Campus by the Sea #3

Family Camp week #2 ended this past Saturday and on Sunday we brought in our week #3 group. It was hard saying goodbye to last week's group because I had some good friends in that group. But other than that I was really excited to move on to new campers!

On Saturday after the campers left, a small group of staff kayaked over to a sandy beach about a mile and a half west of the Campus by the Sea called White's Beach. Some of you may know that our camp has a rocky beach. You may think I'm kidding, but I love having a rocky shore because it makes the water so clear, however, it is nice to visit a sandy beach every so often. So about 10 of us headed over to White's with our soccer balls and frisbee in hand. After 30 minutes of paddling we landed on the beach and witnessed the biggest swell I have ever seen here on Catalina Island. One of the dangerous parts about this swell was that it was causing the waves to crash right on the sand so I was not comfortable swimming in it. Some of our kayakers flipped while trying to paddle into shore, but luckily no one was injured. We didn't think anything about the huge waves until the next day. On Sunday, a bunch of us were sitting on the beach waiting for the campers to arrive and huge waves were breaking on our camp's shore. About 20 minutes prior to the arrival of our campers, a huge wave came up and over the end of our pier. We were just finding out that this huge swell was caused by a storm off the coast of Mexico. Our staff was reminded of the power of God's creation but were so thankful no one was washed away. That night the waves destroyed two of our sea walls. Thankfully, the water was safe enough to swim in on Monday and was completely calm yesterday. We are so thankful to God and his protection over our staff and our campers!

This week Sydney is working with the nursery and play yard (ages 0-3) which is a huge change from working with the junior high and high school the last two weeks. She has had a cold since Saturday morning but is feeling better today. I am so impressed with the way she is taking care of the little ones! I love her heart. This summer has been a great time for Syndey and I to  grow closer as sisters!

This week my partner Seth and I have 13 four and five year olds. We are very lucky to have our friend Cody help in our class this week because of the dramatic increase of kids. Although we have 13, this is definitely one of our most mature groups we have had so far and we are SO thankful for that. I am just incredibly blessed by each and every little face and how each one of them has a heart for Jesus. Their eagerness to learn more is so encouraging and I wake up every day excited to see each and every one of them. I am also in awe of how God blessed me with Seth, my teaching partner. We balance each other out and we are always on the same page. We never disagree on anything and we are constantly picking up slack for one another. I couldn't imagine teaching with anyone else.

My parents are coming to camp this Saturday and I am so excited to see them. It's going to be great for them to get a sneak peak on how Sydney and I get to spend our summer.

If you feel led to pray for us you can pray for our Staff's health. None of us got the stomach bug but the majority of us have a cold, Sydney and I included. It hasn't really brought us down but it is a huge inconvenience.

Love you guys!

Campus by the Sea #2

     Well, we are done with Family Camp week #1 and we are half way through week #2. Syd and I are still having an amazing time at Campus by the Sea.

     Last Wednesday night when we returned back to camp we spent the night swing dancing and line dancing. That is hands down one of my favorite nights of the week! On Thursday we had class during the day and at night we had a bonfire for the children! I loved leading all the campfire songs and the kids loved sitting by the fire! On Friday morning we had class again and in the evening we had our traditional banquet night! On banquet night we serve the kids dinner and play games which is one of the highlights of the week for most of the campers. It was an evening especially wonderful for the high school and junior high. They spend their evening reflecting on what God has done in their life during the week and the stories they share with their leaders are remarkable. Unfortunately Syd missed banquet night as she was back on the mainland from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon for a wedding. The campers left in the early afternoon on Saturday and the Staff spent the rest of the day enjoying free time! I played a lot of volleyball and went wake boarding! It was supposed to be a day of rest but it changed into a full day of activities. I missed having Sydney with me during the weekend but she came back on Sunday afternoon with the week 2 campers!

