OUR STORY

Let’s rewind to 2020. The world as we knew it was turned upside down, and we found ourselves locked down in our homes. One thing Brad & I came to realize in those months was that something was missing in our lives. We had our day to day routine: wake up, go to work, feed the kids dinner, go to bed. Our weekends were filled with laundry, dishes & spending way too much money on takeout. Our girls seemed to be spending more & more time glued to their electronics in their rooms. Fighting us on everything we recommended to them was becoming the norm. If I have one goal as a Mom, it’s to give my girls a childhood they want to remember. All in all, we knew that we needed to make a change, but what? We needed something flexible, budget friendly & easy enough to keep us from getting discouraged.

Insert camping. Camping as a family is something I’d always talked about. On the other hand, Brad had been on the fence about it since we started dating. He didn’t like the thought of ‘roughing it’ outside in an uncomfortable tent. Once he agreed to give it a shot, I knew what my goal was. The challenge I faced was to make this as comfortable and as painless a transition as possible. Of course, we immediately went out & bought a tent & air mattresses. I took a few trips to Goodwill & Dollar Tree to find anything I could – blankets, cooking utensils, flashlights – you name it. Sticking to a budget was the name of the game if I wanted to get Brad onboard.

I’m sure you’re thinking we kept it simple & close to home for our first trip, right? WRONG! Our first trip was over spring break in March 2021. After packing up everything we thought we’d need for a week of camping (and much more) we drove 12hours from STL to Savannah, GA. Only assembling our tent once before, and never actually camping, we had NO idea what we were doing. Arriving at the campground in the dark, we found it was raining & cold. Brad & I set up the campsite while the girls & the dog waited in the truck. As I fought back tears I kept telling myself “WHAT were you THINKING?!” Needless to say that first night was rough, and I was worried it was going to be the first & last camping trip for our family.

The next morning, the rain had stopped & air was crisp & cool coming off the lake. Upon unzipping the tent door, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The clouds were clearing, and the most beautiful sunrise I’d ever witnessed was waiting for me. That was the only sign I needed for me to know this camping deal was the right choice, and we were going to love it.

Over the course of 2021, we took 6 camping trips, all but one of them in our tent. After camping in 4 states with 2 kids & a chocolate lab puppy, I’d say we have a pretty good handle on this camping gig. Although the girls still bring their electronics…they are exploring, hiking & doing lots of hands on activities that they weren’t doing before. I’ve seen growth in them that makes my heart happy, and hearing them talk about our trips with a smile on their face is all this Mom could ask for.

When it became too cold to camp, we seemed to fall back into the same routine we had before. Working too many hours, not spending enough time together & feeling on edge all the time. So, in January 2022 – we took another big step toward getting that freedom feeling back. Finally, we pulled the trigger & bought a camper!! To say we are excited is an understatement, and the only real issue now is that it’s February in STL & we can’t take it camping! The girls are beyond excited to decorate their bunks by putting their own personal touches on them, and I believe that excitement will only grow as we get closer to warmer weather.

The excitement in our household over this camper is beyond measure, the pure joy camping brings our family is everything we were looking for back in 2020. Showing our girls everything this diverse country has to offer lights my soul on fire. I hope they take these memories with them throughout their lives & I can give them a childhood to remember.

Thank you for reading our first blog post! We hope you enjoyed it, and it inspired you to get out & make memories with those that mean the most to you! Check back often for travel tips, hacks, reviews & to follow along on our adventures!

See you at the next mile marker!
-Jess