How much do you worry?

Last weekend Don and Elli went camping without me. For those of you that know me, you know I'm not a camper. I'm not really nature girl. But that's not why I didn't go camping. I had a meeting in Sacramento on Friday and I had already promised our neighbor we would cat sit while she was away.

So Don and Elli left on Thursday to camp somewhere near Kirkwood ski resort with 3 other families. There would be 5 girls, all good friends. Elli was so excited she could hardly stand it. It would be her first time camping.

View from Kirkwood ski resort.

We borrowed a tent from one of the families who had recently upgraded tents. Elli wanted to pitch it in our living room and test it out. But Don reassured her he knew how to set up a tent - that they would be fine setting it up once they got to the camp.

At 4pm on Thursday I learned I was not going to Sacramento on Friday. It was too late to make any changes. Don and Elli were gone. So I guess I would be home alone all weekend. All by myself all weekend. Well not really all by myself. The dogs would be there.

I haven't been home by myself for four days ever. Oh my gosh. This might be fun.

Just one teeny tiny problem. For some idiotic reason I was worried about them. So I couldn't completely relax. I know. I tried a glass of wine. It didn't help. I told my neighbor I was worried. She said I was just being a good mom. Then her husband came out and told me a story about their encounter with a bear the last time they were camping. Uh thanks. Kinda didn't need to hear that. 

Don is always really good about checking in with me. So it was weird that I didn't hear from him at all on Thursday. Or Friday. So I started sending text messages "Hello! Having fun?" You know, cheery little notes to let them know I was thinking of them. I didn't want them to know that I was kind of freaking out wondering if they had encountered a bear or other wild beast.

I knew I shouldn't really be worried, but Don has a track record of hurting himself on every vacation. He got stitches in his knee the day before a big scuba trip; went to the hospital two times in Hawaii, threw out his back the day before we went to Newport, and recently went to the Chiropracter twice in Tahoe. See a trend?

As much as I wanted to relax, I couldn't completely. I just needed to know everything was ok. They FINALLY called late Saturday afternoon from a pay phone. Collect. I swear the operator said it was an emergency collect call. The minute she said that I had a flash of tingles from head to toe.

When I finally got done with the operator I talked to Don and Elli. They were super happy. Even Don was happy. I could hear him smiling. And that my friends is a BIG accomplishment. So, yeah! No emergency. I'm not sure why the operator said that. They were having a blast hiking, canoeing, and swimming. He said everyone was having a great time. What a flippin relief.