tiffany's spot

I want to cook meat on a spit. I think that's what it's called. In the movies they make it look all appealing, the meat sizzling above a bed of coals, and later the juices running as people tear into a literal hunk of meat, their fingers dripping - because of course you eat it with your hands. Think Walking Dead, when Gareth is munching away on that chunk of meat while talking to Bob. Admit it, until you KNEW it was Bob it was pretty appetizing.  There are never any veggies either. Just meat. Sometimes flasks.  If steven can drop a hunk of meat into the burning barrel and then eat it hours later, I should totally be able to do this. 

Today I dropped Jordan off at summer camp. She will be gone for five nights. Five! It's the same camp I went to as a kid, and I loved it! The time away from home, meeting new friends, trying new things, it was always the highlight of my summer. In the spring I asked her if she still wanted to go to summer camp. Last year she pointed out to me a number of times that other kids she knew had gone to sleep-away camp, and not just to a day camp, so this spring I asked her if she still wanted to go to a sleep-away summer camp, and she jumped at it. I sent away her registration, and a few days later received a confirmation email. She excitedly chose her four activities for the week and was happy to hear that her cousin would be joining her. As it came closer, I could tell she was nervous. She mentioned a few times recently that she'd miss me. I told her that I'd miss her too, but that I was excited for her to try something new and fun. Today we packed up the campsite that...

This weekend I took my kids (the husband showed up a day later) and met with my larger, extended family for a weekend camping trip. It was actually our first camping trip this year (I know, weird. Normally it would have been our 3rd or 4th by  now), and I was ready to camp it up. As with any camping trip with young kids (probably older kids too I'm sure, I'm probably kidding myself by thinking that my kids' ridiculousness will end with a little age), there were highlights and lowlights. Lowlights? Lesslights? Almost burnedoutlights? Cringe-worthy moments? Anyway, let me break it down. Let's start with the good. Because honestly, we love camping, and now that I've gone once I'm kind of mourning the fact that we didn't go sooner. Super-Happy-Fun-Moments-of-the-First-2015-Verwey-Family-Camping-Trip! (way better ring than "lowlights," admit it) Jordan managed to sleep in the tent from dusk until dawn one whole time on our camping trip! I kno...