CAMPING. IT'S WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOUR TO-DO LIST IS OVERWHELMING.

A month after moving into our new house, our list of projects seemed to be growing daily. This needs to be fixed. That box needs to be unpacked. New furniture needs to be purchased. What does this switch do? We need another tool. In which box did we pack that one thing?

So, for one weekend, instead of dealing with our mountain of tasks, we headed for the mountains of Eastern Idaho. Of course we couldn't just go by ourselves, so we went along with our friends who also recently moved here to Idaho.

It was a much needed break. It gave us the opportunity to see more of our new state, spend some time catching up with old friends, and reflect on God's provision and grace in our lives.

All weekend, we joked and tried one-upping each other about how long our to-do lists were. Our friends had recently moved into a new house as well, so we had many relatable tasks, shared our wish lists, and made plans to tag team it on bigger projects.

REFRESHING & REFUELING

It had been 14 years since we last went camping with our friends. This was all before we had kids, mind you. So we had much to reminisce about and swap stories about our lives since.

All day long, the kids ran up and down along the river, collecting sticks and unique rocks, and making little hideouts in the tall bushes. Us adults had a routine of sitting by the fire with a beverage, helping the kids get food, doing some clean up, then sitting back down with a new drink. We repeated that until bed. The dogs roamed around the campsite like little Hoovers looking for food scraps and dropped snacks, all the while performing the Hoth maneuver on our legs with their leashes.

It wasn't particularly fruitful, but us boys did manage to get out our rods and do some fishing. I got a couple of bites, but couldn't land any of those wriggly Browns. This year, with the move, I wasn't able to get out camping and/or fishing nearly as much as I normally do each year. Even though nothing was caught by any of us, it was still rather enjoyable to be on the water's edge, hearing our lines whip through the air, and feeling the sunshine on our faces.

SNAP BACK TO REALITY

Sunday morning came far too quickly than any of us preferred. After a simple breakfast, camp breakdown began. With school or work waiting for each of us the next morning, no one was in a hurry to pack up and load the vehicles.

Over the last decade or so, our irregular visits were followed by months or years of not seeing each other in-person, sporadic phone calls, and too much radio silence. This time was different. We now live within minutes of each other. As we left the campground, it wasn't the typical goodbye of "See y'all in a couple years...if we're lucky." We had plans for later that week. It felt weird, but natural. We were so thankful to be living in the same state again and to be so close.

As we drove back home, my thoughts drifted back to all of the house work awaiting me. But instead of being overwhelmed, I was filled with anticipation. I was rejuvenated and excited to take on and climb that mountainous list of projects.