A Single Dad in the Storm

A funny story just came to mind. There is a storm loud enough to have all of the animals pacing and cuddling close, and a Facebook friend just talked about being camping but heading home since it’s only 40 minutes away; citing the worry of the same storm.

One story takes place during my first summer as a single dad. There were two storm-related stories in fact. I’ll start with the one where it was just the girls and I – and our previous dog Gracie. Less hilarious, but still Larry material.

It was the summer of 2014. I had the idea to take them camping. The original plan was the drive-in, but even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle trailer was scary, So, camping it was. We had done this many times as a family so I knew they loved it, and I had lots of experience venturing off with friends over the years. I packed our gear, some food, a few VHS movies, bathing suits, a few other supplies, and we were off.

Sunset had passed. I had grabbed pizza on the way for dinner, and some popcorn for them to snack on while they watched a movie in the van. Early on in the process, I noticed that one of the tent poles was broken. Thankfully, I always have a spare and some cord, but the problem was that it was now raining. Not run for cover rain, but enough to put a damper on this part of the camping experience. Pun intended.

It was quite the struggle getting the tent setup, but the girls stayed dry and slept like logs. The following day, we swam, let Gracie play in the water, and made beautiful early memories as dad and daughters – all learning the ropes of our new normal.