1. Remembering how Beautiful this world really is
2. Spending an entire week with these amazing young women
3. This dock: swimming, fishing, water fights, commanding the stars, and late night laughs
4. Being woken up via singing & hot chocolate from these awesome Priesthood
5. Hiking on a "dried river bed" and getting "not lost."
6. Getting to use my emergency sewing kit for the first time in my 11 years at camp.
HAHA! Me and April are extra good friends now ;)
7. Remembering what it is like to be fearless and independent, to just do what you want to do
8. Remembering life is hard but we can do hard things,
and it feels AWESOME when we do!
9. Trying new things and succeeding! :)
10. Making new friends and having a better understanding of how Heavenly Father really feels about each of us.
I was asked to go to girls camp this year. Can I tell you something? I LOVE GIRLS CAMP! This is the same camp I went to as a girl and I have gone back as a leader a 5 years, and it never gets old. In fact, I think I love it even more with each year. I originally wasn't planning on going this year, but then I was asked about 6 weeks before camp to go as the level 1 leader. I was beyond excited. Although level 1 is not my first choice, I was still super excited to go. It was a little tricky working out a schedule for the kids. Girls camp just happened to fall on a week Jeff literally could not take off work. In fact he was SUPER stressed the day before I left. In the 2 years we have been with the company I have never seen him even remotely stressed and then it all came right when I was leaving. I felt awful, like I was leaving him at his worst. I had arranged some play dates for the kids during the week, so he really only had them after naps to bed. He was able to make it all work, but leaving him like that was really hard.
I must be honest though... I NEEDED camp. I too was actually at one of my lowest points. I love my kids more than life but they both were at such hard phases I was just loosing it. I do not cry often, but I was having breakdowns on a regular basis and just did not know what to do. I feel bad saying it, but I really needed to get away. What better place to do that than at a place where I can be immersed in the spirit. Where I can be in the service of others 24-7. Where I can have fun. Where I can enjoy God's beautiful creation. I know I was called to serve and I did, but I think Heavenly Father knew I needed to be there just as badly as those girls did.
I wish I was better with words so I could describe to you how amazing I felt up there. Everyone told me by the third day I would be aching to go home and I almost felt guilty that I didn't. I mean, I missed my kids. Leaving that morning of camp was so hard and I thought about them ALL THE TIME while I was gone. I love them and missed them but I was filled with so much peace while I was there. I truly felt amazing. I felt like I was my best self for the first time in a long time. Maybe it was because I was studying my scriptures every morning, maybe it was because I had no other distractions, maybe it was because of the amazing people I was surrounded by, but I really think it was Heavenly Father's way of telling me He loves me. His way of saying, I am a good mother and He know how very hard I am trying. I truly felt overwhelmed with joy and love, it bring me to tears again just thinking about it. So no, I was not aching to go home, in fact aside from seeing my family, I really didn't even want to go home. I wanted my family to meet me here and we could just live in this blissful state forever. Unfortunately that was not an option, but I was able to bring that peace, joy, and love I felt home with me.
Things really have been better for me since I have come back from camp. I am more patient. I am more loving. I am more focused on my kids. I find more opportunities to serve others. I am a better teacher. I feel closer to my husband. I feel closer to my Savior. So really, the greatest thing about girls camp this year was rediscovering me. I have been with my kids 24-7 for the past 3 1/2 years. I know I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend, and 100 other different roles, but I have been so focused on the kids that I really lost me. Girls camp helped me find me again.
I love everything about my life. There is not one thing I would change. I feel blessed beyond measure to know who I am, why I am here, and where I am going. Aside from the silly, fun, crazy things that happen at camp, this year it was very spiritual for me. I learned, I loved, and I grew.
This is me!
I am a Daughter of God. I am a wife. And I am a Mother.
I love me!
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