Nestucca River Round 4

After continuous, in-the-field research I've come to the conclusion that camping is good for the soul. There is something so beautiful about spending all day and night outside in nature and unplugged from the rest of the world. You wake up when the sun shines into your tent and the river pouring over the rocks becomes the background music of the day. You are without the comforts of home, but you can indulge yourself by sitting around the campfire and playing fun games to pass the time.Yes, it is good for the soul, but going on our annual Nestucca River camping trip is also so good for my heart. 

Summer 2012 was my first time camping at the Nestucca. Joel and I had secretly (another story for another day) been dating less than 2 weeks so this was also the first time I was going to meet his family. It was also only my 3rd time camping ever. So, needless to say, I was freaking out, as any girlfriend might worry when they meet their boyfriend's parents or any traditionally city girl might hesitate when going to sleep outside. However, the ante was  up'ed because I wasn't just meeting his parents. On the way to the campsite, Joel was teaching me names and general bio's of his whole family-friend tree as he navigated his stick shift car through some serious hills and around the biggest potholes I've ever seen. I rode shotgun to this rally and was desperately trying to memorize names. He kept dumping more and more onto me as we drove along... This person is married to this person and so-and-so is their kid. I was given about a dozen names during that conversation. I became completely paranoid that I was going to call Joel's mom Lora instead of Lisa and how my plan was just to not use any names the whole time I was there. 

To make matters worse, Joel was also freaking out. He hadn't exactly been bringing home his college girlfriends to meet the folks and he had never brought a girl on his family's camping trip before. Since we were dating for such a short period of time, this was kind of a big deal for a relationship that from the outside looked like a summer fling. 

Also extending this uneasy introduction, was the fact that Joel did not prepare his family to meet me either. I'm not even sure they knew he was bringing a girl at all. So just after we got there, there was a slightly awkward, harmless conversation, where Joel's mom mistook me for Joel's ex. I bit my tongue and let Joel handle it instead of telling her that I was the new girl who decided she could treat him better than the girl I was being mistaken for. This conversation was followed by me desperately trying to act like I knew how to put up a tent in front of Joel's parents, which of course I failed to do epically.

 A few hours later, camp was set up, I had been fed what can only be referred to as a gourmet camp dinner and I was feeling the effects of my first authentic shot of Absinthe that had been arranged for me by Joel's mom and dad. I was snuggled close in-between the man I was falling in love with and people that had been strangers to me just a few hours ago, laughing my head off and throwing coins into the pot of what's got to be the strangest poker game this world will ever know. I stopped caring about what I looked like and threw the idea of making a good first impression out the window. There was no hesitation to be the competitive, smart ass, ridiculous person that I had been raised to be and Joel's "second mom" called me "feisty" and said that she liked me already. I took a moment and realized that I was feeling exactly how I feel when I was with my own family. It was the same game playing, story telling atmosphere, where I could be myself, but I had literally just met these people. Crazy! 

Of course that was the moment I completely let my guard down and then two seconds later completely made a fool out of myself. 

This is the story that is told every year and even though it embarrasses me to my core, I consider it some kind of initiation process into the Nestucca gang and that, I am proud of..

So, poker night with the Brunello/Spear/Madden gang is a circus. Every hand the dealer picks a random poker variation with some outlandish name. The wildcards, number of cards dealt, studs and draws, everything changes all the time and you pretty much have to have 5 of a kind or a straight flush to win anything. Still to this day I throw coins into the pot and pray for a miracle on some hands, but most of us do, so that adds to the fun. My first night of learning all these rules was shenanigans. I had no idea what I was doing, until "Screw your Buddy" came along which is a super simple 1 card game that is loosely based on indian poker I'd say, but everyone has 3 quarters out in front of them and if their card is the lowest at the end of the game they lose a quarter until they are out of quarters. The tension builds as everyone is eliminated and it comes down to me and Joel's dad, Tony playing head-to-head. He has the advantage of having 2 quarters left while I only have 1. The first hand is dealt and I win it. At this point, I go from thinking I'm going to lose to be completely ecstatic at the possibility that I could actually take this game which is by far the longest and most expensive game we've played all night. The last card, which is the deciding factor is dealt and played and I WON! This is where I proceed to get up from the picnic table and full on run around the table in a circle, taking a victory lap.

