move 'em on, head 'em up, rawhide

the 4th grade class at the bean's school goes to a 2-night sleepaway camp at rawhide ranch every year, and they've all been looking forward to it since they heard about it at back to school night.  and since the year has absolutely flown by, it's finally here and she couldn't be more excited.

when the form came home asking for chaperones, she asked me if i was going to throw my hat in the ring.  now, we all know that my crusty ass is too old and crotchety to do any sort of camping anymore.  not to mention, i really wanted her to experience this on her own without me hovering over her or for her to cling to.  it'll be good for her to gain a little independence and i knew she'd be fine with her friends all around her, plus her teachers and several other parent chaperones with her at all times.

we took the packing checklist with us on a target run to make sure we had everything covered, and while i've had her do her own packing for trips for awhile now i decided i'd help her with this one (especially since i wasn't coming along on the trip).  she pulled everything out and the old lady and i helped her get it all packed in her suitcase.

she was all ready to go this morning even before the old lady and i got home from our early morning workout.

after saying goodbye to her daddy and her sister, we put her stuff in the car and headed to school.

we dropped off her luggage here as instructed:

and then went into her classroom to join her fellow super excited classmates.

her two BFFs' moms were chaperoning, and she was assigned to one of them for the trip.  these two ladies are totally my ride-or-die chicks.

and then they got on the bus and drove off.  i know my friends will send me lots of pictures and updates, and in the meantime the hub and the old lady and i are going out to a fun dinner tonight.

it's kind of like grandma camp, just a couple of months early!