"Insert Acronym" Camp - or - I'm Proud of My Daughter

There have been what feel like a large variety of camp opportunities for the youth of our church. There was something called EFY - which stood for Especially For Youth. Then that expanded to things like OFSY (Outdoors) and AFSY (Adventure) another one I can't remember where kids could go to needy places in the world and do service like build schools and stuff like that. It had another acronym. Then the church decided to change that system and rebrand the camp to be FSY Camp - which is an acronym for For the Strength of the Youth - and naturally I get them all confused all the time. The FSY camps were supposed to start last summer and were going to be more widespread and accessible for more kids in the church, but then of course Covid hit and it all got cancelled. (PS I feel like if i have to type the word covid one more time in this blog I'm going to totally flip out. I'm SO SICK OF IT.) 

Anyway,  our area got word that they would be starting up slowly this summer and would run a pilot program to test a few things out and our ward would be invited to participate. I was so excited about that! I talked to Romney about it and she was maybe more game than excited but that's better than grouchy and unwilling so we went for it! Of course, part of her willingness was based on the assumption that she would have fun with her friends in the 'hood who would also of course be going. 

Um...none of her friends went. It was about two weeks before camp that I finally figured out that she would have to room with a stranger. I was not very excited to share this news with Romney, expecting her to flatly refuse to go but instead she shrugged her shoulders and said Oh Well! She really took it pretty well and decided to just go for it. I was so proud of her!

Of course as the first day of camp grew closer, she grew a little more concerned and nervous, but she stuck to her decision. On a Monday morning we carpooled to Provo with some friends who had kids in the same week of camp (none old enough or of the proper gender to room with Romney). She and I climbed into the back of a minivan and enjoyed some time together before pulling up to the massive Marriott Center, hopping into a huge line of people, checking in, picking up a name tag, a room key, and a planner. We got her moved into her room and then had a little time for some lunch so we found ourselves at Panda Express with just enough time to gobble a bowl of chow mein and head back to the school. Romney then bid me goodbye before I even got to meet her roommate.

I confess to being pretty nervous - I had no idea how it was going to go for her. Who knows who her roommate would be or who would be in her group. I was pretty anxious to hear from her. Later in the day she texted me to let me know that all was well - at least, she sent me a text that said her roommate 'was cool." That was the only bone she threw me. A relief nonetheless.

Throughout the week we chatted a time or two and it sounded like she was having a really fun week. It felt like she was gone forever and when Saturday morning finally rolled around I was pretty excited to go pick her up. I had a little trouble finding her and when I finally located the picnic area where her group was gathered I found a very cute group of kids who, when I told Romney it was time to say goodbye, gathered around her and did this:

What a very lovely group of young people. They really bonded. In fact, Romney told me that they still text each other goodnight and goodmorning pretty much every day. I'm so proud of Romney for just going for an adventure without a safety net like a close friend. She just jumped in with both feet and had a great week.

Romney happily chatted with me the whole way home about the fun she had - even the part where they sat in classes and learned churchy things. She didn't like the first dance but really loved the second one. How her company had all sorts of inside jokes and times of great hilarity.  The snail drawings and snail races. (Don't worry she lost me on that one too.)

Anyway, yay for my girl who was a total trooper and enjoyed the benefits of her courage.