Summer weather. Green trees.

A lovely clean breeze, a natural atmosphere,

and friends too!Sounds like paradise, huh? Well, I was not feeling quite
sure about that, this being my first time at Girls Camp.

From the beginning, I was pretty excited. Living with friends, being in
nature, doing fun activities, and making memories! ( And being away from
my family for a while. My sisters can get LOUD.)But that's when it all
started. It happened when a simple 'what if' got to my head. Soon, it was a
stressful chain of what-ifs. What if I get sick? What if my friends don't care
that I'm there? What if someone got hurt, or even worse, died?! What if
what if WHAT IF???...

I was so ecstatic before, I thought. But now--- My paranoia got the better
of me, and I began to dread the trip.

Before I knew it, Girls Camp was less than a week away!
We were cleaning every part of the house until it almost gleamed.
My grandparents and Aunt were coming to stay for a week, then they
would drive me to Utah for a month after Girls Camp, and I started to be
even more fearful of the future. If that wasn't enough, I had to let my
grandparents stay in my bedroom, since I have a queen-size bed. But at
least I got to see them again. ( it had been years since I saw them in real
life!) Mom was super supportive of me, and she and my dad got me all
sorts of things I needed for camp, including some small snacks to bring
for the trip ahead. Our shopping spree was pretty fun!!! My mom and I got
some nice blankets and a mattress pad for my cot at Walmart, and I found
a weighted sleeping mask, which helped me sleep more peacefully. I was
ready.

The night before I left, I was exhausted and stressed. But my mom came
in and was comforting and reassured me everything would be okay. My
aunt had gotten me and my sisters a necklace earlier that night, and it
reminded me of how loved I was. It’s all gonna be oooookay. I told myself.
And then I fell asleep.

When I woke up in the morning, I got in the car and was ready to go! I was
already missing my parents, but I reminded myself that I was loved, and
also how I was going to have so much fun. And I did! I had an AWESOME
trip. The ward young women went on a hike through a cold, dark train
tunnel that was 107 years old to a gorgeous Creek. We also went tubing
down a giant slip-and-slide slope, coming up with different formations.
AND we did a ropes course in the forest! A ropes course is a collaborative
obstacle course, where you have to work with others to solve and figure
out how to complete the obstacles.

The last night we were there, I didn’t even want to leave much anymore.
I had had such a wonderful experience! Going to Girl’s camp has taught
me so much. People are there for me and care about me. I am loved way
more than I thought I was, and sometimes think I am.I had learned an
important lesson, and that was that you shouldn’t be worried about
having new experiences, because usually, everything turns out okay.