I have the greatest summer family here at camp.
I'm so blessed to be here.
That is all.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
I could die right now, for something beautiful to take me somewhere else.
I love that song. It's by a band called Pierce The Veil, and it's been stuck in my head.
Thoughts of the day: None. Because I am exhausted. Every day here is like a marathon for my brain and it's wiping me out.
It's really hard. Everything is really hard. And every day I freak out and think I can't do it anymore and want to quit.
But I won't. So pray for me.
I love that song. It's by a band called Pierce The Veil, and it's been stuck in my head.
Thoughts of the day: None. Because I am exhausted. Every day here is like a marathon for my brain and it's wiping me out.
It's really hard. Everything is really hard. And every day I freak out and think I can't do it anymore and want to quit.
But I won't. So pray for me.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
The downside to working far away from home: weekends. The house is always so empty on the weekends because everyone lives close by and goes home. Right now I think it's just me and three of the boys, but I keep hearing exploding noises from upstairs so I'm guessing they're playing video games. It's really nice having some chill alone time on Saturdays but it's been over six hours now and I'm ready to go out and be social.
But anyways, this week went by so quickly!
Our training is set up by morning training (9am-12) and afternoon training (1-4/5). The morning is usually lessons about how to talk to middle schoolers, how to engage them, how to apply certain things to other things and so on. The afternoon is hands-on activities.
So this week went a little like this.
Monday:
After worship we went on a little hike in the woods to the top of a hill where we had a little lecture type thing on how to apply Jesus' teachings to this summer. Naturally, I took photos.
Then we got separated into our work projects. Bikes needed cleaning, the waterfront shed needed organizing/boats inspected, and the ropes course needed new mulch around the elements. We got separated by specialty so we could familiarize ourselves with the area, so I got ropes course.
And so we mulched. Oddly, I really enjoyed it. I shoveled mulch into a wheel barrow (sp?) and spread it around for four hours. The next day I could barely move my arms, but it was fun. I don't remember anything after that for Monday.
Tuesday:
We had a lesson in Conrad/outside on the quad about how to debrief activities and how to facilitate them in the morning. Scott (our boss) made a tight rope on the quad and had some of the staff do a game with it and we had to facilitate it and draw out meanings and conclusions from the results. That afternoon we were split into groups and sent on a scavenger hunt through the woods at the different ropes course elements. Among my group were two sick boys and three very tired girls, so we walked briskly to each element while the other two groups sprinted. We finished last, but way less sweaty and tired than the other two groups. The point was to get the staff familiar with where the various elements are in the woods. Then we got partnered up and picked an element to facilitate for the following day.
Wednesday:
In the morning we worked on FVC's in a classroom in Bennett (the gym) because it was raining. I remember we were all such slugs all day, right after breakfast we were all sleeping on couches and when we got to the classroom for the morning lesson we were all falling asleep on the floor. Everyone was just wiped out. It was a long morning. However they brought us granola bars to inspire us to focus and push through, which kind of cracked me up because who really thinks of granola bars as a good incentive? And what cracked me up even more was that although we knew that it was just a granola bar, we all ran at them and were so excited. Granola bars. Not even chewy chocolate chip granola bars, but nature valley crunchy granola bars.
In the afternoon we did low ropes course elements facilitated by each other. Mostly fun because I love the ropes course, however there is one element that freaks me out. There's a twelve foot wall that you have to scale and get over by being lifted by others in your group. I hate it. Everyone touching you, being lifted off the ground, it just totally freaks me out. All day I'm getting more and more nervous about it because I don't want to do it and when we get there I almost start crying because I'm so freaked out. So I didn't do it and I hated it because I don't like being the center focus lately and I didn't like how I made myself look to everyone else by not doing it.
But my partner and I facilitated our element which was a lot of fun and we got a lot of good feedback.
That night we watched Narnia as a staff, but Melissa and I ended up getting candy and watching He's Just Not That Into You in our room and sleeping. The best kind of night.
