Camping and canoeing at Turkey Run State Park Indiana

Oh, how I was dreading the inevitable day when my husband would take me camping. I knew one day it would come. And who am I do deny him his inalienable right to the great outdoors and peeing in the woods? I want to be a good wife and occasionally let him do something he wants to do. Occasionally. 

But, first up-canoeing:

 A canoe looks like this. Mmm, brown water.

We're so happy. Not...pant...tired...pant...at...pant...all. Pant. 

This shot says, "Please don't drop my camera in the water."

Fun trivia fact: If you look at this picture just right the light on the top of my head looks like I'm balding. I'm not. Plus, I sport the comb-over. Now you can't STOP seeing it.

And the dreaded (but somehow excited??) camping:

A shack/murder-house on our campsite.

I know it looks all cute and sweet inside with its tiny booths. I don't buy it.

David successfully made a campfire without starting a forest fire. Good job hon! But, I did suggest we cook our poptarts on the fire. Umm, for the record...don't do that.

Putting up and using a tent is camping. It is not making s'mores and then going back to a hotel. I was in there sleeping and freezing when this picture was taken. Maybe I should do a '10 things I learned while camping' post? For example, it gets really cold at night.

I actually had the most relaxing time of my life. And by doctor's orders, (Seriously, oh yeah!! Couch!!) I should do relaxing things. The bathroom was 200 feet away so I could deal. I'm very excited to go again. It's incredible the amount of light pollution that did not exist, the sky was beautiful at night. The campsite was off on it's own and no serial killers came out of the shack. I'm now an official camper.

Turkey Run State Park Indiana

Last weekend my husband and I took the very long drive from Chicago to Turkey Run State Park in Indiana for two days of camping and canoeing. Oh fun...camping...my...favorite. The truth is, the term camping hasn't been in my vocabulary since a daddy long legs infested girl scout trip when I was 12. Or 13. I've mostly blocked it out. Except in my nightmares.

Day one was spent exploring the park itself. This word is used excessively in my opinion (especially by me), but it was amazing. What was especially amazing was the fact that they let you hike in such a rugged area. We're so used to "keep out" signs that we were floored when they allow you the chance to greatly injure yourself. And we loved it!

Ye Olde rickety bridge

 I think something from Harry Potter.

 You want me to use those? There may or may not have been tinkling on the floor at this point. Too much information?

 Walking trees. I saw it. You don't know, you weren't there.

And an afternoon nap.

This park is a must-see and we can't wait to go back. Keep in mind there are trails where you will be scaling boulders and hiking on logs and soon to find out-waterfalls (although they're just babies). You'll need a map so you can figure out which terrains are rugged. I wouldn't bring a dog or kids on these. 

Unless they have been bitten by radioactive spiders. Stay tuned for Monday's camping adventure!

Washington D.C. trip part 1-Restaurants

Over Thanksgiving, we went to Washington, D.C. This is David's hometown. I love this city. Maybe because it's new to me, but there's so much to see here and it has great architecture. We do all the touristy things when we go. No black Friday shopping, please. The museums are still packed. We went to the building museum, the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial and even ate at a restaurant in Arlington where Obama ate. Hehe. David had them show us his table. They knew, they probably get asked that a lot. It's called Liberty Tavern. I was wondering why Obama chose to eat here, it doesn't really look like much from the outside. But, the food was great. I got a pasta dish with quail that almost made me a vegetarian. It tasted good, but apparently quail are very tiny and look like baby birds. It was a little disturbing, I was expecting something more chicken-like.

But, one of our favorite places to go in D.C. to eat is a tapas restaurant called Jaleo. We are a little bit obsessed with tapas. Though, it's been a several year love affair so I think it has grown from an obsession to something more eternal. This is really one of the best tapas restaurants we have been to...and we know tapas. Make sure to get the white sangria (it's sparking with strawberries!) and the apple and fennel salad. As a bonus, there's also a cupcake place nearby. Just sayin'.

Jaleo Downtown

480 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004