      Last week was a big challenge for a lot of us because while we were trying to get though our first week of running our program, the stomach flu came to camp. There were about 6-8 families that were affected by it, which added a lot of work for our facilities team... YUCK! The campers affected were quarantined in order to stop this flu in its tracks. I have never washed myself so many times throughout each day. Luckily our program director was the only one that got sick on our staff. God really protected the staff from catching the bug and we are so grateful for the way He worked in that situation.

      This has been a week of relief for me and my partner Seth since we only have 4 kiddos compared to the 11 we had last week! Yesterday we had water games on the basketball court and Seth decided to encourage our 4 and 5 year olds to soak me! Our group is so much fun and I have loved hanging out with them. Today Syd and I hiked about 5 miles into the town of Avalon along with other campers. We will be able to use our phones until about 3:00PM today so feel free to shoot us a text! Thank you for your prayers. Love you all!!

Campus by the Sea #1

Yay! Sydney and I have been at camp for a week and 2 days! We are absolutely loving Campus by the Sea. Syd and I have made a lot of new friends and we love living in such a great Christian community!

The first full week we were at camp we spent most of our time planning for the first week with campers (which started Sunday the 22nd). Last Tuesday we found out what age group we were going to be working with all summer. Sydney will be a floater all summer and helping out in many different age groups. This week Syd is with High school and Jr. High! I will be with the 4 and 5 year olds all summer! I have to admit that was not my first choice in age group but God has done so much work in my heart and has brought me a lot of peace about working with the kindergarten age! The first set of campers came in on Sunday and it was great to see all of the campers faces, some familiar and some unfamiliar. We don't have a lot of returning staff members this summer but it has been so refreshing to work with new people! When Sydney and I are not working with Kids, we spend our time hiking, swimming, playing games, snorkeling, and sun bathing. We are constantly in awe of God's creation! Instead of sleeping under a roof, Sydney and I have been sleeping under the stars. There is a wooden sleeping deck located in the staff area of camp that we sleep on! The sunshine is our alarm clock. You would think it would get annoying but we are usually so tired that we sleep through the sunrise!

Sydney has enjoyed leading a group of Sophomores this week and I love working with the little ones! My teaching partner is a great help in class and we are a great team! His name is Seth and I am so blessed to work with him this summer! Yesterday, a four year old in our class took off his pants in front of everybody because "His pants were wet from playing in the water". That was hilarious! We had a spontaneous conversation with the kids in our class about how taking our pants off in class is inappropriate! They are all so silly and they have brought me so much joy these last few days!
Our transition into camp life has been really smooth! We are both so blessed to be a part of such an amazing staff! We have great expectations for the rest of the summer and we are stoked to see what God has in store for us at CBS!

Love and miss you all!

-Shelby

Paleo Plus Salad Dressing

Today I am going to write about my experience with the Paleolithic “diet”, also known as Paleo! I did it for one week. Now I know one week is not a lot of time, but it was enough time to make me notice how important it is to eat well.

 For those of you that don’t know what Paleo is, its basically clean eating. Paleo requires you to cut a lot of things out of your diet. I am not allowed to eat wheat, grains, legumes, dairy, and anything processed. The only oil that you can consume is olive oil, avocado oil (!!??), coconut oil, mustard seed oil, sunflower oil, and walnut oil. The only “cheat” I am indulging in is salad dressing because I cannot eat a salad without dressing and salad is a very important part of Paleo.  I went into this “diet” without any goals but just to stick with it strictly and to see if it is something I could do for more than just a week. I also just wanted to do it just to find better meal options that are healthier.

To learn more about what you can and cannot eat while doing paleo, click here.

Paleo Groceries!!

            Funny Story from my Paleo week:

One thing that you have to deal with when you are doing Paleo is making wise choices at restaurants. On Saturday I was invited to spend the day with some family friends. I knew this would force me to say no to a lot of yummy foods. We decided to go to BJ’s and I ordered a chicken sandwich, wrapped in lettuce with green beans instead of French fries, because potatoes are not allowed (insert crying face emoji here). My sandwich consisted of chicken, bacon, and lettuce. It was hard saying goodbye to the bread and the cheese but I knew I had to stick with it. I was feeling great about my decision to stick with it until the dessert menu came out. Every single person had his or her own personal Pazooki and I sat there, dying a little inside. My self-control was tested and it won! I obeyed all of the regulations and I felt great after I left (emphasis on AFTER I LEFT). Although, it was a great time to hang out with friends!