Thursday:
Melissa was a freak and got up early to go to the gym before breakfast (breakfast is at 7), which she ended up regretting because she was wiped out. I don't even remember what we did for morning lesson but that afternoon we did facilitation again and then camped out on the ropes course. This was kind of hysterical because after setting up our tents our boss said we had to make fire and cook dinner and immediately all the boys went into the woods and got firewood and all the girls started chopping vegetables. And it was kind of precious. The girls were joking about how the boys never looked so attractive as when they were gathering wood and making a fire. But it was a lot of fun and aside from the massive mosquitoes, everything went well.
Friday:
We packed up and went on a fun little nature scavenger hunt and learned about plants and stuff for morning lesson. And then we got lunch and went to waterfront orientation. We went to the pond and learned about canoe strokes and how to manage and maintain the canoes. And then, we practiced canoe rescues.
Ugh. That part was not fun. This meant that we had to partner up with another canoe and flip our canoes so we could be rescued. To rescue, you have to pull the flipped canoe over your canoe to empty the water, then put it back in the water all while keeping your canoe from flipping. And then you have to get the kids into the canoe without flipping it again. So for the life of me I could not get back into that effing canoe. Finally my friend grabbed my life jacket and pulled me in, and I now have a giant blue bruise on my leg.
It was a mess. And then Melissa and I went kayaking. After dinner, my friend Megan invited Melissa, Matt, and I out on her family's boat which was such a nice and relaxing end to a long and hectic week.
It was great. Now I'm wiped out. More later, happy Sunday!
But anyways, this week went by so quickly!
Our training is set up by morning training (9am-12) and afternoon training (1-4/5). The morning is usually lessons about how to talk to middle schoolers, how to engage them, how to apply certain things to other things and so on. The afternoon is hands-on activities.
So this week went a little like this.
Monday:
After worship we went on a little hike in the woods to the top of a hill where we had a little lecture type thing on how to apply Jesus' teachings to this summer. Naturally, I took photos.
Then we got separated into our work projects. Bikes needed cleaning, the waterfront shed needed organizing/boats inspected, and the ropes course needed new mulch around the elements. We got separated by specialty so we could familiarize ourselves with the area, so I got ropes course.
And so we mulched. Oddly, I really enjoyed it. I shoveled mulch into a wheel barrow (sp?) and spread it around for four hours. The next day I could barely move my arms, but it was fun. I don't remember anything after that for Monday.
Tuesday:
We had a lesson in Conrad/outside on the quad about how to debrief activities and how to facilitate them in the morning. Scott (our boss) made a tight rope on the quad and had some of the staff do a game with it and we had to facilitate it and draw out meanings and conclusions from the results. That afternoon we were split into groups and sent on a scavenger hunt through the woods at the different ropes course elements. Among my group were two sick boys and three very tired girls, so we walked briskly to each element while the other two groups sprinted. We finished last, but way less sweaty and tired than the other two groups. The point was to get the staff familiar with where the various elements are in the woods. Then we got partnered up and picked an element to facilitate for the following day.
Wednesday:
In the morning we worked on FVC's in a classroom in Bennett (the gym) because it was raining. I remember we were all such slugs all day, right after breakfast we were all sleeping on couches and when we got to the classroom for the morning lesson we were all falling asleep on the floor. Everyone was just wiped out. It was a long morning. However they brought us granola bars to inspire us to focus and push through, which kind of cracked me up because who really thinks of granola bars as a good incentive? And what cracked me up even more was that although we knew that it was just a granola bar, we all ran at them and were so excited. Granola bars. Not even chewy chocolate chip granola bars, but nature valley crunchy granola bars.
In the afternoon we did low ropes course elements facilitated by each other. Mostly fun because I love the ropes course, however there is one element that freaks me out. There's a twelve foot wall that you have to scale and get over by being lifted by others in your group. I hate it. Everyone touching you, being lifted off the ground, it just totally freaks me out. All day I'm getting more and more nervous about it because I don't want to do it and when we get there I almost start crying because I'm so freaked out. So I didn't do it and I hated it because I don't like being the center focus lately and I didn't like how I made myself look to everyone else by not doing it.
