Off to Girls Camp

Rhiannon and I went off to Girls Camp the last week of July.  We both had a tremendously positive experience and were glad to be there.  We worked hard, made a lot of memories, and strengthened friendships and testimonies.

I loved Rhiannon's response:

"I came home last night from one of the best experiences of my life. It was my first time as a Youth Camp Leader (YCL). I was scared at first, but my cabin girls, fellow YCL's and all of the other amazing people there made it a total blast. I'm now a better leader, better friend, and a better sister. Just a better person in general.  I'm so grateful I had the opportunity and that my foot held up!!!!! I love you guys!!"

I've served in the Young Women organization for a gazillion years, and I always avoided Girls Camp like. the. plague.  I didn't want anything to do with girl drama and I didn't want to be away from home that long and have to make the long, hard drive up into the mountains to do it.

Well, after being up there that week, I realized that I'd missed out on some special experiences all those other years.   I'm so grateful for the courage, kindness, service, love, and miracles that I saw throughout the week, for the opportunity to rub shoulders with amazing adults and young women who made me smile and laugh and feel. the. love. every day that week.

Here was my list from the week:

"On my last morning of Girls Camp, three sweet girls approached me with big smiles on their faces and said, "Sister Cushing, we have a gift for you, for surviving your first time at camp." It was super funny and weirdly thoughtful at the same time, haha! 

I could probably write a book of all the experiences up at beautiful Camp Wilderness this week, but to give you an idea, here are just a few (of many) highlights:

I rappelled off a bridge.
I drove up and down a mountain.
I *tried to* sleep with mice in my cabin.
I went a week without showering, by choice. #babywipesRULE
I laughed and laughed and laughed, then laughed some more.
I walked a huge, crazy hard (for me) hike.
I saw countless examples of love, patience, service, and friendship.
I saw miracles and the "hand of God" often.
I ate REALLY good food.
I felt the Spirit and God's love for every person up there with me.

So grateful for the experience, for answered prayers, and for the many, many adults and girls who made it a wonderful week!"

Can't wait to go and do it again next year!

Girls Camp 2014

Rhiannon promises me a full report on here later on her perfect week at Girls Camp this summer.  She came home yesterday and talked all night long about the fun she had.  This momma is very happy and so grateful to all those who made it a happy experience for her!

Girls Camp fun with Rhiannon

Rhiannon's take on Girls Camp this week:

Girls Camp was fun!  It was even better than last year, if that's even possible. :)  My cabin mates were even awesome-er and my cabin leaders were AMAZING.  There wasn't as much drama as last year, and the hike was more tiring...but it was still fun.  I'm already getting excited for next year!

The food was good, too.  I can't really remember what I ate, but I do remember tasty hot chocolate and breakfast burritos in the morning one day.

I got to know our bishop better, Bishop Washburn.  He's funny and nice, too.

I was in the talent show that they had at Girls Camp.  My friend Sierra brought a keyboard up to camp, and I played excerpts from some of my favorite songs which people liked a lot!

Um, oh, I did miss watching Doctor Who and being on Facebook while I was gone, but Girls Camp helped fill the gap, ha-ha! 

The skits we did at night were good!  Everybody brought props and had to do a skit based on the Girls Camp theme, which was "Stand United."

I also bore my testimony at the Stake Girls Camp meeting that we do, about how everyone made me feel like I could be myself around them, and that the Church is true and I know Heavenly Father loves us.

When I got home, the first thing I did was JUMP IN THE SHOWER.  It was very niiice and refreshing!

So there's Girls Camp for ya!

Girls Camp

This is Rhiannon speaking.  And Mommy typing.  LOLZ! 

Girls Camp was pretty awesome.  For the most part it was very spiritual and fun, but....drama.  There were two drama queens in my cabin, and they always found a way to irritate each other in some little way.  But that was the only bad thing.  (Mom asks:  how'd you deal with the drama?)  Me and my friend often got away from "it" by hiking in the woods.  :)

(Mom asks:  did you get homesick?)  Maybe for like 5 minutes on the second day.  But otherwise no!

(What were some of your favorite activities?)  We played games in the woods.  Oh, Mom, I forgot to tell you, we played, "What's the Time, Sister Wolf?"  And we also did this game called Signs that was really hard.

(Tell me about the hike and what you and JenAi did.)  It seemed like a lot longer hike than it actually was.  It was 2 and a half miles there and back.  But it seemed like forever!  LOLZ  Oh, the YCLs (youth counselors) did a first aid thing where they all pretended that they'd been attacked by a bear in the forest.  We all practiced first aid for first aid, snake bites, and falling out of trees and dying.  There was somebody who "died!"  It was pretty awesome.

(Tell me about your leaders.)  Some of our friends from 3rd ward, Sister Ricks and her daughter Rosie, were our cabin leaders.  And they were awesome because they knew how to deal with the drama and it made our lives really easy!

(What did you eat?)  Oh, we had some very good cooks!  So I ate all kinds of yummy stuff, including hamburgers and hot dogs, sandwiches, oh, enchiladas, and I can't remember the rest.

(What about pranks?)  Ugh..  (Loud Sigh.)  My cabin was full of jokers besides me and four other friends.  The other five went around pranking almost every single night.  And let's just say they weren't quiet at all.  (How come you didn't join them?)  I was TIRED!  I mean, who wouldn't be tired! 

(Tell me about new friends that you made.)  I'd say by the end of the week I'd strengthened bonds with most of my friends and I made a friend from Mammoth who was my bunk mate.  Her mom came up to me later and told me that she wanted me to visit their family sometime, which is "score" for me!  They were really nice.

(Tell me about the skit you helped create.)  It was awesome!  Me and my friend, who are Harry Potter addicts, came up with a Harry Potter Goblet of Fire skit about the scriptures because the theme for Girls Camp this year was "Arise and Shine Forth."  So all the skits had to do with some kind of light.  In our case it was Harriet Potter and the Book of Light (scriptures).  (Mom says, "COOL!")  LOLZ

(How 'bout the famous Girls Camp testimony meeting experience?)  Holy Cow!!!!!!!!!  It was emotional and very spiritual.  And most of the people who usually didn't say testimonies were crying for at least 30 minutes straight, including myself.  LOLZ  I bore my testimony on a weird subject--for some reason I was inclined to talk about music. (Mom says, "That's not so strange--it means a lot to you!")  (Shrug by Rhiannon) 

(Do you want to go again?)  YES. Times Five!  That's all!