When life gives you lemons..you make the best lemonade you can. My son’s class went on their annual 6th grade field trip to the Olympic Peninsula this week. This 2 night camping trip probably provides most parents with a sweet break, but when you have a kiddo with Type 1 Diabetes, things look a little different. The school was not able to provide diabetes care during the night, so I had to go along.

My son had an incredible teacher who took on being his support person during the daytime hours, so this gave me the opportunity to go on adventures of my own during the days.

I turn 50 this year, and this was the first time in my life that I was responsible for the set-up and break down of my own campsite. I have always had the assistance of a friend or my husband, so I felt pretty proud of being able to do it all myself.

My site was in the midst of the lush, Pacific NW rainforest. Mossy understory and tall trees, an aqua colored, crystal clear river, majestic waterfalls and the sea only an hours drive away.

Black tailed deer sauntered across my campsite, foraging greens in the evening, and my son and I fell asleep to the calls of owls in woods.

The trip was not without its challenges, but overall, it was an epic adventure of growth and discovery for both me and my son.