It is now Monday evening and I can very much feel the effects of the weekend adventures. They always say that when you work muscles that you don't necessarily use a lot you feel it the most on the second day. I can testify that statement to be a true fact. My arms are SO sore. But I am so glad for all that I did.

You sounded a bit interested in learning more details of what exactly a ropes course is and what we accomplished for the day. So, I decided to try and put together a video from what my girls captured. That in itself has been an adventure because I have never made a movie before. I separated them into three video segments for you and published them on youtube ....because it is all I could figure out today. I edited out a bunch of idle stuff so I hope you can get the jest of things without being bored.

There were many other things that we did that day to build one another up but I didn't want to chase you away with too much video.

And though there is no doubt that I have had the respect and love of everyone in the youth group, I definitely have it now. Over and over again they cheered me on, helped me, encouraged me, and cried with me. One young man even said, "From now on is it okay if I call you Brick House (from that radio song) because you are so strong and amazing?" How many times I heard, "Wow that was incredible. I know my mom would never do that!"

I learned a lot on this trip and have a bigger self awareness for myself because of it. I learned that I am strong and I don't give up easily. Those who know me in my every day life probably laugh at that comment because I always go non stop. But putting myself in a physically demanding position is different. I had never figured myself to be able to do anything like that. Now I believe in myself and can say that I am strong, I can do things, and there is a whole world in store for me just waiting to be explored.