High-ho High-ho it's off to camp we go..

School is out and camp is in. Last week was camp week for our whole family.

On top of "Mt. Baldy"

This was a milestone for Daria. She turned 12 in May, which means she is now in the Young Women's program at church. Entering Young Women's also means having the opportunity to attend "Girls Camp."

I can't say enough about the camp leaders. They began planning last August. Even though Daria was not in Young Women's she was included in all the preparation and opportunities to earn money to pay for camp. Aside from that they are fantastic leaders who really understand what the girls need to get out of girls camp and I believe their goal was met. The girls learned that "they could do hard things."

Daria was excited to go and slightly nervous to leave me behind. I knew she would do great. Ken would also find himself at Girls camp serving as a Priesthood holder, Medical support, and truck and trailer driver. It was a long week, Monday until Friday at midnight. Some of the highlights: hiking up "Mt. Baldy." That's not its real name but it's a hard climb and once you get to the top it's just a big, huge, bald piece of granite. The girls were put to the test to use their medical skills. Ken and some of the YCL's used film makeup to re-create real accidents. Unfortunately some of the accidents looked so real that campers in the area thought some of the girls were really hurt and notified the park office. Fortunately the park office new what was going on.

"Stick in the Eye" injury (with a little barf)

In the end Daria had an incredible fist year of camp, and you could tell Ken came home from girls camp as he was sporting green nail polish.

Dustin and I on the other hand spent a week on the other end of the spectrum at Cub Scout camp. There was not anything "girly" there, no fuzzy wuzzy moments and definitely no green nail polish. Just 100's of 6-10 year old boys with enough energy to fuel 20 race cars. It was loud, it was rough, and it was a ton of fun. I had big plans for the week. Since it was just going to be Dustin and I each evening I had grand plans to make it memorable. Somehow I forgot how exhausting Cub Camp was. So our evenings were not that glamorous. Dustin loved every minute of camp and earned more belt loops and pins. I served as the Range Safety Officer on the Archery range. That's where I was last year and that's where I wanted to be this year. I can't explain it but I love being on the Archery range, even in 103 degrees.

The real reason that the boys come to Cub Camp is for the BB's and Archery, and I'm not joking when I say that. If you ask a boy what he likes most about camp, he most likely will say "BB's and Archery." The district camps are the ONLY place a Cub Scout can participate in shooting sports. If you've been to Cub Camp you will be very familiar with boys bouncing all over the place. But the BB and Archery range is the ONLY place you will find the boys standing quiet and listening. That's because they know if they horse around they can get kicked off the range and not invited back. It's serious stuff and the boys want to shoot so bad they seem to find every ounce of self control in order to do it. It really cracks me up. It's often alarming to parents, or most mothers (myself included) when your sweet little boy seems fascinated with objects that go "bang, bang." But the reality is, that each year at Cub Camp I see 200 boys who can't wait to get their hands on a BB gun or Bow and Arrow. The way I figure it, they might as learn to shoot in an environment with certified instructors that teach safety, proper use, and skill.

can you say "yuck!"

In the end Dustin and I were tired. Dustin came home with a bunch of awards and I came home with dirt on my legs so dark it looked like I was wearing panty hose... but hey ... it was worth it.