Last year was Caleb's first time to go to deer camp. He loved it. He has talked about it all year. Anytime we try to call my parents and they don't answer, he thinks they must be at deer camp. He was so excited about going back this year. All through October, he would ask, "Is it Halloween yet?" because he knew that deer camp came after Halloween. With the fun that he had last year, we decided to extend the tradition and make a go of spending the whole weekend as a family at deer camp this year. Mom and Mr.L. have a really nice travel camper that we stay in when we go down there. It is somewhat spacious and there's room for everyone to sleep. There's a bathroom and a kitchenette in the camper. In addition, there's a shower and a full kitchen in the "big camp," which is actually a trailer that the rest of the guys stay in at camp. They have built on to the trailer so much that there is basically an outdoor kitchen as well. Of course, they have also rigged up the camp with DirecTV, so that you never miss a minute of football and they've installed a cell phone booster so no calls are missed. There are 4-wheelers to ride, stars to gaze at and (for Caleb) lots and lots of dirt to be played in. The campfire burns continuously and there's always someone to talk to sitting around the fire.
The friends that we have at deer camp are more of an extended family. Mr. L. has known them all for many years and everyone is always so welcoming to our family. Rudy has been so grateful for their welcome and for being invited to hunt with them - even if it does mean taking lots of good-natured ribbing about anything and everything imaginable. You're always guaranteed a good laugh at deer camp and you're pretty much guaranteed way too much really good food.
I was admittedly nervous about this year's trip. I reached 28 weeks of pregnancy on the day that we got to camp (11/13). It took us almost 4 1/2 hours to get there, leaving after working all day. Sleeping has not been easy for me for some time now. I toss and turn and take my body pillow with me each time. I was nervous about being able to sleep in the camper on a bottom bunk bed, hearing the sounds of 4 other people and not being able to easily get up and use the restroom during the night without waking up everyone else. I almost backed out. I almost sent Rudy and Caleb without me. I went through several scenarios in my mind from staying home to going to Hot Springs and just driving over during the day. I finally told myself to suck it up because it meant a lot to my family and I wanted to be part of the fun and the family tradition.
When we got to camp, it was pretty late. Caleb was beside himself with excitement. He sat in his little kid's camp chair and couldn't even say anything. He just beamed and grinned and literally shook with excitement. That was worth the long drive in itself. We finally got him calmed down and ready for bed and Mom and I took him to go to bed in the camper. I laughed as I wedged myself and my body pillow into the bottom bunk. I commented on Facebook that it was sort of like trying to pack a week's worth of clothes into an overnight bag. I read for a little while until Rudy and Mr.L. came in to go to bed. I made a concerted effort to go to sleep. My concerted effort lasted a few hours. I dozed off sometime during the night, only to wake up at about 2:30 when one of my campermates used the bathroom that was literally about 3 feet from my head (separated by a plywood wall of course). After that, it was all over. No more sleep for me. I was quite thankful to have my iPhone by my side and spent the next few hours honing my Sudoku skills and browsing Facebook. By the time the guys got up and went to breakfast at 4:30, I had made up my mind that I would not be spending Saturday night in the camper. I didn't want to interrupt anyone else's fun, so I devised a plan for going back to Hot Springs and meeting Rudy in Malvern on Sunday.
When Mom and Caleb got up, I unwedged myself from the bottom bunk and made my way to Mom and Mr.L's bed at the front of the camper. There, I found about 3 glorious hours of sleep. When I woke up, I got dressed and joined Mom and Caleb by the fire. I told Mom my plan for the day: stay at camp until the guys went back out for the afternoon/evening hunt, then leave for Hot Springs. I was going to take her car so that they would have the carseat for Caleb. She suggested that she and Caleb just come with me and we finally decided on that plan. Caleb spent the day riding the 4-wheeler with Pops and Daddy, playing in the dirt, throwing sticks in the fire and eating junk food. He was in absolute heaven! At about 2:00, we were all tired, so we decided to just leave a little early. Caleb was upset about leaving, but was so tired that he was sound asleep shortly after we made the turn out of camp.
When we got to Hot Springs, I practically made a b-line for the shower. I could not wait to get the smoke and dirt off of me. We ate dinner, gave Caleb a bath and all went to bed early. Caleb slept with Mom and I stretched out in my bed alone. I slept so hard that I never even woke up during the night - a rarity these days.
Sunday morning, Rudy called to say that he had gotten a deer - his first buck ever. It was an 8 point and he was pretty excited about it. That meant that we had a little extra time to hit the road, because he had to clean it and then get cleaned up and come to meet us in Malvern in Mom's car. We eventually met up and headed for home as Mom went back down to the camp for a couple more days.
It worked out fine. I learned my lesson. I'm not cut out for spending the night at deer camp. I love my family and love to spend time with them. Family time around that fire can never be replaced, but I'm not an outdoors person. I need a hot shower, a clean towel, a big comfy bed, walls that are made of sturdier stuff than aluminum and plywood, a room with a door, no spiders/walking sticks/lizards...basically, the comforts of home. In confessing all of this to Rudy and later to Mom, I came to realize that nobody expects me to like deer camp just because everyone else does. It's just fine if I don't want to spend the night. It's only a little over an hour back to Mom's house. I can go spend a day once or twice a year around that fabulous campfire, enjoy the laughs, the friends, the traditions...and then get in the car and go home and nobody thinks worse of me for it. Rudy and I agreed that me trying to spend a weekend at deer camp for the sake of togetherness is sort of like him trying to survive a scrapbook weekend for the same reason - it's just not the way we were meant to be together.
From now on, I'm excited about deer camp weekends! I get to enjoy the fun and watch Caleb (and the rest of my family) enjoy the fun...and then I get to go home, take a hot shower and sleep in a cozy bed. They can have the bugs, dirt and 4:30 AM breakfasts!
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