            Favorite meals:

My favorite meal consisted of pork chops, asparagus, and mushrooms. I cooked the pork chops in a little bit of olive oil and once it was almost done, I threw in the mushrooms. After cooking the asparagus, the total cooking time was only about 20 minutes! It was very delicious.

 

I know this is chicken, I didm;t get a picture of the Pork Chops.

I loved snacking on Trader Joes Plantain chips, and unsalted sunflower seeds. When buying a healthy snack while doing Paleo, it is important that you read the food label to see what oils your favorite snack is cooked in!

One struggle I had was getting a lot of sugar. My only source of sugar I could get was from fruit. So I would usually start my morning with a fruit smoothie. Be careful to not add your favorite fruit juice because that is not allowed! I just put in some mixed berries, ice and water. It turned out nicely! I would use the left over smoothie that I didn’t drink and freeze it in an ice tray that made oversized “fruit cubes” and added a stick! Later in the day I would enjoy a delicious fruit popsicles. The cool thing is that I could have more than one and not feel guilty about it!  This small dessert was a huge treat!

                  Tips:

1. If you want to start Paleo start it during a week when you don’t have a lot planned. You need to have a lot of time to cook the food because it is hard to find cheap food at restaurants that follows the Paleo guidelines.
2. PLAN AHEAD. If you know you have to babysit tomorrow night, make sure you cook that food ahead of time so you don’t find yourself in a position of not being able to eat the food the mom cooked for her kids.
3. Know what you’re eating before you arrive to the restaurant. Also remind yourself that you have to stick to Paleo. Don’t think to yourself  “I will just decide at the restaurant if I’m going to indulge in the bread basket”. Know what’s coming so you are mentally prepared to say no. Also, if you know what you’re going to eat prior to your arrival, you can get excited about what you can eat!
4. READ! Read a lot of the Paleo Blogs out there and read your food labels! Make sure that your favorite garlic salt doesn’t have sugar in it or other non-paleo foods.
5. Download the PaleoFood App. I like to call it the “Is it Paleo” app. It’s perfect when you are at the grocery store wondering if black olives are Paleo. You simply enter in the food you are wondering about and see if it is allowed or not!
6. Have someone do it with you! I had my friend Luke there for support. We shared recipes with each other and even prepared meals together. It was great to have him to hold me accountable!

 

The "PaleoFood" App, available in the app store

I am so glad that I made it an entire week without cheating! I noticed a huge difference in myself and for that I am grateful. I was less tired after eating and I didn’t feel bloated after eating. My stomach began feeling tighter and it gave me a lot of confidence. At the end of 7 days I had lost a total of 5lbs. Now I know that it is something I CAN do. I have overcome a lot of hard decision making when it came to ordering and preparing meals but I did it. And I am SO proud of myself!

Mommy Spotlight

There are two sections of this post! For the first section, I interviewed a few moms asking them what they thought the hardest thing about being a mom was. For the second section I asked a few people what they love about their mom. ENJOY!

 My goal with this post is to shine light on all the things moms have to go through in order to be who they are!

                 1.    What is the hardest thing about being a mom?

“My kids are still (somewhat) young. I still pretty much decide what they do, and whom they do it with. The fact that someday, (sooner than I'd like to think) they will be making their own choices about little stuff and life and death stuff is a challenge for me!”

“The first thing I thought of is being 'on' all day.  You can't just rest if you're tired or sick. You can't just NOT make/get dinner if you aren't hungry or don't feel like eating. If you're having a bad day, you feel completely guilty when you take it out on your kids....”

“The MOST challenging thing in this moment is fear…I fear that I won't do enough for them, be enough for them, teach them enough, discipline enough, love fiercely enough and show Christ enough. At the same time I fear that I will do too much for them, be too overwhelming, too overpowering, discipline too strongly, be too smothering, pass on my weaknesses/imperfections, or that they might turn from Christ.

