Tough Words about My Marriage and Myself.

Good Times: Family Camping

02 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment

by Zoe in Good Times, Marriage Tags: camping, happiness, marriage, marriage improvement

As I said in a post a few weeks ago, I think hubby and I are headed in the right direction.  I mentioned that we have had some sunny moments in our relationship and that is what kept us hanging on.  Sunny moments among the storm clouds.

Sunny Moment: Family Camping

We have gone camping every summer for the last 3 years.  At first he resisted.  His family’s idea of camping is to buy a trailer in a clearing on a mountain.  It has electricity, plumbing, neatly mowed grass, all the comforts of home.  Nothing wrong with that.  MY idea of camping is sleeping in a tent in the woods and cooking all your meals over a fire.  Last year we upgraded to a Coleman stove :)

Hubby has grown to enjoy it.  He’s not quite ready to admit it yet and of course he has to groan when I schedule it.  But he goes.  And he smiles a lot when we are there.  It is truly one of the most peaceful things our family does the entire year.  No TVs, no internet, just a smidgen of cell phone service if you are standing in the right spot, no crazy kid schedules.  We just relax.  We swim in the lake, we hike on the trails, we lounge by the fire.  And things like cooking over the fire and hauling water from the pump take up our time.  We take coloring books & new crayons.  My kids color.  (They are 13, 11, & 8!)  I color too.  We play Uno by the light of the lantern, and eat way too many s’mores.  It is heaven.

I have a picture that one of the kids took of hubby and I last year.  It is my most favorite picture of us ever.  We are both leaned in towards each other, our heads touching.  We are both smiling.  No fake smiles.  Real smiles that just ooze peaceful contentment.  Every time I look at it I remember the fun, happy time we had camping last year.  We got along easily!  We were both just very happy.  That picture reminds me of how truly happy & at peace I felt with him.  I wish I could show it to you – but that doesn’t work here on my anonymous blog does it?

I know he felt that too.  I can look at that photo and see it in his eyes.  Oh I wish I could show it to you!  Of course the whole weekend was not pure bliss, but it was pretty darn good!  I do remember some harsh words we had while cooking sausage.  Ha.  He left the campground before noon on our last day there.  He went home to sleep so he’d be ready for his 3rd shift job that night.  The kids & I stayed as long as we could – swimming and playing on the rocks.  He texted me several times after he left.  Nice texts that I wish I would have saved.  Flirty texts.  Mushy moment texts.   Texts that were kinda like modern day love letters :)

We are going camping again this year.  Near the end of August.  I can hardly wait!