Get ready campers...

I'm not sure why camping is so appealing. Hey, let's go away from the comforts of home and modern conveniences... but something about it is enticing. No distractions, gathering with people, and the opportunity to be self-sufficient. A more "pure" existence.

I believe in two forms of camping:
1.) you go up into the "wilderness" and put up a tent. It CAN be in a camp ground, but even better if you have to hike it in a bit. You cook over the fire. I do allow a colman stove, but once again, it's not the best option. I will depart from the true "hard-core" campers, because i don't eat fish. So i don't survive only on the fruits of my labor. RVs and Campers are NOT allowed!
For me, this kind of camping brings back amazing family memories. It was one of the few times I could stand being around my freaky brother. Later, camping horseback trips with the youth group are added to the great memory mix.

It is a time to focus on each other, to laugh and tell stories, and to make memories. I enjoy the mistakes made... the time Brian was drying his shoes by the fire and David knocked them into the fire, or the time David was bringing us a plate of cookies and dumped the whole thing in the sand, or the time David... well let's just say, next time I go camping, I want to bring Dave due to the entertainment value!

I did not marry a camping kind of guy. I was impressed that Tom went with my male relatives to their hard-core hiking and camping/ fishing trip to the Steins Mountains. He became part of the tribe. Now my little brother, Jeff has offered to sponsor Bubba to go this summer, and I think we will let him. Family and tradition are very important to me, and I love that my brother wants to spend this time with his nephew.

We have been tent camping a couple times as a family... with less than optimum results. Our baby, Bubba, who usually slept through the night chose that night to cry... all night. Being in a campground sucks for this, so I spent the night with baby Bubba in the car. Not fun! Etc...

The only really successful camping Tom and I have done has been at a rock festival called Tomfest. For some reason, that has worked. It may be due to the lack of children... although we have taken teen aged friends. Perhaps next time we can take our old kids...

I hope we try the whole camping thing again, probably next summer. I would like the kids to add that to their collection of family memories. For me, the smells are often what I enjoy. The pine trees and wood smoke... and burnt marshmallows. And even though you slept with a wayward rock jabbing you in the back, you feel more alive. Even the bugs and allergies don't seem as bad when I'm camping.

2.) The other kind of camp is organized cabin camping. My first sleep-away camp was Union Rogue in southern Oregon. A bus from my church drove us to this amazing retreat, where we slept in cabins, and had a counselor, and could wear what ever we packed. My hair, a part of me that my mom took great pride in fixing everyday, was my own! I never had less than four ponytails or braids that week. For "silly day", I wore me underwear on the outside of my clothes! What joy!

Later it became about who was taking whom to the banquet. My absolute favorite camp ever was Mt. Lakes, 1985, high-school camp. I was technically a year too young to go, but my dad was the camp pastor. I was living in North Portland by this time, and had a wide range to "types" of friends. This camp is in southern Oregon. I approach a group of guys just hanging out buy the dining that first day. Introduced my self and they all kind of acted strange. I finally got it out of them that it was weird that a "normal" person, especially a girl, was talking to them. I honestly was a bit confused, but as the week progressed I saw their point. There were the "good" kids and the "bad" group. I was honestly appalled, being friends with kids on all sides. Now this kind of made me queen of the "un-popular", plus I had quite a few friends (admittedly male) on the "popular" side as well. I had a date for the banquet by that first day, and was asked by about 7 others! I rarely walked anywhere... I was honestly carried about, even on the all camp "hike." I had to settle fights about who got to sit by me a dinner. All because I was a nice, decent person!
Bragging? You betcha! It's one of my favorite memories... the rest of my life was not normally like that, I promise! That was the summer before I began HIgh school, and it taught me... no scratch that... it reinforced something I had always believed: if you want to be popular, you have to put your best face forward and simply be nice. I'm pretty sure that was NOT the message preached that week, but it's the biggest lesson I learned.

But those Christian camps are an amazing time for kids (and adults) to grow and get excited about God! It's a time of decisions and dedications that last a life-time. I think of it as a "mountain-top experience." Amy Grant had a long-ago song about such experiences: "But we've got to come down from that mountain-top, to the people in the valley below.... or they'll never know the way to go to the mountain of the Lord." (I apologize if i messed up those lyrics... it's been a while.)

I hope my sons have Mountain-top experiences this summer, and that they come home excited, with a renewed first love for the things of God and the people He loves. I hope they see examples of people dedicated to God, whom they can admire and emulate. Mostly, I hope they grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our lord, Jesus Christ. (that last one was stolen from Paul.)
Tave goes to Tween camp at Twin Rocks on Sunday. Bubba goes next month. Pray for them (and their poor counselors!) -jay-

PS. looking for something fun this weekend in the pdx area? my friend, Chris Harris (better known in his band as "Cracker")'s band, Restruct, is playing in the Stripper band Finals. I was disappointed to find that the bands will not be getting undressed for this event... it's all a competition to get on a movie sound track and to get to play in a large festival later this summer. It is NOT a christian event, so keep that in mind. Also, the semi-finals are at a bar (MT Tabor on Hawthorne in pdx, or.) so 21 and older... here's the info:

Start Time:	Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 9:00pm
End Time:	Sunday, July 11, 2010 at 12:00am
Location:	Mt Tabor - 4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd