It's Officially Summer!!!

I said at one point that I was going to try to share more about our camping ministry this summer but I guess I really haven't so far! I've been so busy AT camp (and home) that I haven't had time to write about camp! :) Well, we had two wonderful work groups here last week, they helped with all kinds of projects around the camp, and we served them meals. I just went up to camp to eat meals and visit with the staff and visiting teens, and I helped my hubby with a couple of office projects from home. Up until this point, Natalie hasn't really had very much of a schedule in her day, but with the set mealtimes of camp, it will be helpful for her to have a routine, so we worked on adjusting her to that, and after about 10 days now, it is going really well.


This week is our senior staff training - our counselors and senior staff are here this week, training for the summer and getting to know one another. This is always my favorite week of the summer - meeting and getting to know the staff is always such a blessing - they are always so sweet to our family, including Z and Natalie, and I love that our kids have so many opportunities to interact with great college and high school age 'kids'. :)

So, the plan was for us to continue just going up for meals and helping from home when we could, but because of some extra things going on this summer, my husband has a LOT on his plate. So he asked me for help. The bottom line is that I will be helping to organize the Monday morning youth camp registrations (as I have done for the last three years). This will require me to leave the kids with a staff member a couple of hours during the week, and for a couple hours on those four Monday mornings. Not a big deal, right?

Well, as I was reviewing the list that I had written of 'helpful tips for youth camp registration' and remembering how I had joyfully written it at the end of last summer, looking forward to handing my job off to someone else so I could stay home full-time (and not having to do registration - my least favorite part of my job - anymore), I started to throw myself a pity party. Then I took my annoyance out on my hubby, which is always so helpful, isn't it? (sarcasm...)

Anyway, God pulled me out of that pit, and gave me a good couple of hours in the office yesterday morning with an amazing friend who is volunteering her time (and also leaving her kids) to come and help with registration and office duties at camp. He helped me to feel like I am getting a good start on getting things organized for Monday's senior high camp registration, and thankfully He helped me to remember most of what I learned over the last three summers (I think). Natalie slept the whole time, and Z had a great time with one of our staff members who does a great job with kids, and he adores her.

And do you know what the greatest benefit of working yesterday was? Today. I was supposed to go to the office this morning again while a friend watched my kids, but something came up and she and her husband left town suddenly, so I found out that I would be staying home today. And it was wonderful. Working just a couple of hours yesterday reminded me what a privilege and a joy it truly is to be able to stay home with my babies every day. So I guess maybe God is giving me this opportunity to gain perspective, and also some (more) empathy for working moms who wish they could stay home. And after getting over my initial grouchiness, I truly am glad to be involved in the camp ministry again, though in a different way than I thought I would be. (and, honestly, I wrote this yesterday, and today as I was cleaning bathrooms and thinking about it, I realized anew that it isn't nearly as big of a deal as I made it out to be.)

In other news, Z went down the camp's big waterslide with Daddy this week, and he was SO cute at the bottom! I wish I had taken a picture! He went under the water briefly at the bottom (in a life jacket), which scared him, and when he came up and Daddy held him, he was so funny. When we asked him if the slide was fun, he kept saying, "My face went in the water. My head went in the water." but then he said he would go again, 'later'. :) I'm thinking that next time we're at the beach may not be 'later' enough for him... :)

Our kitchen staff, grounds crew, and chapel staff come tonight (some have already arrived!) and stay until tomorrow, so it will be fun to meet them and get them on board for the summer!

Hope you're having lots of fun this summer, too, and God is blessing you with new perspectives and lots of learning opportunities! :)