Girl’s Camp 2008 at “Camp Joseph”
Yeah…they called me to be the Girl’s Camp Director in my church this year. That’s right, 4.5 days in the woods with 11 teenyboppers! I was excited and stressed. They are great girls, and some came loaded with iPods and cell phones, not to mention flip flops. (I have to impart that the aforementioned items were all “prohibited”…that is, they were asked not to bring these items to camp. What’s a camp leader to do, send around a bag and collect the belongings?!) At any rate…it was a big job. I was in charge of the menu planning/meals, a few crafts, the camp gear and whatever else you gotta do to plan Girl’s camp. We camped at “Camp Joseph” which is situation just a few hundred yards from the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial. There is a very special spirit at Camp Joseph!
Just moments from high-tailing it to Sharon, Vermont. Oh, the girl in pink, on the left, isn't one of "my girls" she's our YW's president. (You do good work, Heather!)
I love this picture of my girls, heading down to the pond.
This is the "Waters of Mormon" pond, just a few hundred feet from the Joseph Smith birth site.
It rained every day. There was no hope for a camp-side fire. 
Wah.
One of our service projects was to write to the missionaries in our ward and stake.
The goal was to have the girls get from point "a" to point "b", using about 7 rocks without talking or touching the ground.
Dozens of girls played on this waterslide. (Melissa and Miquelle...you rocked the slide!) Not one of my girls ventured down the slide, they were too busy in the "crafts" room.
Portia was busy making these bracelets all week!!! She is so very crafty!
Comparing odd talents: Heather, our YW's president, shows off her pretzel like contortion.
Seriously....I used to be able to do this!
Rick Riding "that big fat pony"
Ok, so there is this camp song/dance that my girls and a few other wards played every day at camp. The words go like this:
“HERE WE GO!
Ride, Ride, Ride that pony, ride around
that big fat pony, ride ride
Ride that pony
This is how we do it!
Following these lyrics the people (about 3) in the inner circle move to the nearest person on the outer circle and perform a dance facing the person, facing away from the person, and then to the side of the person. The lyrics for this part of the dance are as follows:
“Front to front to front, my baby
Back to back to back, my baby,
Side to side to side, my baby,
THIS IS HOW WE DO IT!”
Then the person who has received the dance proceeds to the inner circle and restarts the game/dance. The girls could play it for hours, if we let them! Well, when the bishop and Rick arrived on Friday night, I told them they had to play this game! Earlier on Friday, I told the girls that my husband would totally play this game…and he did not disappoint! The girls were loving it and were laughing so hard, but I was DYING!
Rick and our Bishop: This is how THEY did it!
I gotta say, they worked it! (Heather, back me up here!)
This is Kathy, one of the sweetest gals around! The last night of Girl's Camp.
The week went well, despite the frequent downpour. On Thursday evening, around 5, it poured so hard, that Heather and I were sitting on the camp table for an hour, because there was 3+ inches of water on the grass beneath us, and all our our girls were crammed in our tiny cabin. We couldn’t do anything because it was so wet, everywhere! All the food turned out great, and girls were amazing and I can’t believe how much stress I brought upon myself, the months and weeks leading up to Girl’s Camp. I simply didn’t know what to expect.
(Did I mention that I saw copies of “Breaking Dawn” in a few tents!? yeah, I thought I was gonna go insane… “EDWARD” this and “EDWARD” that…is there anyone left out there who isn’t obsessed with the “Twilight” series? My YW girl’s keep pushing it on me, but I will not give in, “But Sister Zinke, it’s SOOO good!!! I am SO in love with Edward!”) HA HA HA…I had to get that off my chest. I hope I didn’t offend anyone. Can we still be friends even though you are in love with a vampire? Here is to a wonderful week at Girl’s camp, and the beginning of a gorgeous fall in New England. XOXO
I would like to report that I am not in love with the twilight series. I even read it because people kept telling me it was so great. Don’t give in. You can’t get back those hours of your life.
I bet you are the best camp director ever. Super stressful though. I don’t know how you do it.
Excellent photos. I love the one where they are writing letters. My fav.
I think I spotted the fishing ear. Sshh. I won’t tell anyone.
Last but not least, Cinderella. What? I had to get a disney character in to make up for the last email I can’t remember! Yes.
Goodness. It seems like just yesterday I was sending YOU off to girls camp.
I don’t even have to wonder who the best ward camp director was.
XXOO
You are SO dead for posting that ridiculous picture of me!!
I had no idea you captured that lovely moment for us to always remember! Turns out, I probably need a copy of it!
What a cute post. You managed to touch on all of the high points…and even some of the not so high points.
Boy was I glad you were there. There’s no doubt… I wouldn’t have survived had you not been there! Thanks for everything, it really was a great week.
Oh, and how about the Bishop riding the pony….still laughing about that!
I tagged you! check out my blog for details
Heather: That picture of you is CLASSIC! Don’t be hatin’ because your kiester is on my blog!!! At least it’s a cute kiester! ::: wink wink :::
Oh, I’m so glad you posted on girls camp. (Of course you did. You are the world’s number one blogger.) I’m glad your big week has finally come and gone, and it looks to have been a total success! It also looks like some new girls moved into the ward, hooray. By the way, I joined the bandwagon and read the twilight series. What else was I going to do on a 4 hours car trip?
So I was looking up pics of the Joseph Smith Memorial for my mom and I saw our girls camp picture!! I was like “WOA!!!! I’m on the internet!” hahaha