No more bread?

Summer 2012 has started, officially. For me, that means I am now 2 weeks in to my 12 weeks at Camp Olympia. This summer I set myself a couple tentative goals--tentative because I didn't want to make a promise to myself that I couldn't keep. Ok I'll be honest...I call them "tentative" because I sort of set them as an ideal, not really intending to stick to them. The goals:

-go down 2 to 3 pant sizes (i.e. eat better and exercise)
-try gluten-free for a few weeks to see if it does anything for my energy
-spend time in the Word and praying every day

That was basically it. Pretty simple, except with the job I have this summer, I have way less time than I usually do, I'll be here ALL summer, which gets exhausting, and I really like my sleep...like...REALLY like it. All of those goals, in some way, interfere with my sleep and the time I have to effectively do my job each day. Except the gluten free—that’s just no fun. And I’m really bad at time management, so working out and being efficient with my time so I can have a bible study is asking a lot. To clarify, I was just being idealistic with those goals. I honestly didn’t have a lot of hope in myself that I would achieve them. However, I’m thinking now that there might be a chance.

This year at camp I am an Assistant Director, or AD. I live in a cabin with 3 other AD’s and we, along with all the boy AD’s and other AD’s, are given responsibilities to fulfill throughout each term and the summer. So I’m living with 3 of my closest friends instead of with campers, which so far has meant late-night talks and vault conversations, some candy, frequent dancing, and lots of Disney Apples to Apples and “Friends” (fact: best TV show EVER). Cool side fact about all this: one of the girls I am living with has been gluten free for about the last 4 or 5 months, and is sticking with it while she is at camp. I honestly wasn’t planning on cutting out my pancakes and butter rolls and muffins and pasta with alfredo sauce while I was at camp…food is one of the best aspects here. But suddenly I’m living with a girl who has been doing this for a while and is strongly encouraging me to try it. Oh, and did I mention there’s a specialty cook here who’s only job is to find meals to make for people who have food allergies or intolerances or special diets and can’t eat what’s being served regularly, and right now there are only 2 of those here? Yeah, so basically, if I decide to go gluten-free, here at camp I don’t have to stress about what I’ll eat instead—I just tell Dave. :) So Tuesday I started, and tomorrow will be day 4 of my gluten-free summer. I just need to say, today for lunch I had the BEST gluten-free pasta dish with chicken chunks and tomato sauce, broccoli, fruit, and a SUPER tasty gluten-free cookie. I feel like I’m eating like a king; Dave comes and finds Sam and me every morning to check with us if the meal he has planned for us sounds good…which it always does.

Also, every morning at 8:10 the girl AD’s meet right before breakfast to pray over camp for the day. It’s been a really awesome time so far, we’ve had other AD’s or full time staff join, it’s a great time to get re-focused and grounded and share together our passion and heart for Camp, and it’s also made me really start digging more into my relationship with God, making it a bit easier for me to have things to specifically pray for each morning.

Anyway, the point of all this is to say that I think my goals might actually be attainable this summer…if I can be consistent with it. Which I think I can. So we’ll see how this all goes as the summer progresses—I still need to figure out a time and routine for working out. But I have my weight ball and running shoes…hooray. :)

This isn’t really the best time for me to be blogging right now (I think I’m supposed to be watching over all of camp or something), but I don’t know when I’ll get another chance, so here it is. More to come later.

Courtney

P.S. I didn’t explain it earlier…the pant size by the end of the summer is a Disney thing; I want to audition for a costume character when I get there, just to see if I maybe have a chance, and I’m the perfect height for some of the characters but you have to be between a 2 and a 6 in pant sizes to get a character and I’m a 9…so I have set that goal for that specific reason. We’ll see how it goes. Also, it would be nice to just lose some weight. :)

Here we go again

I started a blog a while back...I guess a year ago now.  I did it mainly to document different recipes I had been making, posting pictures along with how to make whatever it was, and telling the random anecdote here and there throughout the post.  I thought it would be something fun for me to keep up with, and maybe it would give me incentive to cook more.  So what happened to that blog, you say?  Well, I posted once, a blog about my homemade lemonade (which was delectable and refreshing and I should really make again sometime).  I had clear, vibrant pictures, an easy-to-follow recipe, and a funny story about lemon squirting into my eye (funny after the fact, of course.)  A month later I made a chicken and potato dish and went to post it on my blog...and couldn't find it.  I couldn't remember what blog site I had used, what my user name had been, what my password was, or when exactly I had posted my last post.  Needless to say, my blog is now floating somewhere out there in cyberspace, probably never to be seen or read from again.  Sad day indeed.

I'll admit I was a little discouraged at this point, and felt a bit deterred from blogging.  So no wonder it took me a year to get back on the horse.  Nevertheless, here I am now.  My motives? Next semester I will be participating in the Disney internship and really think I should document that in some way other than my own private journals that no one is allowed to read ever (duh.)  So I'm starting here, having just created my own gmail account, and having something to say.  This blog really is primarily for my Disney trip, but seeing as how that's more than 3 months away, I might as well blog about other events.  So hopefully there will be recipes posted, stories from camp, and pictures shared throughout the next few months on here.  Who really knows with me?

As for today, I do have one picture to share.  

I had lunch today with these 3 gorgeous, wonderful ladies who have been in my life for quite a while now--I'm very grateful for them.  It's going to be a bittersweet summer--sweet because I'll be at camp doing what I love, but bitter because I won't get to see them every Sunday and plan random lunch dates with them.  Also bitter because Kayse (upper left corner) is having her baby mid-July and I won't be here for it. :(

Anyways, I think that's all I have to say for now.  I'm going to make myself go back to packing for camp (I leave in 3 days :D :D.)  I've been watching Parks and Recreation while packing...I've decided that I enjoy it very much, even though I was originally against the idea of watching it because I want to get my Masters in Parks and Recreation and was scared the show would either suck, deter me from wanting to pursue that, or give me false ideas of what Mastering in that would mean.  Not sure if the second two are going to happen yet, but the first one isn't true at least. :)

Ok, enough of this for now.  I've just turned blogging into procrastinating.

Courtney

P.S. If anyone happens to find my lost blog about lemonade yet, please send me the link to it.  I would greatly appreciate it. :)