Incredible Weekend!

This past weekend I was on course with the American Cancer Society's Camp Hope. This camp is for kids who's siblings have had or currently have cancer. The camp was so amazing and such an unforgettable experience. The kids ranged from 11-17 years old and many have been doing it for several years. All of the kids are so fun and goofy and happy. I kept having to remind myself why they were here. I was amazed by how strong these kids are and how they put on a brave face everyday. We have a total of 25 campers for the weekend and it was a full house! Add that to how much energy these kids have it is nuts...We went ice skating the first night after dinner and that was fun. We made it extra funny by all dressing up in a disco theme which morphed into just crazy randomness but so much fun. Some boys were in 80's style one piece outfits and others were in fur coats and dresses. The girls had awesome beaded hats and funky dresses on, we all had a pretty awesome time. We skied all day on Saturday and I had a sweet girl named Gretchen who was a great little skier. She loved going in the trees and off the beaten path. I feel like these 25 kids taught me some amazing stuff. They wake up everyday with a smile and a greta attitude. They all helped out so much and were just fun and goofy. They give out hugs like crazy which was awesome since I love hugs! We watched movies and hung out that night playing games and making the most delicious banana boat desert (chocolate chips, peanut butter, marshmallows and banana YUM YUMMMM) The next day was a half day of skiing and then we went tubing in Frisco which was AWESOME. We could link our tubes with 4 people and they would shoot us down spinning. SO MUCH FUN! After tubing we made dinner and then did the sharing circle which is a safe place for the kids to talk about life and home and the stress that comes with it all. These kids are amazing, they are so strong and yet so young. They discussed some of the funny things that have happened the hard things and the unbearable parts as well. I left the circle humbled by these 25 incredible children who work their tails off everyday to make life just a little easier for mom and dad and their siblings. Some make dinner and do the house cleaning while others are teaching their younger siblings in home school and keeping everything in order. I just can't even imagine how I would be able to handle that at only 13. Needless to say these kids blew my mind and are some of the coolest kids I have met. This job is affecting me much more than I thought it would. It is a good affect but holy moly is it a lot of greatness in one place!

See ya!

-L