What a year!

What a year for Bougie camping…NOT!

Should I start by saying we are in unprecedented times?


I think we all know that by now. 

To sum up our year, I was injured and had to retire from 21 years of education. (Very sad to say the least) We’ve had to cancel some trips due to doctor’s appointments, pain, etc. And the same month I retired, quarantine started. We wanted to make the best of our time together and were so sad after we lost our dog, Rocco, in January. So welcome to the family, Bougie! (Of course we had to name him that!)

We were trying to sell our house to downsize and make accommodations for me, but couldn’t find a new one just yet. So to the camper we go! We got a seasonal site and basically lived in it from the end of May until October while the new house was being renovated.

Even camping was much different though…lots of things closed, no activities, and of course masks. I have to say that we really didn’t get the opportunity to take advantage of what a seasonal site usually has to offer since most activities and events were canceled. However, at that point were happy to get outside as much as we could and met a lot of new friends. (…and caught up with old friends too!)

We took one camping trip this summer. (We ended up canceling all the others.) We went with friends to Frontier Town in Maryland. We had so much fun! Yes, still different camping with the masks and restrictions, but they did a nice job of keeping us safe.

There were restrictions in place for swimming and we didn’t want to miss out on their water park, so we got a cabana. SO WORTH IT!! It was very affordable and a great spot for breaks throughout the day.

They only let campers into the “town.” I hate to say it, but if I had paid extra for that I would have been very disappointed. There wasn’t much there and the acting didn’t do it for me on a very hot day. Everyone wanted to go back to the waterpark and I definitely didn’t blame them.

In July we found a house! We packed up all our belongings and they sat in storage for a few months until we could move in. We learned a lot about downsizing and took about 4000 square feet of “stuff” and made it work in about 1500 square feet. It was a good decision for our family and will definitely make it easier for me to get around.

Things were quiet both at home and the campground for a few months. We still hadn’t seen most family and friends for a while and had the travel bug. So we got a wild hair and decided to go back to Disney for Christmas. The kids were learning virtually anyway, so we packed it all up and went to Florida! I don’t have any Christmas miracle stories this year (THANKFULLY) and we had a wonderful trip. Disney does an amazing job keeping everyone safe. There are a lot of changes if you’re used to going so I recommend reading up on it if you’re planning a trip there soon.

So here we are…January 2021. Hoping for more camping trips this year! We already have a few planned. 😊

For now, we’re just rebuilding and redecorating our new home and getting used to new schedules with the kids and school. Looking forward to living our lives day by day and to the fullest possible this year!

Happy Camping!

The Bougie Camper