Shockingly, there was still more summer be to had! Let me tell you a little about how fantastic it was. After sending my “sling things” home and having a relaxing day pretty much to myself, it was time to welcome Week 7 campers to Conestoga. This was a week I was super stoked for. It was the first ever Xtreme camp with boys and girls, it included the always entertaining Golf Camp, and Western Riding Girls camp was at Adventure Point {where Xtreme usually resides, and my responsibility too as nurse}.
I was super duper pumped for Carey to come back. I met her at golf camp last summer and we discovered [unfortunately only at the end of the week!!] that we have the same sense of humor and unreasonably similar laugh!! ❤ One evening in chapel this summer, someone was perplexed that they could hear me laughing but couldn’t see me. Carey turned around, still laughing. Oh. Too funny. Obviously, she is also super hilarious.
{uh, with my fantastic friend Carey}
Golf camp had ten campers, and joined Xtreme for meals and chapels. Otherwise they generally had their own schedule, including daily outings to the nearby golf course. They almost met their “goal” of doubling in camper numbers each year [the first year there were 3, then 6, and this year 10], which still allowed them to be a tight-knit group of troublemakers. Somehow the golf campers thought they should get pretty constant gator rides with me. Since they let me hang out with them and come to the course one day, I generally let them. Plus, they were super fun kids. I’ve been the nurse for one kid, Oren, at least three times now and he thinks I’ll let him do whatever he wants. {let’s be real. They’re pretty good kids, so I mostly did. Except that one time when I put two of them in time-out. I was livid. They completely ignored my actually important rules. They sat, apologized, and we were all good.} Tiny {aka Nathan, but I started with that since he’s a tiny wisp of a kid when I didn’t know his name, and it stuck} informed me that I needed to be there again for golf camp next year, and then told Chris {the director} to put me on the schedule.
I got to join the golf posse in their “Seniors Mobile” {program director Luke called it a “Golf Limo”, but it’s clearly a handi-van from a seniors centre…} one morning to head to the golf club. Luke kindly lent me some clubs and tried to help me figure out what to do with them… Surprisingly it was putting challenge day again, and I was the only returning champ!! My team had won first place last year. So I informed all the golfers that I was there to win again. Unfortunately Luke messed up my hand-picked team, and we only got second place [ha, let’s be real, of three teams…]. But we had a blast. A ton of laughter is pretty much guaranteed around the golf campers. They’re super hilarious. I particularly enjoy how some of them really dress up for a day at the course, and some of them wear what is more common at camp [sweats and t-shirts]. It was fun too how Carey was the first scenario last year [how many golf skirts does that kid have?!] and the second this year. Reminding Kyle to put the dang ice pack on his swelling eyebrow {likely a bug bite reaction} instead of holding it in his hand while he chatted with everyone was entertaining too. The other kids helped me after a few times hearing me…
The co-ed Xtreme camp was very different than when it’s boys only. The girls were very excited to be there and be “Xtreme”, but as it turned out, they were scared of paintball. As were their leaders. But after a couple of times playing and the nurse sometimes joining them and “encouraging” them to move up the field and shoot some paint they were more into it. It was fun hearing how hard core they think they are.
On the last day we play a game of staff vs. campers. For the first map there were only three of us staff defending our flag that they had to get. When we got hit, we were to put our paintball gun in the air and count loudly to five. Then we were alive again. I was in the base, right next to the flag. Those kids came up with a surprisingly good plan. Eventually, they got around. And lit me up. From all sides. Once my five-second count was done, they were firing again. The other staff couldn’t really see them, and by the time I had my marker down to slow them down a little they were shooting me again. Of course during my five seconds being dead they would just sprint toward the base. I was pretty close to tapping out of the game, but they got our flag before I did. Yikes. I was rather impressed.
