another adventure.

After reading my daily blogs (which include a few SPU people, one wedding photo blog, and a few others) I got inspired to write on my own blog.

I am currently in Seattle at my friend Sarah's apartment because we are leaving in the morning for HAWAII! I am beyond excited for this little adventure, and I can't wait for it to begin. We are currently documenting every part, including the ferry ride over here... maybe a few pictures in the morning while we are getting ready :)

I can't wait to step off of the plane and feel the heat, smell the flower-e smell and enjoy the BEACH.

I CAN'T WAIT!

God is good.

I just found out that my little buddy from camp got all of his scans back, and THEY ARE ALL CLEAR!!!! I am so incredibly happy for Diedra, Kailin, and Jay... I can't even imagine how excited they are. Let's hope and pray that his scans in November show the same! Oh, and if you want to check him out, his website it www.prayforjayellis.com. What a great day!!!

what camp is all about.

I know that I already posted about Camp, but to me, this IS the picture of camp. This is Kailin, who is 8 years old. Kailin's little brother Jay was diagnosed with cancer 18 months ago. In that time, Jay has crashed 8 times, gone through chemotherapy, radiation treatment, his Dad walked out on them, he lived at home with family, moved in with his grandparents, lived in the Ronald McDonald house, and dealt with his family falling apart. But in the moment of camp, when he shot off his homemade rocket with Chad, he was living in that moment, and fully living in that moment; nothing else in the world mattered: he was a kid.

a little bit of everything.

I realized today that it has been almost a month since I have written anything, but my life has been a bit busy.

Update:
1) I finished VBS two weeks ago. It was an amazing and extremely draining week, but wonderful. We had 150 children and over 100 volunteers, and it all went off without a hitch. Except for the little girl who put a bead up her nose and had to go to the ER, but that was no big deal. :)

2) Last week I worked at the most amazing Camp called "Camp-Side-By-Side". Hands down, one of the best weeks of my life.

A few highlights from the week:

Dan Wilson and Family: Yes, that Dan Wilson. I hung out with him and his family for 3 whole days. I ate meals, swam, danced with them, goofed off with his kids, and had an amazing time. We exchanged e-mails and #'s and such. AMAZING, and a dream come true for me.

Stories. I love hearing stories about people. Maybe that is why I enjoy reading people's blogs... because you can learn so much about someone and get inside their head. Well, this week was challenging in so many ways, but such a blessing in others. Hearing stories of kids dying from cancer, families torn apart and lost while their child is suffering was difficult. But to hear the faith of these families that they know God's presence and can feel it... amazing. Sometimes I as the question, "Where is God" and I can't even imagine having to ask that question and not know the answer, especially in times like this. But, as Buddies at camp, we are not there to fix anything; simply stand beside these families and listen.

Kids. I had the privilege and honor of hanging out with so many kids; which is probably my favorite thing in the world to do. These kids just got to be kids for the week, and to see that was amazing.

Being Goofy: Most of the time, I am a fairly reserved person. But at camp, I can totally be goofy, dance, sing, laugh until I cry, and generally be involved in activities adults normally save for kids.

People. I also got to meet some amazing amazing people at camp. The volunteers who work at so great!!! I got to hang out with a whole lot of people, and I couldn't have asked for better people to be around.

I feel like this may be my most positive blog... ever. I see that as when I give back, I get back so much more than I could ever want. I'll wait to post more until tomorrow.. :)