Jess and Joy: July 2014

RVA Days | Picnic at Maymont

7/23/14

How I wish every summer afternoon were like this. It feels so good to be eating healthy food again. Also, catching up with this lady is always a treat. She is a kindred spirit through and through and every time we hang out it's like we were never apart.

Currently packing to head to Lynchburg and then back to camp on Friday! I have a feeling that I'm going to be stretched and surprised in these next few weeks.

Foreign Lands

7/22/14

Foreign lands never yield their secret to a traveler. The best they offer are tantalizing snippets, just enough to inflame the imagination. The secrets they do reveal are your own - the ones you have kept from yourself. And this is reason enough to travel, to leave home || Graeme Sparkes

Chaco Fever

7/21/14

|| Follow me on Instagram at @jessanne77 ||

If you were to bump into me on any given day this summer, these are what would be on my feet. The Chaco fever is spreading at camp. Missing all of my souls sisters this week like something crazy.

Donuts

7/20/14

A donut, iced coffee, and a little bit of car dancing. It doesn't take much to make me happy.

A Bookworm in a Bookstore

7/7/14

So there I was.
Perusing the aisles of the used bookstore, the one and only book I intended to buy already in hand.
When I stumbled upon the biographies and memoirs...

JULIA CHILD!
I read A Life in France last summer, and that lady is one of my favorite people ever now.
Yep, I'll grab that book too...

But then...

Along came the Literature section!
So many classics and books I've been wanting to ready for years!

So then, I grab a couple more.
I actually picked a few up and put them back down several times before making definite decisions.
Okay, I'm good, I thought.

... nope, not quite.

Religious section comes up.
Grabbed an old favorite and marched right up to the cashier not to turn back for fear of more books calling my name from the shelves.
And that folks, was my trip to the bookstore today.

What books are you currently reading and loving?

Thoughts on Camp Life

7/6/14

Why would I choose to work at camp this summer? Glad you asked, because I have been wanting to share about all of my amazing experiences so far at camp with all of you. I've gone through training, three weeks of camp, and have five more weeks ahead of me. That being said, I am not near the end of this season of life, so I'm definitely still learning and growing through this everyday. So without further ado, let me tell you about my crazy, fun life in the middle-of-nowhere town in VA.

What made me choose this particular camp to work at? It was simply my own incredible experience there as a student myself and it was where I decided I wanted to be a camp counselor for the first time. Sure it's way too humid outside and my schedule is hectic, but it's nothing the joy of seeing camper's lives changed can't fix. It's a weird, sweaty, freeing, dance-filled life and I definitely have grown to appreciate every facet of this ministry that I have been given.

Now, onto a list of some thoughts about camp, because how else would I write this post besides in the form of a list?

I now own enough athletic wear to last me for the rest of my life.
I'm really good at living out of a duffel bag. I'm also really good at forgetting important things (such as shoes and deodorant) when I travel across VA on weekends.
When you live with sixteen girls in the small upstairs space of a house, you get close with them very quickly and it's the best.
I've never appreciated not having to wait to take a shower until now.
Swim time is the best time of day. Praise the Lord for man-made lakes during hot Virginia summers.
I am finally not the only person dancing along to music 24/7 now. I got the dancing part to this counselor job down.
When you are pasty, you are guaranteed to say/do something really stupid. People will make fun of you for it, which usually makes it even more funny.
If you happen to get lucky and have a break during an acitivity during the day you will either A) read your Bible/devotion, or B) sleep. Even if you wanted to call someone or check email, that's not really an option. Middle-of-nowhere, remember? But those extra times with Jesus or even just a short nap in the middle of the week are always glorious.
After three weeks of camp, you know what your meals are going to be for every meal. Thankfully we have an awesome chef and kitchen staff, who even cater to my veg needs!
My one-cup-of-coffee-a-day rule is out the window. I've been having at least a cup at every meal, but when I can I try to have tea too. Also, my coffee snob has come out as I make my own coffee from my french press every morning. I have converted several friends to the press-life though!
You can learn lessons from everyone. Don't think that because you are older then someone that they don't have something to teach you. Being surrounded my such a diverse group of fellow staff members in age and personality is one of my most favorite things about camp. Each and every one of them has taught me something in one way or another whether it be about camp life, Scripture, a new joke or dance move, or what it means to serve. When a group of people come together with the same goal and purpose in mind, you can bet that powerful things will be accomplished.

I'm so thankful that God has allowed me to be a part of the Watermarks family and for the opportunity to be a part of and see so many lives changed this summer.