The best day of summer camp yet! I set up this kayak tour thanks to Molly with Mike Lamm who is a camp parent and the owner of the CI Kayak Center. He took one group out kayaking for about an hour through the harbor. The other half of our group waited for the arrival of the first group down at a small beach on Victoria just before Silverstrand. It was so exciting to see them arrive at the beach - 17 people kayaking up the shore. Our group hopped in the kayaks and away we went. Let's just say that this second group was much more energetic. They hardly cared about the history - they were so excited to be doing something different and they just wanted to rock the boat and splash each other. Gabbi and Zach (two awkward jr high kids who are dating and who have frequent blowout meltdowns [Gabbi screams and Zach cries]) went in a double kayak together. It was almost the destruction of their relationship. From the beginning Gabbi was screaming because other kayaks were hitting hers or she wasn't going straight enough or Zach wasn't steering correctly. Zach was trying his bestm but was frustrated he wasn't coordinated with Gabbi. Then she was yelling at him and he was upset because he didn't know what he did wrong. Well, somehow they went down the wrong turn in the harbor (not a big deal -the group was on the other side). Kristin and I were in a double together and had to follow them quickly because Gabbi started screaming, and Zach burst into tears and gave up paddling. Gabbi called him a big baby, which was hilarious because she is one too. We had to pull them over to a dock. Gabbi hopped out of the kayak and I slid into the one with Zach. Gabbi then got in with Kristin. The rest of the trip was just fine despite some other kids who were in la-la-land and were struggling with the paddling. The kids had a blast kayaking and seeing the sea stars, sea lion, pelican, and other birds, pirate skulls, a refurbished boats. Bud came and hung out with us all day and watched some of the kayaking. It was so great to have him with us because he could see our program, and having him there made our program feel worthy. Plus he is such a goofball and the kids had so much fun being crazy with him. We went to Coffee Bean nearby and chilled and then we took a walk down the new harbor, across a bridge to a grassy area where we played football, soccer, and played on the rocks. There we saw stingrays! It was such a fun day that was hardly planned, but we relaxed. It was such a healthy day too because we were in the sun, outdoors, and active. It's hard to say which part was my favorite, but I loved Bud coming to hang with us. I was able to relax and just have fun with the kids. I was in God's creation - soaking it up and sharing His joy. It was all so good.
Friday - LazerTag EXTREME
The day started off with Kristin and me making breakfast for the kids - crepes with nutella, bananas, and orange juice. So good!!!! Lazertag has a space theme so when I showed up to work, Charlie Brown was making stuff with foil and I said let's make foil hats like in the movie Signs to protect our brains from the aliens at LazerTag. So it was a big deal and all the Camarillo jr high kids made foil hats with a unicorn point in the middle. It was hilarious. We wore them all day and got looks from everybody! At LazerTag, our whole group got to play each other in the 2 missions we had. We were so intense. Even the ref commented with big bug eyes and a funny voice "You guys are bru-u-tal!" We were so hardcore shooting each other, defending our bases. Again, I loved just getting the chance to play with the kids. I was a kid - not a director for a few minutes. It was so fun. At one point, I was on defense protecting our base and Tucker was trying to shoot the alien at the ceiling. I kept jumping up and down and squatting all to block his laser from killing us and scoring points. After our missions, we played arcade games and hung out. Then we walked to RocketFizz and got candy and sodas. It was such a fun and exciting day!
I love every minute of my job. Of course, I hate the discipline and I hate the lack of respect and manners our kids have a lot of the time. But my mom reminded me the other day that these kids' parents are not training their kids when to say please and thank you and how to show respect. It's my job. I am with the kids more hours each week than their parents. Therefore, it's now my job to guide these kids and train them. Each day is another opportunity to teach them. Plus, God has called me to teach His children. I must be obedient to His call. And He has asked me to train these kids to be obedient servants for Him. WOW! Now that's powerful stuff!
Oh how I love my job and I take joy in the good times and the rough times!
Here's our group in the foil hats!
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