In the next map, it was all staff vs. all campers. They were trying to get to our base, but we could start as far as halfway up the field. We were in our spots, and I yelled to ask if they were ready. They looked at me and said “not with you in the zigzag [one of the obstacles to hide behind] with double guns!!”. Hahahaha. Good thing I did have two guns though [it was totally allowed for this game] because one of them stopped working. Two was too difficult to aim, anyway. Just looked intimidating. I found it pretty hilarious though. Some of them even switched to the other side of the field to avoid me. We all had a pretty good time shooting paint at each other. I think. I did, anyway…
I’m sure you remember meeting my pal Marco in my last post {sad news though, he will need some minor plastic surgery before getting active again next summer}. Well, one evening both groups hit up the dugout. I wasn’t sure if I should bring him out, but decided to. One camper had not made it a secret that they didn’t really want to be at camp. Their grandma had signed them up and they refused to have fun or admit that they enjoyed anything. They were not interested in going in the dugout, which was fine. That kid saw Marco, ran to get a life jacket on, and desperately wanted to float around on him. They just didn’t want to get tipped into the water. I said of course they could join me, and I could not promise they’d stay out of the water, but I wouldn’t make them fall in intentionally. Yeesh. That kid was overjoyed to float around the dugout on an inflatable unicorn with me. I asked if they were having fun at camp yet? “YES!!” “Okay great, what’s been the best part so far?” “This. Riding Marco.” Okay. Sure. If the only reason I have Marco and brought him to play at camp was for this kid to giggle and be crazy at the dugout for an hour? Worth it.
My buddy Abbers {who I still get to hang out with in Winnipeg while she studies at the U of M} was program director for the girls Western Riding camp, and I was pumped to hang out there too! [you can see how I get very busy, trying to spend time with three differently scheduled groups of campers!] For fear of hurting my back, I hadn’t ridden much throughout the summer. But it was feeling better and better, so I decided to go ahead and see what it could handle. I also started jogging a little more and a little longer…
{I got to join the evening trail ride on TutuTuesday and ride Granny. After far too much dry weather at camp, it poured. My $5 jacket kept me 0% dry and I was worried Granny would slip in the mud coming back, but we had an excellent ride and stayed upright!}
I had a fantastic time getting to hang out with the Western Riders, and really enjoyed the different dynamic that an all-girls group has. They were lovely and so much fun. I really loved getting to hang out with them and their lovely staff.
{quite possibly not the smartest plan with a sore back, but I decided to join my gorgeous friend Kaeli for a little riding during skill time in the arena. Kaeli was their speaker for the week, and we used to be staff together a few years ago…}
{I went to check on the riders still in my paintball clothes and Abbers let me ride Steve around for a bit. He’s a giant. I love riding tall horses. I wanted to see if it would hurt or not, so [with some effort] I got Steve trotting [I post, so it’s not as bumpy. I suck at sitting a trot anyway.]. It was super fun to do again, and it didn’t hurt! Even later, I wasn’t extra sore. Praise Jesus!!}
I was supposed to head home for a bit of a rest during week eight before my family enjoyed the Hanover Fair and rodeo together. However I discovered that DVRC still needed a nurse, so I said I could fill in until Thursday morning. I must admit, I started the week again with a less than ideal attitude, feeling like all the staff I knew were at the other site. But it was fun. The campers were great, though I did have a few homesick kiddos to tend to.
I was ecstatic to discover Luke Miller was the main camp speaker for the week. I’d really connected with his wife a couple years ago when we were in the same roles, and gotten to hang out with their two little boys. They’re now slightly less little, still adorable, and loooved helping me with cabin checks {and of course Gator rides}. It was amazing to reconnect with Sara too. She is a wonderful woman and so encouraging.
So I chilled with kids. I joined horsemanship and rode for two skills, including a bunch of trotting, and felt fine. I dealt with “sick” kiddos who really just missed home, goofed around, and even got to play my favoritest wide game before heading home. I actually was sad to leave Thursday and come home for the weekend as planned.
What to say about fair weekend? It was awesome. Family, friends, bull riding, rodeo, my sister and I teaching our niece about rodeo, a fantastic Home Free concert, amazing fireworks, demolition derby {I loved that way more than expected the first time}, and of course Saturday’s parade and chicken dinner. And ice cream, in a slushie. It was a great weekend.
