Almost Done
Hello again! Second entry in a week's time, this is a record for me! I have an extra break today since no campers signed up for soft pretzel making today, the interest activity that I'm helping with this week. Well, things are still running smoothly up here, we're in our last weeke of campers. It's another fun group of kids, but I must admit I'm growing a bit weary of it all, and will be ready to head home when the time comes. The same menu, stories, and activities every week are starting to feel perhaps a bit too routine, and it's been difficult to find renewed energy for the kids this week since we staffers have gone through it so many times. We've been told several times this summer to remember that even though this is our sixth week of camp it's the campers first, and we need to keep our energy and excitement levels up for them. So we're trying, but the summer has been draining. It will be nice to only have to worry about brushing my own teeth and getting myself places again in the fall.

I realized that I haven't told you much about how a typical day around here is for me, so I'll do that now. We have worship two times a day, in the morning after breakfast and again before bedtime. I'm on one of the three worship teams we put together, one team does morning worship and the another evening worship each week. So my limited guitar skills have improved this summer as I've been playing a lot, even though it is mostly the simple camp songs that we play. It's been an opportunity I've enjoyed, as I don't think there are many other settings where I would have volunteered to play guitar infront of others, children are quite forgiving. In the mornings we do cabin activities, which range from archery, swimming, and paddleboating to arts and crafts, nature center, or sometimes taking much needed showers. Next it's lunchtime, same food every week. Along with the male head counselor I lead the prayer song before meals, and dismiss cabins to eat. We usually either pick straight and quiet or creative lines to eat first, so it's interesting to see what kinds of songs or dances the kids come up with the get dismissed early. At least once a week we also have a theme lunch, today is pirate day so we're decked out with eye patches and skull tatoos. Then comes the counselor favorite- R&R, aka naptime. Interest activities are next where kids sign up individually, those are fun things like pretzel making, shaving cream wiffleball, or giant dutch blitz. I've even led some country line dancing this summer (no, I had never done it before..) Camp is a place to try new things :) Counselors get a break in the afternoon when resource staff take all the kids to play dodgeball, swim, or slip-and-slide. It's amazing how much you can love being with your campers, but it's still so wonderful to be away from them, and probably necessary to keep you sane. Dinner, another activity, and evening worship, followed by bedtime, or maybe a late night snack or night hike first, and that's a day! They're tiring but fun. And I've gotten used to a no later thatn 11 o'clock bedtime...we'll see how I adjust back to college sleep patterns in a few weeks.

Oh I hear the kids coming back, so it's time to go. I'll post pictures later this week, so stay posted!
Posted at 15:13 #