I promised a post on my camping trip, so here it is.
Friday evening at 6:00 myself and three other teens met for a camping trip at the church here in Oroville to carpool to the area we where going to stay at. [along with four adults who camped with us]
Getting in the RV we drove to a female member of that church's house who kindly let us use her pool and yard that led down to the river about 60 ft. away. getting there we started setting up camp, and about ten minutes later we where joined by about six other teens. Two tents went up, one for the guys, one for the girls. Tables and chairs where bunched under two white canopies. A little time later dinner was eaten, fried chicken and potato salad.
More chairs where gathered around a small fire pit where most of us gathered to sit, while a couple of the boys decided it would be fun to jump in the freezing water at 9:00 at night. Time went by quickly, and before I knew it it was dark, and one of the guys had brought out his guitar and we all listened to him play. It was passed around to the couple others who could play, then at around 10:00 there was a small devotion, then we all sat around talking, waiting up for the last three people who wouldn't get there till around midnight. They arrived almost exactly at midnight, a boy and girl siblings and another girl. Then we where up for another hour before we all went to 'bed' [aka the ground :] in the tent. A few songs where sung, one of which was sung in a different language by a very talented singer :] After a few more giggle and "ssshh's" we all fell asleep.
The next morning some of the teens woke early and where up around the fire at around 6:00 am, myself included. We sat around talking, daring the three boys to do what they had said they would do, get up at six in the morning and jump in the river. [kudos the the ones who actually did it :]
One by one the rest of the group crept out of their respective tents and bundled up by the fire, [it was cold that morning] As the sun steadily rose we ate breakfast and had another devotion, we sang four songs, all accompanied by a guitar and drum from the siblings who had arrived the previous night.
When we where finished cleaning up the breakfast mess, everyone began getting ready for the kayaking trip that was planned. Around 9:00 everyone was ready and some rules where laid out, everyone grabbed a kayak, oar and kayaking partner and got into the water. I was in a three person kayak with two friends, [we laughingly dubbed ourselves the three musketeers, Vader, Einstein and Groovy :P :]
Pretty soon everyone was in the water, and we were on our way, it took D, E and I almost forty-five minutes to get the hang of our paddling system. Our kayaking trip was going to last about two and a half hours, but about thirty minutes till the end we grew tired of the difficulty of a three person kayak, and I switched with someone else onto a single person kayak, leaving my previous group in my wake. :P
We were on the water for almost three hours straight, I had never gotten sunburned in my entire life, but Saturday was memorable not only because of the amazing time I had, but also because it marked the very first time Dani Rains ever got sunburned :P [rubs arm cringing]
When we finally arrived at the outlet at the end of our trip we piled into three trucks and drove back to the camp site. Four of us did some exploring in the wooded area of the spot we were in, then we all walked up the hill to the woman's backyard where she was letting us use her pool. We spent almost an hour there until we all drifted back to the camp site to play some volleyball. After awhile [vader] and I went out to do some kayaking, we had some fun with that for about thirty minutes, but then the call of that amazing pool grew to be too much and five of us went back up to swim. [the river water being so cold it was just too unpleasant for any real swimming] we played Marco Polo and Shark and Minnows. Then we where given two water 'torpedoes' which we threw around and chased through the water, that was the second most fun part of the day for me, next to the kayaking trip.
Then we finally got out after about and hour and a half to go eat dinner, I had to leave at 8:00 that night, and it was about 7:00 when we finished eating. We played volleyball again for awhile, then one of the woman decided we where going to have a 'talent show' where everyone [adults included] had to participate, doing whatever silly, weird thing they could come up with. I thought I would get out of it seeing as how I had to leave in twenty minutes. But she started it early so I had to be in it before I left :)
I was third to last, doing something silly with another girl there. Then it was finally time for me to go, saying goodbye I looked back at all the people and the new friends I had made and thanked the Lord I was able to come. I had an amazing time, I now have many new memories, and wonderful and funny moments to look back on. I hope I will be able to do it again next year :)
I would not wish to be buried among you cold lifeless things, hard blocks, 
