~ oh the adventure ~

I am sitting in a motel...a suit that we have booked for a month while we get the whole house thing figured out.

  

We had planned to camp.  We ventured off into the lush, green provincial park, set up our super amazing 4 season 8 person tent, tarpped out a "kitchen" and set up house. 

Night 1: kids cozy and warm, Adam and I? frozen, sore and sleep deprived.  

Night 2: kids cozy and warm, Adam and I cozy and warm, torrential 24 hour downpour turning our tent into something not entirely unlike sleeping inside a snare drum in a marching band....actually, louder and far more committed then  that.  (did i mention I'm claustrophobic...not fun, not fun at all)  

Needless to say when we woke up, Adam already off to work, I declared that camping was officially over and off we went to our cozy, favorite motel.

I am LOVING this motel!!  Simple pleasures like hot water and walls...who knew motel living could be so grand??

On a serious note we are on the hunt for our new home.  I am doing my darnedest to wrap myself in the faith that made this all possible in the first place.  I am re acquainting myself with trust...feeling it more and more as I recover from 2 days of the worst camping trip EVER!!  But I made it this far with sanity intact.  Through weeks of husband less packing.  Through the crazy adventure that scrubbing our 3600 sq ft house turned out to be....thanks to some amazing friends who came to help out!  I couldn't have done it without you guys!

I am sitting here now, sipping my Egyptian Licorice tea watching my children engrossed in a game....its amazing what a basket of animals/magical creature can inspire.  Their sweet jammied bodies sprawled out on the carpet for the third hour in a row.  Yay for creative children!!

And me?  Today I book appointments with our realtor, I crunch numbers to see if an amazing place is in our reach, I relax....and apparently I blog.

oh, and I dream of babies.....apparently this is becoming an every night phenomenon.  

~your opinion please~

At the end of August we are going camping with a whole shwack of families from the "little hamlet of loveliness"

...exciting? yes.

inspiring? yes.

do we all fit in our little 3 man tent? no.

do we need gear? yes....everything from cook stoves/coolers/stuff.......



So for all you camping folks out there: What is your favorite, must have camping item?

It has been years since we last tented it.....hmmm....pre-kids?? (I know, I know....but seriously...4 kids+moving+renovations+homeschooling=VERY busy!!) We are determined to be fully outfitted so that we can make camping a regular event...at least a few times a year. I find it kinda odd that we haven't been in so lone...Adam and I both LOVE camping/ kayaking/ canoeing/ hiking.

First on the list: a tent that will endure weather/many ups&downs/ruff and tumble kiddo's and big enough for our growing family (8 person)


my thought: Big Agnes Flying Diamond 8 Tent

a bit more $ but it seems super durable and I can order it the Mountain Equipment Co-op.

hmmm...okay outdoorsy folks...I need your expertise!