But my partner and I facilitated our element which was a lot of fun and we got a lot of good feedback.
That night we watched Narnia as a staff, but Melissa and I ended up getting candy and watching He's Just Not That Into You in our room and sleeping. The best kind of night.
Thursday:
Melissa was a freak and got up early to go to the gym before breakfast (breakfast is at 7), which she ended up regretting because she was wiped out. I don't even remember what we did for morning lesson but that afternoon we did facilitation again and then camped out on the ropes course. This was kind of hysterical because after setting up our tents our boss said we had to make fire and cook dinner and immediately all the boys went into the woods and got firewood and all the girls started chopping vegetables. And it was kind of precious. The girls were joking about how the boys never looked so attractive as when they were gathering wood and making a fire. But it was a lot of fun and aside from the massive mosquitoes, everything went well.
Claire and Kelsey pumped for camping!
Melissa not thrilled about camping.
Melissa, Rachel, and Sarah chopping veggies.
The boys making fire.
Friday:
We packed up and went on a fun little nature scavenger hunt and learned about plants and stuff for morning lesson. And then we got lunch and went to waterfront orientation. We went to the pond and learned about canoe strokes and how to manage and maintain the canoes. And then, we practiced canoe rescues.
Ugh. That part was not fun. This meant that we had to partner up with another canoe and flip our canoes so we could be rescued. To rescue, you have to pull the flipped canoe over your canoe to empty the water, then put it back in the water all while keeping your canoe from flipping. And then you have to get the kids into the canoe without flipping it again. So for the life of me I could not get back into that effing canoe. Finally my friend grabbed my life jacket and pulled me in, and I now have a giant blue bruise on my leg.
It was a mess. And then Melissa and I went kayaking. After dinner, my friend Megan invited Melissa, Matt, and I out on her family's boat which was such a nice and relaxing end to a long and hectic week.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
My dreams will be the death of me.
I had a dream last night that I was dating Dermot Mulroney.
It started out with me being super young, like fifteen or something and him being younger as he was in My Best Friend's Wedding
And then my mom found out we were dating and she went ballistic because of the obvious age difference and made me feel really bad and told me that she would kick me out if I continued to date him. So I talked to Dermot about it and was crying and blah blah and we broke up.
The next thing I know I'm in my twenties and Dermot is calling me, wanting to get back together and I'm obviously like hells yeah. At this point he's looking like this
I had a dream last night that I was dating Dermot Mulroney.
It started out with me being super young, like fifteen or something and him being younger as he was in My Best Friend's Wedding
The next thing I know I'm in my twenties and Dermot is calling me, wanting to get back together and I'm obviously like hells yeah. At this point he's looking like this
In my opinion, even more attractive than when he was younger. So my life is awesome and we spend a lot of time snuggling and being totally innocent and precious and in love and such. And then he gives me a beautiful diamond ring, which I now realize meant that we got engaged. And oh my was it beautiful. So we're engaged and super happy but my parents decide to whisk me away to Philadelphia in the hopes that I'll forget about Dermot and realize I like being young and dump him. In Philadelphia my family and I go out to eat and there's a misunderstanding and we accidentally steal food so they arrest us.
And the next thing I know I'm again without Dermot because he can't find me because my parents are hiding me so I won't see him.
I don't remember what happened after that but I remember returning to his mansion with him standing outside waving to my parents who dropped me off. He was very cooperative with their crazy rules and limitations, but he told me that he wanted me to be young and live my life for a while without him, and he'd be there waiting for me when I returned.
