Here Comes the Sun

It officially feels like summer to me. Now that I'm at work full time, I can literally smell camp like it's almost here. Wait a sec, that might be because it is. Less than two weeks until our first day. I tell ya, things just sneak up on you. It seems so far off for so long, and then one day I'm running around in a panic because it's here and I'm not quite ready. Of course, now that I've dealt with reality and laid my neurosis at the foot of the cross, I feel ready to take on the next 8 weeks.

That might be easy for me to say, though, considering where I am now compared to where I was this time last year. Let's review. Going into last summer, our first year at camp, I had just lost my Dad to cancer. Let's just say I wasn't dealing as well on the inside as it may have looked like on the outside (which wasn't great). I was in the first trimester of an unexpected pregnancy and experiencing all the "junk" that came along with it. We were moving across town, which was another thing we weren't exactly expecting. Yes, we put our house on the market in mid-May, but in this economy we assumed it would take months to sell, not 24 days. So not only was I packing up a house, our first house might I add, but we were preparing to move to Catonsville right in the middle of camp. Needless to say all this stuff going on in my life had a profound effect on my experiences at camp, mostly in relationships. And I'm pretty sure I wasn't laying a thing at the foot of the cross. Spiritually, I was struggling, but God sent a wake up call around the first week of camp, and gave me a second chance to come to Him. Thankfully, there is a way to get through this thick skin.

Fast forward a year. Today, I am a slimmer and healthier (both physically & spiritually) mother of 3 beautiful children. We've settled down into our new home in a fabulous community in Catonsville, and are super excited about what God is doing in this area (more to come on that after Sunday). But most of all, I'm in a good place with the Most High. I'm in my sweet spot. Of course, I have to be careful, because it's in this place when I am most open to attacks from the enemy.

I'm stoked about our staff, our campers, and all the stories I'll get to tell. God has shown up at Grace Adventures and we haven't even had our first official day yet. Today I get to have lunch with 4 of my specialty counselors, and my prayer is to begin to build relationships with them that will impact all of us for eternity. Specialties are new this year, and I'm convinced that God called each of these counselors to their positions. If you get a chance, pray that they see their calling as clearly as I do, and that they take ownership over their areas and run with it.

Yesterday was Day One. Day one of me as a full time working mom of 3, and I think I did pretty well. I got up and ran (which I can now barely move), made it to work on time, and managed to have a very productive and satisfying day. This is Day Two. Okay, I didn't run this morning (b/c my legs are still burning from yesterday), but I'm sitting on the couch dressed & ready to go with Blake resting on one side while I empty my brain into this blog. I'd say I'm doing pretty good. It's 7:30 now, time to pack the lunches, dress the kids, and hit the road.