We're the Griswolds

The problem:

Mom wants to camp

Dad hates to sleep on the ground

The solution:

We bought a camper

Six years ago we decided that we could have a great time as a family camping in a pop up camper. We had the boys, we loved geocaching and hiking -- we could combine it all with a pop up.

Then, we had a princess.

Not that the princess is too frilly - she's a tomboy in a tutu. But, she loves being outside, so now we're once again back where we were 6 years ago, except that now we have an additional body when we calculate sleeping accommodations.

We'd pretty much decided that we could still use a pop up camper, but would just need a slightly bigger one. At the camper store (yes, the camper store), we discovered that not only could we get a regular camper for less money than the biggest pop up we'd been eyeing, but since the camper has a regular (read: flushing) toilet, we can get a tax break on it.

So, now, we're the proud owners of a camper. Next weekend we're going to pick it up and have our first camping experience. Luckily we have a margarita machine that will make it all a lot of fun! And, the good news is that we can now take Ed with us for vacations and not have to worry about where he'll stay while we're gone.

Egads - planning vacations around a dog!!!