God Rocks My World

Can I just say that God is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING?

Just because He is. For no reason, and for all reasons. He's just been way good to me lately, and I just feel the need to express how happy I am to be here at Camp. I had a few hard weeks in there, but lately things have just been shifting for the better. I'm just enjoying things so much and feel much more confident. I guess these things just come with time, but I had to battle those insecurities head-on. It's still an uphill climb, but it is now one that I can see more clearly that God has wanted me to walk.

::Sigh::

I'll take you through the last few days/weeks:

-A time to get some sleep at home and to reevaluate how I was doing ... I wasn't too pleased with myself then.
-Some time to serve as program staff, making me remember that I'm here not for my own doing, but for others
-AN AMAZING CABIN! I had 8 girls that I am SO happy that I got to know! I was so proud of them: Their servant hearts, their happy attitudes, their love for the Lord, their happiness in each other. So cool!
-A half week of Nite Owl, AKA the craziest most uncoventional camp ever introduced to the WELS. Think: canoeing at 2am and doing the ropes course from like, 10pm to 4am. And a million other FUN things, coupled with a small, FUN staff and just 14 campers ... 13 girls, 1 boy. HILARIOUS! And I got to be the photographer, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
-A GREAT midsummer eval, which calmed down A LOT of my fears and worries and insecurities and misconceptions.
-A road-trip to Michigan! I got to know some insanely awesome girls much better and got to play in God's creation on the sand dunes on the coast. And Laaaaura's mom made us food in Chicago on the way! Whoot! And if you get the chance, hike the friggin dunes. SOOOO FUN.
-SALT Staff Retreat! Some GREAT chill-time in Steven's Pt, WI. You have not experienced a true board-game experience until you've played with Camp people. Nor have you experienced a rummage sale at its fullest until you go with Camp people. And if you have never played the game Warewolves, make sure that when you do play it, you play it in front of drunk people ... they will be very confused when you accuse others of being possessed!

Now I'm on a weeek of program staff again - Got devo tomorrow! Pray for me, and that God may speak through my inadequacies to further His Kingdom in those little 3rd-5th graders!

Much love.

Back at Camp!

So that last post was a little random. I just had never published it till now.

Obviously it's a lot later. A lot happened when I was home. Not all of it was great, especially in the friends scene. Mostly it was Nikki-Tracy time, which I'm entirely okay with. But soon it was back to Camp, which was GREAT. It felt so good to be back.

Oh, but I guess I don't have time to write for now. Ah well ... gonna chill out for awhile. I'm going to be Camp Photographer next half-week; wish me luck on my DVD making abilities. Dad, I shall be calling you a lot.

EXTREME Summer

A lot has happened in the past few days! In mere hours I've gone from being immersed in Camp to becoming a part of real world! Here's how ...

Last week's session was a random one. After my bouts of hysterics about my campers not liking me and not knowing how to handle/connect with them, things started to look up. We had some time to get to know each other some more and I think we all got used to each other and even started to enjoy each other's company. Then on Wednesday things got weird again and I got this 24 hour flu thing, where my head spinned and I puked a lot. I got to have some time off, totally crashing from quiet time to dinner. Luckily I soon got on my way to feeling better, because Thursday I had to be in shape to drive a 15 passenger van down to Devil's Lake. I didn't feel so hot in the morning, but we made it there without any "EXTREME PUKING" mishaps ... and without getting lost. (Boo-ya to all you staff who put bets on me winding up somewhere in Minnesota or other adjacent state.) It ended up being such a fun day! Our little road trip down was made into an 80's dance party and oldies at the top of our lungs. (I think they thought Karen and I were crazy ... !) Thursday ended up being an amazing day of rock climbing. We had perfect weather and we all survived the brutal hike up the bluffs, though I did think that my heart was going to pop out of my chest on more than one occasion. I've always wanted to go, but I have now decided that rock climbing is the greatest thing since ... surfing. I think I need an EXTREME VACATION someday. (Have you noticed that you can make anything sound exciting when you but the word EXTREME in front of it and scream the phrase in a LOUD VOICE? I have.) Here's some pictures of me being EXTREMELY HARDCORE. Kay, I'm done.

So yeah. It was just a blast. Oh, and here's the cheer my girls came up with:

We are climbing girls
In a rocky world
It's fantastic -
Helmets are plastic!
We don't brush our hair
Got bruises everywhe-ere
We've got muscle -
You better hustle!

