Here they are. The reason I have put off blogging for so long. I know it is annoying to keep coming back to the same post over and over for longer then a month, but this girls camp post has been intimidating me for a looong time. So many pictures so much to say, it's a lot to take in. But I have decided to meet my Goliath and just do it. So here I am with my Goliath. Be proud people, be proud!
I was the lucky winner in being chosen as Director of Girls Camp this year. I say that with all the sincerity I can muster. Kefford was still in the Bishopric when he came into the bathroom while I was getting ready for bed and we had this little conversation...
Kefford: So the YW want you for camp director this year, what do you think, think you can handle it?
Elizabeth: (inwardly screaming and jumping up and down for joy but outwardly playing it calm lest I frighten my husband) Really? That is so flattering that they want me.
Kefford: Yeah but what do you think? Is it come thing you can handle with everything else you have going on?
Elizabeth: (still jumping up and down inwardly but have included some sweet dance moves also inwardly lest I still scare my husband. Also pretending to think about being able to handle it) Well you know I think it is doable. It is stake camp this year so my responsibilities wouldn't be as much as it would be in other years where it is ward camp. Yeah I am sure I can do it.
Kefford: OK well we will see.
That really was the conversation. I was so happy when I got the calling and I began planning at once. Our theme this year was Summer Olympics and I had a gut feeling that each ward was going to represent a country. So when the email came that told us we needed to pick a country to represent I was ready and immediately sent a reply that we would be Australia. I am a little bit in love with that country! In hindsight I realize that I really should have asked the girls and had them decide what country they wanted to represent but it all worked out OK and everyone was happy so no worries mate!
Preparing for camp was stressful at times but it was manageable, obviously since I am still alive to tell the tale. The biggest stress for me was the day everyone had to have their stuff to my house the day before so we could get it all packed. the packing actually went really well and everyone had their stuff to my house in a timely manner. It was after that things got stressful for me. I was going that night with my oldest girls so we could get the tents set up and have everything ready for the campers arrival the next day. I still had to go to the store to get some last minute food supplies, I had to make the dough for our Country themed dinner night, I had to make sure I had everything we needed and not forget everything. Can you see why I might have lost some hair that day? Let me say though that I had two of my older girls, Megan Pierce and Katlyn Ro, offer to stay and help me. They were my saving grace. These girls made the dough for me which I never would have been able to get done and they accompanied me to the store to help me remember everything we needed. Most importantly they kept my spirits up and did everything they could to help, they were my angels that day and I will always appreciate what they did for me!
Finally arriving at the camp we got everything set up and after a game of phase 10 I left the girls to sleep by myself in the adult tent. That night was the craziest night ever! The wind started to blow and it didn't blow a nice gently breeze. It was a rip roaring pull up the tent and make it fly kind of wind. I had the tent collapsing around me all night long. In the morning I was saying my prayers and right when I prayed that the wind would stop the biggest gust ever came along and knocked the tent half down on top of me. I screamed and jumped up and ran to safety. Luckily right before the campers arrived the wind stopped and everything was calm. It was crazy and not a fun night.
I was so excited to finally have the campers arrive and so that camp and all that we worked hard for could officially begin!
This was Kenedys first year at camp and it was really fun to share this experience with her!
This was a game where the teams had to race with Ladles of water to fill the cups being help by Leaders. We convinced Syveah to throw the water in Sister Carocas face! Hahaha
Camp Hycliffs has a water slide that was a big hit with all the campers. I was feeling pretty cold when our ward had a turn in the water and so Sister Connors and I both said we were not going to participate. We had lots of people trying to talk up into it but we were adamant, who wants to be cold...not us! After thinking on it I decided I wanted to have fun with the girls and n-t be a party pooper like the other wards leaders and so I talked Amber into doing it with me and we did it! It was cold but fun and rewarding!!
In my first slide showcased below I started out on my behind sitting and them once I got going somehow I flipped around onto my stomach with my feet facing down and then towards the bottom I flipped over again onto my back. It was pretty tricky of me!
All the Linder ward leaders..
Amber Connors, Elizabeth Peterson, Lana Hope, Cheryl Pierce and Kathy Caroca
We really Rock!! Seriously we don't know of any other leaders who went down the slide with their girls, just us cause we are awesome!
Kenedy didn't really want to go down either but she was talked into it and was really glad she did it!
The girls all got to go canoeing at the Owyhee dam, I wasn't able to be there I had to stay back and prepare our Australia themed dinner so I sent my camera with Lana.
Each ward had to prepare a skit and with the exception of maybe 1 or 2 other wards we used our country and the theme of camp in our skit. Summer Olympics: Let your Light So Shine that it may be a Standard for the Nation
I taught the girls a dance that my ballet students did called Never smile at a crocodile. The idea was the Crocodiles in your life are the things you need to stay away from. So my two youth leaders wrote out scenarios about making good decisions even with crocodiles tempting you to choose the wrong. I was really proud of my youth leaders. I had enough to do I didn't want to worry about the skit so they took it all on and it turned out amazing. I am not even being partial when I am saying it was the best one out there. They even wrote in Australian lingo to make it represent out country. Amazing!
Kenedy was the Crocodile at the party trying to get the other girls to wear immodest bathers "bathing suits" Every last bit of Duct tape I brought to camp was used up making the girls bathing suits. :o)
We had a stake camp photographer taking pictures and documenting everything and after camp the directors were given cds with all the pictures she had taken. These pictures are all taken from her cd.
Me greeting the girls as they arrive.
Me and Amaya Hallenberger. I really love this girl and her spunky personality!
Mornings at camp were sooooo cold. Not even kidding...freezing!
Look at me!!
There was a camp mailbox so we could post notes to each other. I am here writing some notes and I was not even aware this picture was taken, that doesn't happen very often for me.
We had a parade of nations and our flag was the coolest. On one side I had the Australian flag that I had ordered and pinned ot the other side all of the girls had decorated a rectangle of white fabric to represent them. We were the only ward to have an official country flag.
There were three different hikes being taken this day. Two three miles and one five mile. Everyone according to their year had to go on a specific one. Being a leader I got to choose which path to take and I wanted to take the five miler. I knew I could do it and I was pretty proud of myself for doing it. Ours wasn't that hard and it was fun chatting with the girls who went on this one. When I got back I found out that I had the easy hike. For some reason the guys leading the three milers decided to take it to the extreme and had them hike up the mountain. From what the girls and leaders who wen on this one said it was brutal! They looked beat when they came back down and I felt bad for them. Ours was a straight walk on the road nothing major. I am glad I was on the the five mile hike!
Linder Ward!
A couple of months before camp another ward got split and we ended up with alot more girls added to our Young Women. We were so excited to have more girls, the girls added in were not so thrilled. We did our best to make them feel welcome and gradually they warmed up to us. When all of this first happened I worried about camp and thought that the girls would constantly be ditching us to be with their old ward. But after that initial thought I dropped it and never thought it again until our ward testimony meeting the last night of camp. One of the girls from the other ward, Rylie, got up and confessed that the new girls had a plan that once they got to camp they would ditch us and hang out with their old ward. But, she said, once they got here they had so much fun with us they didn't want to be with their old ward. I was so happy to hear that, it means I did my job well. I have to say that all of our Young Women impressed me so much this week of camp. They were happy, they were willing, they were kind otoeach other. These girls both former and new have been such great examples to our entire ward with how they meshed so well with each other. It was truly a great camp! I am so grateful for this experience and to have gotten to know our Young Women so much better. They are truly beautiful spirits and I love them lots!!
