Iowa

Hi there!  Hmmm, where do I start?  I’m an avid camper in all sense of the word “avid.”  It all started because of my dad – he was a salesman.  He has sold everything from satellite dishes to cars to RVs.  Dad, or “Tom Terrific” as he was known in the sales world, was driven to succeed.  He had a very strong work ethic, and he was ALWAYS working.  By law, can’t sell anything with a motor on Sunday?  Ok, fine, he sold just travel trailers that day instead.  I would go to the RV lot with him after church on Sunday and I would answer phones while he worked the lot.  Hey, he paid me a dollar an hour!  When you only get $2 a week for allowance – that was mucho moolah!  I remember in my youth that we didn’t have a camper of our own, but every weekend dad would take a unit off the lot of the RV dealership and I remember him showing it off at the campground – giving tours, and doing his thing – selling.  He was always there to bandage a knee or open a jar or build the fire so we could roast marshmallows, so it wasn’t ALL work and no play.

Dad worked hard.  He taught us to do the same.  My mom also had a strong work ethic and always had multiple jobs.  They taught us kids to work hard – and to PLAY HARD TOO.  I know now that life is all about balance.  I wish I’d practiced that a bit more when I was younger, but that’s another story.

My personal mantra is “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”  My second career as a massage therapist/aromatherapist has taught me that we take care of so many others – our spouses, our children, our pets, our parents or other family members.  Well, you can’t fill their cup unless YOUR cup has something in it!  So we have to take the time to fill our cup with energy so we can take care of all those others in our lives.  For me, camping fills my cup.  Adventures with my Girl Campers fill my cup to the brim, which makes me more effective, caring, patient, and just plain able to help others.  It’s like the on-flight safety presentation – they always tell you to put YOUR mask on first so you’ve got enough air to help others get their mask on if they need it.  If you don’t have enough air to help them, you’ll both be in trouble, right?

So how do I camp?  Well, we (hubby and I) have multiple set-ups.  Hubby is a designer/builder.  We have three homebuilt units and two vintage campers in various states of remodel – and I also have several tents.  (My absolute favorite is my Gazelle T3 – watch my page for my review of it!)  My favorite wheeled camping unit is my little 4×8 Squaredrop that my hubby built for me back in 2014.  She’s a bed on wheels with an outdoor galley – bright orange on the outside and inside is all kinds of bright colors – green, blue, purple, pink – you name it.  You’ll be seeing details about her in another post.  As for where I camp – anywhere!  I truly prefer state parks and state forests where there aren’t quite so many people, but I’ll gather wherever all you GC ladies roam!  I’m really looking forward to getting our Iowa Chapter up and running so we can go places and do things!

So what’s YOUR story?  How did you get into camping?

~Theresa