Come on rockers let's go climbing
(Ah-ah-ah yeah)
Come on rockers let's go climbing
(Oo-oh, Oo-oh)

After that the week went quickly, bringing me to Saturday, where I got to go home! It's been sooo nice. When I finally stepped in the house a few hours later, my mom actually squealed. My parents grilled out and Leslie came over to enjoy that real food with me. (Not that I don't love Sysco ... ) I pretty much sat around the rest of the night and loved it. Loooooved it! Tracy eventually came over, and we discussed our now separate lives and all the things that have happened over the past month. It's so weird not being able to talk to many of the main people in my life ... She stayed over for a while, but I crashed after she tucked me in and I got to SLEEP IN the next day!

Creepy Crawlers

Okay, there is definitely something skittering around here in the basement of the Registration building and I'm totally freaked out. AAHHHHHHHHH. Ciao, folks. I'm running to the dining hall.

A Bumpy Ride

Yeesh ... the highs and lows that are all a part of my summer job! It's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster here for the past few days. I think it's a sign that it's time for a break and some sleep.

My first full week ended on a high, but tired, note. It felt good to sweep the last of the never-ending pile of sand out of the cabin and pull away to get some FOOD! It was such an incredible weekend! Me, Jones, Chrissy, and Callie Dublinski(a Jr. Staffer) all spent some time at Karen Eggert's (another Jr. Staffer) family cabin about 10 minutes away, and it really could not have been any better! We started off with a trip to Subway and the "sketch" laundrymat ... but they all got a little impatient with my folding, so Jones stormed in, undid my piles, and threw my clothes around and shoved them into my bag. I was very upset - but it did force us to move on! When we did make it to the cabin (after turning right at the ugly tree and left at the weird bridge) we got into
"Camp Inappropriate Swimwear" and chilled on rafts, without the obligation of playing Marco Polo or Stuck in the Mud. Ah, the blessedness of having no campers. It started to storm, so we all got into comfy clothes and cuddled up in blankets and drank hot chocolate and did a puzzle ... I'm not even going to lie, it was so incredibly cozy! Ahh! After awhile of that, we decided that we should pull our butts into civilization, so we all went out to Christiano's, for some of the best pizza to ever hit your lips. (Oh, this was after we managed to break into Karen's house to reclaim the keys locked inside. Proof that the low ropes course builds real life skills.) We pretty much pigged out, and then we "cruised Hwy. 21" to head back to Camp for a covert operation of stealing Time's Up (a.k.a., the best game ever). It was such a fun time, and I do not believe I shall ever forget Chrissy's impression of Plato or Jones' impression of Grover (the monster on Seasame St, not the president). Pretty much died laughing. We forced ourselves to stay up till 10:30, and then completely crashed onto real beds for the longest sleep I've had in four weeks. A-MAZING. The next day we woke up refreshed and ready for a Heeeuggge breakfast at Charlie's, the best coffee house in at least five counties. A great way to start the week!

After the thrills of the weekend, it was hard to get in the swing of things again. This was made more difficult by the fact that I was certain that my campers hated me. I had five girls come together, so they all could talk and talk about stuff they knew about, and they really had no need for my input on the coversation. Almost all of them are going to be freshmen, and I've had a hard time relating to them. To top things off, I felt like most of what I was saying was going in one ear and out the other. Example:

Me: Hey, could someone close the door when they leave?
Them: Oh, I really like that girl's hair color. ::run toward the dining hall::

Me: Hey, who can pick up these lunch trays?
Them: ::blank stares::

Me: So what did you guys like about the ropes course today?
Them: Eh, we've all done it before.

ARGH. SO FRUSTRATING. Then little things start piling up, and before you know it you've spent a half hour in the bathroom bawling because you forgot that your cabin was supposed to be color coordinated for breakfast. Over-reacting? Maybe. Karen, my amazing Jr. Staff and one of my favorite people (and not just because she has a cabin), told me to relax, I can't be Camp's Counseling Goddess in my second week here. Older staff are quick to give advice, but I guess it's all about first hand experience.

Luckily, things started looking up today as the day went along. We had a successful low ropes experience and some time to just relax and get to know each other some more. I've got a little better perspective on things, and hopefully that can carry over to make the next few days more enjoyable and take me cruising to a weekend home!

Rule #1: Don't Let Nikki Near Objects With Wheels

Well, I have a few spare moments so I thought I'd take the time to update you all on my life!

This is our SECOND half-week of campers! My cabin from Sunday-Wednesday was great. There were ten 5th grade girls, and only one got homesick, and her only for a few minutes before she calmed down. They were all pretty talkative and good-natured, and got along well. The only problem was that they all came with someone else, and so it was hard to get them to "mix" with each other. They were real good kids, but I was still glad when the last parents minivan pulled away on Wednesday - I was getting a little sick of singing the same song every time we stepped out of the cabin. And hey, variety is a good thing.

