One of the biggest highlights of every year for me is the month that we get to serve at a YoungLife camp- I seriously love it. I really feel like camp is the way that life was intended- living in community, everyone with a piece of the puzzle that all works together for one purpose- allowing kids to experience the Lord and life to the full. This summer we kinda got jipped because our Assignment was only three weeks- but it proved to be action-packed enough to make it feel like four.
That's the insane dining hall and the lake. No surprises for me in there this year... thank God.
This was the standard sunset. It was so sweet- random rainstorms would pop up out of nowhere and then be done in like ten minutes.
We were in charge of the Work Crew, 41 high schoolers that came to work for free to give campers the best week of their lives. These kids were awesome. Many of them were dealing with some pretty intense stuff in life and it was a total priviledge to see them transformed as they experienced God in and through them. And by "we" I mean Mark- he worked his tail off and I mostly just took Hazel to the pool and coached her in her grunting... at least for the first week until I had a melt down and needed a little bit more in my life. I ended up having the opportunity to wade through some heavy issues with few high school girls and got to see the Lord at work up-close and personal. I love that.
This is just hanging one morning (since Sweet Haze got up at 6:30am every day). You know Lil Rounds gives one of the best titty-twisters in town.
Our first week was over 200 kids with disabilities- talk about melting your heart. These kids live on a different planet than us- they're so joyful and free and don't give a rip about status/style/money/image/all-that-junk. Total reality check. This is Mark with the two governators- they called themselves Arnold and Arnold Jr. and talked in accents like the Kindergarten Cop.
Hazy was in full effect on the floor. Sweet stuff is worming her way through life these days. I keep telling her to drop the knees, but she's not one to take unsolicited advice.
Lil' cowgirl had to sport the Tupac bandana so she didn't get confused for a cowboy.
This is Hazel's camp bestie- Olivia Amaro. She's 11 months old and man, has she got some tricks. My favorite is when her mom takes something away from her, she always says, "Nana"- calling for her grandma. Together they pretty much just practiced not sharing and grabbing each other's facial features.
Christmas in July.
How many costumes can one mom put her kid in in just three weeks?
Oh you know Roxanne (the Raffle Princess) had to make an appearance or two. At one point I tried to raffle off that darn holey CSI cut-off shirt of Mark's but the stinkin' kid gave it back. Boo.
Thrash Hippies.
The last night a bunch of the A-Team put on a show to mock and roast all of the funny things that had happened. So of course that hairy beast strapped to Mark in the Baby Bjorn is our friend Jamie, playing Hazel Thrash- who had a starring role in the show with her random and uncontrollable grunts/shouts and floppy headbands. I have to say, he was pretty accurate.
Dare I even attempt to explain?... My husband, the American Woman. So proud of those legs.
And this, my dear friends and family, is not necessarily something to be proud of... but definitely a moment in life that will not soon be forgotten. Complete with black socks.
Does it get any better than this?
Well the Queen Bee of Capo Beach must have heard that someone was rivaling her in cuteness and sent her cronies out to take care of business. We were on the way home from a tailgate party and Hazy belts out screaming in the far back of Larry the Van. Low and behold, She got stung by a bee right on the chest. Oh yeah, and that was AFTER sweet stuff acquired that huge unicorn knot/bruise/scrape on her forehead while taking a digger onto cement this morning while I was with my Mama friends. The girl is tough.
A rough day in this life of this little one! But don't worry, the bulldozer hasn't been fazed a bit. In fact, she came home and proved that she wasn't gonna let a couple of sissy little injuries hold her down. Here are the first steps we've been able to capture on film!
