camping is not for the faint of heart

so last night tam and i spent the night camping at comlara park. little did we know when we decided to go camping that we would be embarking on the adventure of our lives. we entered that campsite city girls but we came back wilderness wonder women. since i do not like to see knowledge go to waste, i have decided to share some camping tips so you, unlike us, do not have to learn the hard way.

ahem...

1. when building a campfire it is best to start with two key ingredients
-a lighter
-a fire starter
i am sad to say there is no other way to start a fire. it's just not possible.
it is also important to put all differences aside and join hands as a team. arguing over who is the better fire-builder will get you nowhere. it is only through teamwork that this great task can get accomplished efficiently. there is no i in fire...wait...

2. if you don't want to pee in a hole in the ground make sure you have a car to drive to the nearest real bathroom. this is of the utmost importance!

3. sleeping under the stars is awesome...until you wake up at 1:30 to the sound of coyotes ravaging another yelping animal...even that is not too terrifying until the howling gets louder and the nearby bushes start to rustle. that's when it's time to head inside the tent

4. if you forgot to bring stakes for the tent pray for no wind, otherwise you might wake up in the morning with the side of your tent trying to crush you...or when you're packing up you might have a hard time getting out of the tent because it will most definitely try to blow away with you in it.

there you have it. the four keys to an enjoyable camping trip with no injuries or accidents. i hope this will come in handy of at least one of you.

i feel much better now!

i'm sick...i just thought you all should know so you can feel as sorry for me as i do for myself

my patch of blue

today i was driving home from work with my sunroof open and my window down.  it was beautiful weather, perfect temp...(sigh)

i was almost home when i felt a noticeable drop in the temperature outside and i saw ahead huge rain clouds.  as i got closer and closer i thought, 'i should roll up my window cause i'm gonna get rained on.'  as my window was going up i waited for the rain drops to hit my windshield, but they didn't come.  i wondered why it wasn't raining yet so i looked up, (not always the safest thing to do while driving, but sometimes i just can't resist the urge to gaze at the sky) expecting to see looming dark clouds and i was really surprised to see the most beautiful blue open sky.

so i started playing a guessing game the rest of my drive called 'when will the clouds cover me.'  i'd look up trying to catch them roll over my head, but they never did.  there were a couple times i thought they had to be overhead, because the shadow and the cold felt so close around me i knew there couldn't be open sky above, but sure enough.

this got me thinking...it seems like there are times in my life when i allow approaching clouds to rob me of the blue sky in the present.  does anyone know what i mean?  i know without a doubt that the rain is approaching...i can see it in the distance...and sometimes it feels so close, so thick around me, that i completely lose sight of the fact that i'm not in it yet. 

then i thought how, not only in apprehension, but even in the midst of the darkest storm i still have my Savior's blue sky covering me...that small opening of hope that will follow me where ever i go.  so whether i see storms approaching or have to trudge on through them, i have a patch of blue to go with me.

thank you, Jesus, for being my patch of blue.