I never thought I would spend as many hours in a store like R.E.I. as I have these last few months, especially with a family who has only camped a total of two nights in the last 25 years! But I could probably go in that store blindfolded and find just about anything! I grew up camping and loved it, but it's not something we have done with our kids over the years, so the thought of Emily hauling all her belongings around on her back and pitching a tent this next year is actually humorous. I never dreamed she would buy a backpack and tent, much less use it and sleep in it......no way....not my Emily. She loves hotels and soft beds and hot showers and clean hair! What in the world is she thinking?!
It's hard to believe that all of Emily's belongings fit into an external backpack weighing only 48 pounds but somehow it happened! We had a lot of fun seeing it last night when Emily and her friend Kaylan (who is amazingly gifted with organizational and spacial reasoning skills and who is also just an all around good dependable loyal loving friend) took on the task of stuffing all the clothes, medical supplies, and toiletries needed for a whole year into this backpack. If I hadn't been there to see it, I wouldn't believe it! After seeing all these items in neat organized piles on the floor, there was no way in my mind that they would all fit and even if they did, the pack wouldn't meet the 50 lb. weight requirement! And they didn't just put them in the pack....they made a video of it which was played in turbo speed to the music of the William Tell Overture! Funniest thing ever to watch....see it on her blog! It was a great way to make an extremely dreaded activity tolerable....and all the laughter it produced relieved a lot of stress. I recommend it highly! It will give everyone hope because if Emily can fit everything she's taking in and meet the weight requirements, then you all can!! I know I wouldn't have come close to doing that successfully...especially the first time! Well done! I think when she comes home in 11 months, she may never want to see another backpack or tent again!
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