Canned Laughter

My kids love to watch Scooby Doo. The new ones are fine, but they love the older ones... the originals. You know, the ones that had the recorded laughter so we knew when something was funny and were prompted to laugh along. Sometimes I don't even get the joke, but I find myself laughing with the "audience."

I have decided that I need canned laughter in my life (my dad always called it canned laughter because it was just like that... open a can and out came laughter).

I also need theme music. 

I want to know when something romantic or exciting is coming up in my near future.

I think I would handle life so much better this way.

When something happens to me that wasn't quite expected... CANNED LAUGHTER... and then I am reminded "that was funny."

When I am feeling a little dreary and I'm not quite sure that I want to keep going full throttle... ADVENTURE MUSIC... to get me pumped for what is just around the corner.

When I am worn out from the day's endeavors and all I want to do is ignore my husband... ROMANTIC MUSIC... so I will stay focused on my sweetheart and our time together.

When I am trying to walk pretty and there is a curb I don't see, I need the comedic... BOING!!!... so I can focus on the funny sound instead of the embarrassing experience.

No wonder I love being in plays! I need to have theme music in my life at all times!

So, let me tell you about camp with thirty-eight girls from ages 12-18 and eight adult leaders...

That needs its very own theme song...

I can't even describe the theme song girls' camp needs.

It would have adventure, comedy, emotion, strength and spirit all rolled in.

I have to admit, I was a little stressed about going to camp for a week with the Young Women.

I've been to girls camp in my youth and as a leader 3 other times. So, Young Women's camp with the LDS church is pretty "old hat" to me now. This time, though, I was actually anxious wondering if I would even do a good job and if I would be able to help the girls. I think that failing a little bit at trying to raise my niece and nephews has really affected my confidence in my mothering abilities.

... that was tough to write down publicly, but that's the truth.

Anyway, I didn't get to journal every day of camp because I was so busy doing "leader" stuff that I really didn't have any "me" time, but I was in charge of photography for the trip.

I didn't bring my good camera, of course, so I just had my point and shoot, but they still turned out great.

I am going to have fun thinking back to last week and including my theme music idea or sound effect for each picture!

canned laughter - I mean, it's just that funny

Maybe the little voice from years back (or Elmo's World), "You've got mail."
This was where the girls and leaders would leave notes and treats for different girls in the

This picture needed the theme song from "JAWS" at the beginning and  a super hero-type song to bring us back in the the feeling of being safe, sound and taken care of.
There was a gigantically HUGE bumble bee that kept buzzing at the top of our food tent the first day we were there. It was really freaking all the girls out so Irina decided to trap it so she could carry it out of the tent. She needed theme music!

There were many activities at camp and the "Confidence Course" was one of the many.

The Confidence Course has all kinds of different trust and teamwork-based activities.

We needed "encouragement and conquering " music to make sure to let us know we would be able to accept the challenges.

It's surprisingly tough to get multiple people to take two boards for a walk...

Can you see the line at the bottom corner of this picture? That's a wire cable that I was standing on. You and a partner face each other while balancing on these cables and have to rely on "leaning on" each other to get you across.

After completing the confidence course we went canoeing on the lake and had to "save" all our little duckie families.

What are the "duckie families?"

Each girl got a little family of three duckies to paint and decorate and then had to find them out in the lake to be scooped up by our nets. This was a fun activity to represent missionary work and bringing all the families together.

Every ducky was saved and we should have had "rescue" music playing so they were encouraged that all was not lost...

There were many hikes while at camp and each stretch of each hike deserved it's own bit of background music: adventure, comedy, peril, challenge, excitement, grandeur and quiet thought.

I found this old birdhouse beneath a tree in the middle of the forest of trees I had walked to for some scripture reading time. I think that a cross between mystery and nostalgia were playing in my head here.

A few of us, who wanted to, hiked up further on this day. The views were magnificent. the hills were green and bright, the blue sky was full of fluffy white clouds and our spirits were up.

But we actually made our own background music...

We sang "Sound of Music" at the top of our lungs

... and many other songs of the like

That's our camp down below our rim-line hike. It's right there by the lake.

There also needed to be quiet music of retrospect and inner strength that kept you interested enough to make it through the next "scene."

Overall, girls' camp was a great experience when I look back at it this way with all the fun and faith-promoting times. It also had it's tough moments too that just deserved those awkward minutes of silence that lets you know to listen to everything being said in the scene.

It was a new experience, as I think that my perspective and maturity have changed over the 8 years I was last at girls camp.

I think I have also hit this new phase of mourning in our experience of raising children with special needs as I was surrounded by all these girls who were doing and going to do so much more here on this earth than my son, about their age, would ever do. It's a little tough to be surrounded by youth that are so far ahead of what you could even dream your own child of being.

I really think those were the times I needed background music the most.

You know, that music that lets you know there is something bigger, better, and more exciting that will happen in the next seen. The grandiose music that makes your heart pump with wonderment in what will our "heroine" conquer in the next scene.

That music.

I need more of that music.

...


That's all you're getting for now.

I have so much catch-up to do and don't want to overwhelm myself (or you) with all the information at once.

I'll get to the after camp stuff later...

(Cue "suspense" music)

Days 180 - 185 of 365 Days of Up