We woke up with sunlight streaming into the tent at 9:15 this morning. It wasn't at camp, but I was perfectly happy to be with Smooney and these girls that I love so much. We only had 45 minutes till we had to leave so we climbed out of our sleeping bags to go on an adventure.
The lakehouse was just a short walk down the road to Lake Michigan. A few minutes later we were kicking off our shoes and feeling the sand fill the spaces between our toes. It was a beautiful morning.
Nina's mom, sister Mia and dog were already down by the water so we got to take a picture of our whole group.
Anybody who really loves camp understands that it's the people that make camp so great. So even though we weren't in River Village or at the Richard G Marsh Lake, being with these friends on this rocky shore still felt pretty close to being at home.
I'm so glad that Smoon and I got to visit these girls. They're some of the main characters of my summer and at this point I can't imagine not knowing them. Just like Shauna writes in puppies, "They've become something like sisters, best friends and younger versions of myself."
I've spent more time this summer with Smooney than anyone else at camp and I can't imagine what I'm going to do without her right by my side this year. She was already one of my best friends but we've grown so much closer in the past ten weeks. She gets me, supports me, cares about my heart, laughs with me and never gets tired of me. I love her for her hair bows, inability to eat anything with yeast or dairy, obsession with Rice Check and craisins, how she scrunches up her face when she takes pictures, loves her sisters so much, gives so many hugs and back scratches, willingness to jump into any of my crazy ideas and the way she pushes herself outside of her comfort zone. Friends like her are hard to find. I'm so thankful we got to have one more grand adventure together.
I'm going to miss Emily, Katlyn and Nina so much this year. They've each got a big chunk of my heart. You know how people draw hearts and then color them in red? I'm pretty sure if you could see my heart it would be a huge mosaic of all different colors and patterns of pieces. Most of the people I love, friends and campers and YL kids and my family, are scattered all over the country and they've each got a piece of my heart. It's in the middle of transitions like this, when I leave camp, that my heart almost physically hurts because I can feel all the different pieces and wish I could just be with everyone at once.
Even though we'll be hours away from each other for most of the year I won't forget or stop caring about these girls. They'll still be at the center of my thoughts and prayers. Phone calls and videos and texts from them will make my face light up and for a second it'll be like we're together.
We walked back to the house, our shoes filled with sand and rocks in our hands. Then it was time to say good-bye. The visit was short but sweet and I'm so glad we decided to come. It's surprises and memories like this that stand out in my mind as some of the very best. After being a counselor for so long I've got a good sense of knowing when I'm going to stay connected with people for years to come. I know that I don't have to worry about losing these friends.
Smooney and I drove back to Tecumseh together to get her car and then we had to finally say good-bye. Let me just say it was awful. Love her to the moon and back and don't know what I'm going to do without her. Someday I hope that we'll be the kind of friends that live in the same place and get to be every day kind of friends all summer long.
I drove back to Fishers today. So weird. As much as it's hard to come back from Tecumseh I'm so glad that this is where I'm coming. Fishers has become another home for me and it's filled with people that I love and that love me right back. My first year out of college was so scary because I knew almost no one here. But now I've got teacher-friends at school, friends in Indy, Tecumseh kids all over the city and a huge Young Life community of kids, leaders and families.
Tonight Young Life hosted the 2nd Annual Amazing Race Fundraiser. Over 150 kids 8th-11th grade showed up to compete in a race of challenges that took them all over the Hamilton Proper neighborhood. This was such a fun first night back-- I've missed these people.
We hung out for awhile while everyone got registered. Then all of the kids gathered together for directions.
Then adult team leaders stood around the circle with team rosters and matching bandannas for the group.
Then they were off, like the running of the bulls, down the street and through backyards.
The Young Life leaders had our own stop at the end of the street. Kids came to us for leader trivia. They could choose any leader and then answer a question worth 10-50 points. They had to get 100 total points correct in order to move on to the next station. I got the extra job of taking a picture of all 16 teams. It was so fun to see all of the kids run through.
(This team ended up winning!)
As the teams finished the race they all hung out at the end of the street. We were grilling out, their was a Kona Ice truck, Ryan and Lauren had a concert and all of the YL kids and siblings and parents and leaders were hanging out together. It's going to be so good to be back with girls like Julia and Olivia that I just love so much.
It's going to be so strange come Wednesday to have Anne and all her friends in the Freshmen Center instead of ol' HSJH. I'm so used to seeing them in the halls and visiting my girls at lunch. I know there will be lots of kids that I'll get to know but I'll miss this group a ton.
I actually got to meet a bunch of the new kids. These are all new 7th grade girls that are pumped about FBC and Wyld Life this year. We're thinking we're going to do a bible study together too which I'm excited for. About half of them are going to be in my class this year too. I told them that we had to take a picture so that we could remember when we first met.
So that's it. I'm officially back in Indy and finished with camp. Nothing like a fast transition right? This was my last day of summer 2013 and tomorrow I'll head back to school. Trulock says we just shouldn't go to sleep tonight because then we won't have to get to tomorrow. Hm... sounds like something Ellyn would say.
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