Goodbye Sarah!

For some reason, which seems to escape us today, we decided to sign our firstborn child up for a week of summer camp more than three hours away from home. It seemed like such a great idea at the time. She would have wonderful experiences. Becky remembered her own summer camp days with fondness. We signed her up for her two first choices of activities: horsemanship and ceramics. We found out a couple of friends were going too, and asked to be put in the same cabin. We planned out what to pack.

The last two days were a Sarah roller coaster of being excited about camp, and being worried about being gone from home for so long. Ben was not convinced this was a great idea. He was going to miss Sarah and made it quite clear with his comments. Mom & Dad were trying to act like this was o.k., but we're going to miss her too.

The camp staff was terrific when we dropped her off. The camp is in a beautiful mountain setting by a lake. Her cabin seems terrific, and her counselor was likeable and experienced. She quickly settled into a lower bunk, and changed into her swimsuit to join her cabin mates for their swim test. She was very pleased to pass the swimming at the highest level, so she won't require a lifejacket.

As she hugged us goodbye, she said, "Mom, I'm not sure about this." She hugged me tightly, and I knew I didn't want to leave her. The words out of my mouth were, "Oh, you'll have a lot of fun. We'll see you soon!" We smiled and waved as we walked away from her. We hid lots of notes and a gift in her suitcase, so she will find them later. A couple of postcards are already on the way, with hopes of reaching her tomorrow.

To ease our pain of leaving Sarah, we met our buddies, Karen & Kevin, for supper. They left both of their kids for their first camp experience. It was strange to be out with them, and only one child. Ben quickly adjusted to the benefits of being the only child. Once we were home, it still didn't feel right to pass by her room and not see her in there. We will definitely be missing her this week!