After only a half day together on our first day (Sunday), Monday was our longest, fullest, and most fun day together! (If you missed day one, click here; or if you’re ready for day three, click here.)

Monday: GC Girls Camp out Day 2

The morning started out very damp and foggy, but these girls were totally obsessed with these stick bugs they found, and subsequently carried around on and off throughout the day.

Eventually, the sun came out and the girls made scrambled eggs and bacon together for breakfast.

We even had a percolator so I could make a cup of hot coffee on our little camp stove!

So, we had a few technical difficulties with the camp stoves while cooking breakfast this morning, and we were afraid of running out of our little propane tanks. So after breakfast, the girls and their leader Ms. Tina went on a a little hike in the woods, and I ran back over into Eastpoint to buy some more gas at the local supply store. Ms. Tina got good photos of the girls on a cool driftwood tree, but she forgot to send them to me, so maybe I’ll get those eventually and get to share them here.

So, we all got back at the same exact time actually, and got started building a little fire for lunch. The girls gathered up pine straw, pine cones, and tiny twigs, to help get things going. Then we tried a little experiment wrapping the dogs in homemade dough for buns, and although it was cool and fun, it wasn’t super successful. So we all just ate plain dogs instead without bread.

The afternoon activity was of course time down at the beach in the Gulf! I didn’t bring my own swimsuit, but I just enjoyed sitting in the sand, collecting shells, and watching the girls have so much fun together! They frolicked in the waves, walked up and down the beach shelling, buried each other in the sand, and had a great time.

This was just the tiniest, cutest shell maybe ever, and I loved it.

Then Ms. Tina started talking about all the names of the shells, and I was like, “Wait, what? I didn’t realize there were so many different kinds, with so many specific names!” She also found one of these “kitten paws” for me, which I’d never heard of or seen before, but it’s so super cool.

The girls all “showered” in the fresh water showers at the beach, just ya know, without any soap or shampoo or anything. But they got most of the salt and sand washed off, and put on some fresh clothes, and then we went back to camp to start on dinner. And they found their stick bug again!

We had teriyaki-marinated grilled chicken, with mac & cheese and green beans, and this felt like such a fancy camping dinner!

Back to their washer-lady duties after dinner….

And then s’mores for dessert!

Followed by nighttime ghost crab hunting on the beach! They all thought this was like the best thing ever, squealing and loving each little white crab we saw running on the sugar sand. Most of them were able to pet one, or some even held one, and as I’ve said before, they had a blast!

After our nighttime beach fun, we all just sat around the picnic table with the gas-burning lanterns, chatting and talking, and the girls trying to pretend they weren’t totally exhausted. We did make it to 10pm again, and then everyone was more than ready to crash out in our tents for the night. (Oh and for the record, Emerson decided to sleep in the tent with one of her friends, instead of with me, and I was so proud of her for doing so, and sticking with it both nights!)