A few months ago we set aside last weekend as our final camping trip of the year.  It would be perfect, we thought - the weekend after pheasant opener, a few weeks before deer hunting.  We would take the camper up to The Land so that it would be in place before the hunting weekends in November.  Plus, we'd be about an hour away from Ruttger'swhere they would be celebrating Oktoberfest.  Something for everyone.

But then it rained for two weeks, and even though it was forecasted for sun on Saturday, we realized that we'd never be able to get in and out of the mud pits with our car and camper and all that gear.  So when Marty asked if I thought there might still be rooms at Ruttger's available, I was on the horn with reservations within minutes.  Staying at a resort is kind of like camping, if you call "camping" any place you stay that is not your home.  And really, that's the kind of camping I can get behind.

As we neared the resort, I could see that cars were lined up about a mile away from the resort and that parking was going to be a nightmare.  We pulled up to the front of the resort to talk to the guy directing traffic, and I must have looked pathetic because he told me I could jump the curb and park on the lawn.  Which meant that we had the best parking spot EVER.  Which was a good thing I guess, because when Marty suggested that I ask him where we should go since we were checking in, I made some noises and probably rolled my eyes in Marty's general direction.  And the parking guy proved me wrong.  And because me being wrong meant that we had primo parking, all was good.


Why is Martin holding his head, you ask?  I don't know, it was his staging idea for the photo.  Maybe it was some kind of foreshadowing to what I'd be doing today after I had my eyebrows waxed.  No, there are no photos of that.  Yes, I will be a pirate for Halloween and every day until my brows heal.  Back to Oktoberfest.


Here I am with my friends Molly and Chris.  You can't quite tell from this photo, but the place was PACKED.  There were so many people.  And like Martin said as he kicked up his legs in glee, "THERE ARE SO MANY BANDS HERE!!!"


After things shut down, we packed ourselves up and went to one of my favorite places for dinner, Lonesome Pine.  We had a very long wait, which isn't really a problem unless you have two small kids.  But, again proving me wrong, the kids were so well behaved and patient that we waited for an hour without anyone losing their cool.  It might have been because Sophie got to hang out with her new best friend ever, Molly.


Here are Linda, Sophie, and Molly - how cute are they?  After waiting for an hour, we were treated to some delicious food and a nice dinner with well behaved children.  It was a joy to see my kids interacting with my friends, having fun and making me proud.  It was the luckiest of lucky days and for sure the best camping trip ever.