We had about an hour off before the next round came storming through. These girls are mostly 6th graders, and seem a little more mature. I only have six this week, and I'm still trying to read their personalities. Sometimes they are SO much fun and I'm just laughing like crazy, other times, I'm like, "Dude, you're a brat. Stop talking." Well, in my head at least ;) We'll see how it goes. There's one that I will have to pray and pray for patience with. She's a ... different? ... child. Very ... imaginative. And talkative. And okay, downright weird. But, this too will pass. Luckily, like last week, I have a Great junior staff (Stephanie Geske). They have been such a big help! I'd go crazy without those volunteer highschoolers to keep me sane and provide intelligent conversation (i.e., conversations not centering around your mom's sister's best friend's cat's gastrointestinal infection ... Gah!). Kids are funny ...

It's great to be surrounded by such great staff. We've been having such a good time lately, because we've been longing for each other's company. So everytime we get together is ultra crazy and hilarious. But, I'm not gonna lie, I've gotten some good teasing lately. And believe you me, I deserve it! Why?, you ask? Well, let's just say I will soon have another scar to add to my collection on my forehead. In a scene only possibly made up with a Carow girl, I completely crashed on my friend's bike on my way to go visit Jamie Tuets for a massage. Let me tell you, handlebars driving into your temple do not feel good! I didn't realize how good a gash I got until I got to Jamie's and she told me I was like, thisfar away from needing stiches. I felt like a child, with sand and gravel in my hands and elbows and knees. I may have had a minor concusion as well, as I was pretty out of sorts the rest of the night, with a pounding headache and a seeming inability to communicate with clarity or sense. Once again, thank goodness for amazing junior staff! I've got some pretty solid bruises and I'm still a little sore, but luckily nothing was majorly hurt. At any rate, I've come to the conclusion that bikes and my family were not - in any way, shape, or form - made for each other. (Jen, Jamie especially appreciated my condition, openly laughing with me about our complete lack of biking skills ... )

Aside from my now widely acknowledged clumsiness, all is well at Camp. I need to get cracking on working on some stuff, but I'm wishing you all happiness and fall-free bike rides!

On the Scene at Camp Phillip

Hey guys!

Following the lead of my lovely older sister and her husband, I decided to keep a blog too. We're all pretty busy people, and it just might be fun to keep everyone updated on my life ... However, I can't gaurantee the Excitement that seems to be so prevalent at the Frahm household!

But things are never simply "normal." At least, not at Camp Phillip. My co-workers and I have often asked ourselves what people would say were they to walk in on a regular day at Camp:

-Serious battles going on in the woods. Last week, our favorite woods game gave one Jr. Staff a broken wrist and another a black eye that only someone like Chuck Norris could give. Ahh, all for the love of the game. (Don't worry mom, I didn't put up too much of a fight when the campers tried to catch me ... )
-Insane song periods. What would YOU think if you walked in on dozens of people running around with trumpets and horns and drums and accordians, screaming at the top of their lungs about a tin solider?
-Games with names like "Zoogle" and "Screaming Yellow Zonkers" and "Kaholtzen" and "Tweener." Don't knock em till you've played em!

I've had a lot of cool learning experiences already. During training, I learned countless techniques for working with campers, I became certified as a Ropes Course Aide (I got a 93 on my test!), and I also got introduced to other important stuff like CPR. That was a little scary, but so was learning how to do shallow water sweeps in case of a waterfront emergency and how to use an epipen and an AED (that shocky thing for heart attacks n stuff). Not fun stuff to think about, but it's important! It's also a relief to have an amazingly talented and dedicated staff around at all times. There are so many times when I just sit back and say to myself, 'Wow, if I could have half their [fill in the blank with a desirable trait]!' I think I may just be learning the most from my peers!

All the craaaaaziness of Camp leaves you pretty whipped by the time Saturday rolls around. And to think, we haven't even had real campers yet! My two weeks of training and my week as Program Staff/Work Horse/Group Leader during Jr. Staff training are now over, and the real stuff begins on Sunday! Needless to say, I am completely exhaused tonight, but I am glad for the chance to be able to scavenger for food and play some cards with some buds on a night off. Though last week was filled with not-so-fun activities such as hauling logs, moving stones, building firepits, clearing the woods, raking out new campsites, and the like, it was still a very fulfilling week. Camp is a wonderful place to work hard and to have fun by letting your wild side out, but it is also a place that brings you so much closer to your Creator and Savior, and for those reasons and so many more, it is truly a blessing to be working here. God always knows what He's doing, even when He leads you to a place you had almost forgotten about ...

Well, I should get going. It looks like a game of Euchre will be brewing soon! I'm thinking about you all back home, but I know that Someone bigger than me is holding down the fort, and that things will be just where they need to be when I return!

Love!