*Our 39 Hour Escape!*

I have been spoiled. Ever since having my first baby, about every 3 or 4 months my mom would take the kids for a weekend and Nate and I would go on a weekend adventure. Usually we go somewhere close and stay in a B&B or we stay home and just sleep in, eat out, and generally relax. Well, I'm not sure why, but apparently baby #3 was the cutoff point. I've been trying since she was three months old to talk my mom into giving us our usual break. For some reason, she always declined. I'm thinking it's because she had a lot of change and challenges in her life personally, so she just didn't feel up to it. Anyway, after much begging and pleading, she finally agreed to come watch the kids at our house this last weekend.

Since she would be watching them at our house, we couldn't just stay home and 'veg'. Money has been tight, so we decided that camping would be the ideal option.

We had decided to go to a campground in Provo Canyon that Nate's parents recommended. It had drinking water and flushing toilets. We would leave Friday after Nate and my mom got off work and come home Sunday afternoon.

Well, our plans changed abruptly last Wednesday when Nate's parents sent me an e-mail letting me know that they were going camping in the same campground we were planning to head to. I love my in-laws, but after a whole year of no nights alone, I really wanted this weekend to be just Nate and me. So I began trying to find a place to camp, preferably one with a real bathroom. Everything that could be reserved was reserved, so we decided to drive the Mirror Lake Hwy and camp in the first place we could find a spot.

Fast forward to Friday.......

I spent the entire day getting things ready. I cleaned the house from top to bottom for my mom and sister(who came to help with the kids), I packed everything we would need for camping. I even did some research and found some new camping recipes for us to try out since neither of us are big hot dog fans. I cleaned out the Jeep and vaccuumed it and got everything loaded up and ready to go. Nate was supposed to get off work by 5:00. Can you guess what happened? Yep, as it always happens when we make plans, Nate didn't get off work on time. In fact, he didn't get home until around 7:00. By the time he got showered and we got on the road it was getting close to 8. By the time we got to the campgrounds it was dark. We drove through several without finding a spot. At 10:30 we were ready to give up when Nate spotted a small campsite in the trees. We got the tent set up and hit the sack at around 11:30.

This is where it gets good. As I lay on the air mattress listening to the nearby river and the lovely sounds of nature, I could not sleep. I was very uncomfortable and every little noise put me on edge. I've always had this little fear of sleeping outdoors. When morning finally came(at 6:00am!) and we made our trek to the super-stinky outhouse, I finally embraced what I have been denying my entire life........I HATE CAMPING! I've tried so hard to enjoy it, but I just don't. I don't like the dirt, I don't like sleeping on the ground, I don't like outhouses, I never get any rest and I'm on edge all the time. So....as we commenced driving back into Kamas (yes at 6:00 in the morning) to break my $20 so we could buy a $3 recreation pass and avoid getting our vehicle impounded by the friendly rangers, Nate guessed what I was not saying. I really didn't want to camp another night. That is when my sweet, understanding husband turned the Jeep around and we headed back to our site, packed it up, and drove to Evanston. We got a room in a Best Western, took a shower, and fell into bed until one in the afternoon. We spent the rest of the day playing games, watching TV, and sleeping. We did take a walk around Evanston. They have a cute main street and some fun little shops. We pretty much just ate the food we had brought with us. Our room had a fridge, so nothing was wasted. We did have yummy lunch at Wally's Burgers across the street from our hotel.

So, there you have it. I am a wimp and I admit it. Here are some pictures of our little adventure.

These are the trees above our tent

The beautiful mountains. I really love the scenery, but I'm more of a day trip kind of girl when it comes to the outdoors. We did see a mother and baby moose and a few deer on our morning drive. All the scenery was gorgeous!The entrance to our Hotel, The Dunmar Inn. It was actually pretty nice. Everything was clean and the staff was very friendly.

Our Scrabble board. Nate had to take a picture because he was so proud that he beat me. You'll notice a couple of 'illegal' words on there. I felt like being lenient. I think that was my downfall.

The score board. I was way off my game. I think I need more practice.

The moral of this story: Know Thyself and Act Accordingly!