Week nine was my last week nursing for the summer. I was at main camp with intermediates again, and decided that I should see how much I could do and whether my back would go on strike. So of course I decided to head to mountain boarding skill! There were two girls in the skill, and they were a tad bit intimidated… That’ll happen once you put all the pads on and stand at the top of a hill with a board… Ulp! So I had the privilege of encouraging them, helping them learn how to do it, and trying a little bit myself. When it seems to come super easy to the male campers and to the athletic teen boy leading the skill, it definitely helps to have a female leader let them know that they can do it too! I think the fact that it terrifies me but is fun enough to do anyway helps. [however I was not appropriately attired so I only did a little. it’s hard in flip flops!] I try to give them tips and run alongside and cheer for them as they go down. By the end of the week I as getting slightly braver myself, but those chicklets [aka my new best buddies, haha] surpassed me in bravery by Thursday at least! I’d like to say I was trying to be reasonable and not hurt myself, but I just get a little chicken up a hill on a mountain board…
{I wish it were a better quality photo, but it was taken with a cellphone that was unable to send it to me. stylin’ for TutuTuesday though.}
I was super-excitedly surprised to see my little Caylafer again that week! You may remember her from when she and Laylafer renamed me Quinnifer and called their cabin the “Fer Family”, which I joined very regularly. She was at Conestoga again, so I popped in to chill with her now and then when she was near Main camp. I also got to meet Ainsley, who she’d brought for this week. We had fun. 😀
{L: Sam, one of my little mountain boarding buddies. she informed me she hadn’t washed her hair all week. R: this is Alyssa, who I met as a camper two years ago. Now she is jr. staff and comes to visit her favorite nurse!}
I headed back to horsemanship skill and got to ride some more, even trotting. One kiddo that I’d chatted with a bunch was scared to try, so I eventually convinced her do it if I ran along beside her. She was so proud and excited that she had done it!! And what a sweet kid.
Embarrassingly, it took me a few days to clue in to a kid there that I knew. He was even in the mountain boarding skill I’d become part of, and the riding skill I was joining. Finally I realized when I saw his full name on my camper list one day: my second cousin Liam was a camper. I told him, and he didn’t actually believe me until I explained how we were related and mentioned his first cousin Nathaniel who I’d gotten to work with at camp before. I’ve been super blessed to have connected with some of his other cousins {and my second cousins} my first summer at DVRC, and was able to spend a bunch of time with them and their parents through my years cabin leading there.
Cabin checks that week were surprising and incredibly hilarious. Shockingly, the boys cabins were the ones crushing it. My favorite one was finding the porch full of all of their suitcases and bedding, with a note on the door: “We’ve gone to Hawaii for a missions trip.” The cabin was entirely empty, except for the beds. Another day the same cabin left a post-it note on the steps saying “You’ll need this stick”, with a medium-sized stick. I was a little worried. Turns out I only needed it to part the Red Sea inside, and their footprints went through the sea on dry land. So creative, and entertaining. {I give huge points for making me laugh. And of course, compliments. Cleanliness comes into play too, I guess.}
I can’t say I minded the fabulous notes complimenting me. My hair, outfits, and mountain boarding skills were all spoken of quite highly. They were hilarious, and worth lots of cabin points. Pictured is the best note I’ve gotten in ages, from a 11 year old boy. Heaps of cabin points.
One cabin had fun pranking the nurse. Their cabin leader thought it was funny to call me a dinosaur. Left me an “apology” and treat, but locked me out… How. Rude. Pretty sure I gave them negative points… They thought they were hilarious though, and I’m glad they had fun with it. I just decided it wasn’t worth climbing through their back window [the front ones were blocked with sticks; I checked] to foil their plan.
Eventually, I got everything packed back into Fiara and started the trek back home. I was blessed by some time again in Brandon chilling with the lovely Longstaffs. I got to take Charlie for a little jog, which was apparently quite boring. 🙂
So that was the end of my summer adventuring. It was a lot different than usual, due to pain and needing to take it easy, then figuring out what I could do and how much to push it. {I’m still figuring that out a lot of days.} God is good, always, and allowed me to have a blast, grow in Him, and try to learn how to rest. And to still play and be with amazing people.
Then it was home time, to read some books in my hammock, see home people, and start work for the University of Manitoba. In September I ran a really neat mannequin for maternity simulations with students. October to December I was a Clinical Education Facilitator for two different groups of students in maternity {supervising them in hospital, six at a time}, which was full-time. It was often tiring and helped me practice patience, but it was really good. All of my students were quite excellent overall, and I enjoyed helping them learn.
Now it’s time to enjoy December, celebrating Christ’s birth with family, and do a few shifts to see how my back will do with being the nurse myself. {I’m starting with few four-hour “princess” shifts to be safe.} AND, get ready to go to CAMEROON!!! It’s starting to feel real. Though part of me is still scared I won’t go, though my doctor gave me the “all-clear” in September. I’m really excited for it though!! If you would like to donate toward my four-month service, you can go to this website. [since it is a charity, you’ll get a tax receipt!] 😀
http://mercyships.donorpages.com/MERCYGIFTS/CarmelGerb/
[you can click on it or copy and paste]
Thanks for keeping up with my crazy life! Or trying, at least. 😉 {wow, over 3000 words. thanks for reading them, if you did.}
Merry Christmas!
soyouwanttoknowaboutcarmelsadventuring 