The Final Ingredient

I'm so totally ready to be a real backpacker.

As you know, Robyn and I have been getting more into backpacking in the past year or so.  As you may not know, we have been slowly acquiring supplies to become legit.

We had already acquired things like backpacks, a tent, a sleeping pad, a backpacking stove, etc.  There was one item on the list that I had yet to acquire.  I had not yet purchased a sleeping bag.

I should be clear, I own a sleeping bag that I acquired as a teenager.  It is plenty warm, but it is large and bulky.  It would basically take up the entire space available in my backpack.  What I needed to acquire was a sleeping bag designed for backpacking.

This past weekend, my BFF Jared W let me know that Liberty Mountain was having their big sale.  This was the time to make the big purchase.

We went in and selected one that seemed like it would be warm enough and big enough.  Naturally, I had to try out how well I could sleep in it.

Good thing the store has a cot for just this purpose.

Aren't I precious?  In a real camping situation, I won't have a price tag attached to my face.

If you can't tell by how precious it made me look, I'll just let you know that that sleeping bag and I were meant for each other.  Naturally, I made the purchase.  So now I have everything I need to be a real backpacker, and I don't need to borrow anything from Jared W.  (That doesn't mean I won't need to continue to acquire cooler stuff, let's not get crazy.)

Now that I have everything I need, it's time to plan a trip!

Robyn and I are thinking about doing a 3 day backpacking trip in Oregon this summer.  I'm a little intimidated, but it's supposed to be super beautiful.  Do you think I can handle it?

Does this look like a guy who can hike 25 miles through a rainforest with a backpack on his back?

The British Date

My wife is an epic date planner.  Last week she told me that she was planning the most creative date she's come up with yet.  I didn't know what it was, but when I got home from work, I discovered this precious little note on the door from the garage to the house.

You are cordially invited for tea to celebrate DATE NIGHT!  April 24, 2015 6:30 PM At home!

The first thing I saw was the plane ticket.  At first, I thought it was real.  But, I couldn't fathom that she had booked us a trip to London without even talking to me about it.  Then I read the note and realized it was a very cleverly created fake.  (Seen closer below.)

How cool is that?  A plane ticket that to a London themed date night.  That's as good as the real thing.  (Almost.)

Here is Robyn showing off her brilliant fake plane ticket.

The date was really fun.  Robyn had the Beatles playing in the background, and we started out with having a tea party.

Look how fancy.

Robyn bought her fancy tea set at a flea market when we were in Germany.  I've been bugging her for five years to invite me to a tea party.  It finally happened!

After experiencing my first tea party, I have to admit that herbal tea is not my favorite thing in the world.  But I loved all the appetizers that came with it.  Cucumber sandwiches are one of the greatest creations of man.

As I said, the tea party was full of appetizers.  That means there was still a real meal in the works.  It should be noted that the English are not really known for their great food.  However, fish and chips is still pretty good, even if it's not as amazing as the food found in other parts of Europe.

Not quite as fancy but still delicious.

After consuming our delicious fish and chips, it was time to watch a British themed movie.  We watched The Theory of Everything.  Stephen Hawking is cool.  And he's British!  So it totally fit the theme.

Isn't my wife such a good little date planner?  Of course, my turn came next.  We watched The Avengers for my date.  It wasn't as creative, but it included the Hulk, so it was pretty great.  However, even with Iron Man, I think Robyn wins this one.