WILAC V

-If there's enough, you can sweep water
-Cabin 19 has had a leaky roof
-A frayed knot
-1, 2, 3, eyes on me
-Nursey can rock it on the guitar
-I need a belt
-"Flood" is spelled with an "i"
-1, 2, eyes on you! (yes, sometimes it takes just that long)
-Glow sticks can explode
-So can pipes
-Every week is unique (+5 rhyming points)
-Puddle jumping is fun
-Skirts can be used to hide water balloons
-I know where something hidden is
-Mud sliding is dirty
-Tar is hard to get off your hands
-If I ever do have kids, I hope they're girls
-The song game is fun
-Shaylem and Emily are deathly afraid (knot) of snakes
-Something bad was supposed to happen on Friday
-I love drama
-Next best thing to candles: bubbles
-When it rains, it pours

So, this week was junior week two, same ages as last week but with over 140 kids this time (max capacity is a little over 200). It rained most of the week with showers hitting all days except Thursday, which allowed for splash games to still take place. Wednesday evening was the worst of the storm, with the water coming down in sheets with wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour (and me, Doug, Adam, Christian, and Emily D were all standing in the gazebo taking it head-on (someone was too scared to come out of her cabin)). The other days, it just kind of drizzled for most of the day. Personally, I love the rain, the sight, the sound, the thunder and lightning, the smell afterwords, pretty much anything to do with rain. The management staff did a great job working around/through the weather though, and the counselors must have loved it since they got to spend more time with their campers (hopefully it was love). The only really bad parts about the rain were the fact that the basement of the Tab flooded, and the fires for s'mores wouldn't light right. So, yeah, that's the first part of the "rains/pours" I have.
The second part is centered around the fact that this was the second hardest week of my life, the first being fishing camp, which I'm sure a few of you have heard about. Anyhow, given the intense weather, drama which both involved me directly and not, and a few complications I don't want to share publicly until I deal with it privately (isn't there a verse in Matthew that says to deal with the person responsible first?). Nevertheless, this was a long, hard, tiring week, not only for me but for all of the staff. What set this week apart from all the other lousy weeks in my life was the fact that it was worth the struggle. I grew closer to my friends at camp, and even those who I don't normally talk to. I lost another 3 pounds (making the summer total 21-blackjack!) even though I was eating more this week than normal (care package from my aunt). I also learned how to replace sinks.
Today, or it might have been yesterday... I was reading another staffer's weekly update (she has so much more detail than I do) and in it was the phrase "Life's not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain." That phrase really called out to me this week (not just because of the literal rain and all the fun we had in it) and it encouraged me. I'm a sort-of opportunist; if I see a time to do something and have the ability, I will do it (sort of like kleptomania). However, this phrase takes it to a bigger picture aspect. I realized I need to take it a little bit more relaxed and just enjoy the moments as they come, no worrying about college, romance, stories, or anything like that untill after camp, and even then I'll still take it slow. Thank you Mariah (and as a thanks, I spelled your name right)
So yeah, next week is Jr. High Week I, with a total of 85 campers so far. This week will definitely be easier. Can't wait to give you guys an update. Oh-and I'm now past the half-way point for the camp season! Only four more weeks to go...four weeks? oi...