"And, We're Off!" - #girlscalicamping2014 Day One

Michele and I had done a lot of deliberating about when we should take off for our girls camping trip.  Originally, it was going to be Monday morning, so we'd get an early start and a little more rest over the weekend.  Then, I realized we had a free Marriott hotel stay certificate expiring this summer, so why not get about halfway down to our camp and stay the night there, so our start on Monday would be that much closer.  Finally, we determined that our boys did not need us to "tuck them in" to their cabins for High School Camp (unlike the girls), so we did not need to wait until they left for us to take off.  Alright - well, all we needed to do was pack up and leave, right?

Not quite.  First was the last minute trip to Walmart for a few items we were missing, but mostly to create the daily "Treat Packages" for our boys.  OH BROTHER!  They may not need us to tuck them in, but woe to us if we were ever to miss a "mail delivery" with special items for them.  As it is, despite all of the goodies, I'm sure they were disappointed that none of the items were homemade.  Sorry, guys, I spent more time food prepping in the kitchen for yummy camping meals and treats than I have in months for any food we'd eat here in our own house - you'll have to make due with Doritos and Oreos.  ;)

The other distraction to the morning was this lovely lady.  And her visit was welcomed and perfectly timed.  I ended up packing last minute electronics and cleaning the kitchen while she filled John and I in on "all of the latest" in her life.  Yes, I was definitely multi-tasking, but I caught it all. 

It's a good thing that I'd done the "lion's share" of food prep and gear lay-out for the trip as Michele got the job of packing the rig while I was in chatting with Kaela.  (See, excellent timing!).    Every year we try to think of ways to condense or minimize so that we won't struggle with room issues, and yet, every year, we feel like it's a miracle it all somehow fit.  Michele does one amazing job, though - and I am obviously thankful I have back-up cameras on my rig with the obsolete view through the back.   We still had the coolers to pack in along with other items when this was taken...

But, we did it.  The boys came out and prayed with us, and after lots of kisses and hugs, us girls embarked upon "Girls Cali Camping 2014" - at least as defined by our Instagram Hashtag.  =)

I'm not sure what our deal is, but every year we head south (this is the third), we bring with us - or encounter, rain.  This was our view headed south in Medford.  Those are some serious thunderheads.  

Which made us doubly thankful that our first night was spent at a Marriott Courtyard - and look at that - we were "Guest of the Day" (well, at least John was - I think it might have to do with our points status...)  

After dropping off the "hotel gear" (we'd carefully packed so that we wouldn't need to dig into camping stuff for our first stopover night) - we headed to Safeway for dinner and some produce.  Beautiful sunlit view when we returned...

And also pretty at night where Ellie and Mikayla hung out after doing some swimming. 

The highlight of the evening was all cuddling into one bed to watch "Catching Fire" off the laptop that we'd picked up from "Redbox".  Super cozy - and worth taking advantage of while we still had electricity and real beds!