Family Camp

I'm home!

We had a great weekend, I love when we are at the camp cause there is no TV or radio's. All you hear is children laughing and the waves crashing to the shore. We arrived at Pleasant Bay Children Camp (PBC) about 5:00 pm Friday night. The weather was great all weekend till about 2:00 pm Sunday when the rain started.

Our church has a annual camp weekend. This is the second year family camp has been held at PBC and over the years the number of families coming to camp has grown. This year we had over a hundred people! A hundred people together to swim, kayak, canoe, play baseball, campfires, singalongs, watch fireworks, eat together, pray together, and LAUGH.

l love everything about camp but two things, the sleeping(ideally I would like my bed and my bathroom to travel with me) and the bugs (one of my first questions to God when I get to heaven will be: Why Mosquitoes, Why?)

We have a history with PBC, the teenager went to this camp for a week or two every summer for three years when she was younger. Her cousins would fly up from Florida and we would drive the three of them out to camp. Fast forward a few years and the teenager is in Junior High near the end of grade seven. Her homeroom teacher is asking the kids what there plans for the summer are and then she tells them she and her family will be going to a camp for a few weeks in the summer to work. She tells them she has worked at a children camp since she was a teenager and fell in love with her husband at camp. As she talks, the teenager thinks it sounds allot like the camp she went to. So at the end of the class the teenager asks "what's the name of the camp"? And coincidence of coincidence it is the SAME camp! At that moment they look at each other and memories of camp and one being a young kid and the other a leader come back.

Fast forward a few more years, the teenager now has her swim instructor and life guard certification. The teacher and her husband are now PBC Camp Directors and are looking for counselors for the summer. The teenager applies, packs her bags and heads to camp for the summer. This is second summer she is working there and I pray that this summer will be a wonderful for her as last summer was.

While we were at camp this weekend, the teenager was hired to Life Guard for the weekend. This was the first time her father and I have seen her work. Let me tell you it was a little weird at first. It took some time to get used to and for her father and I to find our boundaries. To watch her get the attention of all the people, and explain the rules of the waterfront, boats and beach play made me proud. But what was really hard for us was watching her exert her authority when rules were broken. Let me at this time vent a bit, not one child intentionally broke a rule but there is always one or two,(in this case three or four) adults who not only intentionally broke safety rules but when they were called on it were just down right rude. Yes you must wear a life jacket when you go out on the boats regardless if you were on the swim team in high school. If you should tip over and hit your head, being on the swim team 20 some years ago is not going to save you. The life guard can't help you if you fall of your windsurfer in a restricted area cause she can't see you!

The teenager was upset after these confrontations, and it broke my heart to watch cause I wanted to intervene but I had enough sense to know if I said anything it would only undermine her authority. But after it was over and she spoke to the camp director and rules were explained again to the guests I couldn't of been more proud of her. She is highly trained, and takes her job seriously. And to watch her interact with the children and adults was great, she was always respectful and though we new she was upset she didn't let that interfere with her responsibility. Though she had a rough morning, she was back on duty in the afternoon with a smile on her face and a laugh in her voice.

I should get off the computer and start doing some unpacking. We didn't get home till close to 10:00 pm last night, had showers then went to bed. Uhhhhh my bathroom and my bed.

P.S. Thank Christine for stopping by and THANKS for the yummy just picked strawberries!