This isn’t one of my normal blog entries; it’s more about getting caught up.

Last week, I didn’t write a blog — not because I fell off the wagon or neglected it, but rather because the laptop I took camping with me decided it also needed a few days off and malfunctioned on me. It’s back up and running a bit better after some work on it today, so I’m going to slog through a quick recap in anticipation of this next blog, as well.

That was a MUCH smaller creek when we set up camp.

So — no cool pics, no music video… just me. (Okay, maybe one pic.)

We went camping last weekend; part just pleasure, part because of an annual event where some of the party goers camp. It’s always a lot of fun and I was looking forward to it, but honestly, lots of stuff just didn’t go my way.

For one thing, it rained like crazy. For another, the campground had us in a campsite next to a creek… and heavy rains with creeks? Well, you can see the picture, here. (Literally. See right.) The waters rose nearly to our campsite. It was muddy as heck. We couldn’t cook outdoors. And the bugs were partying more than we ever thought about — mostly in my eyes, nose, and ears.

At least there wasn’t damage done, other than just a lot of exhausting activity. I met my step goals every day and then some, and the weather complications certainly added to the workload — much more to clean, keep dry, mitigate. Needless to say, by the time we got home, all I wanted was a hot shower and a three-day nap.

Not that I got it. The day after we came back, I washed several loads of clothes, we opened the camper back up so it could dry out a bit, ran errands, took my mother to an appointment, and yes, packed for the next road trip. We leave tomorrow morning, heading to visit my daughter and her husband, a dear friend, and then on Saturday, a full day of tailgating and then see Jimmy Buffett and ZZ Top in concert.

In other words, the pace certainly isn’t letting up, and Saturday will be one tremendously long day — followed by a day of travel on Sunday. I’m making the prediction, now, that Saturday will be the most steps I’ve accounted for yet on this journey.

And while all this has certainly been trying, it’s also a victory on a lot of levels. While all this activity is exhausting, the real miracle here is that I’m able to do it at all; I couldn’t, even last year. Just walking from the campsite to the closest bathroom was beyond my abilities, and this past camping trip, I walked twice as far in each direction without issue. I carried things, cleaned, cooked, put up camp, took down camp, cussed the rain, cussed the bugs even more, but I did it.

I did it.

I also never would have even considered a tailgate in a field for an entire day and then heading for a big concert in a stadium. The thing is, right now, I know I can do it. I can make it through the day and the concert, even though I’m sure I’ll sleep like a rock afterward.

So there you have two weeks’ worth of blogging rolled into one entry. While I’m up in weight from camping and traveling, my ability to walk and to just do has surprised me once again, and this is pretty exciting and satisfying stuff.