I Still Have 10 Toes & Fingers

I know you've been on pins and needles for a while now, wondering if I would make it back from the frozen North to post ever again. At least my sisters were, thank goodness they read this thing I write. Did you know we crazily decided to camp outside on Friday the 13th!?! I had forgotten and things were in store for us! There was some crazed madman running around the mountains taking out people one by one. I'm lucky I barely escaped with my life. I'm the last one left to tell our sad story.

Oh, wait, that was the movie that came out last night, not my camping trip.



Actually, I had a blast! Would you have ever thought I would say that about a snow campout? No, you say, well that's what I thought before I went. I won't be making this a monthly habit or anything crazy like that. But I did have fun.

We got up to camp by 5 on Friday. We hurriedly set up tents so we would have plenty of time to ski. We were lucky because we were staying at a Cub Scouts Summer Day Camp. There were a few porta-potties by the parking lot (they didn't get used by us) and a huge pavilion inside the gates. After pushing all the picnic tables to the edges we were able to set up three tents and still have plenty of space for cots and beds outside. I guess the boys don't need tents. They're much to manly for those sissy things! Actually, they figured since they were under a pavilion and would stay dry and all the animals were sleeping or had vamoosed South for the Winter, they didn't need the protection a tent offers. I on the other hand felt the need for four walls around me in my sleep.

We headed to the cross country ski area and got our skis on and headed out. It was so much fun! And it started snowing big fluffy flakes while we were skiing. It was beautiful! We skiied for a couple hours. Before we headed to camp we used their bathrooms, they were superheated. Then we headed back to camp.

Baby getting ready for skiing. Yes we took all the kids.

Heading our for a night on the town!

Too many people on skis in a small area

They had a blast!

We had Cup o Noodles for dinner. I had no idea they tasted so good when all else was cold. We also had plenty of hot chocolate. One of the men had a rather large cup and was asking the girls how much chocolate to put in. I informed him that much water needed two packets. He mixed it up and started drinking. "This is pretty chocolatey!" I grinned and Olaf replied, "She drinks her hot chocolate with a fork."

After tucking all the girls into bed with two to three sleeping bags we headed to bed. I told all the girls that if they woke in the night and were cold to ask for Olaf's help, I wouldn't know what to do and I probably wouldn't wake up. Then I crawled into my brand-new Valentine's present, a double -5 sleeping bag. I got to sleep next to my own personal heater, Olaf! And I stayed plenty warm that night and slept great (the babbling brook right outside helped drown out everyone's snoring and my teeth grinding so we all slept well), I was pretty surprised.

Me, Ashley, Alyssa, Susan, & Audra.

In the morning I woke to the best sound ever when you're camping in the winter and it's snowing outside: Someone Else Chopping Wood for the Morning Fire. It was a wonderful sound. We got up, packed up, ate up, and headed for home. Once home I noticed the skin under my nose was a little raw and I realized it was from tying my hoodie tighter and tighter last night in an effort to keep the chilly wind out. And my toes were cold by the time we got home and took a few hours to warm up, but I didn't lose any toes.