Cabin Fever (the good kind?)

Not to go all "Me Monster" on everyone, but, as you have probably seen so far, I'm not really an outdoors-y kind of person. There are several factors. First, I'm not really into "braving the elements". Second, almost every time I go outside I get bitten by every single insect you can imagine (I still have scars from this past summer). Third, as a child of the 80s, I do really live a life of convenience. I'm sorry to admit it, but I am a product of mass consumption. To quote a Lilly Allen song, "..it's not my fault, it's how I'm programmed to function".  

Me and Bud joke around all the time that I have probably spent about 15 minutes total outside my whole entire life (exaggerated of course). When I was little I spent most of my time reading books and writing stories. I was ignorant of the outside world - kind of like Rapunzel (sorry, I saw the movie last night and immediately fell in love with it). Those Disney movies get me every time (*tear*). 

You can imagine my hesitation when Bud and I signed up to go on a hiking trip with some of our friends in October 2010. I was excited to spend a weekend away with our peeps, but hundreds of questions swirled through my brain. How cold is it going to be? Will there be bugs? What are we going to do? Do we have enough food? What exactly does "roughing" it entail? I was literally nauseous until the day we left. After an extensive shopping trip to Target and Wal-Mart (the best stores EVER), and borrowing all of our camping gear from my in-laws, I finally felt prepared. What's a camping trip without hummus and peach mango salsa???

So how did it go? I mean, I knew we were going to have good time, but we had a GREAT time! Shout out to the KOA Newburgh, NY because it was a really nice setup! We stayed in a cute little cabin and sat by a wonderful fire (thank you Bry & Craig), ate a ton of yummy food, sang songs, told stories, and played games. It was everything I wanted it to be. We also had a wonderful breakfast overlooking Mohonk Mountain (thank you James), a hiking trip, and apple picking at a local orchard. It was a great weekend! And no bug bites! Or car accidents!  

By Sunday night I was so upset that we had to go home. We shared so many laughs and had so much fun with all of our friends. As we made the travel back home on the Thru-way (oh how I despise you Thru-way) I couldn't help but think that I actually was outdoors-y for once in my life. This was a BIG accomplishment for me and my awkwardness. There was something about the fresh mountain air I guess. Although I couldn't have survived without my friends. You guys are the best!! 

Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. Ahhh memories: