Summertime...

This is my first official week of summer! So far I've played kickball, been on a 6 mile hike in Castlewood Canyon with Krista, been on a few walks thru the park, an planted a garden with mint (thanks Sarah!), parsley, and basil in a whiskey barrel on my back porch!
Here's me hiking:
and here's my garden... it doesn't look like much yet:
I've also read a few books. One of them was The Memory Keeper's Daughter. It was a good book, but the story is kindof sad and doesn't really turn out very well. Anyway, several of the books I've started reading are about women that bad things happen to (they're mostly off of Oprah's Book Club list, because a friend loaned them to me. She thought they'd be good, but hasn't read them yet). Anyway, I'm realizing that I probably shouldn't be reading these books, at least not all at once, for the same reason that I don't watch scary movies. I start to think that the things that happen to these women are reality or common. Most of the books involve a deceptive husband or friend and I begin to be suspicious of other people. I forget that it's fiction and most people aren't really mean and deceptive. All this to say that I'm taking a break from sad story books. If you have any other non-fiction or more upbeat suggestions, feel free to let me know. I have tons of time to read this summer.

This week is also staff training week at Epworth by the Sea. I miss camp so much. I think if I could be doing anything this summer, that would be it. Unfortunately, I can't be there. I am enjoying remembering my summer there both as a camper and LT.

This was my first summer at camp. What a fun team!
Side note: Michael (bottom right) and Ally (top, second from right) are getting married this weekend!

And here is a picture of LT at the end of my second summer:
A few of my favorite memories:
- Capture the Flag
- Boat Rides
- the cast net
- Cookie days
- movie nights
- Bunny and Anna sneaking snacks to us at night
- going weeks without my cell phone
- small group breakfasts
- canoing
- "meetings" at the laundromat
- painting sets
- the way Epworth smells early in the morning
- bells on the hour
- swamp monkeys
- washing barf out of sleeping bags
- 13 girls living in one room
- making a wig out of Jack's hair (and the towel incident that followed- it's funny now)
- pulling my box of clothes thru the mud twice every weekend
- Circuit Riding thru camp with 20 kids in tow

I doubt anyone is still reading this, but to LT '08- love every minute of this summer! God uses you in ways you wouldn't believe and when you least expect it.