Barton Springs and Porcelin Dolls

This morning I headed to Austin with 5 other staff members to experience Barton Springs. So, funny thing happened along the way. Half way to Austin, I decided to be a good samaritan and move a cardboard box from the middle of the highway. I turned my car around, pulled over, and got out to move the box. As I neared the box, I realized the box was not empty. It contained 4 porcelin dolls, a cordless phone, and a stuffed horse...yes, totally random.

Barton Springs pool is located just outside downtown Austin. Since the pool is 3 acres in size and filled with water from the springs, the water was freeeeezing! It took my breath away every time I jumped in after laying out. I'm sure the temperature difference between the air and water was about 35 or 40 degrees.

Jordan's Split Jump off the diving board

Me flipping and turning off the board

Such a blast...can't wait to go back and do it again! :)

Off to play volleyball with the staff...good night y'all

Camp Bluebonnet, Slip-N-Slide, and Waco

Last week's Camp Bluebonnet was a lot different than the first two camps we held. Camp Bluebonnet was a bit overwhelming at times since there were over 200 kids. Unfortunately, we didn't really get to know the kids because, one, there were so many, and two, we only facilitated a few stations in the rotation each day (lifeguarding, high ropes, low ropes, etc). Also, this camp was only a day camp, so we were off at night.

Friday we had a carnival for the kids and their families - including carnival games, face painting, snow cones, petting zoo (yes, I played with the baby animals for a good half hour - adorable), bounce house, etc.

Wednesday night, we went out to eat in Temple at Las Casas, and then went to see Toy Story 3 for Trevor's Birthday. It was such a cute movie, but sad...definitely shed a few tears. Thursday night, we stayed at camp and played on the slip-n-slide and water slide...so much fun :)

Last night, a group of us went to Waco to hangout at Ashley's house, and then we went out to Wild West, a bar near Baylor University.

Showing off our new boots

Tomorrow, the group is headed to Barton Springs in Austin. Barton Springs Pool is 3 acres in size and fed by underground springs. I am planning on taking pictures tomorrow, so hopefully I get a few pictures to upload on the blog.

I am BEYOND excited for this coming week - CAMP OUT ON A LIMB!!! This is the camp I watched on TLC, which is for kids with multiple missing limbs. I can't wait to meet the little girl shown on the special :D Also, there are only 15 campers coming next week, so we will get to spend a lot of time with each one!

Thanks for reading my blog...take care

XOXO

Bo's Barn

I forgot my camera when a few of us girls went to Texas A&M Friday night. But, I remembered it last night when the group went to Bo's Barn, a honky tonk in Salado. I thought I'd upload a few pictures.

Camp Grey Dove

Yesterday was the last day of Camp Grey Dove. The camp was a lot different than the previous camp in the fact that the kids attending last week seemed "normal." They did not have a physical problem, just a lack of attention.



Seeing a few kids act out and watching a few negative attitudes threw me off on Monday, day one. The week before I had never seen so many driven individuals despite their obvious disability. I remember talking to a completely blind, older camper during Putt Putt. I don't remember exactly what I asked him about being born blind, but I remember the response that broke my heart..."Y'all can do so many more things than we can." It made me realize how much in my life I take for granted - general health and the ability to walk, talk, and even see the world I live in.



Also, another thing that really affected me was asking him "What do you "see" in your dreams?" He responded with the question directed back at me - "What do [I] see," since he has no idea. How frustrating it is to me to not be able to give my sight to someone who has never seen more than the difference between light and darkness. What I would give to experience being completely blind for a day or being able to give a blind man a look through my eyes just to be able to relate to these individuals on a different level...



Anyways, back to Camp Grey Dove - the camp for cancer patients' siblings. The Peaceable Kingdom director read us a story Monday night, which completely changed my perspective on this camp. Until hearing the blog post, it was difficult to realize what these kids were really going through in their lives, because it wasn't an obvious "disability." These kids face obstacles every day, which I cannot relate to. I feel blessed to even be able to say that, and I believe you will to when you read the following blog about Camp Grey Dove (a previous camp of Peaceable Kingdom from a few years back).



Be moved by the following link :) it definitely brought tears to my eyes and a glimpse into the live of a young girl's every day struggle... http://trevorsblog.com/2005/01/28/innocence-and-clarity.aspx. It is such a touching story and a perfect representation of what Peaceable Kingdom is all about.

This week, I unfortunately did not have the time to take pictures with my own camera. I did not want to deprive these children any more from the attention and affection they crave, and I did not want to distract myself from living in the moment. I gave lots of hugs to the kids last week and even let a little girl rest her head on me during the outdoor movie. They just need to know they are loved, since most of their parents attention is focused on their children with cancer (understandable). I can't even imagine how much time and energy is spent on the lives of their kids with cancer, which is a tragedy in itself. Why does a child who hasn't even experienced the world or been a real "kid" have to spend most of their time in a hospital setting? It is so sad. It is also sad to know how much their families suffer. Most of the kids at camp are so used to being in the hospital setting also as they are dragged to the hospital during their siblings stay. A few children last week talked about their siblings with cancer. Even though they don't go through the physical pain of cancer, they experience all of the emotional aspects of watching a family member suffer from it.

Next week is Camp Bluebonnet, a camp for kids with diabetes. There will be 200+ campers next week, which I heard is chaotic, but lots of fun. The camp is a day camp (9 to 3ish) every day and ends with a carnival on Friday in which their families are invited to. We will have about 700 people on PK property that day :P I'm exhausted just thinking about it!

