Recklessly Abandoned: Ahh, Silence!

Swimming, hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, chiggers, sleeping under the stars, leather crafts, cabin cheers, archery, riflery, bonfires....these things stir up such fond memories for me. When I was a girl, each summer I went away to summer camp. The old fashioned kind where you slept in unairconditioned cabins and each day was crammed so full of activities that you fell instantly asleep at night. Each year I begged to go for as many weeks as my parents would send me. When I was old enough, I spent all summer long there working as a counselor and a lifeguard. I have always wanted my kids to have this same experience. Unfortunately, med school, residency, and living overseas have kept us from sending them.

Back in February, I had looked into it for this summer, but with a church youth retreat in June and plans to leave the US in mid-July, it would have made things too crazy. In June, with the summer still stretching long before us, it dawned on me that camp might actually work for this summer. After discussing this with Allan, I quickly signed Emily up at Camp Crestridge for Girls. Her cousin, Laura, decided she wanted to go and also signed up. Sadly, Will had to be placed on a waiting list at Camp Ridgecrest for boys. It seems 12 is a really popular age for boys to go to camp. Over the last few weeks, the camp has called with possibilities like a kid missing camp for a play-off game, but these didn't seem to pan out. The wonderful camp registrar told us last Thursday to pack his stuff just in case. She just felt good about him getting in. There was always the possibility of a no-show and since we would be dropping Em off at the sister camp down the road, we could easily bring him at the last minute. This morning as we were backing out of the driveway to head up to North Carolina, the call came. Will was in!! What a good lessonfor all of the family on God answering prayers .

Will was beyond ecstatic. He had wanted to go so bad and it was hard to put a trunk in the car that he knew might come out back at home at the end of the day. For the next 2 weeks, the kids will be romping and playing and worshiping in the North Carolina mountains. They will both ride a horse for the first time and learn to play the guitar. Bonfires, campouts, canoeing, ziplines, crafts, archery, paintball, riflery, and too many activities to name await them. I hope they love it as much as I did! It is quiet in the Gilmer house tonight. It's just me and the dog. Allan is off working 24 hours in the ER. The TV is off...no Disney channel, video games, Jonas Brothers, or Adventures in Odyssey fill the space. In a few days, the quiet may seem too loud, but right now silence is golden. It's time to refresh and renew before we begin the crazy months ahead. (By the way, isn't this more exciting than new pillows??)

I am sure I will have more pictures to share in coming days, but these are the only ones I found my kids in on the camp website today.

Emily's Cabin Mates