Go For the Gold!

My blog has been sadly lacking this Summer; not because I haven’t had anything to blog about or desire to do so, more because I’ve been incredibly busy. This week was by far the busiest of all, with scarcely a moment to rest. It was our Stake Girl’s Camp this week, and oh my goodness, my weary bones!

Girl’s camp is not my favorite given that I’m not really a camper, but all I have to do is participate in a Girl’s Camp to see the benefit of them. It was an exhausting venture to say the least; but as always, whenever there is a major event that takes place in our church, I am completely blown away by the generosity of good people, motivated by a desire to serve, who came together and worked tirelessly to make it all happen. The girls of our Stake are very loved.

Given that our camp was during the Summer Olympics and given that we Mormons are crazy for a good theme…our camp theme this year was “Go for the Gold!” (Of course, what else would it be?) I was given the honor of being our Olympic torch bearer. A talented guy in our Stake made the torch with his own two hands. Pretty cool, I thought. We took that thing up to our camp and lit a caldron (of sorts) that burned everyday of camp, our very own Olympic flame.

One of my responsibilities at camp was that of photographer. I had fun behind the camera. Here are some moments I captured…

You’ll see clearly…we Mormons know how to capitalize on a good theme…

“Go for the Gold” t-shirts



No Girl’s Camp is complete without a rowdy water fight

Nothing taste better than cold, juicy watermelon on a hot summer day in the mountains
 

With MK’s best friend Libby

 

I died laughing over that painting of Jesus on cardboard!

No, your eyes do not deceive you…that is me in the blue swim cap with my bathing suit over my clothing. The humiliation was worth it though, our synchronized swimming routine got a standing ovation from the crowd at skit night.

 

More fun than zip-lining… zip-lining upside down

 

The official rules state that you can not have a Girl’s Camp without crafting

The “fruit” from our Tree of Life activity

 

Nothing like a steep hike on the third day of camp to test the girl’s metal

 

Our neighbor Emily J.

I love Aimee! She was our dedicated Stake Camp director. I can’t say enough good things about her. I’m sure she’s sleeping long and well tonight!

Our 2nd year girls in Julie Andrew’s Meadow

To be honest, I was kind of dreading Girl’s Camp as it loomed before me all summer long, but it really was a pleasant experience over-all. I’m incredibly lucky to be surround by amazing people who do the right thing for the right reason.

I loved being up there with my daughter too. The title of “Young Women Leader” takes on a whole new meaning when your daughter is a Young Women. Oh how I love the women in my ward and stake who give my daughter so much of themselves.

Mary Kate was a trooper up at camp. She came straight home, showered off the dust and grime, climbed straight into bed and slept for 6 hours straight.

She earned it.

And so did I!