canoe camping

i had so much fun canoe camping all weekend with three awesome girls. talk about adventures. camping trips are a great way to get to know people and that's always fun. or at least i think so. hopefully other people aren't ready to stab me with their pocketknives by the end of a camping weekend with me. as i said on a super fun camping trip of the past - "when you're camping, that's who you are." agreed?

"unfortunately" i don't have any pictures. i didn't take my camera because i didn't want to ruin it in the river and i don't feel the need to remember how i look while camping. :-) it is a lot of fun going without mirrors for a weekend though.

something i like about myself is that i'm not afraid to ask for help. i actually prefer to ask for help and i like being told what to do. whether this is a youngest child thing or a laid-back personality or laziness i'm not sure, but it's me. when things go awry i don't hesitate to pray and ask for help.


i think the girls i was with are the type who prefer to tackle it all themselves. not me. which is funny, because one time a guy made a big deal about me being the kind of girl who can't accept help. he was way off. and when one of his friends offered his hand to me while we were hiking and i took it, he said, "oh chelsea's one of those girls who doesn't like help." which made no sense because i gladly took his friend's hand? there are plenty of bad things someone could say about me, sure, but not accepting help definitely isn't one of those things. i think he had a complex. ;-) and i wonder what gives anyone the idea that criticizing someone will make them like you? sorry buddy.

answered prayers for help this weekend:
1. building a fire. can i do this? probably. but do i hate lighting matches? yes. was i overjoyed when the head honcho from the mennonite troop camping across the field from us biked over and told us we could use their fire? yes. because i'm sure watching me gather a pathetic pile of damp twigs was downright painful for them to observe. what i lack in camping skills i totally make up for in my ability to look helpless and confused.

2. lifting the canoes on top of our cars at the end of the weekend. can i do this? yes, definitely. would i rather have a buff man do it for me? of course. so we are about the lift the first canoe up when somehow it fell and we all start laughing, and lo and behold two buff men come walking up from the river just in time to laugh at us and ask if we need help. i said "yes!" before anyone else could say no and they lifted our canoes for us. cha-ching.

and naturally i said, "did you guys see the snake that we killed?" referring to the BIGGEST dead rattlesnake we saw beside the river. the guys mouths dropped open in shock and awe, but i quickly told them i was juuust kidding. not feeling THAT empowered.

3. someone to change our flat tire. i must be a magnet for flat tires? these happen to me or people i travel with quite a bit. the other girls were about to change it, but i had still prayed someone would help us. and sure enough some nice dad pulled over and did it for us, telling us to get back against the guardrail before we got killed. so sweet.


i love camping. i love the camaraderie and the goodness i can see in every single person i meet while camping. i love nature and how beautiful it is, how it clears your mind and reminds you what's really important. i love the quiet, the peacefulness, the stars falling out of the sky, fireflies, swimming holes, the smell of the campfire and gooey golden marshmallows. i love how all of the food tastes amazing when you're camping. ("this is the best bacon ever!" "wow i'm having seconds of that ramen!" "i never knew orange juice from concentrate was so good!" -all direct quotes from this goober) oh and i love pretending to be pocahontas.

i love how camping makes me well up with american pride - what a beautiful and amazing country to live in! i'm sure i'll be all ushy gushy about this great country again next weekend when i watch fireworks. i am such a sap for america and the fourth of july has long been my favorite holiday. i'm truly thankful to live here and have such a good, good life.