Fears

Fears. Everyone has them. Some are extreme like heights and planes. Others are just silly like bugs and paint colors (?). But however big or small, fears can mess you up all the same.
I have a slight fear of water. No, I didn't have a near drowning experience or anything like that. And, yes, I still take showers and can walk in the rain without freaking out. To be real honest, I have no clue why I have such a fear of water. Probably a control issue or something.
This summer I decided that I would conquer that fear. Most 28 year olds would have just given up and accepted the fact that they probably weren't ever going to swim. Not me. I'm all about the conquering part of life. So, 4 weeks ago I started swim lessons. Our summer staff lifeguard teaches 1st graders how to swim in the off-season and I thought that would be about the level I'd be at. It's true. That's what level I'm at.
So far I've learned how to float, go underwater without dying, and do some kicking. But I reached a hang up in last weeks' lesson......jumping in. I stood on the edge for 20 minutes debating whether or not I would die if I jumped in to 6 feet of water. Amusing because that's only 2 inches above my head.
I think I'll try to do it this week sometime........
What's a fear you need to conquer?

Why I love summers at camp

There are really millions of reasons to love camp and these pictures show just a few of those things. This summer we'll have had 4100 kids on our property. They do everything from climbing walls and ziplines, to worship and small group times. It's a pretty awesome experience. We are continually thinking about what we can do at camp to make it a unique experience for all these kids. The picture below is just one of those ways. These three girls cracked me up one day when they chose to literally "dive" into their ice cream sandwiches. Another great thing is getting to work with college students. It's so fun to watch them learn and grow and interact with kids day in and day out. However, there are those impromptu competitions that we have within the team. For instance, this particular evening was capped off with an arm wrestling tournament to which Chris was the ref and Jamie came away the undefeated champion. It was a beautiful moment in the summer. Check out the determination of our competitors.
Hope you are having a great summer.

Summer Love

This morning we left at 5:30 to head on a mountain bike ride at Prieta. Prieta is an overlook just a few miles from camp and it has some awesome views. It's about 8 miles of screaming downhill thru various boulder fields. I'll be really honest.....it's a bit terrifying. Especially if you haven't been on your bike as much as you should. That was me this morning. The only saving grace was that we took some members of the band that is playing for middle school camp this week. They helped me not look so clumsy. (Just kidding, guys)
It was a great morning to be out on a bike enjoying each other's company and the beautiful scenery. Until.....I lost a lung somewhere on Hassayampa Road. I'm convinced this is the most stupid road in all of creation. I feel like I'm going to die on it everytime. I wonder how many lives it has claimed?

What'd you do this morning?

Prescott Frontier Days Parade

Well, here it is. The long-awaited photos from the Prescott Frontier Days Parade. Every year UCYC gathers it's best and brightest Summer Staff to follow horses in the parade and scoop poop. This year was no different and the creativity really was top notch this year. Here are some of the teams for Summer 2008.

My group was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Not bad, eh?This is Chris' team of Rock Stars. Look how they jam to the music that isn't playing!

Tye's team was a good old fashioned group of Rednecks! And the yellow jeep made an appearance in the parade this year.

This is Chris Holohan's team of life guards. You can't tell, but he is a poster boy for 1970's San Diego life guards.

4th of July Race

This morning we woke up early to go and participate in the Gheral Brownlow 4th of July 10k race. Tye went to run with some friends from camp and I just woke up early to go out and support everyone. Tye did a wonderful job and finished the race in 53 minutes. WooHoo!! Here are some pictures from this mornings race.

These are the happy racers prior to the start. Mattie, Michelle, David, Tye, and Greg. It seems as though everyone is sponsored by Nike......except for Greg.
Tye looks relatively upbeat on this lovely 4th of July morning. He had no idea about the course that awaited him.
I made a shirt to support Tye in his first race ever. It says "I love my husband" on the front and "Team Jones" on the back. Rhinestone hearts are NOT all they are cracked up to be.
All the racers waiting for the starting gun to go off. Go Tye!!!

Justin Unger and Casting Crowns Concert

We attend a church in Prescott called The Heights. We've been going there for a little over a year and have loved every minute. Tye and I both love being on worship team and that's one of the first things we did when we got there. In playing worship, we have made some really great friends. One of those friends is Justin. Justin came to the Heights from Nashville, where he spent a few years recording and touring with a band called Across the Sky. At any rate, Justin came out with a new cd called Disengage. It's my favorite cd for sure. Justin recently got to open for Casting Crowns. If you don't know, Casting Crowns is an award-winning band so this was a pretty big deal. AND Tye got to play drums for Justin. It was awesome!!! This isn't the first gig Tye has had with Justin. They've done radio shows, tv shows, and there is a possibility of a Washington DC trip in the fall. If you have a chance, check out Justin's music at http://www.justinunger.com/. You won't regret it.

This is a picture of the band doing a sound check earlier in the afternoon. Aren't they cool?