Camping

~Camping: The art of getting closer to nature while getting farther away from the nearest cold beverage, hot shower, and flush toilet.
~Unknown

Alright, I'm back :) I've been kind of busy and haven't taken the time to write... and once I miss one day it's that much easier to justify missing another.

So, Mom's the ward girl's camp director this year. They leave tomorrow morning and get back Saturday afternoon. I knew a lot went into camps and other activities. I mean, I've helped with a number of preschool parties, open houses, papers, art projects, and homework packets. But mostly, it's made me think of how much I loved girl's camp.

I only went five times. See, with a summer birthday, I didn't get to go the year I turned 12. And then, come my third year, everyone in my grade was on their fourth. I skipped the third year to go on the fourth year trip. I was so not excited about that trip. Ya, Moab, water rafting, camping... fun fun. But I didn't know anyone. And, at the time, I was a little irritated that both my parents went to every camp I went to. Turns out it all worked out for the best though-that was the trip I met one of my good friends on :)

I didn't have very much experience with camping before girl's camp. After my first year it became something I really looked foreword to. Of course, it was dirty and hot. I didn't particularly like the hiking and I always took my own box of Wheat Thins and a can of Pringles cuz I didn't eat much of what the rest of camp did.

I'd have to say some of the best times I had a girl's camp were the late nights-staying up until three or four or five in the morning. We played every kind of card game I'd ever heard of and then some. We ate mountains of candy and screamed when we found spiders... one camp, by the end of one night, we had a pile of tissues full of squished bugs in the middle of the tent by the time we went to bed. We tried truth or dare once-there aren't many dares you can do when you can't leave the tent :) Sometimes we had spiritual times. We'd read the scriptures and talk about things and sing hymns...

There was one night we played Pit at about 2 in the morning... ya know, with the bell... pretty sure the leaders loved us that night. And, of course, there were hours worth of talking about boys. What was a camp-backpacking trip, girl's camp, youth conference, overnighter, or whatnot-without discussing boys. We talked about things we didn't normally discuss at mutual. And, of course, it was always fun to discuss which boys were the cutest in the ward-cuz then we all actually knew everyone being discussed :)

I loved being able to get into the camp songs and dance like an idiot :) Snipe hunts were the best! Though, they never really seemed long enough. And as much fun as it was when I was in on it, I'd have to say my first year was the best. We had long games of Apples to Apples and Phase 10. Face painting, skits, s'mores, roasting Starburst, Little Sally Walker, and testimony meetings. There were big games of capture the flag with glow sticks and pedicures after long hikes. And there was always one tent that didn't really zip up every time... and finding a tick in the tent because we couldn't zip it.

Watching girls get dumped out of sleeping bags and having leaders come down the zip line spraying water on us... shoving ten girls in one tent sneaking around camp to toilet paper the leader's tent. We tried to scare the boys at youth conference but we were more scared ourselves with the bears they said were in the forest. There were bathroom trips at four in the morning cuz the bathroom was heated. There were frustrating triangle games and totally awesome games of catch phrase-creating inside jokes :)

There were giggling fits at three in the morning and breakfasts in pajamas cuz we stayed up too late. We played generous games of Phase 10 on car rides when we made up our own secret sign language. Ice cream stops on the way back to civilization when we realized how dirty we really were and how much we stunk. There were gorgeous nights when the stars shown like pinpricks in the black card stock of the sky. And fun evenings trying to get the fire started with one match and plenty of bug spray.

I loved camping with the girls in my ward. I miss it, but then, I don't really feel like I fit in anymore. Good memories of camp-couldn't have asked for better experiences.