Finding the balance to be in that "perfect" zone is nearly impossible and that is a scary thing.

I pray daily that my kids will be great in spite of my own shortcomings, and ask God to fill in where I lack.”

“One challenging thing about being a mom is answering all of my daughters ‘why’ questions and hoping I'm giving the right answers/advice”

"One of the challenging things of being a mother is hearing your toddler say "No" to everything you ask him to do."

"One of my focuses for my girls was my hope for them to make choices and relationships that are Christ-centered. I look at it like a funnel. The world is above the mouth of the funnel and Christ is at the end. I hoped and prayed they'd meet people and make decisions that pull them toward the center where Christ is. As a young mom with three girls in 3 years it was hard to do this and often times I failed in my being lazy or unwilling to be consistent. I always knew God loved them

more than I did even though it didn't seem possible. As I type this I am reminded of something I drilled into them "make good choices", when what I should have been saying was "make God's choices!"

“I think the hardest thing is balancing when to give your input and when to allow your child to make their own decisions with their own results… Good or bad. Sometimes the lesson is in the making of the mistakes. It’s one of the hardest things: to watch your child make a mistake that you could have saved them from… OH! And having a kid 6500 miles away.”

“Being a fully 'present' mom. Usually the roles we have are overlapped. I ask myself: How can I be fully be a mom with other titles like teacher, coach, team parent, career woman, or housekeeper.”

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2.   What do you love about your mom?

“I love that she makes me Enchiladas!”

“I can go to her for anything. She always knows what to say.”

“She always can find something if its lost.”

“Her ability to forgive so well”

“I love that she pays thousands of dollars for treatment for my Lyme disease, all because she loves me”

“That she keeps singing even when everyone tells her to shut up”

“She finds joy in opening her home to anyone and everyone.”

“I had one of those leather bracelets made for me at Disneyland with my name on it. I took it off once and she took it and kept it.

Now she wears it everyday! Hahaha!”

Thank you to everyone who participated, it made for a great post!

XO SHELBY

Campus by the Sea

Happy Happy Thursday to everyone! Today’s blog is going to be about my home away from home, and my happy place, Campus by the Sea.

For those of you that do not know about Campus by the Sea (CBS), it is a year round Intervarsity Camp located on Catalina Island off the coast of Long Beach. It is located in a quiet, secluded cove near Avalon, California. Their goal is to invite guests to step away from the busyness of life and experience God’s rest. I was so fortunate to be able to work there last summer and I’m going to tell you a little bit about my experience.

Birds eye view of the cove

            Last year, only 6 hours after graduating high school I boarded a boat to Catalina Island and began a summer that I would never forget. During the summer, Campus by the Sea hosts family camp that lasts 6 weeks. Families from all over the United States come to CBS to get closer to God, grow as a family, swim, snorkel, hike, and get to know other people. Last summer was a life changing summer for me for four reasons: I got to experience God’s love in a new way, it was my first time living somewhere without my parents, I built relationships with people that I love so much, and I got to live ON the beach. What more could I ask for?

 

Now do you understand why I love this place?

I love them

  At Campus by the Sea, there are three different summer volunteer opportunities available: Kitchen, Crew, and Program. I was the opportunity to be a part of Crew! Crew is in charge of keeping camp clean, doing chores around camp, and keeping people safe down at the beach. My daily routine consisted of doing morning chores, bringing in boxes of groceries from Avalon, cleaning the bathrooms, taking out the trash, and lifeguarding. I am not going to lie, being on crew was hard sometimes. The days were very long, and doing chores all day gets boring. Although it wasn’t the ideal job, it helped me reflect on the reason why I was there: TO SERVE! Since I was unable to call home, I would write letters to my family. In one of my letters I said, “I just remember that I am serving people, and that’s how I would get through my days, and I LOVE the people”. This job required putting others before myself and spread God’s love through serving.  Although there were three different areas at camp to work, we still all had the common goal of serving others. Each job is equally as important as the next one. Although I was there to bless people, I ended up being blessed myself.

