Camping!

This weekend, we went camping with our very dear friends, Andrew and Jessica. It was an absolute blast! We got off to a rocky start, since we were intending to camp at a site at Rainbow Lake between Bolder and Estes Park. Unfortunately, though, camping has really changed from when I was a child. The campground was first come, first served, and by the time we got there Friday afternoon, there were NO camp sites left! So we went up the road to Brainard Lake... same result.

At that point, we were getting a little frustrated. We kept going toward Estes Park, stopping at each campground we came to trying to find somewhere to camp, all to no avail. Fortunately, Andrew knew of a place that was off the beaten path (literally - we had to use his 4-wheel drive truck to get there! Our car wouldn't make it!) that was absolutely gorgeous. It had an awesome view, a fire pit and a flat spot for our tent... what else do you need?! Finally, at almost 8:00 in the evening we were able to set up camp and make dinner. And, of course, s'mores!

The next day, we went into Rocky Mountain National Park to explore and do a little fishing. Again, it was absolutely, amazingly beautiful. I feel very lucky to live in Colorado; I think that we are spoiled in a LOT of ways! We didn't catch any fish, but we enjoyed a very nice day with friends.

On the way back to our campsite, we stopped in Estes Park for some ice cream (because, what's camping without a little ice cream??) Jessica and I couldn't help but put our feet in the freezing cold river... actually, it felt great on a hot day!

We had a wonderful time. I love camping, and every year I hope that we will be able to do it more than we can. It's so much fun to pack up the cooler and all the gear, set up a tent and spend a few days away from our "civilized" lives. And it was SO much fun to be able to do it with our awesome friends!!!

The only thing that was difficult about the trip was the fact that we're not yet telling our BIG (b-a-b-y) news. Jessica is one of my best friends in the world, and not being able to tell her something this huge was like torture! It was particularly difficult because I didn't just have to not tell her the truth, I had to actually lie, since there was alcohol and bad foods that I can't eat. It's not that I drink so often - clearly I don't at all - but normally I probably would have had a little something alcohol-related since we didn't have to drive or go anywhere. So I had to devise a lie to cover up the fact that I couldn't have anything with alcohol in it. Saaad.

Not to mention, for the past year plus, Jessica and I have been meeting for coffee every week. We seriously have been doing this every single week since last June when she got back from her MA program in Oregon. I would guess that, in a year, we have only missed maybe three or four weeks. So again, since she knows all my normal coffee habits, that's a difficult one to hide! And I really hate lying to one of my very best friends! On top of that, this is definitely the kind of thing I would normally tell her because she would share in my joy. She of all people knows how much I have been struggling with the issue of getting pregnant, and now that there is good news instead of difficult news, I can't even tell her! It's very hard!

The good news is, we've decided that we will break the news to close family and friends after we see the doctor next week. I just want to make sure that everything looks normal and is progressing well before we let anyone else know. And, although I am thinking extremely positively and I truly believe this pregnancy will thrive, I can't bear the thought of announcing it and having something happen. Ugh, that makes me shudder just to think about. So we're letting a little bit more time pass before we spill the baby beans... and I can't wait!!!!