The joy of the summer!

This weekend has been glorious!! G.L.O.R.I.O.U.S. I left kamp on Friday morning and drove down to good ol' Waco for a wedding. It was a good excuse to get out of Missouri for a bit and I've actually been MISSING Waco lately. It's weird to say that, but I have. The wedding was incredible...it was two of my good friends from church in college. They've been dating for I guess 3 or so years now and finally tied the knot! It was so beautiful and so fun. The best part was that SO MANY people were there! I loved it! I saw people that I did't expect to see. It was like a mini Baylor/church reunion. I also got to spend some time with my favorite Waco family, the Smarts, and my old roommate, Kelsey. I can already tell that I'm going to miss this place next year. The reality of going to the Kanakuk Institute next year and living in Branson, MO, is starting to sink in....we'll see.

As for kamp, things are going well. The picture above is obviously from 4th of July, one of my favorite days of the summer!! And these are some of my favorite people at kamp and the ladies that I'm priviledged to work with day in and day out. The 4th was a day of celebration--everyone wears red, white, and blue, we have a HUGE picnic (this year complete with a bratwurst bar), and an hour-long fireworks show with K2 and K7. So fun! Another highlight of the past term was that my little brother, Austin, was a kamper at K2! I got to go and visit him several times throughout the term. It has been so fun to watch him grow up and it makes me so happy to see him thriving, especially now that he's at the bigger high school kamp. He absolutely loved it!

I left to head to Waco at the end of a kamper term and also the end of a staff term. So, when I return to kamp tomorrow, a LOT is going to be new. New counselors, new kids. The past staff that we had was incredibly and are going to be greatly missed, but I'm looking forward to the new energy and perspective that this staff is going to bring. A lot of them have never been on staff before, so it will be exciting to see them learn and lead.

I'm doing OK energy-wise so far. I know that my body has to be exhausted, but my mind is still mentally prepared to be there for another month. I'm praying for energy and focus, against laziness, etc. There are some things that I'm looking forward to changing in the way that I approach my job and some new things that I want to implement. I want to finish well! Thanks for your support and insight, friends. Love to you all!

And CONGRATULATIONS MR. AND MRS. FOSTER!

Life at Kamp...we're halfway done!

Hello blogging world!

I realize that it's been awhile since I've written last. Today for my day off, I'm in Fayetteville visiting some good friends and it has been absolutely wonderful! It is so relaxing. The day off today was very needed, although kamp is going well. We are almost halfway through 3rd term and after this, there are only two terms left! I have realized that time is flying by and I can only hope to savor the rest of these moments. A highlight of this term is that Austin, my little brother, is a kamper at K2 right now, which is right next door to K-West. I've gotten to see him once so far. It's fun to see him at the high school kamp right now. He's so grown up and he's absolutely loving it! Another highlight is that one of my K-Life small group girls from Waco is at K-West right now! I had no idea that she was coming until opening day and it has been so much fun to see her there! I have always wanted my girls to come to kamp, so you can imagine my excitement when one actually did. I'm excited to see what she thinks about it when it's all said and done.

After this term, we will have a staff changeover where some staff will be leaving and some will be going home. It is definitely going to be sad to see some people leave, but it will be refreshing and fun to have new faces around as well. At least on the girls' side of kamp, a lot of the staff coming in will be new. It will be fun to get to see them learn in this new environment and love on and encourage the kampers who will be coming in.

Right now I am praying for energy and drive to finish strong through the rest of the summer. There are so many exciting things happening every day, but it can be hard to keep the energy up when so much is repetition. I'm striving to make the most of every moment, enjoy conversations, work hard at my job, but also make time for myself to find rest and relaxation. I want to walk away from this summer having enjoyed my job, but also knowing that I did it well.

I just tried to add some pictures, but wasn't able to figure it out. I have been able to use my new camera that I got for Christmas to take some great pictures of the 4th of July and the western party. The 4th was an amazing day! Everyone dressed to red, white, and blue, we had an incredible picnic dinner, complete with a bratwurst bar and fruit salad. Then we went to K2 and had an hour long fireworks show! It was incredible!