You’ve heard me mention Young Life before.  It’s an organization that is near and dear to our hearts.  Young Life is a non-denominational Christian organization that reaches out to middle school and high school kids, teaching them about having a relationship with Christ.

Every summer, when the middle school and high school kids go to camp, there are doctors on hand to take care of anything medical that comes up.  Dan, being an ER doctor, has been able to serve at a few of Young Life’s camps over the years. And this summer, we got to return to Malibu.

Malibu is in a rather remote part of Canada.  The journey there is a long one.  It’s roughly a 10+ hour trip that includes car rides and boat rides (two boat rides to be exact!).  But the long journey is worth all of the effort.

Being that Malibu is so remote, there is only a satellite phone for emergencies and very limited internet access. So it’s truly a week to be unplugged.  A week to escape reality.  A week to sing, run, swim, relax, and enjoy our family and friends.

 And there was a lot of time to take pictures!  So bear with me as I share a few highlights from the week.

{boat ride to Malibu}

This was on the Malibu Princess {boat}. I counted how many bags we brought….are you read for this?….13 bags! Seriously. How can that be?! Life jackets. Beach towels.  Food {snacks for 4 people for 8 days}. Clothes – LOTS of clothes {no laundry and a messy family for 8 days}. Shoes {tennis shoes for running and climbing, flip flops for sun, water shoes for playing on the beach, fun shoes for when we spruced up a bit}. Books and activities for the kids. Stuffed animals to snuggle {just one per kid}. My pillow {it travels with me everywhere}.  Coats {rain coats, sweatshirts…you get a variety of weather}, Magazines and books {had to bring enough to last the week.  There isn’t a Safeway down the street to purchase the latest People Magazine or Real Simple!}.  And somehow, that equaled 13 bags.  Some might argue that we have an issue with overpacking. And they would probably be correct!

{Rock Climbing}

{Pirate Night}

{meeting Jon Brockman}

If you don’t know who Jon Brockman is, he’s a former UW basketball player and currently plays for the Houston Rockets.  Jon was up there as a counselor with a group of high school boys from his home town. Jack got to play a few games with him {and Jon gave the kids jerseys…hence the over sized green shirt on Jack}.  He was even kind enough to pose for a real pic with Jack too.

{ropes course}

Three of us did the ropes course. Emmie wasn’t too crazy about the idea so she cheered us on from below.

{fun with family and friends}

{amazing scenery}

We feel so thankful for a great week.    No cooking, no cleaning, no stress. I love vacation.

jen