clouds seem to be moving in a little fast. I am beginning to think this is REALLY not a good idea.
Finally, within the next couple of hours the group is all on the campsite. The boys are having lots of fun on the trails, playing a ball game and having water gun fights. Dinner preparations were officially being started. The people that do the cooking are all from our Den...and they do an awesome job every year!! Trust me when I say the Boy Scouts and families in our Pack eat very well!!! We are told to start heading in for dinner. As we go to leave I tell my husband I want to put some things back in the truck and lift them up off the tent floor just in case. We do so and head in. Just as dinner is being offered, we realize that one father and four boys were missing because they went out on a late run on the bike trail. Concern really set in when we received a call from the father informing us they were officially lost. A few minutes later, a second call comes in telling us that one of the boys remembered the trail from earlier and they were on their way back in to camp. They arrived just in time. During dinner, the skies opened up. Flash flooding and dangerous lightening left us stranded for a while in the mess hall. Fortunately we bring movies for the kids. The children were enjoying the storm and the movie. As for the parents...we all began to run to see about our tents. I didn't want flooding, but the necessity to go home would not have been a bad idea in my book. But our tent was dry and my son would've been upset not sleeping over. So we stuck it out. By 11:30, I had had enough and didn't care if it was still raining. It wasn't pouring. I will put it out there that I brought a phone with 2 batteries and a sidekick also with 2 batteries. I was prepared. I will also say, I wore out both by the next day. Everybody who knew me hit me up during these storms to see if I had actually stuck it out. EVEN my parents!!! Do I have a PRINCESS reputation or what?! But for everybody who didn't think I would hold out...I DID!! The night was wicked and I seemed to be the only one who got a little wet. It rained sooooo hard that it seemed to be running into the tent by saturation. It dripped down a seam and onto MY air mattress all night. Throughout the night it slowly crept up the mattress. I began sleeping on an angle but had to be careful to keep my coverings out of the water that my air mattress was now floating on. Finally, the sun rose and people began making noise...at 5 a.m.!!! I didn't care. My husband wanted more sleep, but I wanted to pack and go home for a hot shower, deep conditioning for my hair (the humidity made it slightly curly to say the least)and sleep in our wonderful bed. I coerced him to get up and get cleaned up so we could pack up. We did so in record breaking time. We also broke down and packed up our whole sight incredibly fast. It came down much easier than it went up. By the time we finished, breakfast was being served. We drove to the mess hall so that we didn't have to go back after and could just leave from the mess hall. Breakfast was good and quick since almost all of the people had left either the night before or during the night. Everybody seemed beat down so conversation was at a minimum. We said our goodbyes and gracefully exited. "Happy Father's Day!" we said as we climbed into our truck to leave. Oddly enough, not ONE father said anything. I wonder why???? We hope all the father's had a better day once they all got home. :)