Happy Campers

I arrived home from my road trip Wednesday evening after driving all day and briefly stopping to visit Jane. I unpacked a little bit and went to bed. Thursday consisted of a lot more unpacking, a little bit of cleaning, an attempt at reading for my class this fall, and a good amount of sleep. I wasn't even up late, but I fell asleep on the couch downstairs.

Friday, I slept in and then finally began to prepare for...THE FABLED CAMPING TRIP!!!

[Backstory: my friends and I tried to plan a camping trip to a cabin in Ohio last summer, and as more and more people came up with obligations and excuses, it didn't happen. This year, we decided to actually CAMP, thus making it supposedly more affordable for everyone. Out of the seven originally invited, only four came, and for half the planned time. Nonetheless, we made it work.]

Lacey came and picked me up Friday afternoon, and as I loaded more and more things into her already-packed car, I had to remind myself that I would be gone for at most two nights. We finally left around 4:30, and, after stopping at the grocery store, at which we both met Beth and shopped for foodstuffs, we met Logan at the campsite around 6:00 p.m.

As you might imagine, by this point, we were very hungry, so as soon as we pitched the tent (which took a lot less time than you might think for such a large - 7-9 person, in fact - tent...probably due to my mad talents, what with being able to do the same thing blindfolded and all!), I got to work making my veggie kabobs.

I chopped onions, potatoes, peppers, carrots, and squash for what seemed like hours, painstakingly trying to marinate them in a Cool Whip container. Finally, it was time for everyone to help me skewer them, and while it initially looked as if we were going to be able to feed the entire camping area, after a few minutes of the kabobs wrapped in foil over the fire (no charcoal for the grill - we improvised), we devoured them all. As night fell, we were still getting set up and situated. By the blinding light of Lacey lantern, we looked at Beth's old pictures and then played Catchphrase, much to my pleasure (and my friends' apparent dismay.) We finally turned in, but surprised Logan with his birthday cookies and then ended up chatting in the tent almost all night.

Thus, we woke up the next "morning" around lunchtime. For said meal, we hard-boiled eggs and cut up a selection of apples, strawberries, and a pear, and as we were still hungry, we had some odd snacks here and there. We played Catchphrase once more and took our time getting ready to go to the pool, and once we were there, we stayed a while. We returned to our site, hungry again, and foraging for leftovers, as our friends the raccoons had stolen not only our butter but the hotdogs (clearly, this didn't affect me much) as we listened the night before. We chatted some more and then Logan performed a small concert for us - huzzah! Sadly, as evening was upon us, our shindig broke up, and we began to tidy up so as to not leave so much for Lacey, who was staying longer. Logan and I left around 9, I think, and had a long and inspiring conversation on the way home.

All in all, I think that we finally had a successful camping trip! I, for one, felt very accomplished, pitching the tent, boiling water, cooking over a fire, and whatnot. It was GREAT to get to spend time with some of my best high school friends, not only to catch up at the end of summer after not having seen each other much but also to get ready to leave AGAIN for a few months. Of course, I wish that everyone could have made it; but...'twas a splendid finale to my Farewell Tour, indeed.

Road-trippin'

Usually, the family beach trip signifies a break in my summer, the time at which I stop (or at least slow down) on my camp-going and friend-seeing and head home to West Virginia to relax for a few weeks (or start soccer practice) and spend some time with family and hometown friends before school starts. This year, however, is a bit different.

I will not be going to school this fall in West Virginia, nor South Carolina - August 18, I will depart to attend SuDa, a. k. a. Soochow Daxue, a. k. a. Suzhou University for a semester. I will be gone until the 23rd of November; as such, I am now embarking upon what my father likes to call my "Farewell Tour."

Instead of riding back home from the beach with my parents, I caught a ride with my brother back to my college town to visit some college friends. This evening, I am departing to see my freshman year roommate and her family; Wednesday, I will begin to slowly make my way back up north, stopping in various cities and towns along the way to cram into about five days as many visits as I possibly can. Even though I return to the States around Thanksgiving, I won't be down South until spring term begins in January, so this is my last chance to see some good friends for six months or so.

I will try to update as much as I can on my activities and whereabouts for the next week. Until then - please keep looking for my computer! I'd love to enhance these posts with some photos. ;)