Old Adventures and New Beginnings

I admit it...I have neglected my blog for more than a year! So much has happened...so many wonderful things that I would love to write about, but will only share a few:




College Retreat:




I had the privilege of leading the 2012 college retreat this year. What a blessing! It was the first time I had taken a program and started it from scratch. It was only a weekend retreat, but I literally planned for almost an entire year. It was fantastic. The staff, the participants, the response...it was beyond any expectation I had and one of the top experiences I have had as a college student. The Lord was so faithful to our planning and preparation and despite our shortcomings, still did even mightier things than we could have ever imagined or "planned" on our own. I am looking forward to attending next year and mentoring the new directors!

Summer Camp:




I ended my last summer as a Sr. Staffer at Camp Allen in August of 2011. I had such a wonderful summer...I learned so much about the Lord and what His desire for me is as I continue my walk with Him. I learned many things about myself, both good and bad, and managed to work through them with a group of about 27 other people who inspired me, challenged me, and supported me as I grew. I will never forget the experiences, community, love and fellowship I have experienced in that place...there is nothing anywhere that will ever replace it or compare. This coming summer will be the first summer in 13 years that I have not been at Camp Allen in some capacity...that's a scary thought for me. I had so many pivotal experiences there. When I was 8, I rode a horse for the first time. When I was 16 I did a front flip in front of a (very patient) crowd after trying and failing for 7 years before that. When I was 14, I walked into a room of strangers that all cheered for me and knew my name. When I was 15 I witnessed a miracle in cabin 8. When I was 10, Dave Rupert told me about Jesus and I believed it. So many things, too many to list. Things that have molded me, changed me, challenged me, inspired me. Things that showed me how much the Lord loves us all. Things that I will never forget.




Last night I had a dream that I was at camp again. I walked to every cabin and room in each campsite and there were people in every building from all of my past experiences there. People I love and cherish, people who inspired me, people who were inspired by me, campers, friends, cabin-mates, staffers...everyone was there. In every room each person gave me a hug and "sent me off" to this next chapter in my life. It was incredible. A very vivid and intentional dream that I will never be able to explain in the right words, but it was what I needed. I feel ready now, with the "dream" blessings of those who mean the most to me, to move on to my next adventure.




Guess what? It starts tomorrow.

Sandy Socks and Sweet Tan Lines

Training weeks 2011 have begun! We have spent this past week cleaning the scum from the corners of the pavilion, washing swine flu off of old costumes, swimming laps, doing p90x, and bonding to the extreme! Words cannot describe the spiritual anticipation I have for this summer...I am so ready to work hard and put aside my discomforts and insecurities to serve the Lord and make Him known!

I can't wait to see these smiling faces:



and dance whenever I want:



Summer Camp is here!

Switchblade Sam

So, yesterday on my way to my sister's birthday dinner, I got a call from an unrecognized number on my cell phone. Upon answering this is what I heard:

(machine voice) "Good Afternoon, you have an incoming collect call from an inmate at the Harris County Penitentiary (says creepy inmate guy): 'heyyy' to accept these charges ---"

The "----" is where I desperately tried to hang up my phone while accidentally pressing every other button on the screen beforehand. I hope he had the wrong number and never calls me back, but mostly I hope that I wasn't his "one phone call."

I immediately thought of Christopher Lloyd's character in Dennis the Menace coming to get me and was justifiably freaked out for the rest of the night: