Labor Day getaway

Last Tuesday, I surprised Ethan with a camping trip up at Big Bear Lake. I'm not the most avid camper (in fact my brother called me when he heard to make sure it was true), so it was kind of a big deal for me to say, "Let's go camping."

Because it was so last minute, especially for such a busy weekend, we were only able to get one night, which was perfect for us! We headed out Friday afternoon after Ethan got off work. The traffic was pretty bad going up, so it took us about 3 hours to get up there. Luckily, Nixon did great basically the whole trip.

We pulled in to Hanna Flats campground around 6:00 and got to our spot. It was seriously the best spot there, especially since we only had three to choose from when we made the reservation. It was completely blocked off from all the other sites which made it feel just a little bit more secluded, even though we were surrounded by 100+ people.

The outdoorsman manning the tent while I manned the baby and camera.

So excited for camping!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm really not much of an outdoor person. There is something so comforting and calming about sitting under the beautifully clear, star studded sky, while watching flames flicker that brings everything home. We had some amazing conversation sitting by this beauty.

We had a little bit of a rougher night than we've had in a LONG time. It was definitely a lot cooler up in the mountains than we're used to. Even with all of the blankets and layers we had Nixon in, we forgot a hat. About 3:00 am he woke up and was not a happy camper. Ethan decided to cuddle up with him to keep him warm, and he was perfectly content sleeping with his dad. We all woke up around 8:30 happy as could be!

We brought some bagels and cream cheese for breakfast and hung out for a little bit before it was time to pack up camp.

Since he's a lot more mobile these days, this is where we kept Nixon to make sure he stayed put! I think he enjoyed himself. It looked pretty comfy.

We had to check out of camp by noon, but we weren't ready to go home just yet. We headed towards the actual city of Big Bear Lake and came up on the Big Bear Discovery Center. We had to check it out!

Outside, they had gold panning you could do for $3.00, but Ethan said there probably wasn't even any gold, so we kept our money.

On the inside the had a few different displays. I do have to say, as far as discovery centers go, this definitely wasn't a top contender I've ever been to, but they did have a few cool elements. This was a fluorescent mineral display that was kind of cool.

I have to say Ethan was being a very good sport for me. He really didn't want to take this picture, but he obliged!

Flag display.

Nixon was sleeping, but we decided to at least get a picture of us!

We didn't even realize we were both wearing BYU shirts (I noticed a little bit later, but it wasn't worth changing my shirt). A couple in the center asked if we knew who won the game. I knew what they were talking about (the BYU game the night before) but Ethan was clueless. He thought it was so weird they would ask us that. It wasn't until we got home and were looking at the pictures that he realized we were both wearing BYU shirts and finally got why the people had asked us about the game.

We finished up and decided to get some lunch at a little place called Hacienda sports bar and grill. It was fantastic! Definitely a place we'll go to again when we go up to that area again. It was that time for us to head home so we got back in the truck and started on our way.

Nixon slept the whole way home (holla!) which left plenty of time for Ethan and I to have some more one-on-one time to talk. It was the perfect end to our Labor Day getaway, and one we'll remember for years to come.