Making Memories

My summer as a camp counselor has officially come to an end.  Last Thursday was the last day of camp and we celebrated by hosting a Family Fun Fair on Friday for the campers and their families.  The kids enjoyed playing in bouncy houses, eating lots of cotton candy, snow cones, and popcorn, and spending time with friends.  The weather was crazy enough on Friday to require sweatshirts, yet Justin willingly sat in the dunk tank for over an hour while the kids threw softballs every which way!

The weather provided some interesting obstacles for the day (it rained and the wind almost blew the bouncy house obstacle course away) but it turned out to be a fun end to a long summer.  I got to talk to many of the kids' parents and meet their younger brothers and sisters.  One boy in my group even ran up to me and gave me a hug at the Fun Fair after being very guarded and stand-offish all summer; it definitely made my day and melted my heart.  All in all, the summer turned out to be a great success.  The goal was to impact these kids for Christ and I think we did just that.  I learned so much by spending time with these kids, as well - patience, love, compassion, and, of course, how to be a kid again. 

Thursday, the last day of camp, was definitely a test in patience.  The camp director had planned an entire day of outdoor "messy" activities for the campers and it ended up pouring rain all day long.  We had to improvise and I think everything turned out in the end.  We started the day with "cupcake counselors" where the kids got to decorate their camp counselor's face like a cupcake.  As I sat in the rain, I got M&Ms stuck to my forehead and frosting smeared in my eye.  The kids had a blast even if I couldn't wait for "cupcake counselors" to be over!

We took the kids to the playground hoping the rain would stop, but when it didn't, we proceeded with our outdoor messy relay race.  The kids dug around in pales of alphabet noodles, put their faces in spaghetti to find gummy worms, army-crawled through a slip 'n slide covered in shaving cream, and used their feet to find marbles in bins of tapioca pudding.  My group ended up with third place and I got tackled and hugged by many shaving-cream-coated eight-year-old kids.  We ended the day with a water balloon fight in the pouring rain.  (Did I mention I went with Justin to the dentist after this!?)   

It's been a fun summer, but it's getting closer to a day I've been waiting for for a long time - my wedding day.  I'll have a couple weeks to focus on finalizing wedding plans, packing up my apartment, and preparing for my second year of grad school and my upcoming teaching position!  I've already started sorting and packing up my stuff to start moving to the new apartment after the renovations are finished!

I was able to spend a little more time with my brother, Tyler, yesterday before he goes back to school on Monday to start his sophomore year of high school!  (I can't believe he's that old already!)  My parents came up to South Bend and we did a little shopping, had dinner together, and then went to a Silver Hawks game at The Cove.  Tyler and I had been talking about going to a game all summer (because the LaFollettes LOVE baseball!) and we never got a chance to, but luckily to whole family (minus my older brother) got to go last night.  I had an amazing night with my family.  We had awesome ballpark food, watched the Silver Hawks win 7-2, and watched an amazing fireworks display after the game.  It is a memory that I will cherish for years to come.  (And a great way for Tyler to end his summer vacation!)

Tyler and I waiting for the Silver Hawks game to start.