Discussions of the first camping trip of the year were being had by my friends as Victoria Day approached. It sounded so exciting, and I considered inviting myself along, until I remembered a vow I made several years back: "I will never again go camping on Victoria Day weekend."

My bad camping experience was the reasoning behind this vow, as I'm sure you have already guessed. The entire trip wasn't bad I suppose but one of the nights the temperature dropped to darn near polar and I thought I wouldn't make it through the night. My jaw was aching from chattering my teeth all night and the muscles in my back were tight and sore from curling up in the fetal position all night long. The day being sunny and warm certainly didn't prepare me for the night of cold that snuck out of nowhere. We were of course camping just far enough from home to make it unreasonable to drive back just for an extra blanket, or jacket, or in my case, SNOWSUIT!!

Truth be told, I lived for camping in my younger years. I enjoyed sleeping under the stars and never thought much about the bugs and the weather. I couldn't get enough of watching the fire, subsisting on nothing but hotdogs and marshmallows for days on end, cause that's what you could stick on a stick.

Nowadays, I don't feel that blissful harmony anymore. All the packing then unpacking, prepwork and setting up camp is all SO much fuss, if I didn't have kids I don't think it would be worth it. You know though, we really don't have to travel too far from home and sleep in a tent to hunt for frogs and catch butterflies. They must miss the tv at least as much as I do.

Camping is enjoyable for roughly as long as it takes to finish my first Corona after setting up the tents. Then it's just really incredibly boring for hours until my husband starts the fire. And don't you dare mention fishing. Fishing has to be the most boring thing to do on the planet. After the second roasted hotdog on the first night I've just about had it. I stare into the flames dreading the next hike to the bathroom, trying desperately to remember what it was I did as a kid that made camping so fun?

And that's on a good trip, WITHOUT the subzero slumber. Yep, that camping experience was unbearable to say the least. To top it off we packed up in the middle of a rainstorm that weekend.

Isn't nature wonderful... "Behold nature, children!" I shouted as I wiped off my glasses under the tailgate of the van.So, did I go camping the holiday weekend? Not a chance. Do I plan to go this summer at all? Possibly.

And of course that's only if, when my husband asks me to go, he's holding sleeping bags under his left arm and a portable dvd player under the right. Or better yet, the keys to an RV.

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