Girls Camp 2014

Beginning of last week I could have easily broken into tears. I am the assistant camp director. You know, the one who just does stuff and knows that the totally awesome real camp director (aka Alisha) has all the i's dotted and t's crossed. Turns out she landed a job where she's going to be an awesome post-partum RN to some lucky Momma's in Vegas and her job starts the week before camp. 

I was sad to lose a friend, especially before camp, but I've done Hard Things before, right?  So I go about list making, from groceries to delegating to...wait, my back went out!  Did I mention I'm also the camp nurse and can barely move?  I couldn't imagine how, but I knew I needed to be at camp (partly because our girls couldn't go without any leaders) and partly because it just felt right that I was there.  I've done Hard Things before--I have "Hard Things" down. 

All of this boiled down to an overwhelmed exhausted hurting girl last Monday. My plan to not haul the trailer failed, then we had issues with lights, then, then, then...I wanted to sit and cry but didn't have time and doubted my ability to get back up if I did. So I changed my perspective and looked at it like Christmas Eve. Nothing is ever completely done, no matter how much or little you've done but December 25 comes along and some kind of magic takes over. Family, the money tree, and Christmas magic everywhere. I said a little prayer that there was such a thig as Girls Camp magic and believed in it with my whole being. 

Monday afternoon looked a little like this. 

See my family ever so carefully packing the trailer?  Remember that trailer...

We load up everyone's pillows, sleeping bags, bedding, grub box in The Beast, camp "stuff" and YCL's, Jordon's and mine totes. Food, crafts, last minute inside craft things, mosquito netting and a tent/cot just in case these bunks and my back didn't get along. Really, who wouldn't love sleeping there?

Off we go (photo courtesy of Jordon) with me still believing in Girls Camp magic. In all the years I've been at camp for some reason or another I've never been in charge. You can't tell but it's pouring in this picture -- please let there be magic. 

We go happily on our way, girls talking about anything and everything. We reach camp (still raining) and start up a steep hill and the trailer is open as in stuff falling out open. Without me knowing. Stuff like random ingredients, the spare tire, 1/2 of the craft stuff, ranch dressing, the list goes on and the door has been open a while Camp Magic? pshaw!

Guess what? Camp Magic does exist. With the exception of the spare tire nothing vital was lost and apparently I'm not suppose to feel bad about the tire. We made due, ward lunches were worth the time and energy, the YCL's absolutely shined as examples to the younger girls and had patience I've never seen from 16-17 year old girls before. Size wise we were teeny and were blown away at most of the games but if challenge points were awarded for work done we'd have won. While finishing up camp our tiny ward was the one to send girls to help clean up the amphitheater, kitchen, and pavilion.  In work ethic, we shined.

There is also an amazing spirit at Girls Camp.  I sit and reflect on what has gotten me through so many of my Hard Things and it comes back to Girls Camp and Seminary -- and that mustard seed of faith. I wish every parent of our girls who ever wondered if they were doing anything right ( who doesn't at times?) could experience Girls Camp. Your girls testimonies are strong, their character amazing, their trials are many and just like clean up and prep duties they are shouldering them well. 

Stress, freak outs, lost tires, and worries aside I'd go again in a heart beat. I love our little Young Women's group, their faith, their honest, their humor, their snipe hunting abilities and willingness to get bitten just to show the younger girls what a snipe is. I also learned to se the humor in hashtags instead of just being annoyed. 

Be proud of our youth, they are amazing and yes Camp Magic exists. 

Home again, home again: My tale of woe and flat tires

I needed to get into town as early as possible to get Kaede from the Shirley's. I was bringing 'stuff' not girls back from camp so as soon as my little Vue was loaded up I took off, through Enterprise instead of Pinto because I had a sinus headache and wanted to avoid the dust and washboard roads. 

Just after the right hand turn after Central I pull over because something doesn't feel right. Passenger side rear tire was what was not right. 

I called back to the cabin with a help plea and Bishop and Rick with vans full of girls were on their way. 

Did I mention I had a lot of stuff?  I unloaded 1/2 of the stuff grateful it didn't all need to come out. 

I found my jack in a not where I remember it spot. 

 

And crawl underneath to get my spare. I learned then that 1- I parked on top of biting ant hill 2- there were long pokey sticks that were very, very mean 3- the yellow stickery milky weeds aren't nice either and finally 4- my spare isn't underneath. 

I call Dad (because Dad knows everything, right) to see if he knows where my spare is from when he helped with my tires last winter (yes, that's right these are new tires).  He doesn't know, but suggests looking up an owners manual online {between needing a little google map help to get to camp and this I don't want to see next months phone bill}. I have to stand up in the back of the Vue and tug/pull like crazy to get the carpet up but there was the spare. A donut, but I didn't care. 

Getting the tire out was even more ridiculous and I hated that I was starting to feel like the stereotypical helpless female. Tire out, jack put together and starting to lift up the car when I see my rescue team pull up.  

Yay!

Same time a group of teens from Enterprise stops to help. I am really surprised that as much traffic as was on that little back road that no one stopped until then. 

I stand back and admire their work, realizing just how little that donut looks and I mentally add "full size spare" to my list of requirements for my next vehicle purchase. About that time one of the girls (they all poured out to watch the boys) says "that tire is really small, will you be okay?"  With fake confidence I say yes, it will be fine, just slow.   Any fake confidence leaves when the Bishop looks and says "that doesn't make you feel real confident does it". 

The drive was long and slow but we're home safe and sound. Now I am waiting until Monday praying that my tire can be fixed instead of replaced. 

Girls Camp 2013

I've been at girls camp other years but only for a short chunk of time, usually to teach first aid. I have enjoyed that, really enjoyed going on trek 2 years ago. 

This year the girls left in Wednesday and I came up Thursday night after work. Very late Thursday because, well life happens. 

The last night is usually the spiritual night with quiet time and a devotional then testimony meeting. It's also the night the girls don't have to cook -- this year the bishopric cooked and it was wonderful. 

As I sat sorting through some very close to my heart emotions I thought back to my girls camps. Same (!) camp manual, the big military tent, left over sloppy joe mix for every meal, High Adventure Base, the year with no port-a-potties for a day. Each year had a theme to it, unrelated to what the real theme if the year was but the one constant was the strength of The Spirit that last night. 

To my best knowledge Girls Camp is when I first felt that completely overwhelming fire of the truth of The Gospel. I have no idea what was ever said at any of the devotionals or testimonies shared after but I do remember how I felt and looking back at what I learned. 

I stood in the back last night praying that the girls would get as much as possible from all the work that went into preparing everything that night to be as perfect as possible so the girls could have a spiritual evening. 

Going to camp with Charlet was amazing. Being there but not being "mom" was a great experience. Seeing how much these girls change from being new Beehives to Laurels at their last camp is a perfect timeline of watching these Young Women grow and mature as they learn if their individual worth and develop their own relationship with their Heavenly Father. 

Fireside testimony meeting shot from above. Blurry and shaky and I don't care one whit.