Me and my girls!

After a long day of work, standing on dry ice for a quick photo is necessary.

            One of the most unique things about working at a summer camp is living in community with so many different people. It is such a great opportunity to get to know everyone and learn from one another. The CBS staff truly impresses me, everyone has a heart to serve and that’s what makes this group so special. There are times when you miss your family but there is always someone there for you when you need to talk. People are constantly encouraging you to keep moving. Throughout my life, the only Christian community I have really been apart of was my church group. It was nice to actually live with people who are living their life the same way I am. When I am on the mainland, it is hard to find encouragement because there are many people who believe something different things. At my school, you are pushed into this melting pot of non-believers. Don’t get me wrong, there are Christians at my school but it’s hard to find them. When I went to Campus by the Sea, I was (for the first time) completely surrounded by a Christian community for a long period of time. I had the opportunity to relate with people on a completely different level, and for that I am thankful for.

This was taken after a shore line hike to Avalon!

My five mile hike to avalon

            I am excited to announce that I will be returning to Campus by the Sea this summer to be a part of program staff. I will be spending my summer teaching kids about Jesus, building relationships kids, and spreading God's love. Word cannot describe how excited I am to see how God is going to work in each person this summer. I am so grateful to be able to return to Campus by the Sea and be a part of such an amazing staff. If I know anything about this summer it is that GOD IS GOING TO MOVE!!

A gnarly swimsuit tan!

When I am on the island this summer I will be posting hopefully on a weekly basis. So keep an eye out for updates of my time at Campus by the Sea. COMING MID JUNE!

20 Songs You Need in Your Life

I put together some songs that I think you need in your life. I am completely biased, but I think this list is pretty accurate. I also gave a little explanation on why I love each one, but most of them do not need any explanation!  Click “listen” for a direct link to each song. They are listed in no specific order.

1.     Your Love Never Fails by Jesus Culture: I love this song because it puts God’s love into words, and it touches my heart when I listen to it. listen

2.     Favorite Things from The Sound of Music: Because it is a classic! It is great for when you are feeling afraid. listen

3.     Yeah! By Usher: The ultimate dancing song! listen

4.     At Last by Etta James: She has such a beautiful voice, and every one needs an old fashion love song in their life. listen

5.     Summer Nights from GREASE: Another classic that everyone should have memorized. listen

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6.     Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: Another love song that is such a fun one to sing. listen

7.     I Will Always Love You by Whitney Huston: We all need that one song that we belt in the car, dramatically. listen

8.     Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen:  The many different parts to this song make it so good! listen

9.     Do You Hear the People Sing from Les Miserables: There are many songs in this show that deserve to be on this list, but this is a good one. listen

10. I’ll be Seeing You by Billie Holiday: Such a romantic old-fashioned love song that makes my heart happy. Have you seen The Notebook? listen

11. Celebration by Kool & the Gang: The song you listen to after you finish your final. listen

12. In Christ Alone (so many different artists): This song verbalizes how amazing our God is. listen

13. Thriller by Michael Jackson: Such a fun song with a crazy dance to go along with it. listen

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14. Your Song by Elton John: I bet you’re surprised by this one! listen

15. Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi: If you haven’t sang this song at the top of your lungs then we’ve got a problem here. listen

16. I know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly: Who knows who came up with this song?! It’s an amazing nursery rhyme. listen

17. We are Family by Sister Sledge: Everyone needs a great song about their family and sisters! listen

18.  Hand in My Pocket by Alanis Morissette: A good song for when you are feeling down, it encourages you to move on and remember everything is going to be okay. listen

19. Take me out to the Ball Game: Everyone should have this song memorized, even if you are not a baseball fan. listen

20. Imagine by John Lennon: I was just reminded of this song and it is definitely worthy of being on this list. listen

     Have a topic you want me to blog about? Email me at theshelbylens@gmail.com and I will review your ideas!