No Time To Blog… I’m Going Camping!

It’s the one time a year I spend any appreciable time outside.

It’s no exaggeration to say that I have a passing acquaintance with the Great Outdoors. As a pale person, the Sun is out to get me, mosquitoes think I’m super tasty, and poison ivy is a real concern as I am highly allergic.

However, there is a five day stretch over Memorial Day weekend when I go camping. Now, this isn’t your average camping trip. I’m going to a festival event in Central Texas. I should mention that Memorial Day weekend seems to be the official start of hot weather in Central Texas. The weather forecast is for highs near 100 degrees all weekend. Fortunately, it looks like rain won’t be a concern this year.

It is definitely camping in that there’s no electricity, no A/C, little to no cell phone or internet connection (I have T-Mobile, so the coverage isn’t great), no comfy memory foam mattress, no running water, and no flush toilets. Anyone who tells you that going to this festival is “not really camping” is a liar. It’s TOTALLY camping. The main difference between camping at this festival and regular camping is there are a lot more costumes and alcohol and good food and theme camps involved. Believe it or not, that actually does help make the camping more tolerable.

Because this is a long stint of spending time outdoors, I have to prepare both physically and mentally. There are supplies and things needed for camp to gather. I also have to make sure I gather things that will help keep me happy and comfortable while I’m out there. After a few years of doing this trip, I have a good idea of what that means, short of taking an RV to camp in.

I also have to get in the right mindset to be outdoors in the heat for a few days. I definitely have to make sure I have enough sunscreen and bug repellent. Making all these preparations on top of working my day job means I haven’t really had much time to blog. I plan on getting back on schedule after I return from this camping trip, though. I mostly wanted to post this and let you know what was going on.

If I am so ill equipped to spend a few days outdoors, why bother going? Because it is a chance to really get out of my everyday routine. It’s a chance to completely unplug from the internet and social media for a few days. It’s a chance to have my days flow organically and not be ruled by the clock for a bit. As much as I really don’t like having to be outside for long stints of time, I find that this trip really does me good. There is something to be said about not having to watch the clock or be enclosed by walls all the time…

So by the time this posts, I should be out on the land fully participating in this festival. If I have prepared correctly, I should be enjoying myself at a leisurely pace when you read this.

I promise this blog will get back to makeup and skincare over 40 after I return.

UPDATE: I survived being outside during the official beginning of summer in Central Texas!

Somehow I managed to go camping for 5 days with out getting sunburned, heat stroke, poison ivy, or eaten alive by mosquitoes. Maybe Mother Nature doesn’t completely hate me after all. I’ll probably do it again next year. =)