We're Going Camping!!

We are so very excited about another camping trip to Garner State Park next week! We had such a GREAT time last year and from the minute we got home, we couldn't wait to go back.
Our yearly trip in finally almost here and it can't come soon enough. :) Brenna is really pumped up about going and can't wait to sleep outside in the tent, cook s'mores on the fire, go swimming and hike up the huge hill again. It's going to be so cool for her this year since she knows how to swim now. She can actually go underwater this time with her goggles and see all the huge riverbed rocks and fish swimming (very!) near by. I will have to buy her a water proof camera - I think she'll like that because she LOVES to take pictures. We don't have any pictures of us from last year tubing and playing in the river either, so that will be nice.

Dea Jae and Dave (Brendon's Mom and Step-Dad) are going with us this time and we are looking so forward to spending some good quality "camping time" with them. It will be so much fun! I'm telling you - there's nothing quite like being outdoors and 'roughing it' for a few days with the people you love. No tv, no electricity, no housework or errands to run - just you and nature. Okay, now I'm getting a little cheesy. LOL :)

I've been getting things ready all week and have a lot of stuff together already. I am a very organized person (at least I like think so) and it takes me about a week to get things ready and make my lists. I created a camping list on the computer from our previous trips and that makes it a lot easier this time then coming up with one from scratch. There's a lot involved with getting ready for a four day trip. It's not like you can just run up to the store and buy something that you forgot - well you probably could but it would be a real pain. It is nice this time too because I don't have to spend nearly as much money since we have accumulated so many things from our other trips. We now have a Rubbermaid box in the shed that has all of our kitchen/cooking stuff, as well as another box that has other camping necessities. So pretty much half of my list is already packed in boxes that we just have to pull out and load up.

So we are leaving on Sunday and will be driving up to San Antonio and staying at Dea Jae's that night. We'll do all of the grocery shopping up there and get some of the food prepared the night before. I like to pre-make eggsalad and tuna salad for lunch, as well as cut up some of the things we use (onions, peppers, meat for 'kabobs) and freeze all the meat so it stays longer in the ice chests.
On Monday morning we will leave S.A. and go to Garner, which isn't too far away. Dea Jae and Dave are going to stay until Wednesday and Brendon, Brenna and I will go home on Thursday. I would just absolutely love to stay for an entire week but Brendon can't take that much time off work. I told him that next year I would like to stay for about four or five nights - but we'll see.

Anyways, I probably will not post again until we get home next week. I'll make sure to take lots of pictures to share and I know I will have a few funny stories to tell as well. Wish us luck and GOOD WEATHER! :)