"Wow. You're just so into this week. You have a wolf shirt, overalls, and a headband." -best compliment of my week

Week 5. Wednesday. Halfway through the summer. Craziness. 

On Wacky Wednesday we mix everything up at camp. For morning flagpole every cabin comes dressed up in a theme. The CILTs were a blimp. We buzzed around the flagpole circle, jammed together like a real live blimp. We also shared a slight resemblance with a cloud.

There was a cabin that woke up at flagpole and one of my favorites was a group of girls going to a Justin Bieber concert who then spotted and chased Justin around the flagpole.

And don't think for a second that because it was Wacky Wednesday we forgot about Wolf Shirt Wednesday.

To be even more wacky the CILT counselors sat in the front row at chapel but Catawba still wanted their bench so they sat on our laps.

The CILTs taught mini-clinics that they had created with a partner. Harry Potter spells, planking, fort building, and snowflake making just to name a few.

And I know you might also be worried that we forgot it was overall week on this Wacky Wolf Shirt Wednesday... We didn't forget.

Carolyn missed the memo on wacky, overalls, wolfshirts and wearing pants... but I still really like her a lot.

This is Smellen. I really like her a lot. She just got a blue band and she's pumped that she moved up. Smellen is not only a master at the freestyle stroke but is also an expert at dishing out nicknames. Arielle is Curly, Kraft is pizza, Mary is markers, and I'm Diet Pig.

I love the atmosphere and culture of River Village. Every day we get to play with kids all day long. We get to talk to 9-year-olds about what they're learning about God in devotions and ask Blazer boys to play soccer with us and work along side CILTs as they make up brand-new games with their campers.

This is living the dream. This simple, relationship-focused, Christ-centered, fun-required life.

"Do you know the name of this building?"

"Uh... Trading Post?"

"Yes! Good. Now what was the first word again?"

"...Trading?"

"Great! We're not sure why that hasn't been emphasized in the past. Tonight we're going to work on that. So you can have those sunglasses or the Choco Taco but you're going to have to trade us something for it."

"Really?"

"Yep... What do you have?"

They traded us a collection of sticks, leaves, two mints, five pieces of gum, a magazine, an Boogaloo envelope, three hairtyes, a Snoopy silly band, a handful of stackable rocks and a Katherine name tag. Nice work CILTs.

I went to Creekasaw friendship bracelet time tonight. I got to cut string, teach Tess to make the diagonal stripe, sing to TSwift, and dance to Justin Bieber.

Thursday morning the overall enthusiasm was back up to speed. Seriously, overalls are just so comfortable and roomy and convenient and appropriate in so many situations.

The CILTs spent the morning doing team-building activities at the TLC. We go from cyclope's tag to tennis ball transfer and from keypad to the 12 ft wall. 

I love watching the dynamics of the group as we shift kids to different groups between activities. I think it's awesome when they something really wise or when someone steps up to lead that is usually quiet. 

I'm so impressed with the people that focus on making sure everyone is successful before they worry about themselves. I love when everyone works together and keeps a positive attitude.

Tonight I got to come back early from my night off to sit in on a great devotion and then read to my girls as they went to sleep. Shannon asked me to read from "Swimming", one of our favorite Cold Tangerine chapters. The words seemed like they were written for friends like the people I'm surrounded by at camp on a daily basis.

"That's what friendship looks like to me. Friendship is acting out God's love for people in tangible ways. We were made to represent the love of God in each other's lives, so that each person we walk through life with has a more profound sense of God's love for them. Friendship is an opportunity to act on God's behalf in the lives of the people that we're close to, reminding each other who God is. When we do the hard, intimate work of friendship, we bring a little more of the divine into daily life. We get to remind one another about the bigger, more beautiful picture we can't always see from where we are."