Sounds of Home

So, as soon as I finished the last trash and bathroom run at camp on Thursday morning, I had to pack up and rush back down the mountain to get to the RDU airport.  I said goodbye to all of my amazing friends, but let them not worry as I knew I would be back for the 60th Anniversary of Lutheridge at the end of the summer (more about that when the time comes).

Each plane that was carrying family that day was delayed due to inclement weather, not by much, but enough.  Although delays seemed imminent, I was still excited to see the family.  Aly, Aunt Mary, Karen, and Grandma Ray all arrived at the RDU airport and I was ready to bring them on home.  We had a great ride back to Holly Springs, and before too long Dad would arrive with Aunt Kathee (his sister).  Everyone was excited to see the Graduate, after she came home from what seemed to be a never-ending graduation rehearsal.

The next day was filled with so much fun (after the sun went down, of course).  Aly and Carly took Grandma to get her nails done, while almost everyone else stayed at the house and cleaned up for the Graduation Party we were having at the house the following day.  I did nothing, as I was mentally preparing for what adventures were to come within the next 24 hours.  At around 11pm that night, my cousin Aly and I met up with a couple of my friends to go out for my 21st Birthday!  The first place we went to was Natty Greene's in Raleigh.  There I was treated to a couple of shots, and a couple of beers before we moved on.  The next place we went to was super crowded, so basically it was a pit stop.  Get in, go to the bathroom, get out.  Finally the last place that we went to was some Tavern, of which the name escapes me (and no, it's not because I was completely smashed, I honestly don't remember the name of the place we were at).  There I had a couple of Corona's and was given a Carolina Jaegar Bomb. Something similar to that, but the glass was a lot bigger and had a hint of chocolate in it as well (also, got made fun of by the waiter for not finishing the whole drink in one gulp, yeah, so whatever).

Well the next day was an interesting one for sure.  Got up, with a slight headache (nothing a little Ibuprofen didn't fix), and was off to do some last minute errands before more family (& friends) showed up for the festivities of the afternoon.  The rest of the day is something you'll have to ask me about what happened if absolutely have to know.  It's definitely not a very exciting, nor fun, story to tell.

Sunday provided for a day of goodbyes as all the Dressens (pictured at the right) left to go back home, while the Rays (pictured to the left) stayed behind for a couple more days.  It was sad to see all of them go, but the time spent with them was much appreciated.  Family is always one thing that I hope I will never take for granted.  Even though I don't get to see much of my family (even my immediate family) often, I always see the impact that they have on me.  All of my family does a lot to support me and shows me so much love, more than a guy could ever ask for.

Before too long, Sunday was over, and Monday had rolled around and it came time for me to make my move up to the adventure I had been waiting for for a month.  I have made my move up to Charlottesville, VA and started work with rest of the company at the Heritage Theatre Festival.  More insight on what I'm doing will come soon as we are close to wrapping up a week of work very soon!

Sounds of Anxiousness

First off, sorry for not posting within the past week, but I will explain why in a minute.  Before looking at what has happened since my last post let's have a look at what is to come for me.  Well within the immediate future, a couple of college ministry meetings, hopefully some lunches with friends, and lots of sitting around the house.  All of that will be happening until Saturday when I get to make one more return to camp for the summer.  As I stated before, camp has been one of the most life changing experiences that I have ever gone through.  Being surrounded by about 65 people who you see eye to eye with almost all of the time can do that to someone.  I won't be there for a whole week, but long enough to soak it all in and spend some time with amazing friends and share God's love with some campers.

