Events of August

Since today is the last day of August, I figured I better get caught on all that's happened. It's been quiet an eventful month!

Girl's Camp: August 12-15

I was quite looking forward to girl's camp this year, just as I always did when I was a young woman! We met up at 5:45am, had a devotional, and hit the road. We went to the Etna/Jackson Hole area to stay in our YW Pres's cabin. We got unpacked and unloaded and got right into it. Without giving a play-by-play of all that happened, I'll reveal some interesting observations and highlights of the trip.

-It is VERY different being a leader than being a young woman. And to be honest, I'm not sure which I like better. I actually kind of felt stuck in the middle. I liked being with the leaders and getting closer to them, but at the same time, I felt more comfortable, and more myself with the girls.

-I've always prided myself on being good with directions and knowing where I am, but when given a compass with coordinates, I was clueless. All of the girls were too, but not anymore!

-Girls can do impressive things when given a bag full of random items. We gave them bags filled with different objects that they had to make articles of "clothing" with to show off on the runway.

-River rafting on the Snake River is very different on different stretches of the river! I know this is a "duh" comment, but I thought going swimming/rafting in the Snake river every year of my life since I was born would not cause any nervousness in me. I was wrong. This stretch was not the same as the stretch in front of my cabin. However, once we got on the river, my nerves dissapated and we had a great time, even despite the arctic temperature of the river.

-Some girls are just happier than others! Or rather, Beehives are more oblivious and generally seem to always be happy!

-There is a LOT of drama that goes on behind the scenes. Sheesh. Perhaps I was being too idealistic in my views, but I was not expecting quite a production of this caliber.

-Don't ever let your YW President tell the girls right before testimony meeting that, "This is supposed to be testimony meeting, and not testi-STORY meeting." They end up feeling "gipped," because no one feels like they can say anything OTHER than their testimony and it ends up being done in 45 minutes. I mean, I know what she is trying to teach them, but for crying out loud, this is the ONE time a year that girls get to really vent and let out all their feelings.

-I like dutch oven cooking. :)

-Sitting around doing crafts with a bunch of girls is fun. I got so into it, the girls dubbed me, "Krafty Krista." They even made me a cute bag displaying that moniker. I'll have to take a picture and post!

Here are just a few pictures from camp:

A long day after being on the river

A very large cowboy boot

Priesthood leaders are fun to have around

Get that fire started or else we're not passing off your certification! :)

The Big Kahuna (Doesn't look near as daunting as it was!)

Going through the Big Kahuna--way blurry!

Some of the girls with their favorite leader. HA

All in all, we had lots of this. :)