Thursday, June 23, 2011

Hiking

My ward has a hiking group that meets up every week and goes hiking somewhere different.  The trails vary in difficulty.  I can easily go on the trails that the little kids go on.  This is the same place that I went with the family over Memorial Day so I knew that I would be safe to go on it.  I just took Tyler and Ella.  We met up with 2 other families.  We were on the trail for about 2 1/2 hours.  We took our time and really let the kids enjoy themselves.















Girls camp day 4 - " You ar simply in the place between your once upon a time and your triump in the end."

On the last day of girls camp around 2 am I was awaken (ok I hadn't gone to sleep yet) by 3 girls trying to prank us (it was payback for the toothpaste oreo's I gave them earlier).  In the morning this is what we found outside.  A lovely love note (We heart u) and toilet paper all over the cabin.  Apparently it they were not successful until their third attempt at toilet papering us.  The first time they tried to lock us in I caught them.  I didn't actually see them just heard them.  But almost 5 minutes later I saw Natalie going back to her cabin.  I said "Nice try Natalie."  She gave the obvious excuse "What I was going to the bathroom".  The second time they heard us laughing so they didn't start.  The third time they were able to do it.  We had just layed down.  I wasn't asleep yet so I heard them.  I didn't stop them for 2 reasons.  First because they weren't hurting anyone by doing it.  Second they had to clean it up afterwards. When they were done they knocked on the door.  The YW president sat up Yelling "Whose there? What do you need"?  Then because we didn't go to the door they decided to throw nuts at the window.  When we ignored them again they left.



This  was my car.  My note said "Thanks for the delicious Oreo's and making this one of the best camps EVER"!  Such fun.



The leaders made breakfast for the girls and the YW president started the bacon on fire.  Threw the pan and bacon off of the fire.  And then proceeded to douse the grease fire with water.  As I am yelling no don't use water the  fire jumps about 2 feet higher into the air.  One of the girls yell use some flower not the water.  It was an learning experience for the YW president.  We cleaned up breakfast, packed up, had a devotional, told who each other's secret sister's, and handed out camp certificates.  Then we headed out and home.  HOME!  What a great word.  Almost as good as BED!  

All and all it was a great week.  I did have some difficult times and some disagreements but it was all worth my while when I got a thank you note from the girls and most of them asked me to please come back next year.  One girl (a 5th year) wrote that it was the funniest girls camp she has ever been to.  And a 3rd year wrote that me being there made camp 10x better then it would of been if I wasn't there.  See it was a success.  

Girls camp day 3- "Don't settle for the story that the world would hav you write."

The third day at girls camp started much like the second day. Late.  We woke up earlier this morning then the morning before but, the girls didn't complain about it at all.  That morning for breakfast we had muffins cooked inside orange peels, oranges, and yogurt.  The YW president also made some amazing juice with all of the left over oranges, apple juice, and watermelon that we had hanging around.  The girls also tried their hands at cooking bread in pans over the fire.  Nichole did quite well with hers.  After we ate our breakfast the girls separated into groups and learned about first aide.  I then had put together a first aide jeopardy game the girls enjoyed playing that.


After first aid the girls cleaned up the camp area and around Otter Lake for their service project.  While they were gone the leaders made lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and carrots.  We tried to get the girls all gathered around for lunch when we found out that 3 of them were lost in the forest area.  The girls were separated from the main group and to top it off one of them was out there alone.  4 of the leaders went to find the girls and quickly stumbled upon 2 of the girls that were together.  The last one was found on the other side of the lake.  She having hiked the trial one other time knew that she was lost and vaguely recognized the trail.  She made the decision to keep going forward then try to find her way back.  She remembered that the trail would spit her out on the other side of the lake.  I was quite relieved when all three of them had been found.  But then again, They aren't going to ask me to be the camp director again if I had lost a girl or three, LOL! 
After lunch I separated the girls into 4 groups for a fairytale activity.  In my group I read the story of Beauty and the Beast and talked about how beauty was on the inside and not on the outside.  The I had the girls blind fold themselves and try to put make up on another person.  They had a blast doing it.  I also got talked into giving it a go.  I did quite will not being able to see. 








In the second group had the story of the 3 little pigs read to them.  The point of that was using hard work and being a good example to others.  How we need to be someone that others would want to follow in our footsteps.  For their activity they spray painted socks.  They turn out looking tye dyed.


The third group was read Pinocchio to.  They then talked about changing our bad habits into good ones like how Pinocchio changed his bad habit of lying into a good habit of telling the truth.  They then wrote a letter to themselves and sealed it with a wax seal to be opened on another day.  I made a wooden seal for each of them to take home.  It had their initial burned into it.

 The fourth group got to learn about Cinderella and how she relied on her fairy godmother to help her better her life.  The girls then painted prayer rocks like F.R.O.G.s as in  Fully Rely On God.


We then hustled to clean up and drove the girls to an area where they could hike out the the beach and watch the bore tide come in.  The hike was an OK hike.  The girls loved it.  As you can see the shore was covered with rocks that were just not stable enough for me to walk on and I ended up turning around and going back after I had hiked a hour out there.  By the time I got back my ankle was the size of a baseball and I was in a lot of pain.  But I was so disappointed in myself for not being able to do it.  In my mind I can but, my body just won't and it just makes me so frustrated.



 This is the view off the "beach" at beach lake if I were to turn around and hike up a mountain I would be staring an inlet of the ocean.  It was a beautiful hike.
 After we arrived back from camp the bishop came and cooked steak for us to eat.  He also brought us a watermelon, asparagus, and some pineapple upside down cake.  After clean up we finally got around to the skits.  The first people to perform were the leaders.  We did a LDS ":What not to wear"  I wore thongs.  Girls these are for your feet not for your seat.
Jessica Wore some lovely spaghetti straps (the pictures to follow are so not very clear but I had to put them up) These kind of spaghetti straps are appropriate because when you get hungry on a date you have brought yourself a snack.  Yummy spaghetti noodles!
Marla dressed up in her bear midriff.  Which is a very convenient way to carry your stuffy to a sleep over not appropriate to show on a date!
Nahir showed off her plunging neckline.  It comes in handy when you have bathroom problems. Wearing this kind of plunging neckline is nice because you don't have to worry about anything hanging out that shouldn't be and bonus if someone has bathroom problems you can run in and give them a hand!
 The other 3 cabins showed off their skit performing abilities.  Mattress Ranch anyone?

 She showed of her awesome British accent!
Nichole went all Gangsta on her group!

Then we played a thrilling round of "I am a chunky monkey"
It came down to these last two.  Megan beat the Bishop by 1 marshmallow.  He got 9 in his mouth and she got 10!



Then not wanting to be left out the leaders participated.  I lost count after 7 marshmallows but I think I got at least 9 in.


I wanted to through in so of the beautiful scenery from around camp.



After skits we had a fireside by Jessica and by the Bishop.  They both did great at inviting the spirit.  Which was a perfect starter for testimony meeting.  Which might I say was a bust.  Only 2 girls decided to participate.  I was later told that it was because I didn't make girls camp spiritual enough.  I beg to differ.  After the fireside testimony meeting we hustled off to bed.  Only to be awoken by some practical jokers at about 2 in the morning.