Makin' Memories

is what we like to call it.  The proper translation of "Makin' Memories" would be a less than perfect situation...Such as camping with our camping clan in a severe thunderstorm/tornado watch, getting a truck stuck in the severe thunderstorm/tornado watch after unhitching the camper, watching a waterfall inside your camper during that severe thunderstorm/tornado watch, seeing smoke roll out of the camper battery, having a flat tire pulling a camper on the way to the state fair, a camper a/c malfunction while camping in 105+ degree temperatures...and you probably get my drift.

I have said it for years, when things are not going like you planned them, you are makin' memories.  A couple years ago we took some of our youth to St. Louis for a one-day mission trip.  We went down the night before, spent the night in a hotel, had all kinds of fun swimming and hanging out.  Next morning we loaded up and headed to our work spot...it was cold, windy and rainy.  Wonderful conditions to be working outside.  If you know me at all, I'm a total wimp when it comes to terrible weather, but there was no way I could complain about it in front of those kids...so I kept telling them that we were makin' memories.  If it was beautiful and sunny, it might be totally uneventful, nothing memorable...Now we will never forget it because we were soaked to the bone and cold.

The fun stuff I remember from church camp...a lot of it relates to the water troubles or some sort of mini-disaster we've had.  Such as, me deciding to flush a nasty toilet in the girls bathroom on the FIRST DAY OF CAMP and it overflowing and flooding the entire bathroom, which caused us to not have water for two days.  Now, who is going to forget that?  That's right...no one.  The year the boys' dorm flooded because of a heavy rainfall in the middle of the night and we had to empty out those rooms, mop up lots and lots of water, and do a bunch of laundry.  That was a memory forever etched in my mind.  How about checking the entire camp for head lice?  Never will I forget that...ever.

Since we bought a small camper this spring, we're going camping every chance we can get.  This summer was a bit on the hot side, but we still went a few times in the blazing hot temps.  The kids don't seem to mind the heat, but it's always harder on the adults.  I'm learning more and more as I get older that all those great memories I had as a kid were lots and lots of work for the adults and parents.  I have no doubts that my parents and other adults dreaded certain activities or events because of the exhaustion or frustration that came from them, but I am thankful they pressed forward because I treasure many of those memories. 

Crazy rainfall amounts can lead to muddy, soggy grass and large puddles lakes of water surrounding your camper, which could make for a miserable camping experience when in the company of several restless children...but those large lakes of water surrounding the camper plus several restless children, led by an older child adult, can become a splash party.  A humongous slip-n-slide.  An endless amount of muddy, soggy fun.  No worries...There is a shower house a hundred yards away and a plastic bag for the wet, messy clothes. 

So, yes, I would love to have that perfect camping scenario with beautiful weather, right-on temperatures, well-behaved children, campers that operate perfectly, etc, but making the best of a less than perfect situation creates memories that can last a lifetime.  Sometimes it's all about your attitude, and fortunately for my family and friends, we're all about makin' memories.