Camping and a run

Camping with Nick was a resounding success, but more on that in a minute!  Another success story from yesterday was that I went for a run before we went camping and it was fabulous!  I ran 3.16 miles bright and early (for me on a Saturday anyway) yesterday morning and it felt so good.  The weather was crisp and cool and it really helped my pace, which was averaging 12:20/mile.  I figured going for a run in the morning combined with all of the fresh air from camping would help me sleep well last night.  It didn't really, but it was a good idea in theory.

After my run, we finished packing and headed to the camp out. Once we staked out our spot and put up our tent, we headed to the creek and explored for a bit.  Matt caught the first crawdad and the boys were so excited! They had a tub where they were collecting their finds, including minnows and crawdads.  Nick had fun in the water and so did we.  He didn't hold a crawdad, but I can't blame him.  I didn't either.  He and I did play with a spider for a bit, which I thought was a huge accomplishment.  I am terrified of spiders and I've definitely passed my fear along to Nick.  Of course, the first thing we saw when we got to the camp area was a daddy long leg spider near where we were pitching our tent.  I kept my composure so Nick wouldn't freak out, which was a small victory for me.  Then, when we were walking in the creek, I saw a wolf spider on some rocks.  So I called Nick over and we tried to get him to climb on a leaf we had.  I was proud of Nick (and myself) for keeping calm and not running away from the spider.

After we explored the creek, we set up our air mattress and played cards for a bit.  Matt and I played Rummy, which I haven't played in ages.  It brought back fond memories of playing with my Grandparents.  We used to play almost every night after dinner and I loved it.  After a few games of Rummy, we played Go Fish and then we taught Nick how to play War.  War was a huge hit, especially with the other Tiger Cubs.  Nick's friends came over to our tent and they all played together for a while.  Nick later said that playing War was one of his favorite parts of camping!

We cooked dinner over the fire and made s'mores (yum!) and the boys ran around the campsite with some glow sticks that one of the other parents brought.  It was fun watching Nick let loose with his friends and wow, do those boys have energy!  We settled in for the night after looking at the stars for a few minutes and we tried to get warm.  It was pretty cold last night, which made for an interesting night of sleep.  We brought a ton of blankets and warm pj's because we checked the weather before we went, but it was still really cold.  It was in the upper 40's - low 50's and I spent much of the night under the blankets to keep my face warm.  Brr!

In addition to the cold weather, our camp site also happened to be near some train tracks.  I didn't hear a single train during the day, but it seemed like there was a train every hour last night.  Fun for Nick, who is a train enthusiast and a deep sleeper, less fun for Matt and I who weren't in a deep sleep at any point last night.

We woke up this morning, ate a quick breakfast, and packed up.  I told Matt that I wanted nothing more than a hot shower and to crawl into our soft, cozy bed with our down comforter.  I was so cold!  All in all, though, it was a really great camp out and it was extra special bonding time with our oldest.  Nick did mention missing his baby brother at one point yesterday, which I thought was sweet (and Mama missed her little guy, too), but I think he also really enjoyed having Mom and Dad to himself for a night.

I'm looking forward to getting back on track this week; eating better and getting back into my workout routine!

Also, as a reminder, this Tuesday, September 24th, I will be participating in the Sweat Pink panel discussion on weight loss.  Click here for more information and to RSVP!  I can't wait to hear the other women share their stories!

"The more I run the more I love my body. Not because it's perfect, far from it, but because with every mile it is proving to me that I am capable of more than I ever thought possible."