Hokay. I got a cup of coffee in me, and I am starting to feel a little more comprehensive. That only took an hour and half. 8)

This weekend was fun. On Saturday Tim and I packed up our stuff and headed up north to Kettle Moraine for the Second Annual Camping Expedition Although we got a somewhat late start, we were the first ones there (much to our surprise). It was a beautiful, warm August evening as our guests started to arrive. In attendance this year: Sarah and Dave, Tim's co worker James and his wife Amy, Eric and Kate, brother's Ben and Phil (with the dogs: Ludo, Hoggle and Wrigley) and Matt and Sigrid. Unfortunately for Matt and Sigrid they arrived just as the 10% chance of rain turned into a two hour downpour. They managed to set up their tent in like 15 minutes, and keep it dry. At one point, several people retreated to their tents to stay out of rain, which left a few of us...mainly the Benninghoff's and Kenosha folk to stand out in the rain and hold a garbage bag over the fire to keep it from going out.

But the motto seemed to be "We can still get drunk." Which we did, I will have you know.

Eventually the rain stopped. Matt scared away a naked man (who was going to streak us, but chickened out at the last minute and stood by the road watching us, mere feet from a disturbed Sigrid). The fire was surrounded by a moat of water, which we drained, and then covered the mud with weeds which created the terrific mess the next morning. All the moles came out of their holes and sat around the fire and dried off, or at least steamed. All in all, everyone was good sport about the rain, and accepted it as part of nature.

Sunday most everyone left. The brothers, Eric and Kate, the dogs and Tim and I all went to look at the Ice Age Museum (with James and Amy who left us here) and then continued to do some hiking on the Zilmer trail. Along the way, I found some blackberries and started to pick them. When the hike was over and we sat down on the benches in the front to water the dogs, I put my camera down. When we left, I was concerned about the blackberries, and we were all too tired to be aware and look behind us. Thus, I didn't realize until 15 minutes later that I forgot my camera. We went back....not 40 minutes after we left, and it was gone. Although the water bottle that Eric put next to it, was still there. That camera was a birthday present to me from Tim, the first year we were married when money was scarce.

That was the firs time I have ever lost a camera. I felt better later when I learned that virtually every Benninghoff has lost a camera. I guess I just joined the ranks and we really are family now. ;) But the moral of this story is ...no pictures. Not for awhile. Although I did develop a roll last Friday, which has some pictures on it that I might get around to putting up soon.

Monday, the core Roger's Park group (Us, and Eric and Kate) drank cowboy coffee in the morning sun, packed up and went home. I was SO happy to take a shower when we got back. I had brought only one pair of pants, which had gotten covered in mud on Saturday night. When we stopped at Burger King for a potty break and food on the way back, nobody stood close to us in line. After the shower, I watched Murder She Wrote, took a nap and then got up to see Investigative Reports "Wage Slaves: Nickled and Dimed in America." Afterward I thought about the life I live now, and how different it is from when I grew up...and how few people I hang out with now know about the real hardships of life. I also know, not to get a divorce after I have kids. That seemed to be the key indicator that threw most of the people on the program, and that I know in real life, into real problems.