Girls Camp 2022--Trust in the Lord and Do Good

 We got home from Utah and had a one day turn around to head to Girls Camp.  Thankfully the drive home I felt a lot better than the drive to Utah.  We listened to Small Spaces (a Norton Reading Challenge book), I finished Trouble (by Gary Schmidt--loved!) and then I started The Cuckoo is Calling (A mystery novel Derek recommended...it was fun and compelling--but lots of swearing).  

The day we were home we had a myriad of appointments.  So many, in fact, that I forgot to take Libby to drill.  Ugh.  But I did manage to fit in a dentist appointment for me (I need a crown, ugh.), and doctors appointments for Sarah and Ben.  Then we had my friend and former roommate Laney over for dinner. It was super fun to catch up.  She is the one that introduced me to Derek.  How did we not even snap a selfie??  Super thankful for her friendship over the years--even though she's been back in Utah for many years.  Her kids were so fun.  Wish we lived closer.

Then off to Girls Camp.  And it was SO fun...all the right things.  Spiritual, fun, great weather, and good friends.  Some of my favorite women in the stake were there.  So I got in some good chatting.  Also, since I wasn't in charge--I just got to enjoy myself.  I appointed myself camp historian and took lots of pictures.  My favorite parts of camp were the Angel Walk (where girls paid compliments to each other--it was beautiful), the lake time (yes, I even got in).  I also loved the survivor relays (I rocked my leg of the kayak paddling--even with getting hooked onto another boat and having to get unhooked.). I climbed the easiest wall on the climbing tower.  (Libby climbed all of the routes, and Sarah stayed on the ground.)   

The Leader Survivor Team

Libby rocking her climbing

On the ferry on the way over.  We missed the first ferry by about 2 cars.  But that gave us enough time to get some Top Pot donuts! 

Libby on the rope swing

Sarah going off the slide

We went on a DQ outing! 

Me, CLIMBING! 

Libby flipping into the water

Archery time! 

Our 1/2 of the cabin.  So much fun! 

Anyway, I came away from camp with my soul singing--and the girls all did too.  Seriously--they all had fun and came to love each other so much more.  It was a huge win.

And then the laundry!!! Oh the size of the pile!  But it was worth it.

This week I've been catching up on life.  3 weeks of being gone is a lot.  My garden needed work.  My house needed decluttering.  More appointments, of course.  I also did a sleep study on Monday in the sleep lab.  It'll be interesting to see if they find sleep disturbances that maybe causing my endocrine or muscle recovery issues.  One more week free until school starts (for teachers.). Off to the ward campout tonight! 

Utah Trip: More Learning & Camps

 So as I mentioned in the last post--driving to Utah the day after we got back from Wrestling camp was a BAD idea.  I was SO tired.  It was brutal.  We had to make some extra stops too--as we stopped to pick up Quincy and stop to drop off Aidan.  I kind of lost it about 10 miles from home when the kids were being goofy.  But Sarah was my front seat DJ and kept me going with snacks and songs once we couldn't listen to books anymore because we had friends in the car. 

But the girls had camps in UT.  So off we went.  

Sarah LOVED her writing camp.  Each afternoon my village helped provide her transportation, shopping, and housing--since it was a day camp.  She stayed with Sandra Thorne (my mom transporting) and my cousin Shelley (who provided transport.). I went down for the final day--surprising her for lunch and to see her final project.  Libby said next year she wants to do writing camp too--and we'll do a sleep over camp. 

Libby had a rougher go.  After the initial excitement of meeting Geneva Gray and Cyler Sanderson (super famous wrestlers) and the first day of wrestling, she started barfing.  She wasn't able to keep food down for 24 hours (even with my cousin Josie dropping off some meds to her).  So I picked her up on Wednesday morning.  Maybe the altitude, maybe a tummy bug (I vomited on the way up to drop her off a but I thought it was maybe motion sickness from riding in the Tesla--my dad gave us a taste of Ludicrous mode).  But I was super sad and disappointed that she missed out on such a great opportunity to learn.  She wasn't as sad.  Even though Geneva Gray ran out and talked to me as we were leaving saying they hope she'll come back--right now she says Center Circle is enough for her.  Maybe next year they won't be back to back weeks.  Or she could bring a friend.  But it was pretty much a waste of $400.  Not my favorite.  (Also, she left some stuff in the car when we dropped her off, so we had to drive 2 more hours to bring her the stuff.). Ugh. 