Tony, however, is not running around the table with me. Tony has left the table though and has walked down the bank onto the dock, clearly to get away from my complete lack of respect that I had just shown. I spiraled into embarrassment as soon as I stopped running and realized how big of a mistake I had made. Who was I to show up on this man's vacation and create this huge exhibition when I beat him at his own game? I cried. It wasn't until a little later when his friends were laughing that I learned that Tony had decided much earlier that this particular game wasn't his greatest fan and him getting away from the table wasn't completely because I had shown possibly the worst sportsmanship ever to be committed during poker. He forgave me and from that day on I became forever linked to the victory lap.

Mark, DeeDee, Bill, Lora, Tony, Lisa, Joel and the luckiest girl in the world.

That night, after completely falling in love with his family, I poured my soul out to Joel in that tent that I pretended to know how to build and he held me tight and said things that I'd be waiting to hear my whole life.

Easily one of the best nights of my life.

Every year we go back to the same camp site, with the same people and every year there is a new funny story, game, delicious meal and just genuine good times from dawn to wayyyyy past dusk. We have begun a new beer pong tournament which is increasingly competitive every year, go figure. 

-2015 Beer Pong Champs-

 We also roasted cheese filled hot dogs as a super satisfying late night snack and mucked around in our rain boots this year. 

 We originally dedicated Monday night to Tuesday morning for camping this year, but on the way home from spending just that one night we decided we didn't get quite enough Nestucca and we would try to make it work so we could spend the upcoming weekend back at camp. I celebrated my mom's birthday with my family on Friday night and Joel got off work late around 10, but we packed up the car, split an energy drink and back up the mountain we went. Halfway there we realized we had forgot our poker money. It's kind of a big deal. Everyone has their unique coin holding container, but not important enough that we would turn back now. We trekked up, bummed that we might not be playing poker or we would have to buy someone else's coins. Little did we know at that time that we had actually left our coin jars there all along. While we were away all our silver coins were traded for pennies. According to Nestucca tradition this is what happens when you leave your coins behind. 

The whole prank backfired when we unexpectedly drove back into camp. Joel and I weren't mad  because we were worried we weren't going to have any coins to play with! We made them regret doing all that exchanging when we started to play poker again and started dumping hundreds of pennies into the pot and making silly ante bets like 9 cents. Even after Joel and I won a hand or two and we had silver coins to bet with we refused to use them and continued counting, stacking and dumping pennies onto them. The whole situation was absolutely hilarious to me. I couldn't stop making nonsense penny jokes and the time we took counting out pennies slowed the game down and cramped their style. I'm thinking of only playing with pennies from now on. 

So, every year right after our anniversary we go camping. Its hard for me not to become nostalgic because it marks the beginning of a new year together. This was our 4th camping trip, next will be the 4th time we celebrate our birthdays and then the 4th time I make Joel wear a ridiculous couples costume for Halloween.. Thanksgiving, Christmas.. it all seems to fly by. 

I think about how far we've come together since the first camping trip. How many hoops we've managed to jump through and how much our families have loved us and supported our relationship through progress and setbacks. 

Joel and his family are made of love that is unconditional. They brush things off that feel so heavy to me sometimes and remind me that the picture is so much bigger than the detail I'm focused on. They are some of warmest people I've ever met and I am so grateful and overwhelmed by their hospitality and how they always check in with us emotionally. Whatever happens next, however Joel and I manage to change or move forward, the time I spend at the river daydreaming about what future years at the Nestucca could look like for me has brought me so much joy and hope. It always reminds me to celebrate exactly what I have with such an amazing man and why I want to continue to build my life with him.

Happy 3 years, Joel. Thanks for sharing your extraordinary family with me and jumping into the deep end of this love thing with me.

-that one girl who now loves camping