Rain, rain... go away?

I am having a blast working here this summer, but I had no idea it was going to be so crazy! It is weird because I don't really feel overwhelmed or anything, I just find myself completely worn out at the end of the day. I'm sorry I haven't been giving regular updates... I don't have any really great excuse for it, haha, I just haven't been getting around to it. I'll try to fill y'all in a little bit on what is going on here.

We went to Camp Zenith last week on the campus of OC. That is the same camp that I always went to in high school. This was my seventh year to go to Zenith, but my first as a counselor. I think I was just as excited, if not more so, to go to camp than the teens. The first day of camp we got to meet our "Z-Groups". My male co-counselor, Robert, goes to school at ACU. He was kind of weird, haha, but he did a pretty good job with our group. I had two of the Park Avenue girls in my Z-Group. All together we had ten girls and about six or seven boys in our Z-Group. Apparently a lot of our Park Avenue teens had REALLY awesome experiences at camp in the past and just didn't have as great of groups this year. It was kind of disappointing at first for some of them, but I think they all ended up having a great time at the end of the week. I was very thankful to have a really good Z-Group. They all got along pretty well and were really open with each other. Having a good Z-Group really makes or breaks the camp experience. I remember that my first year at Zenith was AWESOME because I had an amazing group and amazing counselors. I ALSO remember having a pretty lame group my last year as a camper at Zenith. Having a good group really makes all the difference in the world. I really had a great time being a counselor, and it makes me look forward to Camp Cornerstone (the middle school camp) which is in a couple of weeks. It is a very long and tiring week, but I love doing it. Just about ALL of these pictures are goofy, but that is all I had! Here they are anyway...

(Park Avenue Youth Group) We had a lot of stuff planned to do this week, but all of this rain has really put a damper on everything. We were supposed to rake leaves today, and go to the lake with the middle schooler's on Thursday but it doesn't look like those plans are going to work out. There is still a chance the rain could hold off for Thursday, but it doesn't look too hopeful.

All of this rain lately has been pretty weird. In fact, it is pouring down here right now! I couldn't really believe it when mom told me that Gainesville was flooded... until I saw the pictures! I just kept saying, "No way... I don't believe it... are you serious?" It is pretty crazy. I love rain, and I love storms... I just hope that it doesn't cause any more damage to anyone. Here are a few pictures of the flood in Gainesville last week...

(California Street looking east from First State Bank shows a

utility building floating away and cars stuck in high water.)

(The Zoo)

(You can barely see First State Bank at the top left hand side.)

Anyway, I am still having a blast working here this summer. I am really building some awesome relationships with everyone here and I know it is an experience that I will never forget. I say it every time and I usually fail to do so... haha, but I will try to update more often! If you see that I haven't posted in a few days send me an email and I will get to it! Sometimes I just forget about it!

Stay dry!