camping

do you remember when i posted a pic of our new wheels and made a comment about going camping? well, mr. pike took me up on my offer this past weekend.

unfortunately for mr. pike, but luckily for me (i've slept in a tent once in my life!), the weather has turned pretty chilly here, and we're not set for cold weather camping. however, with a little imagination, we set up our camp -- right in our family room.


i made the "tent." luckily, my structure didn't actually need to shelter us from the elements. but it did provide some ambiance for the evening.

i can count the number of times i've eaten tin foil dinners on one hand, so the more experienced camper mr. pike was in charge of the tin foil dinners -- hamburger, potatoes, onions, zucchini, and red peppers. he fancied them up a bit -- and finished them off with his secret ingredient. can you guess?

i suggested we also have salad. not so campy, but it is nutritious.

and to top the night off, we roasted marshmallows for smores over our gas-burning stove.

then we slept in our very own beds. the perfect campout!

happy birthday to you and me!

we just celebrated mr. pike's birthday. it was an especially good day, since neither of us had to work. so, we relaxed at home -- sleeping in and watching movies.

after mr. pike's birthday dinner, i gave him his presents. a card from my parents, a new pair of pajama pants. i saved one box for last. i wasn't sure how he'd feel about what i had picked, but was keeping my fingers crossed that is was something he'd like.

i had ordered the item online, so i printed a picture of it and put it in a box. as mr. pike opened the package, his eyes beamed and he jumped like a little kid at christmas.

"is this really what you got me?" he asked as he looked at a picture of his new slumberjack sleeping bag.

"yes," i said hesitantly. "do you like it?"

"oh, yes. yes, i do! how did you think of this?"

well, it's true that i did need some help. i'm not an expert camper, but it's one of those things mr. pike and i have talked about doing together on occasion. luckily, mr. pike's brother, mr. pike, has a vast knowledge of camping supplies and equipment and gave me a few recommendations. (thank you, mr. pike. you made me look like a superstar wife!)

as mr. pike beamed, a thought crossed his mind. "did you get this for a good price?" he wondered.

"i think so. your brother, mr. pike, sure thought so."

"well, then -- we should get you one too! we'll both need a sleeping bag when we go camping."

so it was agreed. we both got matching sleeping bags for mr. pike's birthday. happy birthday to you, my darling mr. pike. and happy early birthday to me!