A camping we will go!

First, I would like to apologize to all of you for me slacking off in the blogging world. This is new to me, and sometimes, I'm just not sure what to say, LOL. I will try very hard to become more talkative in the future. Want to help? Tell me what YOU want me to talk about! I do this for you!

Okay, so Cecil and I have been looking forward to a big family camping reunion since our vacation last year. We had a grand week planned, but in recent months had decided that since Cecil was just starting a new crane job this week, we should reduce our vacation to one weekend so he wouldn't have to take time off after his first week there. I was extremely bummed, but still excited that we could enjoy the weekend in our favorite Michigan town with family.

Fast forward to yesterday, Cecil's first day on the job. Well apparently, they are going to put the crane up this week, then they aren't sure what day the job will start. Cec spent all day in the blistering sun helping them set up the crane, and by the time he came home, he was fairly convinced that we could leave on Thursday instead of Friday. YAY! An extra day!

Fast forward to today - They will have the crane up and ready to go by the end of the day today, and they may not have him come back to start the job until maybe the week after next... who knows what that means? YEP! Longer vacation!!!!!!

So, here is my planning mission. Originally we were packing clothes for two days, we'd leave on the ferry late Friday night (technically early Saturday), and land in Ludington around 7 am on Saturday, camp Saturday night, and leave 8 pm Sunday night. All meals were going to be eaten out, since we were going to be pressed for time. NOW, we will be there longer, and eating every meal out would get pricey. SO, what would YOU pack for a week long camping trip? Here is my ideas:

• small propane grill
• air matress
• 9v pump (last year we forgot this - kinda makes the air mattress pointless, LOL)
• Small tent (someday I will own a popup...)
• Flashlights
• Lantern
• bug spray
• sun screen
• beach towels (yep, we're going to the beach!)

 Now for food:

• Hot dogs
• Smores
• burgers
• chips
• local fresh fruits (last year we found fabulous cherries, blueberries, and peaches at a roadside stand )

What other ideas do you have for me? We have a few more days to plan, and I want to bring as much of the food with me as possible, because I know our grocery store sales better than the sales over there. I think a trip to Aldi is in order! Any other tools I've forgotten now that we will actually be cooking at the site? How else can I save money on this camping trip?