The School of Hard Knocks

Things I learned at Camp RedCloud this summer:

*I'd rather sleep on the floor than in a bunk bed with a plastic-ish mattress.
*My girls amaze me!
*Logan knows the lyrics to any song I can name...even the ones from the 80s...and he's 14!
*Some people need to learn to trust in things outside of themselves and some people need to learn to trust in themselves.
*I could really get into a daily hour long quiet time outside in the mountains.
*Fear is a strong motivator, but apparently so is pride.
*I wasn't really trusting cables and carabiners and ropes, I was trusting the people who told me those cables and carabiners and ropes would hold ten times my weight.
*I have a hard time letting people figure things out for themselves...I want to rush in with my Wonder Woman magic lasso and rescue them.
*People get belligerent and rude when pushed to do something that scares them.
*My God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He will meet my needs!
*I'm fatter than I thought I was.
*I would rather climb a thousand rock walls, rappel from insane heights, drop from a 50 ft. platform and swing like a pendulum, or climb a 14er every day than deal with the daily grind.
*I NEED to write. I'm drowning without this outlet.
*My Lulu is tough as nails. She has a fierce determination not to give in to her fear.
*I cry more for other people than I do for myself.
*I'm a dork. And, guess what? I like myself that way.
*BIFF means "bathroom in forest floor."

*It's a tradition to kiss the carabiners at the top of your climb...AND, the carabiners taste like salt and metal.
*I don't like to be taken care of, but sometimes I need to be...and that's OKAY.
*Your rappelling instructor means it when he says not to hold onto the rope in front of you...major rope burn.
*Shout "pillar" BEFORE you pop a squat, because even though "pillar" means to look away, people's initial reaction is to look toward the person hollering "pillar!"
*Fear the hook. Argh!
*I'm a sucker for a silly camp song.
*Having anyone other than Jason belay me makes me pretty nervous.
*I'm addicted to the Internet, caffeine, salt, and my husband.
*Bella isn't (just) bossy...she is a natural leader.
*Sometimes I need to quit talking to God and just listen.
*It isn't love that makes the world go 'round...actually it's cheese.
*Paul is a mountain man deluxe!
*Things that are easy are never as rewarding to accomplish as things that are difficult.
*It is possible to pop a squat off the weather port deck without actually leaving the decking, but it's surprisingly difficult.
*Fear can paralyze us in more than one way.
*A surprising number of girls grow into teenagers and even into women without ever learning the fine art of peeing outdoors. Shocking.
*Apparently there is a whole system for ranking your BIFF. I hope to never participate.
*I like my whitewater rafting rough.
*I am NOT addicted to my cell phone.
*I need to memorize Philippians 2:14-18 and apply it.

*Apparently deer slapping is a hobby?
*How much our students learn from the godly example of young adults they can look up to.
*If ground squirrels had the intelligence to match their tenacity, they would be ruling the world.
*It's good to get time away and focus on the Lord.