July 2018
"Danny I know you said you didn't want a big party for your fifteenth birthday but its still a big birthday. You know Mexicans go all out for it," Melissa chuckled. "So what do you wanna do instead?"
"We don't have to do anything mom," Daniel said.
"Mate we can do anything you want. We can spend whatever we would've spent on a party for you," Tom insisted.
"Well I've always wanted to go camping," Daniel said shyly.
"Eww," Mia grimaced. Melissa tried to her best not to groan at what her son just suggested. They were city girls and there was a reason they never went camping or did anything super outdoorsy like that.
"Never mind. It's fine we can just stay home," Daniel was ready to walk away.
"No, no, wait," Melissa said. "If we do this, can we at least stay in like a cabin or something?"
"Ooh we should do glamping!" Mia suggested.
"What the hell is glamping?" Daniel scoffed.
"It's like a hotel room in a fancy tent. That way we don't have to sleep on the floor or anything but we're still in a tent," Mia said.
"I guess that can work," Daniel smiled. "Can I invite a friend?"
"Of course bud. Why don't you invite Bryan and Nate to come with us?" Tom said.
"Really?" he asked excitedly which both adults nodded to. "Okay I'll go tell them right now! Thanks!"
It was the day before Daniel's birthday and the six of them were now on the hour long drive to the campground. They spent the whole car ride blasting the playlist that Daniel made specifically for the trip. It included all his favorite songs and a few that his family often enjoyed together.
When they arrived at their campsite, they were all in awe. It was definitely not a typical camping experience. Right outside their tent was a wood fire pit, hammocks, a grill, string lights, chairs, and picnic tables. Their jaws dropped even more when they stepped into their large tent. There was a king bed in the very back with two bunk beds towards the front on either side of the tent. There was also a rug, lamps, a mini fridge, a coffee maker, a ceiling fan, and air conditioning. They finally understood why it was called glamping.
They would be staying for two nights and three days. Daniel was so happy that Bryan and Nathan were able to come with them. He was also glad that they got along so well with his sister since she didn't have any of her friends with her.
"So why don't we get settled in and then we can go kayaking," Melissa said. The kids all ran to pick their beds, Mia on the bed on top of Daniel's and Bryan and Nathan in the one across from them. Melissa and Tom wished they had some more privacy but they could deal with sharing a tent with four teens for two nights.
They all grabbed their swimsuits and went to change in the bathrooms that were right outside their tent. They walked the short path that led to where their rented kayaks were. There were three two person kayaks; one for Tom and Melissa, one for Mia and Daniel, and one for Bryan and Nathan.
Even though Melissa and Mia were not too fond of the idea of going camping, they both loved it so far. Sure it wasn't regular camping but they were outdoors doing outdoorsy activities. Kayaking was so much fun. Paddling around the beautiful lake together was a great way to start their trip. When they were done they took a swim in the lake.
"Let's play chicken fight!" Daniel exclaimed.
"What's chicken fight?" Tom was so confused as to what Daniel was talking about.
"It's a game people play in the water. So it's usually two teams with two people each. One person gets on their partner's shoulders and they have to try to knock down the other team by pushing and pulling them," Nathan explained.
"It's usually easier to play when you have girls since they are typically lighter to carry," Bryan added.
"Yeah so Mia could get on my shoulders and mom could get on yours."
"Okay sounds easy enough," Tom said. He bent down enough for Melissa to climb on his shoulders, Daniel doing the same for Mia. Tom and Daniel both walked towards each with both girls on their shoulders.
"Ready, set, go!" Bryan and Nathan both screamed.
It was only a fews seconds before Melissa was pushed off of Tom and she splashed into the water. "Thomas! With all that training you do you'd think you can keep me up longer!" she yelled jokingly. "You're supposed to try to keep me from falling!"
"Oh sorry. I thought I just had to hold you," he said bashfully. "Let's go again. I got this!"
Melissa jumped back on his shoulders and they approached each other again. This time, the fight lasted longer. Tom and Daniel both working their hardest to keep their partners up. At the end Tom and Melissa came out victorious. "Yes!" Melissa shouted and celebrated while still situated on top of Tom.
They spent a little more time in the lake before going back to their campsite to get showered and start up on dinner. Per Daniel's request they grilled burgers. They were all pretty tired from their day at the lake that they decided to go to bed early so that they could be energized for the next day.
The next morning, Tom and Melissa snuck out of the tent early. They had packed decorations for Daniel's birthday and put them all over the outside of their tent. They also worked on making chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. They eventually heard movement inside the tent and one by one the teens started coming out. Daniel was the last one out and was shocked to see what was done to the outside.
"Happy birthday!" they all screamed together.
"Thanks guys," he smiled brightly.
Melissa approached him and wrapped him in a big hug. "Happy birthday baby! Te amo tanto!"
"Te amo también mama," he said as he hugged his mom back.
The rest of their trip was filled with more kayaking, swims in the lake, biking around, playing games, and telling stories by the fire. It was everything Daniel could've wanted.
***
Daniel Flores posted a photo
danielflores best birthday weekend ever! thanks mom and tom for making it happen
tagged: @bryanjones @nathandiaz @miaflores @melissaflores @twhiddleston
robertdowneyjr happy birthday bud!
kimberlyromero feliz cumpleaños mi niño