But the next thing I know, when I'm coming back to him and I've aged a ton, like I'm thirty or something and he's looking more like this
but maybe even a tad older. And I don't even care because I'm head over heels for this guy, seeing as how I spent the last fifteen years of my life in a relationship with him. I hadn't seen him for a long time I guess but I can still clearly see him standing there waiting for me. He was on the porch under the porch light smiling and it was dark and he was just so cute and I couldn't stop smiling. And he hugged me and kissed me and we went inside, he started a fire in the fireplace, we cuddled up on the couch, and he put the engagement ring back on my finger. He kissed my forehead and began reading a book of Robert Frost poems (specific, right?!) and then my alarm went off.
And I almost skipped church because I wanted to go back to the dream. Back to Dermot.
Aaaaand this is where we get the issues.
I have these great dreams about men that I don't know and they simulate love so clearly that I wake up and feel empty, like I'm missing something.
So sad.
So naturally to cope with reality I'm watching The Wedding Date, featuring Dermot (of course) and Debra Messing, from Will & Grace.
Naturally.
Oh Dermot, I hope he visits me again in my dreams tonight. Legit it was the cutest stinkin love story ever and it was all mine.
And it was all a freakin dream.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
As much as I love camp so far, sometimes I just really need something familiar. So I'm sitting in my room by myself watching Will & Grace. It's difficult to relax with new people doing new things in a new place, so I'm making a point to do something familiar. So, naturally, I turn to Will & Grace.
Also around 8pm tonight I decided I really wanted to see Kesha so I packed up my backpack and got in my car and went. However, I totally underestimated my energy level and fifteen minutes into it I could barely focus on the road because it was so dark and I was getting so sleepy.
For those of you that aren't from this area, you should know that the roads are extremely dark and twisty. So I keep driving and try playing music and I'm still getting even more tired and so finally I call my mom and start talking to her to stay awake but I just had this gut feeling that I should go home. So I called Kesha and went home.
And here I am. And I feel like it was the right decision except I'm super bummed because I really miss Kesha and some of my most favorite times are Kesha/Sarah times. But alas, I will just have to plan better next time.
Oh man am I exhausted. I'm off to bed, goodnight!
Also around 8pm tonight I decided I really wanted to see Kesha so I packed up my backpack and got in my car and went. However, I totally underestimated my energy level and fifteen minutes into it I could barely focus on the road because it was so dark and I was getting so sleepy.
For those of you that aren't from this area, you should know that the roads are extremely dark and twisty. So I keep driving and try playing music and I'm still getting even more tired and so finally I call my mom and start talking to her to stay awake but I just had this gut feeling that I should go home. So I called Kesha and went home.
And here I am. And I feel like it was the right decision except I'm super bummed because I really miss Kesha and some of my most favorite times are Kesha/Sarah times. But alas, I will just have to plan better next time.
Oh man am I exhausted. I'm off to bed, goodnight!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
So it's not even 8 o clock and I'm in my pajamas and in bed.
So tired. I'm going to sleep so well this summer because I'll be so exhausted by the end of the day.
Also, they are long.
Waking up today was nearly impossible. My roommate, Melissa, and I woke up at the alarm at six thirty and literally reset it in five minutes increments till seven. It was unbelievably difficult to wake up and I almost fell asleep during the morning prayer/worship time.
I'm going to sleep so well this summer.
As for now, Melissa and I are going to watch a chick flick and get some sleep.
I'm literally giddy at the thought of sleep, so excited.
This is going to be a great summer.
So tired. I'm going to sleep so well this summer because I'll be so exhausted by the end of the day.
Also, they are long.
Waking up today was nearly impossible. My roommate, Melissa, and I woke up at the alarm at six thirty and literally reset it in five minutes increments till seven. It was unbelievably difficult to wake up and I almost fell asleep during the morning prayer/worship time.
I'm going to sleep so well this summer.
As for now, Melissa and I are going to watch a chick flick and get some sleep.
I'm literally giddy at the thought of sleep, so excited.
This is going to be a great summer.
I had a great day.
Thank. The. Lord.
We played ice breaker fun games all day (my favorite) and everyone here, literally everyone is really friendly. Also, it thunderstormed for about an hour while we were playing in the woods, which of course made it better. And then we were done and I went to the gym and took a shower and oh it has never felt so good to be clean.
