DAY 111

It is Miss Nine's birthday. She is now Miss Nine Plus One. Or as she insists on calling herself, Miss Ten. Double digits, growing up too fast. She told me in January that she wanted to camp for her birthday, so I made a reservation at a kid-friendly campground close to home. With the quarantine situation, I was not sure if we would still be able to camp, but when I called them a few weeks ago I was told that we were good to go.

We have a 27 ft. Jayco travel trailer, our home away from home. I hauled it out to the campground and parked it. Voila, we are camping. I used to be a tent camper. I made fun of people with RV's and such. I thought that they might as well just stay home. I was much younger and did not mind sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag. Now I am old and want a real bed at the end of the day. And my own toilet in the middle of the night.

Miss Ten invited a friend to come camping with us. She came to stay last night and her mom picked her up this afternoon. This campground has a beach, a splash pad, putt-putt golf, playground, basketball court, and lots more. I prefer a quieter camping experience but this is a fun place for the kids. The girls swam and played, we made s'mores on the campfire, and they giggled like girls until late last night. Today my oldest daughter and daughter in law came out to have a birthday lunch with us. This evening my husband and two grandsons joined us for dinner and a swim. And of course cupcakes and presents.

Social distancing while camping should be relatively easy. You are outside and everyone has their own allotted area. When you are a kid, though, your boundaries are pretty flexible. I cautioned the girls to play a safe distance from others. I asked them not to climb on the floating rafts in the water. I had them wash their hands often. Mostly I just let them enjoy themselves. And I sat in my lawn chair and read an entire book.