I don’t camp.
That’s something you do not have to know me well to know about me.
I don’t like, in no particular order: bugs, being hot, being cold, not having a bath tub, pooping in the woods, cooking over a fire, animals that might eat me, sleeping on the ground, and honestly just nature in general.
My husband does like camping, but he pretty much accepted that he would be camping alone or not at all going forward in our relationship.
So when I saw an AirBNB “forest retreat” in rural Mississippi that supposedly made you feel like you were camping – no WiFi, no TV, plenty of nature and bugs – but also had AC, indoor plumbing, and a luxurious outdoor bath tub? Well, that seemed like a compromise we could both live with.
It’s been a hell of a year, folks, for everyone, and my husband and I needed a break. Even though this seemed like a pretty COVID-safe getaway, we had the added assurance of knowing we were both fully vaccinated.
As much as we love our kids – and we do, so much – we have had more than adequate togetherness since March 13, 2020, and we figured they could handle a couple of days without us.
And so we booked a two-night stay, left our kids with friends and family, packed up the dog and some wine and the makings of a delightful charcuterie plate, and hit the road.
It was exactly what we needed.
Our first night, there was a very dramatic thunderstorm, which I was secretly hoping for, as I love thunderstorms even when we’re not in a really cool glassed-in room up in the treetops. But the next day, the weather was absolutely perfect, which I was also hoping for, because we got to hike down to the creek with our dog and I got to drink a glass or two of wine in the aforementioned outdoor bathtub.
But because there was no WiFi or cell service, I was not too sad about leaving on our last day. I was ready to get back to the kids, social media, and Netflix.
Overall, from start to finish, it really was the absolutely ideal spring break vacation.
I’m hopeful that more vacations are in our future – all of our futures – as COVID cases drop, vaccinations increase, and life slowly starts to return to some kind of normal.
Just not camping. I’m still not going camping.