So yes, I love it. It's only day one and I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I love it.
So blah blah blah friends you were right, it looks like I'm gonna have a great summer after all.
Thank. The. Lord.
We played ice breaker fun games all day (my favorite) and everyone here, literally everyone is really friendly. Also, it thunderstormed for about an hour while we were playing in the woods, which of course made it better. And then we were done and I went to the gym and took a shower and oh it has never felt so good to be clean.
So yes, I love it. It's only day one and I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I love it.
So blah blah blah friends you were right, it looks like I'm gonna have a great summer after all.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Airports hate me.
I was really proud of myself because I packed up my life into one single suitcase all ready to go for this morning. However I couldn't sleep last night because I kept having nightmares that my suitcase broke in the middle of the airport and I missed my flight. So, I woke up this morning and started panicking because my suitcase was packed and could have easily broken, which resulted in my mom paying for me to take a second suitcase, which I grab and run out to door to pack at my dad's office. So we get to his office (the airport is ten minutes from his office and his office is an hour from my house, so I went to work with him) and repack my suitcases so they both look safe. I then get dropped off at the airport and after waiting in line the man says my suitcase is too heavy and I have to rearrange it to make it lighter. So I'm sitting in the middle of the airport on the floor unpacking and re-packing my two suitcases to make the big one lighter.
I ended up transferring ten pounds of crap into the little suitcase so that was good and then I went through security.
And after going through the scanner, it starts beeping and lighting up and I look down and realize that the cargo pants I'm wearing are adorned with various metal hooks and loops. Oops.
So I got my first ever airport pat down. And then I got on the plane and now I'm here at adventure camp. And I'm exhausted. I've been up since five and I only had four hours of sleep and today has been the longest day.
I have a meeting in twenty minutes where I will hopefully learn about what I'm doing with my life this summer. I'll update you later!
So far so good.
I was really proud of myself because I packed up my life into one single suitcase all ready to go for this morning. However I couldn't sleep last night because I kept having nightmares that my suitcase broke in the middle of the airport and I missed my flight. So, I woke up this morning and started panicking because my suitcase was packed and could have easily broken, which resulted in my mom paying for me to take a second suitcase, which I grab and run out to door to pack at my dad's office. So we get to his office (the airport is ten minutes from his office and his office is an hour from my house, so I went to work with him) and repack my suitcases so they both look safe. I then get dropped off at the airport and after waiting in line the man says my suitcase is too heavy and I have to rearrange it to make it lighter. So I'm sitting in the middle of the airport on the floor unpacking and re-packing my two suitcases to make the big one lighter.
I ended up transferring ten pounds of crap into the little suitcase so that was good and then I went through security.
And after going through the scanner, it starts beeping and lighting up and I look down and realize that the cargo pants I'm wearing are adorned with various metal hooks and loops. Oops.
So I got my first ever airport pat down. And then I got on the plane and now I'm here at adventure camp. And I'm exhausted. I've been up since five and I only had four hours of sleep and today has been the longest day.
I have a meeting in twenty minutes where I will hopefully learn about what I'm doing with my life this summer. I'll update you later!
So far so good.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Well, here we are. My last night in New Jersey. Yesterday I was feeling really good about this summer and thinking I can totally do this, and now I'm panicking.
I don't want to leave. It just seems so wrong to leave my house where I'm happy and comfortable to a place where I don't know anyone and I'm a total outsider.
I've had the best break. From mini golf to Sunday Fundays to Baptisms to movie nights to dinner dates, it's been the best.
I don't want to leave. It just seems so wrong to leave my house where I'm happy and comfortable to a place where I don't know anyone and I'm a total outsider.
I've had the best break. From mini golf to Sunday Fundays to Baptisms to movie nights to dinner dates, it's been the best.
Precious. I had the best time with my friends and my family and ugh don't make me go back!
Six am tomorrow I leave, probably kicking and screaming.
Ugh. Positive thinking.
From the words of Laura, it's gonna be great.
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