Ben has had an okay time entertaining cousins.  But life got a lot better when I took him on Friday to get his first phone.  I've been planning on getting it before school started.  Saving a little on sales tax by buying it here seemed like a good choice. 

I've been soaking up time with Rachel and all the nieces and nephews.  We had a sibling dinner too.  It's been fun to catch up with everyone.  We also worked on a VERY difficult puzzle.  Especially the sky. It's still not done.  Ugh. 

Overall though--my kids are ready to be home.  They miss Buddy.  Libby is missing learning the pom routine for drill.  But--with only one day home, we will head off to girls camp! Wahoo.  Crazy summer!

I love babysitting the nephews and niece.  Ruger looks great in Rachel's hair! 

Ben having fun with his new phone. 

So cute to get texts from him. 

Reagan is super into hats.  She found this hat from my old dance costume.  She asked for some "beautiful white socks" so she could recreate this picture. 

"Kitten in the Sun."

My dad bought a day with this vehicle (a "side by side") at a youth fundraiser.  We took it out yesterday and had a great time in the mountains above their house.  I have never been so dirty.  I really did enjoy it. 

Before--so clean! We should have taken an after picture. 

Awesome views. 

Sarah with her final project. She wrote a great story!  It was 6 pages long.  Really well done. 

Ben trying a tubby with the cousins.  A bit tight these days.  They are getting so big! 

Auntie Trish took them on an adventure.  A trampoline park (looking for AC--sadly it wasn't air conditioned!) and Paces Dairy Ann.

A very warm Get Air experience. 

Saying goodbye to Uncle Davey--heading off on his next adventure. 

Team Goat!  Brad and Ben at Lagoon. 

Sarah and her BFF at Writing Camp

The cousins (Ben was at the Wood's and the girls still at their camps)

Sibling Dinner at the Dodo

Getting pics! 

Sarah's camp location

Libby's favorite part of Wrestling camp was that it was on a working ranch.  She loved the sheep. 

And the kitty. 

Meeting Geneva Gray (she's a college coach, coached her sister in the Olympics, and just an awesome ambassador for Women's Wrestling)!  We were the first campers to arrive.  Libby was super star struck.  

Today is our last day in Utah.  We'll have a birthday party for Aria, Rachel and Libby.  Then back home tomorrow! 

Libby and Quincy on the road trip to Utah. They had a good time taking LOTS of pictures.  I'll just share this gem. 

Wrestling Camp--A Week of Learning & Laundry

 What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? 

Well--Center Circle was one of those things.  It was so fun to be a part of helping camp come together this year.  The registration process had a hiccup--so I helped starting in April to enter some of the registrations that weren't showing up anywhere but in the email.  I was so excited for the girls to have a chance to wrestle.  I was (despite lots of nervous nightmares leading up to it) to run the camp store. 

Then--I saw the weather report and the schedule.  Yikes!  It was over 90 every day.  And we were in a no AC school.  And the schedule had campers (and thus me) going from 6:30 am to 11:15 pm.  Oh baby.  This mama goes to bed at 8:30 when she can.  How was she going to make it? And in the heat? And I didn't even have to wrestle!

Well, the first day there were some major meltdowns.  Sarah's was the biggest.  She offered me any amount of money to just go home.  That first practice session was brutal--so I got it.  But I gave her a pep talk about how even if she didn't think she'd be a wrestler for long, she was learning how to do hard things.  And if she could do hard things--she'd be ready for anything.  And she bucked up and did it.  I was so proud of her! She kept going all week.  

