Back to civilization

We got back from Arches last night; tired and dirty but feeling good. It was a fun trip and I will tell you all about it but I took over 200 pictures and it is going to take me a little while to sort through them and edit the ones I like.

One thing I will say now though is that my favorite part of camping trips is coming home. And I don't mean that in a sarcastic, I-hate-camping kinda way. It just makes me appreciate my home and it's lovely amenities like showers and beds.

You never feel as clean as you do when you wash away three days' worth of sweat and dirt. To this day, my favorite shower came after spending a week in Mexico on a mission trip with my church . We had spent the week building a house all day (see finished house above) in the hot sun then rinsed off each night with buckets of water scooped from a rain water collection barrel. But the last night on the way back to Texas we stayed a hotel and were able to shower. One by one the girls I was sharing a room with went into the bathroom tired and grody and came out refreshed and clean and with a whole new attitude. It was like a miracle room. Then my turn came and the water felt like showers from heaven. And I had a good reason for wanting to look good too. On that trip, Craig and I went on a walk around the compound and then he told me he loved me for the first time (everyone say awww! - and don't let the word "compound" fool you, it was uber-romantic) ... and then I had to spend the rest of the week looking like crap. I wanted him to remember he loved someone that could actually be attractive and who didn't normally smell.

I also like to sleep in my own bed after a camping trip. I'm always so tired and my muscles ache and it feels so great to sink into a nice soft mattress. Last night was no exception. I don't have any stories about loving my bed or anything, but I can tell you I slept well.

And I now have tons of pictures to play with and blog about and make scrapbook pages for so I don't have to worry about being bored for months, not that I have the time to do that, but I will let my housekeeping suffer for the sake of art. Here is one of the pictures I have picked as a keeper to tide you over.