We went camping with friends on Labor Day weekend and we had such a good time. While Ben and I both grew up camping (he went pretty much every summer), this is the first time we’ve taken our own family on a camping adventure. Our friends have this beautiful property a few hours away, so that was the special spot we got to experience our first camping trip. We were armed with a super large tent, a bucket for all our potty needs, sleeping bags, chairs, and cooler full of food. Thankfully, we were able to borrow all the gear from friends and family. Not knowing how it would go, or if we’d like it, we didn’t want to invest in things from the get go.

The weekend was spent hiking, eating, chatting, playing (we rode quads for the first time!), eating some more, and a whole lot of relaxing. In case you thought we were just eating cold cut sandwiches all weekend, we certainly were not. Our friends do this sort of gourmet camping and we stuffed ourselves with so much delicious food. I was inspired by how they got this camping thing down and do it in style. They are legit and they’re even building their own tiny house for weekends just like this when they want to go “off the grid.”

I was just in awe at the beauty that surrounded us, from the early morning sun peeking through the mountain and casting the most perfect golden light, to the bowl of stars shining brightly over our head at night. Clearly, nature was declaring God’s glory. The first night the girls looked up and said, “Mommy, the stars look fake.” On the second night, I spotted 3 shooting stars. THREE! These are things we miss out on due to all the light pollution out in suburbia.

The girls came home with treasures (rocks, sticks, and wildflowers) and a whole bunch of pictures captured on their Fuji Instax. Ben and I were so thankful to our friends for opening up their second home like that and allowing us to experience it. It was a such a magnificent weekend and I didn’t mind roughin’ it one bit. As long as I have my own bucket for our potty business, I am good to go. We’ve got one camping adventure under our belt, and I’m ready for another!