After I am done with my time at camp, I have to rush back to Raleigh to pick up family at the airport who are all arriving for my sister's Graduation and coincidentally my 21st birthday.  The most exciting of all is that our cousin Aly is finally making a trip to NC since we moved here almost 12 years ago.  Aly and I are the same age, only separated by a "whopping 5 weeks and 5 days" (what I would say when we were kids to show that she was no better than me just because she is "older").  To the right is a picture of Aly (on the right) and her older sister Erica (on the left).  Both are awesome and I wish that I could see them more often, but living in states almost 15 hours apart can kind of do that.  But none-the-less Aly will be here next week and we have lots to catch up on.  The last time I saw her in person would probably take two hands if I can remember correctly.  When she gets here we'll show her around town and I'm sure that she'll want to go shopping to see what NC has to offer.  And of course we will definitely go out to ring in the hour of my 21st.  There will be celebrating at the house with family and friends of Carly's graduation and my 21st.  We are going to have lots of fun while the family is here and I cannot wait for everyone to arrive for the celebrating to begin.  And as soon as the celebration is over and the family begins to leave I as well will begin my summer adventure to Charlottesville, VA to start my internship with Heritage Theatre Festival.  Check it out because we have an amazing season this summer!

So, back to the reason why I did not post last week.  I was back up on the most amazing mountain in the world working a retreat with a group of kids from Delray Beach, FL.  I had no idea what to expect with these kids, but I knew that we would have fun, especially with the staff that I was working with.  There was Vincent, who I met last summer, and I have so much love for since he's so awesome and doesn't have a care in the world.  Then there was Julia, who was on New Staff with me during our first summer in 2009.  She and I have become great friends, especially sharing a few games of Bananagrams from time to time online.  And last, but certainly not least was Sarah.  She was a returning staff member during my first summer and she has been a great friend to me ever since.  Sarah and Vincent are back at camp this summer (which I am envious of) and Julia and I have work/school.  But, regardless of that last bit of information we were all ready to have a great time together for a week.

Like I said last time we did lots of great things and went to four different outing spots.  On Monday, we spent the day at camp playing some games, interacting on the Group Interaction Course, and watching everyone climb the Challenge Tower on site.  I was able to climb on two of the elements, which were the rock wall (that one I climbed very quickly) and an element we call Donkey Kong, as you feel like you are crawling like him to get to the top.  On Tuesday we had a trip to our first two outings in Pisgah Forest.  We did a creek walk up to Looking Glass falls which was absolutely beautiful, but I did not have much time to pay attention.  I was rather putting my lifeguard/First Aid skills to use as one of the kids suffered a cut on their ankle.  He was a trooper about it and the whole incident barely phased him.  Lots of fun was still had on the creek walk.  We had lunch at a place called Pink Beds that had an amazing view of the mountains and a great place to just lay out and have our bagged lunches.  Then we were off to Sliding Rock, where I continued to be a lifeguard and stood in freezing cold water for over an hour and to what I later suffered a slight cold because of it (but worth it in order to make sure the kids stayed safe).  Then it was back to camp for Campfire #1.  We sang some songs and the counselors performed some skits.  Wednesday was another day on site where we spent almost the entire morning playing Capture-the-Flag with the kids.  The enjoyed it and it was great to see a little competition come out between them all.  That afternoon we spent doing service projects around camp which included: sweeping out Unit Lodges, raking leaves, moving bunk beds to Platform Tents, digging trenches, and spreading mulch.  We split all the kids up and accomplished all of this in one afternoon.

This is my tangent that I have to go on.  Now if you have looked up where this group was from you may know where I'm going.  These kids are from a place that is very well off where they have a lot of things handed to them.  Nothing against having "stuff" because I hope that one day I can provide my family with "stuff" as my parents have provided somewhat with me.  But the problem was that these kids really did not understand why they had to do what they called "Child Labor" (which is far from what we were doing).  Sharing with them that we were giving back to God by cleaning up his wonderful creation was a concept they really did not grasp.  There was a lot of complaining about having to do this work and it was frustrating at times.  Unfortunately not too many of the kids worked hard all afternoon, but I do feel there were a few that got something out of it.  That is all that matters, and I hope one day that all of them will realize the impact that had on the camp and what they did.  The staff and campers this summer will be most appreciative for it all.

Okay, so then on Thursday we had two more outings to go.  We had a hard time getting going that morning, so our second outing was cut a bit short.  But we did a hike up to a place called John's Rock which was located above the Pisgah Forest's Fish Hatchery.  It was another time where the kids were not used to doing much beyond just playing video games on their couches at home, so needless to say that this was a difficult hike for some, but they all really were happy once we made it to the top with the amazing view that was provided.

