back from the wild

Hi friends! Happy Monday! Hope you had an amazing weekend with some fun and relaxing on the agenda. <3 We enjoyed our first family camping trip! Before I get into that recap, here’s some adventures from the weekend:

My Friday morning started off with my first full post-digital-nerve-repair-surgery BODYPUMP class. The verdict? Not only did I survive, but it.felt.awesome. I was ready to modify the clean and press (I’m still clawing the barbell even though I can put weight in between my thumb a thousand times better than I could before the surgery) and to my surprise, it was like I never left. Everyone in class was cursing and grimacing in pain with the 100th biceps curl, and I was in the back row smiling like a creeper. It felt so good to be back!

Bodypump setup

I probably won’t start teaching BODYPUMP again since we leave soonish, but I can definitely sub again in the meantime. I’m pretty stoked about it. 

After class, I had an awesome work productivity blitz,

Moniker waffle and coffee

(Betsy got me a Moniker waffle because they always smell incredible, and it was just as delicious as I thought it would be)

spent lots of time playing with P, and that afternoon after the Pilot was home, I headed to work for a group fitness meeting. Our fitness director is so encouraging, and we have occasional meetings to discuss tools and strategies to become better instructors. When we arrived, she had an envelope for each of us with positive feedback our class participants shared about our classes and teaching styles. It was really heartwarming to read, and it’s encouraging to receive positive feedback about something you love so dearly. After our meeting, we headed over to Solare for cocktails and pizza. We also shared some of our most embarrassing teaching moments and there were some gold stars in the mix hahah. 

Saturday morning, we started packing up for our first family camping trip! The Pilot has taken Liv on a daddy-daughter trip with some friends, but this was P’s first time camping. We met up with a huge group of friends and their kiddos -there were 8 little girls, 2 babies, and 1 little boy- and had a blast. 

The Pilot in the wild

The weather was mild and pleasant, so we were able to bundle up outdoors, play games,

watch movies,

camping with kids

cook dinner over an open fire,

and s’mores our little hearts out. (S’mores is a noun and a verb.)

s'mores goods

For the record, Reese’s on a s’more is everything.

s'mores with Reese's peanut butter cup

I didn’t snap a picture, but before we left the house, I made a huge batch of house guacamole, and used Julie’s recipe to marinate chicken breasts. (I followed it exactly and just added sprigs of fresh rosemary to the bag. It was a huge hit!) I also washed a bag of sweet potatoes and double-wrapped them in foil to throw on the fire. When we were ready to eat, everything was in the cooler, prepped and ready to go. It made it so much easier.

Even though I think I slam-dunked the meal prep portion, we still have a lot to learn about camping. To confirm our noob status, we bought a tent that day. We have a smaller tent, but knew we couldn’t fit the pack-n-play in there. So we opted for a bigger option, and it was a little ridiculous.

our huge tent

Here’s the inside with a queen-sized mattress, Liv’s kiddo cot + air mattress, said pack-n-play, plus tons of room to spare. 

FullSizeRender 45

It actually ended up being a nice hub for occasional breaks with P. She had lots of room to stretch her legs after being held so much, and crawl around. (I did totally end up letting her crawl around in the dirt, but it was nice to have a bug and plant-free option.)

We had dinner, the adults enjoyed some wine and beer in solo cups, and the kiddos played so well together.

kids playing while camping

When the sun went down, we broke out the glow sticks and turned up the dance music. It was our own little campfire rave. 😉 (Also, the glowsticks were key with the preschoolers running around. We could see where they were at all times since each kid donned necklaces and anklets.)

wearing glow sticks for camping fun

I wasn’t quite sure how P would do with the sleeping arrangement, but I think the extra activity and stimulation wiped her out. She crashed pretty quickly. 

As far as sleep goes, I slept the worst out of anyone in our tent. Liv definitely did the best. She crashed out and had a comfy snooze until 8am. During the night, the winds started going CRAZY and were super loud. They woke P up a few times, so she and I had a bit of an all-nighter. (The Pilot could fall asleep after helping out with P, but I couldn’t do it.) I think if it wasn’t so windy, she would have easily slept through the night in the pack-n-play. (Since it was cold, she wore two layers of footed pajamas: one regular and one fleece. It seemed to do the trick! We tried to put a beanie on her, but that lasted about 4 seconds.)

The next morning, the winds were still so strong that no fires were allowed. So, we ventured down to the lodge and had breakfast in the cafe.

Some of the crew:

part of our group at the lodge

It was an interesting little place. It was founded in 1926 (!) and was packed with taxidermy, rows of books, and tchotchkes. Also, what happens if you don’t tip?? We didn’t want to find out.

Pilot pointing to sign - a cash gratuity of up to 20% is customary

After breakfast, we explored a nearby meadow with exquisite rock formations. The kids loved climbing to the top of the rocks, and running freely through the meadow. It was absolutely beautiful.

It’s hard to believe that not too long ago I was trying to convince Liv not to eat rocks,

P chilling on the ground

(now it’s just keeping P from ingesting them)

and here she is now, climbing to the top.

Liv and the Pilot at the top of a rock

wearing P for our hike

After our little hike, we packed up and hit the road back home! It was a memorable little getaway, and another way to enjoy our friends and nearby surroundings while we’re out here.

I hope you had a great weekend, too! Are you a camper, or not so much? I would say maybe we’ll go out camping when we’re in Georgia, but there’s that whole “gators in the wild” thing. #lodgeftw 

xoxo

Gina

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38 Comments

  1. Tessa on September 26, 2016 at 5:38 am

    We’ve done our share of tent camping and this year bought our 1st travel trailer. It has bunk beds for the kids. Not to mention a bathroom and running water. we are never turning back!! Ha,ha

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:07 pm

      you’re doing it right! haha

  2. Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious on September 26, 2016 at 6:04 am

    HAHA that tent is huge! I’m not a camper myself, but if I had a palace tent like that I could totally get on board with camping.

