Yes, the living room is packed! As if there weren’t enough misplaced items in there to begin with, I hauled out ALL the camping stuff so that it was ready to just throw in the car…

There’s the new tent…(hopefully all the pieces are there as we never did a dry run with it…) and the lantern and the campstove that mom and dad gave me…these two items were used on many camping trips throughout my childhood…there’s the inflatable mattress (I can’t believe I actually purchased one of these, however Tim’s back doesn’t like the ground, so I gave in…and I got it on clearance at the end of the season last year…again, it’s a first time use, so hopefully there are no holes in it…)…there are the linens to go on the mattress (camping without sleeping bags is so weird to me…)…the camping supply box, complete everything we need…all the fixings to make s’mores and the poles to roast the marshmellows, the seasonings for the wonderful dinners Tim will make on the grill, the cups, plates, and napkins, the trashbags, bug spray, and sunscreen…yes, I believe I have one of the best camping supply boxes around…the screen tent for over the picnic table (another of our new purchases…for rainy days so we don’t have to scramble and get everything put away…and how nice it will be sitting there in the evening and playing cribbage without all the bugs that are attracted to the antiquated lantern…which reminds me, I need to put the game box in the pile…)…the food is all there, minus what goes in the cooler, but that was cleaned out tonight…and the little grill that we take with us…

all we have to do is get the kids off to their dad’s, get in the car…stop for charcoal and ice (i was at wal-mart TWICE today and both times forgot the charcoal) and be off…

Friday will be roast your own night…and I am very excited about this…roasted hotdogs, followed by the best s’mores you’ll ever eat…i tell you…tim makes the BEST s’mores around…the marshmellows are perfect, golden brown, melted all the way through, and melt the chocolate as soon as you put it together…he’s a keeper alright…and he’s already promised to make me as many as i want…

We’ve got steaks and chicken for the other nights…again, something Tim is WONDERFUL at, and that’s with a grill and some meat…my mouth is watering just thinking about it…

I went to the library tonight and got two new books, one by David Baldachi, and the other a John Grisham novel…I’m just about done with “Saving Faith” and plan on reading as much as I can this weekend. It’s amazing how much I am looking forward to this trip…

Tim needs a break…he’s been working all day and then coming home and working on the room everynight for two weeks…i can tell by looking at him that he’s tired and worn out…he needs this weekend more than i do…it’s been awhile since we’ve been away, just the two of us (and Rhoda of course) and I hope that he fishes and golfs to his heart’s content…he deserves it…as long as i get a few hands of cards in there and my s’mores, the weekend will be worth it..

What a concept…no tv, no computer, no cell phones (we’ll have them, but darn, that signal just isn’t there…)…no modern conviences, except of course the coffee pot that we will plug in to the cigarette lighter in the car…i can rough it like the best of them, however, i refuse to speak to Tim, other than a good morning, until he has a cup of coffee in him…

So with that, I’m off…we’re packed and ready to go I believe…will I forget something? Sure…I always do…but that’s the beauty of getting away…we’ll make do…

See you on Monday and have a WONDERFUL Memorial Day weekend…

Until next time…