On Being Prepared...

There are times in my life that I feel very prepared. I have it all "together" right down to the last detail. Other times... I could have used a bit more TIME or knowledge on what was to come.

This past Monday was one of "those" times. I should have gotten everything ready for our camp out the day before. But, here is the rub. We had a busy Sunday and I had a busy pre-natal appointment Monday morning in the bigger town! There is always an excuse, I suppose.

If I had it to do all over again, here's what I would have changed:

1. I would have known that the "confirmation email" sent to my email inbox after Pops reserved the cabin contained a code/combination that would allow us to get the key to the cabin out of the lockbox on the porch.
2. In knowing what the email contained, I would have read it and brought the code along with us.
3. I would have brought my laptop along with, even if I never turned it on. Just incase I needed further information - like a telephone number - from that email or any other information, like a code that would get us the key to the cabin door.
4. I would have made Bud's Giant Cookie the day before and known that it was very a little crisp instead of soft and chewy, and would have then had time to make something else or another cookie!
5. I would have been prepared to sleep on the (vinyl) mattress at the cabin in something other than a mummy bag. (On a side note, my pregnant body is aching more these days and I find it most comfortable to sleep on my side with a pillow between my knees... try THAT in a mummy bag! It is impossible - if you hope to zip up your bag and stay warm in the 40 degree overnight temps... Not complainin', just sayin'!) A couple of nice quilts would have worked marvelously!
6. I would have brought instant coffee for Pops instead of the ground kind that he had in his tub of camping supplies so that we could have averted our little problem of not knowing exactly how to make "regular" coffee in a jet boil. (Ooooops! Don't pour in the coffee grounds until AFTER the water has come to a boil and you turn the flame off. Trust me on that one!)
7. I would have done all the packing up of the food stuff and been ready to go when Pops came up the stairs and was ready to go, so that we would have only taken half of the items and there wouldn't have been confusion over what to eat for breakfast! (What do you want, a strawberry pop-tart or a brown sugar pop-tart? Nope. That's all there is. Which kind? Oh now, don't worry your pretty little heads over this... we rarely eat pop-tarts around here and I also had a container of strawberries in the cooler. It's just that Pops also brought a box of Honey-Nut Cheerios AND Brats! Now, who needs all those choices!?! We were gone for ONE night, and all of these items were consumed in part for breakfast... EXCEPT for the strawberries!)
8. I would have worn different clothes.
9. I would have taken different pictures.
10. I would have prepared more in order to relax and enjoy myself more!

There's always next time, right? Or perhaps, I should leave all the chaos to the more relaxed members of my family and I can stay at home snuggled into my own cushiony, cozy, soft, 500 thread-count sheet covered bed. But, then there is the problem of missing out on the s'mores... for that I was prepared with an extra six-pack of chocolate bars!