Week 2 in Review

Week 2 blew right on past us and we are now nearly done with Week 3!
I am going to try to catch you up as best I can.

We started off on Saturday night when campers left.

Our friend Patrick missed his high school graduation to come on work crew. We felt like it was only right, when all of his friends were walking across the stage to graduate back home; to throw a graduation at camp.

Camp Speaker James Rockwell helping adjust the tassel.

Thankfully, the camp director agreed and printed a "diploma", grabbed a cap and gown from the prop closet and after campers left...the speaker (James Rockwell) said a few words about how so many of us have given up things to come to camp, but Patrick gave up a major life event that was taking place back home at that very minute and we wanted to honor that. Patrick walked across the stage to receive his diploma and the entire club room filled with assigned team, summer staff and work crew erupted in applause and started a chant, "Shelow, Shelow, Shelow" (his last name).
They then rushed the stage and went crazy on him.

It was one of the best moments I've ever experienced. Goosebumps all over.

It was WAY better than any high school graduation that I've ever been to.

And it was on the heels of hearing over 70 kids stand up and say they accepted Jesus.

So then going into the week, we had a BLAST!

Lucy and I grabbed tons of swag from the Volleyball Tournament.

Asher and Lucy looked adorable on Western Night.

Matt and the guys were hilarious all week. 

We took the kids on the All-Camp Hike and it was great! 

We have been loving it here!

Week 1 in Review

We have had an amazing week here at Crooked Creek Ranch. We have had so much fun that we have taken tons of pictures, eaten a half-ton of nachos and been swimming like fish. The weather has improved like crazy and  we all have sunburns because we are so much closer to the sun (9k feet in elevation). 

Check it out:

Jessica and Knox Odom

(L-R) Asher, Brandon Beller, Lucy, Jackson Patchell

Patrick Shelow (on Work Crew from TC Roberson, Asheville)

(L-R) Lucy, Rebecca Long, Hallie Hancock

Clayton Nettles (on Work Crew from TC Roberson, Asheville)

Colton Gibson (on Work Crew from TC Roberson, Asheville)

Asher and Jackson Patchell

Lucy and her beau Cruz Rockwell

We've Made It!

Hi friends!
We are here at Crooked Creek and I am not going to lie, it is absolutely amazing.

The morning of our arrival, it snowed 4-5 inches. So I was hesitant to be excited, but once you see those Rocky Mountains, you can't help yourself. Your spirit soars!

But the weather has turned itself around, I am actually sporting a sunburn right now!

We have all arrived and campers get here tomorrow. We couldn't be more excited to see their faces when they get off those buses.

It is our tremendous pleasure to let you know that our friend from Asheville did raise enough money to get his plane ticket to join our Work Crew and he is HERE! It is crazy to see his face around camp working like a dog. It is truly a miracle. There were so many barriers to his coming and all of them have fallen away. It has been amazing to watch.

We are so grateful to all of you who contributed financially and prayerfully. It is so exciting to think about how his life will be forever changed by this experience. 

If you want to follow along with what is going on day to day here at Crooked Creek, I have started a tumblr blog for our assigned team and am adding posts all day as I prayerfully observe the workings of the Lord. Please join us as we go before the Father during this Holy Month!

www.crookedcreekranch.tumblr.com

Thanks for loving us and caring for our friends so well! 

Have You Met My Daughter? No!

Have you recently tried to talk to Lucy? This is exactly what the terrible two's look like. Only she's not terrible, just hilarious.

One Day More

We leave for home tomorrow, single tear.
Seriously we are really sad.
Tonight, the program team performed One Day More from Les Miserables as a finale for campers. All of the guys have loved doing this number this month. Enjoy!

With You, I Can Hike Anywhere

This morning we woke up and the weather was great. All three program guys wanted the day off. But I have been wanting to take Asher and Lucy on the All-Camp Hike all month long. So, much to Matt's surprise; today was the day.

We got the kids up and ready and we took long deep breaths hoping that this would not turn out badly. I mean, if they melted down we would just be at 12,000 feet elevation and five miles from camp rather than just at the pool like the rest of the assigned team, right?

I was praying. HARD.
We strapped Lucy into the little Ergo carrier that the Maslin's lent to us before coming out here. She looks like she in a papoose! She and Matt got to spend some Q-U-A-L-I-T-Y time together today.



And off we went! It was beautiful the whole way and the pace was perfect for the kids and us. It was definitely challenging and long, but Asher made it the whole way with very little complaining-mostly he just wanted lunch. It was simply beautiful and we got to meet a bunch of the campers.





It was a great day with our kids and I think they had a lot of fun. Matt and I really enjoyed the day. It was only three and half hours with a lunch stop, so that wasn't too bad and we got some great pictures.

Yes, we did go to top of this little "hill" and even more.

Mostly, I think we really got to see how much of an animal Asher is. He was a source of inspiration to high school students who were really having a hard time to keep going. After all, if a four-year old can make it, why couldn't they?





He was so sweet and really good and he was really proud of himself for the huge accomplishment of climbing a mountain today. I was fired up and loved every minute of it. Lucy had a great time hanging out and having a good time with Matt too.




Thank goodness this was not one of my worst ideas. I definitely approached the mountain with fear and trembling this morning!

Impossible To Choose My Favorites

Last night was again a GREAT NIGHT. The kids did amazing as did Matt and the program team. One hilarious story to tell you:

A special needs camper wandered into the middle of Tableau (which is a frozen scene involving all of the work crew and summer staff) and involved himself in the drama with the bad guy and the good guys. It was hilarious as EVERYONE was frozen, he wandered around playing guns with the bad guy. The bad guy comes in and does his scene (with this camper) and has to shoot a SHOTGUN, the camper involves himself when the scene "comes to life" and then sort of freezes momentarily until he wanders off. This camper does NOT TALK at all and has no communication skills. Just runs. So he ran off the scene.

The pictures are priceless as is the retelling of the story. I don't happen to have pictures of this as I was in charge of several other children, but trust me; it was REALLY REALLY FUNNY.

So we took about a million pictures last night and I might have to print all of them. I can't decide which ones are my favorites.

Asher is trying to act like Bubba Nubbins before the Opera.