Paradise in a Tin Can
With all the kids back in school, I can’t help but to reflect back on how amazing this summer truly was. We traveled, we created a ton of memories with our family and we definitely had way too much fun doing it all. Robb has brought out a side of myself (and my two kiddos) that I didn’t even know really existed. We all thank you for that babe! Most, if not all, of these new experiences and adventures involved our beloved 1994 Sovereign Airstream. Robb had it for about a year or so before we met, but let me just tell you, it was love at first sight for the Airstream and I. Little did he know, although I’ve never been much of a camper, I always thought Airstreams were so classic and beautiful. It was always a dream of mine to own one, I just wasn’t sure what I’d do with it alone.
Before our first camping adventure, he also brought me into a whole new world of shopping I had never explored before…the wonderful world of REI. Before you all think I’m completely naive, yes I knew what REI was, I just never had a reason to actually bring myself into one. Until Robb. And boy am I happy I went! I couldn’t believe how many amazing goodies there actually were in there. Everything from Patagonia clothes, gigantic fun tents, all things YETI, tons of bikes, shoes and more! Quickly I learned I’d do just about anything, as long as I could look the part and do it in style. Needless to say, Robb immediately regretting bringing me there, haha.
The one thing we knew we needed for sure, was a bigger tent to fit all the kiddos. Luckily it was around Memorial Day and as soon as we walked in, they had the REI Kingdom 8 set up on display and Robb instantly fell in love. It had more than enough room for all the kid and then some. We wanted to make sure they were all comfortable and still felt like they had their own space. This tent was perfect for just that. There was so much room for activities inside!
The next thing on our list was buying more hammocks. When we moved we noticed both of us had a lot of stuff missing. Somehow that always happens during moving, doesn’t it? Tis’ the chaos of moving I suppose. Anyway, one of the black bins Robb noticed was gone, had a majority of his hammocks inside of it. Knowing how much the kids would have fun in them and use them, we wanted to replace them. So naturally we picked up four more Eno Hammocks. These were definitely a hit among all the kids because as much as they love sleeping in the tent, they really LOVE sleeping in hammocks. Who could blame them?
After a few local camping trips, the refrigerator in the Airstream decided it had enough for the summer already. Which was NOT going to work for us. Considering how handy Robb is, I wasn’t that stressed but of course he was. Mostly because we had our biggest trip of the summer coming up quickly. We were going to Upstate NY and NJ for a week and we definitely needed the fridge for that! But before he was able to get all the parts to fix it, yes he can do anything and everything, we decided we needed to purchase one more thing to suit our large family. So we went back to REI (WOOO!) and invested in the YETI Tundra 75 Cooler, just incase we had any more issues with the refrigerator on our trip and the whole summer. The Tundra specifically was exactly what we needed because of its size. For those who don’t know, we are a family of 6 and our kids (and me) like to eat, a lot! So we needed all the room to fit juices, meats, eggs, snacks and more! We love this cooler and definitely recommend it. We stored our other, smaller YETI’s in the garage for more local activities and used the Tundra camping every time.
As much as I have been gawking in awe over all the memories we have made this summer, I am certainly looking forward to the ones we will continue to make this fall. Everyone has been telling me fall camping is that much better. I have been looking up new State Parks around Ohio and dropping subtle hints about going to the Smoky Mountains this November for my 30th. I cannot wait to explore more with our family! And maybe, just maybe I can get Robb to take me back to REI for some fall camping gear ;).
Drop a comment of your favorite place to camp! Either locally in Ohio or anywhere, I am always open to checking out new places.
XOXO