Libby had some time off the mat as well when things got too tough.  But she wrestled tough mostly (except when going against Findley?? which I still don't quite get).  She also lost my airpods (maybe they were stolen?) which led to a pretty significant melt down.  

Ben had a good time playing switch and listening to/reading Harry Potter and helping in the store.  He did get a cold which kept him in his room for a day.

Derek was an all around helper--driving a camper 1/2 way home when he was sent home early, helping with the store, managing the other SW wrestlers who were struggling (mostly the boys were struggling with real and imagined injuries.)  

I had a couple of helpers in the store (one of the other coach's daughter and friend).  They were great.  It was going to be their job to do the laundry.  Haha.  It turned out that the industrial washer at the school was broken (and we never could have managed all the laundry that way either).  So--we (mostly Clark was my laundry assistant) ended up loading up I'd say at least a hundred loads over a couple of days--into my van so I could take them to the local laundromat.   At one point I was using every dryer in the place.  It was stinky, hot work.  But it was pretty satisfying.  We lost some money on laundry.  But hopefully we prevented some cases of skin funk. 

Overall in the store--we turned a tidy profit.  Skittles (and any other candy) and Otter Pops were our best sellers.  Along with Gatorade protein bars (I never did taste one, but they must be good.)  We sold lots of Gatorade (although we were competing with the vending machines on this one--so the sales got better once the vending machines ran out.)  

Here's some of what I learned, so I can remember for next year for the store: Buy more candy at Business Costco (when we replenished our supply from local stores we made a lot less).  We need a freezer nearby for the Otter pops.  Get Gatorade with sugar--not just the zero.  Kids need the energy.  Get more laundry bags.  Start laundry earlier. Establish laundry cut off times daily. Encourage kids to shower naked as the wet undies from the showers was gross.  Maybe set up some drying racks for kids towels after showers so they get less stinky? 

For the schedule: Cut things down so we can end earlier!  Set a more firm relationship between counselors and campers.  Have a firm lights out time enforced by counselors.  No playing with magnets that might interact with the fire alarm.  Please.  

Other notes to self: Do a better job of covering the motion sensor lights at night. Maybe don't sleep in the room where girls have to walk through to go to the bathroom.  But it was relatively cool.  Take more pictures! Give yourself a few recovery days before you do anything else (like drive to UT). 

I'm looking forward to next year.  I'll have less anxiety now that I know what I'm getting into.  And--we made part of the profits for our efforts.  That was a nice bonus that I didn't even know was coming until right before camp.  :)

Sarah showing off her bruises.  They looked worse the day before.  Really. I can't say enough how proud I am of her perseverance. 

Libby and Ellie

Derek and Clark observing. 

The SW girls had a great time. 

We took Derek's cousin's son Aidan with us to camp.  He had a great time for the most part.  

Sarah working with Abbey. 

Sarah wrestling.  I didn't get a pic of Libby wrestling because I was the time keeper for the matches that I got to watch. 

The Week Before "Vacation"...

This summer all of our trips are packed into one 3 week period.  It's pretty crazy.  We are finishing week 2 right now.  But I'm going back to catch up on blogging.  The week before we left, Sarah and Ben did a really fun cooking class.  They learned to make Hello Dollys, homemade ice cream, charcuterie boards (including making a cool board using wood cutting), and a whole bunch of other things.  It was awesome to have them doing something fun and productive.  Geneva gave the class to them for their birthdays.  Libby was jealous that she didn't get to go...but there wasn't room for her once she saw how fun it was. 

We also got in some great pool time with friends, the Koenigs and Murdocks. 

We had 2 youth activities.  One was to the temple--we didn't take pictures this time since it was our second time.  The other was a lake activity at Lake Ballinger.  I took my paddle board out for its inaugural ride.  I went a bit too far for my hip flexor.  I'll need to work up slowly--but it was super fun.  

Libby had a friend birthday party.  She was nervous about people coming--and it took awhile for them to arrive, but in the end she had a great time celebrating with these 3 ladies. 

 I was busy shopping and prepping for the Center Circle camp store...I wish I would have bought more--next year I'll know ;)