Camp

It's no secret that I love camp.  In fact, I really think it would be fun to attend an adult camp...but then again, maybe not.  Part of the fun of going as an adult are all the counselor privileges.  :)  And a lot of my friends go, so it's just like one long sleepover, which I also love.  My boys love it, too.  This year it was a little bittersweet for me.  I'm so excited about Jonah and Noah moving up to youth, but it was also a little sad that this was their last year as a First Kids Camp camper.  I might have cried the last day.

Every year, we make the twenty minute drive to Moscow, Tn to this place.

This is like no other camp I have ever been to.  It's beautiful, for one thing, the food is incredible and the cabins are very comfy.  And they have indoor plumbing and an air conditioner.  When I was young, the bath house was a walk away and the cabins had screens on the windows...that was God's air conditioner.

We spent Sunday afternoon through Wednesday afternoon here.  We arrived around 5:15 Sunday and were assigned to our cabins to unpack.  Dinner was at six, camp meeting was at seven, snack was at eight and late night (Minute to Win It games) was at nine.  The schedule said lights out at ten thirty, but we all know how well that usually goes over with kids.  Especially kids who are away from home.

While we're there, our mornings dawn bright and early.  Official wake up was at seven each morning, but mine was at six fifteen, so I could have quiet time before the girls got up.  Our breakfast happens at eight and at nine is one of my favorite things about camp...possibly the one thing I love most.  It's called A.M. Watch, and it happens in a clearing that overlooks the lake.  Austin gives each camper a folder with a guide to read a passage of Scripture, then there are questions they answer to make sure they understand what they've read.  The kids each go to different spots, and I love seeing them spend this time with Jesus each morning.  Honestly, it brings tears to my eyes.

After this quiet time, we go back to our cabins for "clean up", then at ten there is something called Creative Track.  They get to choose to do one activity throughout our time there, and when we get back on Wednesday night, it becomes part of our worship service that night.  The choices are puppets, creative movement, sign language, drama or crafts.  My boys chose puppets.

Here they are choosing their puppets.  Before I go any further, I need to tell you how much fun we had with the teenagers that accompanied us to camp this year.  We took more than we've ever taken before, and I was (once again) blown away by their servant hearts.  Our teenagers in the youth are amazing!  In case I haven't told you that lately.  Seriously, though...I love them.

After Creative Track, snack comes at ten thirty, followed by Bible study at eleven.  We break into small groups for individual Bible study and we stay together until lunch at noon.  At one is "siesta" (yeah, right) in our cabins and at one thirty is another favorite of mine~swim time!  Austin loves us lady counselors and allows us to stay in the pool the whole two hours.  The guy counselors work the canoes and the game room.  Snack comes again at four, we go back to our cabins to change, then at five we go back to Bible study.  Dinner is at six, worship is at seven, snack at eight and late night is at nine.  Repeat, and repeat again on days three and four.

And that is our whole camp schedule.

Do you see why I'm always so exhausted after we get back?  We go and go and go the whole time, so much so that I don't have time to be tired until Wednesday night, and then I crash.  But it's a good kind of tired and it's a blast.

Here are some more pictures from our time there.

Our sweet fifth grade girls in 3A~Ericka, Maddie and Gabbey.  My cabin mate was my friend Laurie, who is really fun to be with.  I think we talked ourselves to sleep every night.

Brother Chuck comes out and stays at camp with us the whole time.  This picture was taken of him Monday night, when he was preaching during our worship service.  I love that he comes out and stays with us~he is so much fun, and these kids all have great relationships with him.  It's not often that this happens between kids and their pastor.

Just a few teenagers who went with us~Tyler, Emma and Holly.  This was during late night.

Drew and me during A.M. Watch.  I was taking pictures and he was walking around.  Pardon the grey in my hair and the lack of makeup.  I saw it pointless to even bother with it before swim time...but after we swam, I did get "dressed", and that included a little makeup.

Toddley and me during Creative Track.  We always help with the puppets each year.

One of the hardest working counselors that was there all week~Alex and Jackson.

Mr. Austin and Graham, with his puffy face.  He was stung by a hornet and swelled up like a balloon.  Poor guy.

Holly and me.  I love this girl!  I will be sad to see her leave youth~she graduated this year and is moving on.  :(

While we wait in line for our meals, the campers and counselors entertain themselves.

Crazy Cameron joining the fifth grade girls as they sing and dance to "Little Sally Walker".  This guy is a mess!  And I adore him...it's been so much fun being around these guys in our youth all summer.

My cabin mate on the other side from me, Mary and her sweet girl Amy.

See why I have so much fun???  It only took me the next four days to recover, but it was well worth it!  I'm already excited for next summer, when I get to do it all over again.  Not that I'm willing my life to rush by, because I'm not at all.  The one thing I don't love about camp is all the laundry it produces~and speaking of that, I better get to it.  I am STILL not caught up yet.  Love to all!