oooooklahoma adventures.

half of my family (my brother, dad, and stepmom) moved to oklahoma the end of july. edmond, oklahoma to be exact. about twenty minutes from the big city. everything is about twenty minutes from everything here. it's like magic.

what a city motto!

we go to walmart a lot. that's an experience. the walmart closest to us is a superstore. it has a family hair salon, doctor's office, subway (for the healthy oklahomans..), nail salon. you know. the usual in a neighborhood drugstore. 
we spend lots of time in the pool. where the water is about as warm as the air. it's kinda like taking a bath. but still fun!
dad and i saw a tractor leaving the mall the other day. that was shocking. they don't even do that in idaho!
and last night we went to a rodeo. quite the experience. mutton busting was my favorite event (little kids riding sheep!) it was so, so cute. 


here are a few pictures i've collected over the week..

shleper's idea of back to school clothes.. the sign is hilarious! 

my new boots. they're actually kinda pretty!

sunset on the lake. oklahoma has big skies, and big space, and it delivers big time every night.

em and i on the lake!

braum's. not your typical baskin robbins, but still pretty delicious if you get the frozen yogurt.

oklahoma city is growing! it has [almost] one skyscraper!

gluten free rolls i made!!

andrew and i on our way into the rodeo!

warming up at the rodeo!

cows like rodeos too! just kidding. they're in it.

i have about two days left in oklahoma. i plan on spending it with my family doing oakie things. like sitting in the air conditioned house and seeing harry potter with my brother!

calvin crest.

my favorite week of the year.
every year, i go into the week worried that my expectations will be too high, and i'll be disappointed or worse, i'll disappoint my campers. 
like what if they don't learn about him? the camp high isn't a necessity to faith, but it's helpful. like the bullets you get during mario kart that speed you along for a while. that's what the camp high does. gives your faith enough power to hold you up for a bit. 
or what if they don't separate their cliques and get to know other people? i don't expect everyone to be bff, but it's important for them to be out of their comfort zone and get to know others.
what if they think our activities are stupid? we worked really hard on the schedule for the week, but i knew if they didn't buy into the games, it'd be miserable for them. 
what if they weren't open and real with themselves and with me? in irvine they don't get time to process, so they desperately need this week for that. it's always stressful for me to see if they'll actually take that space, and run with it.
god is so great though, and every year he provides exactly what my girls need, and i learned something every other minute.
needless to say, i was not disappointed last week. 

we all made new friends!

we tried new things (like a 14 mile mountain bike ride!)

they got messy. sooo messy. but when do you really get to go down a slip in slide full of oil, vinegar, ketchup, pancake mix, soy sauce, texas ranch, italian dressing...?

they learned to be real, open, honest, and love themselves a little more. and  they learned to trust me just a little. i'm honored and proud of them. 

we had fun. and dressed up like cowboys and cowgirls. so cute!

gabi and i learned to climb real tall trees! (or we had a little help...)

they learned to work as a team, and look out for each other.

we learned to stand out! and we had yellow dress up night wednesday.

my princesses! i learned how much i love them!

my gabi and neal as mad cows.. they taught me how to laugh harder than i've ever laughed, and believe in myself, my story, and my love for the kids a little more.

there are a million stories i could share, a million little moments i watched happen or we experienced as a group that were so, so good. but what is most important is that god was so present and real while we were there, which was exactly what these high schoolers were craving.
i'm so thankful for them, our week, and your prayers!

prayers for camp

as i'm rushing around getting ready to leave for camp with 49 high schoolers in the morning, i keep being reminded that the only way i'm going to get through this is prayer.
and it isn't to say that these high schoolers are crazy, disrespectful, or anything like that. it's just that...when you're a counselor, you give everything you have physically, emotionally, and spiritually for a week. and that is beyond draining. i wouldn't change my time with them for the world. it is honestly my favorite week of the year. but i would like prayer.
prayer for...
safety. we always, always have injuries. usually some er ones. and we have one camper who just had surgery yesterday and is coming up anyway. dedication!
food. some years calvin crest has the nastiest food. it makes everyone grumpy and out of energy. and since i have food allergies coming out my ears, i'm taking all my own food. it's been stressful trying to get everything together for that. prayer that i haven't forgotten anything!
love and compassion. love from us to our campers. love between each other. love in our cabins. and love extending from each clique in our youth group and breaking those boundaries so they can all know and feel so loved. and compassion between them to foster that love!
patience. for everyone. all the time!
wisdom. a lot of our kids use this as a time where they don't have to live in the irvine bubble. they ask hard questions, share tough stories. as young counselors, we can get overwhelmed. we don't want them to hurt, but we know we can't always fix it. wisdom in our answers, and our understanding of their situation.
fun! this week is a time for our kids to bond. and try new things! prayers that they enjoy their time together and the activities we've worked hard on!
spiritual growth. for all of us! because that is the ultimate goal of this week!


know that these prayers are so appreciated. and i can't wait to share what god does in our lives this week!

pre-messy monday counselor love from last year! 

oh those calvin crest nights!

it's camp eve eveeee!

it is camp eve eve! (have you watched eloise at christmas? she celebrates christmas eve eve. this is just as exciting for me!)
it means i've been busy preparing in just about every way imaginable. late night leader meetings. surprise cabin changing leader meetings. costume shopping. easing parents' worries. telling high schoolers that they'll have to wait just 48 more hours before they can know who's in their cabin. trying to pack my clothes. working on a sermon with gabi. praying for patience and wisdom. sleeping extra. all the things we do every year! it's wonderful.

planning outfits.. 

fancy friday dress. clearly!

trying to figure out how to fit a tutu into an already full suitcase..

but just because camp is coming on sunday doesn't mean the rest of life has stopped. there are pool parties to attend, snacks to bake, and precious little children to watch. and since i've slacked recently, i have a lot of pictures to share.

 leah dancing on our ride down the coast ! she is too, too much.

the view we had while drinking our milkshakes in the limo on pch!

gluten free brownies! yum. and theeee cutest cupcake wrappers!

    

an extreme water slide party at poolside with jr. high and high schoolers!

some of my love high school girls. but they swim and have ridiculous tan lines! its worth being cif champs though!

and so friends, i'll leave you with pictures from my last three weeks and a prayer that yours have been as blessed, fun, and a little less tiring than mine have!