The Adventure Starts Here

This week we readied Lily for her first trip to summer camp. Alone. (!!)

This morning we dropped her off at the bus. There were tears all around, but she put on a very brave face (and so did daddy and I. Ok, maybe not me.) and with the help of a sweet friend she recognized from school (but didn't actually know until today) they got on the bus together to start their adventure. My momma heart is nervous, but Daddy prayed with her before leaving, we wrote her lots of mail and gave her two verses to hold close to her heart this week. She is set. I think we are, too. It's hard sending your baby off on her own.

Last month we went to visit the camp to give Lily some familiarity with where she would be spending a few days without us. A visit to the camp would surely help us her feel less jitters about going to camp so far away without us. Really, it was for our peace of mind, not hers. She was fine about the whole thing, but we told ourselves that it was all for her.

Visiting the camp did give us a chance to meet the staff and hear more about the planned activities, like the Polar Bear Swim ("Mom! I LOVE jumping into freezing cold water! I am TOTALLY going to earn that patch!"), the arts and crafts and the unit cookouts. She was disappointed to learn that she is not quite old enough for the archery lessons, so no channeling her inner Merida this year. It does give her something to look forward to next year, though.

I never went to Girl Scout camp in California, I was a Girl Scout in Missouri, so I was not familiar with the camps here. I can vividly remember my camp experiences at Camp Cederledge and Camp Fiddlecreek with my troop: Pulling musty mattresses down to lay out our sleeping bags, decorating pillowcases for everyone to sign (note to self: get lily a pillowcase and sharpies), the terrifying ropes course where we felt like we were flying (and dying), helping out as older girls at Daisy and Brownie day camps. It was all so much fun.

Now that I am a leader and know how much stinking work it is to be a Girl Scout leader, I am super appreciative of my leaders and all the things they did to give us such great experiences. Especially considering we were in junior high and the last time I checked junior high girls are frequently less than pleasant to be around. I shudder to remember the drama I helped cause at various Girl Scout camps (Mrs. Hetz, I am so sorry)!

Potential drama aside, I am so excited for Lily to get to go to camp and the amazing adventures that await her there. Horses and swimming, crafts and campfires,  songs and friends and so so much more. I can't wait to hear all about it on Monday!