Tonight is our trial run for camping. We are camping in my parents backyard for a couple nights to practice for our real trip, which will happen in a month. Right now as I type this I can hear the low, continuous rumble of thunder, intermittent rain drops falling on the tent and surrounding trees, and the melody of the bugs and frogs. I also hear the slow steady breathing of my family. They are all asleep.

Rewind to an hour ago. I was just getting in the tent, the last to arrive. Everyone was restless, hot and uncomfortable. I decided it would be a great time to whip out the iBook, “Just So Stories” as that is our current read aloud. Everyone agreed that was a good plan. So, I started reading “How the Leopard Got His Spots”. Everyone lay still in their beds listening intently and the rain started to come. It came and it came, harder and faster. I had to continually raise my voice to be heard above the downpour. The chapter ended and yet we were still restless listening to the drops stab down on our tent. We reestablished ourselves and were shushed a few times as the lightning flashed continuously over us. The rain slowed, our bodies cooled, our heads drifting off to dreamland. I think we will survive the night…