We had such a great time up at the top.  The view was great and it was great to see nothing but God's creation for miles upon miles and no signs of "civilization."  After we got back down, another bag lunch was had and we got a chance to go inside the Fish Hatchery for a few minutes.  We then ventured down to Dupont National Forest and got to take a look at Hooker Falls and stick our feet in the water for a few minutes.  It was relaxing, but we had a long day and were ready to get back to camp.  After dinner we had our closing campfire with more songs and skits, plus some s'mores.  The kids left the next morning after breakfast and while we were sad to see them go, we were happy to have a little time together as staff before we had to part ways for the summer.  I finally mustered up the courage to leave late that afternoon and stopped in Greensboro to have dinner with Andy, Loren, and Zack.  We went and saw Fast Five (the latest installment in The Fast and The Furious series) and were pleasantly surprised with how amazing the movie was.  The ending lead the audience to believe another movie was in the making, which is exciting because the story has continued to develop in a nice format.  I finally got back to my parents' house on Saturday and immediately went with them to see The Hangover Part II.  It was a little awkward to see that movie with them due to some of the content, but the movie was still great.

Ever since then I have just stayed in the house preparing for my departure on Saturday back to camp.  While all that happens I'm still getting ready for my summer in Virginia and putting things together to have a smooth transition up there.  Can't wait for what all the next two weeks has in store, as I anxiously await the events that are to perspire.

Sounds of Antici......pation

The anticipation is absolutely killing me slowly.  I have much to look forward to about the next week or so.  I get to have visits with lots of people, old and recent, friends and mentors.  All combined with my second visit to the dentist within the past week.  I should not expect anything less with the way I have been taking care of my teeth.  But no worries, nothing serious, just a little fixing up and all will be well.

Then the fun will begin.  On Saturday, I get to visit with my friends from school and just celebrate the hard year that we have had together. The fact that we have made it out alive is something to celebrate.  Also, I will be saying goodbye to my friend Cindy as she heads out to her internships (note the plurality).  She is going to do so well and I wish her nothing but the best with what she will do this summer.  I know that Cindy is going to go far, and I cannot wait to see what all will happen.  Then I will get to call everyone and tell them about how I know this wonderfully talented individual.  Saturday will be a day of celebration and what all is to come within the next year.

What is really getting my attention and excitement is the trip to the best place that has ever been created.  My trip to Camp Lutheridge starts on Sunday and will last a whole week.  I will get to have the most amazing time with some of the best youth (so I hear) from the southern most state.  While there I will get to lead youth on the Group Interaction Course, lead Initiatives, share some of the best food prepared by the best chef ever, go on a creek walk, and have fun with them at Sliding Rock in Pisgah Forest.  This will most definitely be a highlight of the week for me.  The last time I remember going was when I was much younger and I had family living in Arden.  I remember having great fun, but the water was super cold.  I expect it to be cold this time around too, but in a more refreshing way.  Nothing can be more exciting than spending a week out in God's Creation with some of the best people in the world.  The best part about being with these youth is the chance to have an impact on their life and share God's Love with them.  I know that I love working with youth and kids whenever I get the chance and I just have a feeling that this week is going to be very special.

There is definitely pain in my heart that I cannot be on staff for the summer (do not get me wrong I am very excited about my internship with Heritage).  But when you spend two summers with some of the most amazing people and knowing that you cannot return for the whole summer, there is a little heartache.  Lutheridge changed my life and gave me friends to have for a lifetime.  Every time that I go back I get to put all the excitement I had from my first summer into (usually) a weekend retreat.  The fact that this retreat will last for a whole makes me feel really great.  I hope that I will be able to return next summer in some capacity, but we will just have to wait and see.  Also, summer staff will begin arriving at the same time, so I cannot wait to see some of my old friends again.

After that lots of preparation begins to get ready for my summer in Virginia and my 21st birthday as well.  Friends and family will be around for the celebration and I just know that it will be the best time.  I'm hoping that a little vacation will be in the works around the big day, but I will share about that when it comes to fruition.  Until then, I simply wait in anticipation of what is to come in the next few days, and take it all day by day.