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:06 pm

      right? a lot of jokes were made about our tent condo hahaha

  3. Jess on September 26, 2016 at 6:17 am

    Looks like such a fun trip! The tent looks awesome!

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:06 pm

      thank you! and yes, the tent was awesome haha

  4. Fiona @ Get Fit Fiona on September 26, 2016 at 7:16 am

    Sounds like you guys had a fun camping trip. I have great memories of camping with my grandparents as a kid.

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:06 pm

      i have a lot of fond camping memories, too, so it’s fun to share the adventures with liv and p 🙂

  5. Kat on September 26, 2016 at 7:30 am

    I’m all about the queen sized air mattress for camping! Your sweatshirt in the last photo with P in the ergo is so cute–where is it from?

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:06 pm

      thank you! it’s about 4 years old from lululemon. it’s the scuba hoodie 🙂

  6. Cassie on September 26, 2016 at 7:48 am

    The camping tent is AMAZING! I would have been up all night too. I’m such a light sleeper. Happy Monday!

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:05 pm

      i used to be the deepest sleeper but with kids, i hear everything now haha
      hope you had a great weekend!

  7. Bethany @ Dose of Discovery on September 26, 2016 at 8:21 am

    We love to camp (although there are currently no kids in the mix lol). I’ve heard stories that my parents took me camping as a newborn and that it did not go well ha. Looks like you had fun!

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:05 pm

      i can’t imagine doing that with a newborn hahah

  8. Sara @ saralouyoga on September 26, 2016 at 8:48 am

    What a sweet little camping trip!

    I LOVE camping and this year my hubby and I (plus our little pup) went backcountry camping for the first time. It was unreal. So peaceful!

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:05 pm

      it’s so peaceful to get away from it all and just enjoy the outdoors and fresh air 🙂

  9. Karen on September 26, 2016 at 9:01 am

    Love camping.

    Add hiking and it’s even better.

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:04 pm

      yes! love hiking 🙂

  10. Tiffany on September 26, 2016 at 9:27 am

    Where did you guys go camping? I’m always looking for new spots close enough to San Diego to go for just a night. Also, would you recommend the campground?

    • CB on September 26, 2016 at 11:22 am

      ohh i want to hear the answer to this too!

      • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:03 pm

        i think the name was mt. laguna. it was laguna/el campo; 50 miles east of san diego

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:04 pm

      i think the name was mt. laguna. it was laguna/el campo; 50 miles east of san diego. it was nice to be so close to san diego in case we needed to come back. 😉 and yes, i would definitely recommend it!

  11. Kalena on September 26, 2016 at 10:17 am

    Your camping trip looks like so much fun! Random question, where is your striped sweater from (the one in the bottom pic with you & P)? You recommended a black Zella sweater ages ago that I bought and have literally worn thread bare, so any cute/comfy sweater recommendations from you are welcomed:)

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:04 pm

      i know which zella one you’re talking about! so happy you loved it too 🙂
      it’s super old from lululemon. i love their scuba hoodies, and they have a ton of different colors

  12. Tracy on September 26, 2016 at 11:24 am

    For me, not so much! Lol Looks like you all had a great time though! We had a great time college football tailgating… acting like we were in college still!! So fun 🙂

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:03 pm

      haha that sounds perfect! where did you tailgate?

      • Tracy on September 26, 2016 at 4:47 pm

        In Columbia, Missouri… home of the Univ of Missouri Tigers… although I’m actually a Kansas Jayhawk! (my husband went to Mizzou)

  13. Jay on September 26, 2016 at 11:28 am

    Love that striped sweater you’re wearing in the last pic. Are those thumb holes?!

    • Fitnessista on September 26, 2016 at 12:03 pm

      thank you! YES! i’m obsessed with thumb holes haha

  14. Erika S. on September 26, 2016 at 3:40 pm

    I’m definitely not a camper but I feel like I should try now that I’m older (and wine seems to make anything enjoyable). I probably would be like you with the jumbo tent and air mattress. Me and the outdoors (i.e. critters, wildlife and anything that would eat me) are not quite compatible unless there are palm trees and blue/green water.

  15. Erin @ Her Heartland Soul on September 26, 2016 at 9:09 pm

    Josh really wants us to go camping. I’d much rather stay at a hotel! haha

    • Fitnessista on September 27, 2016 at 11:23 am

      i actually don’t mind the tent, but the wind killed me haha

  16. Jessica on September 26, 2016 at 9:46 pm

    That tent looks absolutely amazing!! My family and I have wanted to try out camping and we are looking for a tent condo. Do you mind sharing what brand that one is?

    • Fitnessista on September 27, 2016 at 11:23 am

      i’m pretty sure it’s coleman! (i added a target link to the post)
      tom set it up really quickly too

  17. Kristin on September 27, 2016 at 9:00 am

    I remember when my husband I upgraded out tent from a sleep 3 size to a sleep 6 (it’s just the two of us and our dog) and it was such a big deal that we could STAND UP in the new one. We went camping with some friends once and we were like, “Look, you can STAND UP in our new tent!” Yours looks amazing.

    • Fitnessista on September 27, 2016 at 11:21 am

      that was a huge deal for us too, especially since tom is so tall. he could completely stand in it!

  18. Yaara Leve on September 27, 2016 at 5:33 pm

    You’re looking amazing mama!! That camping trip looked like so much fun. I haven’t been in ages–I didn’t have the best experience with it many years ago–maybe one day.

  19. Chris on September 27, 2016 at 5:34 pm

    Striped sweater is the bomb.

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