Did I mention this was a coed camp? I made new friends quickly, and one of these friends was Justin. Very soon I had my own little group that consisted of David, Katie, Justin, and me. Justin was one year older and every time I saw him my stomach would do somersaults! He was a counselor, so he had actual responsibilities at camp. He mostly did manual labor while I was riding – did I mention I was in the advanced group? We spent much of the day on our horses, but when it was time to put them away Justin would make his way down to our barn to “help” me with Henry. Justin was your classic redneck horse guy (that’s a good thing) – he never took life too seriously and always knew how to have fun and lighten the mood. The barn was dark with narrow doorways. We would brush against each other while cleaning the stall or filling water buckets. Every touch would send lightening bolts through my entire body. We “accidentally” sprayed each other while hosing Henry, and constantly laughed and enjoyed each others company. During dinner our group ate together, and by midweek we had morphed from a group of friends to 2 couples – inseparable. The last night of camp was the annual snipe hunt and camp out. If you have never been snipe hunting on a clear summer night with good friends, you are most definitely missing out! All the campers and most of the counselors piled onto a trailer filled with hay and the old cowboy pulled us through the dark hayfield. The only light came from the moon and stars. Justin and I had prime seats at the end of the trailer, very close to each other. The snipe hunt was supposed to be scary, but cuddled up with Justin on a hay ride under the stars, nothing could scare me except the idea of camp ending. The snipe hunt culminated at a camp site complete with tents and a bonfire. We sat around the campfire telling scary stories and then talking about our horses and horse showing. Slowly the other campers began to go to their tents and turn in for the night. With no adult telling us to go to bed, we stayed up for hours. The guys found it hilarious to spray a lighter with hairspray! I was a goody goody and found it mortifying and amazing at the same time. I don’t recommend trying it, but if you do please go outside. We stayed up together until neither of us could hold our eyes open anymore. At about 4am he finally walked me to my tent and we parted ways for the night. I floated into my tent and fell fast asleep with dreams full of Justin and the end of camp horse show that was coming the next day.
Lesson for the day: Enjoy the moment
Soli deo gloria
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