Camp Memories

Yesterday, I picked up three girls that wished camp wasn't over.  I am so glad they had such a wonderful time.  They have hardly stopped talking about it since they got home.  Here are some things they want to share:

Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times was amazing. We met incredible friends, did fun things, and had good food.  We did things that varied from fishing, to sleeping under the stars on teepee night, to dressing up as men one night. And it was funny because the guy cabin next to us said, "hey guys, " then they looked closer and were like, "Whoa, those are chics!" It was funny.  

Of course, all I caught was a duck. Yes, I said duck. The duck tried to take my bait and it would not let go of my fishing line.  We also got to ride horses.  And I always love being up in the mountains!  This camp was near Idyllwild, where we visited our friends Mark and Laurie last winter.  It was beautiful there.           

It is good to be home, but I am still camp-sick. I miss my cabin family. The photo below shows my cabin family, which included Megan. I can't wait till winter session. 

   -Kelly

Here is Shannon's story:

Camp was so much fun. I wish I could go back and play more games with my cabin family.  One time when we were playing games outside, it started hailing, even though it was summer.  It was so cool, since I don't ever remember seeing hail before.  I liked catching minnows in the pond.  One of my favorite things to do was horseback riding.  I really liked my horse, Pokey. I got to feed the horses carrots and I got to take off Pokey's saddle.  As you can see below, I caught a fish, but it was an accident.  One of my friends gave my their fishing rod to hold so she could go get water.  I was kind of spacing out as I held the rod, and the hook fell into the water.  A fish grabbed on and I caught it! I don't like catching fish though because I don't like seeing them on the hook.  So after that, I just stuck to catching minnows with a net and then releasing them back into the water. Everyday we also got to go swimming in the pool.  My favorite memory was the dance because I love dancing. I really miss my friends and counselors.  I wish I was back at camp.

   ~Shannon
Thanks to Camp Ronald McDonald for providing this wonderful camp experience for these pediatric oncology patients and their siblings.  These are truly memories that will last forever.  Even Megan, who I always worry about how she handles having a twin sister with cancer came home and said, "We really were like a big family.  And it was so nice because everybody understands what it is like to deal with cancer. Everyone just gets it."

And summer fun is not over yet.  Remember how Kelly picked a Disney Caribbean Cruise as her Make A Wish?  Well, we are leaving this Saturday!  Kevin is flying home Friday night to go with us, then we fly to Florida early Saturday morning.  We get on the ship Sunday morning. And somewhere in Florida, we have to find a bookstore so Kelly can get the latest Stephanie Meyer book in the Twilight Series that she has been so eagerly anticipating.  She has read the first three books in the series countless times. The fourth book, Breaking Dawn, is being released Saturday.

  So like they have been doing all summer, the girls are unpacking, getting laundry done, and repacking their suitcases. Of course,  Megan and Shannon will squeeze in as many dance classes as they can this week while they are home. What an amazing summer we are having! After last spending most of last summer at the hospital, we really appreciate this fun summer this year.  We don't take this for granted anymore! Tomorrow night is Kelly's  "Wish" Party where we get all the details for our trip.

Kelly does have chemo on Wednesday, so hopefully she will recover in time to feel good for our flight Saturday morning.  Send your good thoughts and prayers her way to have a quick recovery this week from chemo!