"Let's Talk About Girl's Camp"

"Let's talk about Girl's Camp."

Those were the first words that came out of my mouth when the Young Women's President called me a couple of months ago to talk about plans for the week long adventure.

In March, our stake announce that they would be changing ward boundaries and when they moved us all around, they released everyone from their current callings, giving them to different people.

  

I got the calling as Ward Camp Director. 

When I first was asked if I would accept it, I was excited and anxious.  Anxious because I didn't have the best experiences at girl's camp, but excited because I felt like now that I was Director, I could make camp better for the girls I was looking after.  So I accepted the calling and a few days later, the Young Women President called me to invite me to a meeting where we would discuss what plans they had before I replaced the old Camp Director.  I won't bore you with the details in the planning.  Just a lot of phone calls, one fundraiser, shopping for the girls, and returning to mutual on Wednesday evenings.

Then the day finally came where I packed up what I needed, said my goodbyes to Peter and Murphy, and headed to Bear Creek Camp in Boone, Iowa.  Getting there brought back all of my girls camp memories and with those memories came back the anxiety and homesickness that I had when I was younger.  However, being more mature now than I was then, I brushed those feelings aside for the time being and focused on simply trying to find my cabin and getting to know the area before the rest of the girls showed up.  

The camp was smaller than the 'grand' Utah campgrounds I've gone to, but it was still very pleasing on the eyes.

Then I saw my cabin.  

I think Utah turned me into a cabin snob.  When I was at Bear Creek Camp, I expected the cabins to be the same as the ones I was spoiled with in Utah.   While they were very different than what I was use to, the girls and I did our best to make it as comfortable as we could.

My bunk was the one with the blue suitcase on it.


I took lots of pictures of the girls participating in various activities and completing certain tasks for their certification, but I didn't feel like asking all the parent's permission to post pictures of them on the internet.  So I'm afraid you'll have to settle for some nature shots.

I'm not going to say that I hated girl's camp, because I didn't.  I enjoyed my time in Boone and I loved all the nature around me as well as the Spirit that was there.  I have no regrets going.  But I will say that at the end of the week, was very happy to come back and be in the comfort of my own home with my husband and my dog.  Not to mention sleep in a real bed!