Summer Camp Tradition

Every summer for approximately the past 30 years, someone from the Gardner family has gone to summer camp at the Dunes Bible Camp. It was often the highlight of my summer when I was a kid and was a time of making new friends, having tons of fun and growing in my faith. The camp is smaller than a lot of other camps and doesn't have the financial means to have all kinds of "cool" amenities like many other camps out there (like horseback riding and rock climbing walls), but we think it is the best camp ever. The family that runs the Dunes couldn't be nicer, the lodging is decent, the food is great (well, except for primary camp where they cook foods that little kids would like - i.e. hamburgers, chicken nuggets, pizza, etc =), and their amenities are adequate - including a full-size gym, an Olympic-size swimming pool, campfire, water slide, and, of course, the best of all, the BEACH! Also, their prices are very reasonable, much cheaper than any other Christian camp we've looked into.

After I was a camper, I became a counselor and enjoyed that experience as well. But then I got too busy with work and now I'm too busy with young children. Thankfully, though, my family has passed on our love for the Dunes to the next generation. My nephews and nieces (my brother and sister's kids) are big fans of the Dunes and go every year. The only way I get to participate in the experience now is by sending cards and letters to them in hopes that they are forced to get up in front of everyone and sing a silly song in order to receive their mail (not necessarily of the Veggie Tale variety, for those of you who just thought of Silly Songs with Larry like I did as I typed that last sentence!). So, as two of my nephews and one of my nieces are at camp this week, Abby and I got out the cards and stickers.

She had lots of fun picking out which stickers to use...

...and carefully placed them on the card for cousin Ted.

Heading out to the mailbox.

But writing cards does not even come close to the fun I had at camp. I can't wait until Abby is old enough to go to Primary Camp and then maybe I'll be able to be her counselor just like my mom was my counselor the first year I went. How exciting and fun it will be to pass on my love for the Dunes Bible Camp to my daughter. =)