Hope all is well with everyone! I miss y'all!! Also, HAPPY EARLY FATHER'S DAY DAD and CONGRATS SAMANTHA ON YOUR SPECIAL DAY(I'm so sorry to have missed it)!!! Can't wait to see everyone at the end of July.

Camp Teen Challenge

The beautiful Lodge

Me and Trevor dancing

Lifeguarding for the first time

I have been wanting to blog all week, because I have so many stories to share. Tomorrow is the last day of Camp Teen Challenge, and I've already cried on two occasions....saying goodbye to all the kids tomorrow is going to be real tough. :(

First of all, there are 37 kids that have been here this week, 6 of which are completely blind. I can not believe what these kids are capable of. Monday, a blind man, who started doing woodwork when he became blind 30 years ago, came to the camp to build wooden, folding tables for PKRC. It was cool to watch the kids work together to build these tables from scratch - they took turns drilling holes and sanding the wood.

Tuesday, I led beeper baseball (the ball is a bit bigger than a softball and weighs a couple of pounds - it contains a beeper, so you can hear where the ball is rolling) with some other staff members and was amazed to see those without eye sight field a ball. Nothing melted my heart more than to see one of the completely blind campers field the ball and hold it above his head with the biggest smile on his face. His smile just kept getting bigger and brighter with each play. This was the moment that made me realize coming to camp was the best decision I have ever made.

Working on high ropes today, I was inspired by those kids who conquered their fears. There was one little girl who is terrified of heights, yet climbed 50 feet in the air legally blind. Even though she cried and struggled through it, she came down with a smile. (She told me afterwards that she was glad she tried it.)

It is amazing how these kids can do so many things we do, but just have another way of going about it. For instance, one of the guys at camp has a laptop for the blind. The bottom of the keyboard is a line of braille that constantly changes. You read the "text" one line at a time. I could not believe someone could search the web without reading a computer screen.

It has been the little things during camp that have meant the most to me - the hugs, laughs, smiles, and even tears. It is such a great feeling to know I have made an impact on these kids. I think the biggest impact I have made so far was on the youngest girl at camp (this is her first camp at PKRC). She was very quiet in the beginning and has now come out of her shell. I completely lost it after camp closing tonight because I saw her crying :( I was doing SO well holding back the tears (knowing tomorrow I am going to be a hot mess) until I saw that. We hugged each other and cried for awhile - I don't know how I am going to make it through tomorrow...or ANY last day of camp this summer!!

Sentimental Times

Chapel on the Bowmer (founders) property and connected to PKRC

Baby Charlie's Burial site next to the Chapel - Charlie was Scott's cousin who died at 11 months. Baby Charlie had lived such a short life due to a heart ailment, but has impacted so many lives through PK. It was in Baby Charlie's name that Mr. and Mrs. Bowmer started a fishing camp, which grew into the Peaceable Kingdom Retreat for Children.

Bobbie Shae, me, Jackie (Scott's daughter), and Shilpa

Jackie, Laura, Shilpa, Leigh, Michelle, and Derek

Thursday night we ate dinner together at Scott's house before heading to the Chapel on the Bowmer property. Scott had us go around the room and give our reasoning for working at camp and what we hoped to get out of our summer here. It was a very emotional time for all, especially for those on staff who have been campers themselves at PK and those who have worked on staff before. Those who have worked on staff discussed the impact the kids at camp have had on their lives. It will be truly amazing to see kids with disabilities be in the "norm" for once and be able to participate in every challenging activity. This is what PK is all about! I am so excited to be a part of this family!! :)

Friday, we finished up the low ropes activities, which encourage team building (pictures below).

Me on the Pirate Ship

Low Rope Activity - The Pirate Ship

I did not take this picture (I was most likely hiding behind someone), but it turned out to be a beautiful picture! The spider and web were both massive.

I've spent a lot of time laying out the past couple of days (our days off). I've decided my favorite place on the property is the Broken Bridge area. It is gorgeous down there and the perfect place to relax with a book.

Entrance to the Broken Bridge area

Broken Bridge

Again Broken Bridge

This weekend was very relaxing for me...laid out quite a bit, played some volleyball with the crew (saw my first scorpion on the court, which Derek stepped on for me with his fake foot), and went on a nice run today.

BIG and EXCITING day tomorrow - first day of camp!! :) this week is Camp Teen Challenge for those with eye impairments.

I'm off to lead aerobics for the crew! Ta ta for now...

Camp Rules Video

Creepy Doll that someone placed in the girl's restroom

Silly summer staff (How's that for alliteration?)

Most of the staff - Pictured: Leigh, Michelle, Tyler, Trevor, Adam, Jordan, Matt, Bobbie Shae, Laura, Derek, Shilpa, Shannon, Sheila, and me

Sheila and Matt

Showing off the finished product

Jordan, me, and Sheila working on the banner

This week we worked on our Camp Rules Video, which was a lot of fun. My group depicted the rule "clean up your mess." Above is the picture of my group in costume (except Shilpa, who was later dressed as a trash monster).

Bobbie Shae, Shilpa, Tyler, and me

Today, we had people from Camp Team Challenge visit and provide activities for us to try blind-folded. Camp Team Challenge is a camp for children with vision impairments. We tried reading braille, playing checkers and dominos, pouring water into a cup, and walking outside along the path with a blind cane, which was by far the most challenging. Trying these activities put me in a proper mindset to work with these kids, since I now understand how difficult and frustrating every day activities can be without sight. It is amazing how your sense of touch and hearing are heightened when you close your eyes and concentrate.

Also, today, I worked on banners for the first two camps: Camp Team Challenge and Camp Grey Dove (camp for siblings of cancer patients). Pictures of my designed banners are above.