Our Summer

For 13 weeks in the summer, our life becomes completely consumed with camp. When we tell friends this, they nod politely, and then get mad two weeks later when we can't grill out. It's not their fault; I don't think it's one of those things you can understand until you've been there.

I mean "consumed" literally - Webster defines it as to eat or drink up; devour; exhaust; deplete. There's none left.

On the most basic level, it means Clint works a lot of hours. A lot of hours. But the exhaustion is more than just long days.

Campers come for a week. Days may be long, but weeks go by fast, and counselors are trained to soak up every minute. This intensity is a big part of what makes camp work so well, for both the campers and the counselors. It is, however, unsustainable for normal life. The challenge for full-time staff is to "go hard" at camp, but still stay engaged with normal life. We still have church and laundry and family get-together's to attend and lawns that need to be mowed.

And so...it's exhausting. Good, but exhausting, physically, emotionally, and every other way.

And that is why I am both excited and relieved to say that it is officially Vacation Time. Our bags are packed, our house is clean, and we could not be more ready for a week of reading and playing games and reflecting and sleeping and being completely unplugged. See you in a week!