The Great Outdoors

This past Friday our Girl Scout Troop decided we would give camping a try.  The girls had been hinting all year, and we finally gave in.  Of course we picked a day that the heat index was about 105!  Setting up two tents in the hottest part of the day wasn't fun.  My body revolted with a roaring migraine.  The girls arrived and helped set up the tent they were going to be sleeping in.  Many of them had never been camping so they were all excited about the evening's adventure in the great outdoors of my co-leader's backyard.  Their excitement and my migraine weren't good companions.

We kept them busy with relay races, making sit-upons, building a fire, singing songs, making smores which included torches of flaming marshmallows!  moving one tent because ambers from the fire were landing on it. Finally at eleven we started to get them settled down, teeth brushed and into their PJs.  One of our little Brownies decided she hadn't had enough excitement for the night and pulled her loose tooth out, which all the girls had to see!  And in case you are wondering the tooth fairy does not visit tents, only little kids bedrooms.

As the girls were settling down, the set of twins in our troop were fighting, one was way too wiggly for her sisters liking.  Sister talked her mom into going back to there house to sleep for the night and promised to be back at 7 the next morning.  Another mom's eyes lit up when she heard they were going home and asked for her get out of jail pass as well.  So it ended up being four moms, and one pregnant neighbor who heard about the smores and developed a midnight craving for them(!)  sitting around the fire.

By the time twelve thirty rolled around two of the girls decided to crawl in bed with their moms, so the other four had this huge tent that can sleep nine all to themselves.  Close to one I called it a night and headed to my tent, which I had conveniently run an extension cord and a fan to.   One sleeping pill and an ice pack under my neck and I was fast asleep.

So who should be the first one up the next morning, none other then my own daughter, who greeted me at 6 AM looking in my tent window!  Shortly after everyone one was up.  Our three escapees from the previous night returned.  Several moms got busy making breakfast while some others lead some activities for the girls.  After breakfast there was some grumbling from our over tired Brownies when they were told they were going to help take down all 4 tents and pack up.  But overall it was a great experience.  I have had several moms say that it is all their daughters talked about all weekend.  Perhaps next year we will try a campground (close by)......will definitely need to make sure I have plenty of my migraines pills before that adventure!