'I DO' LOVE TO CAMP

My sixteenth wedding anniversary is coming up this month, yet it seems like only yesterday we were planning a wedding. Although we chose the traditional month of June for the event, there were many other aspects of our wedding that were considered to be "out of the box".

For starters, I chose the color FUCHSIA for my bridesmaids' dresses when it was still called HOT PINK. I insisted on my lovely future sister-in-law standing up with me as a bridesmaid, even though she was seven months pregnant at the time. We almost had more people in the bridal party than were sitting in the audience. And, I refused to register for china at Dillard's and instead registered for camping equipment at JC Penny. But perhaps the most unique idea that we had was to go camping for our honeymoon.

Okay, I admit most of our reasoning for going camping on the honeymoon was due to a lack of funds. In fact, the entire wedding was done on a shoestring budget. We referred to it as a "family" wedding. As in, our Father sings the special music, our Uncle plays the piano & organ music, our other Uncle takes all of the wedding photos, and yet another Uncle performs the ceremony. (yes, I married into a very talented family!) A friend took my bridal portraits, a friend made our wedding cake, three friends made my wedding dress, friends catered our reception, and a friend made most of the bridesmaids' dresses. After totalling all the receipts of expenses we had only spent $1,200 on a wedding with a bridal party of 16! Now that was a deal even for 1991!

During the year of our courtship we managed to experience a couple of more camp outs and acquire some of the more important equipment that we so desperately needed on our first outing. We had a beautiful little 2 person dome style tent and even splurged on an air mattress. Of course we weren't so fortunate as to have had a mattress pump. Instead we were using the old standby, a loud and inefficient hair dryer. But isn't it true that no matter how much equipment you have you are always wanting more? This desire lead us to actually opening all of our wedding gifts during our wedding reception! I'm quite sure that Martha Stewart would not have suggested such a faux pas. But, I doubt she would recommend camping for the honeymoon either. This plan paid off though, because we were thrilled to receive even more items we needed for the trip.

Being native Texans, we knew better than to try and camp in the Texas heat in the middle of June. So, one of John's groomsmen, Ken Sumrall, suggested a great spot in the Ouachita mountain range of Arkansas. It was Albert Pike Recreation Area. We had an old brochure that Ken gave us to go by for directions. What we didn't know was that we would have to traverse a 6 mile gravel road up a mountain to access the park. This sparked some anxiety for us, wondering if we had taken a wrong turn. But the slow bumpy trek paid off when we finally arrived at the entrance of the park. We found ourselves in a secluded camping paradise with the Little Missouri flowing right through the park. We chose a scenic water/electric site right next to a sweet old couple in their travel trailer.

After setting up camp with all of our new gadget gifts, we decided to embark on a two mile hiking trail. The footpath would lead us across a stream of low water areas many times. We found awe-inspiring lookouts and that just enhanced the romance that we were already feeling. We were alone in the remote wilderness with nothing to contemplate but our new lives together. It was a fantastically delicious feeling. Nevertheless, the passion would come to a halt upon our return to camp.

Being the proud newlyweds that we were, we initiated an introduction to our elderly neighbors. After boasting about our new marriage we received a friendly warning that would put a damper on the evening's romantic festivities. The kind old man informed us that we were not the only newlyweds to visit the park that week.

"Now, just so you'll know," the man cautioned, "the last couple decided to do some funny business in the women's side of the bathhouse. Problem was, they didn't lock the door behind them and got caught in the act."

Even though my face had been under the sun all day, I became very pale. Maybe I was a married woman now, but that didn't mean that I was exempt from being embarrassed by this statement. Thinking back, maybe it was my choice of hiking in merely a two-piece bathing suit and tennies that prompted him to forewarn us. John, however, had a look of amazement on his face, with an eye-brow raised as though he had just been given a ticket to an amusement park! We quickly thanked him for his advice and never spoke to them again. We were very careful that night to make sure that the only thing the fellow campers heard was the singing cicadas.

Now, sixteen years later, I find pleasure in telling people that we camped on our honeymoon. Today it feels more like a badge of honor that we had so much love between each us, that we didn't care that our honeymoon location was not painted on the window of a travel agency. Lasting marriages are few and far between these days. Perhaps, for us, the focus on the destination of our lives together vs. the destination of our honeymoon spelled a successful union.

The photos above are John and I on our wedding day, and our friends Ken and Leslie Sumrall.

Happy Anniversary to the BEST husband in the world!