Sometimes have to put on your "big boy pants" and other times it's OK to just go swing!

OK, since we just got in from our free day and it's late...this one is going to be short and sweet! It's after midnight and it's way past my bed time (YES! I do actually have one!)
There are moments in life when things aren't going how we planned them or how we expected them to go. There are many things in life that are out of our control, but the one thing that IS in our control is how we react to them, what we do with that, the lesson we get from it and what we walk away with. When life throws us curve balls sometimes we just have to suck it up and put our "Big Boy Pants" on (OK, "Big Girl Pants" too!), deal with it and move forward. On any youth trip there are at least one of these moments for each person (yes, adult leaders too!). Mine was today. It's Wednesday; tough day sometimes when it seems like it should be Friday already, I was tired, my feet hurt, my back hurt, it's hot, it's humid...blah, blah, blah....

We get to the Rec Center and my group heads out after the morning open play time so I start to follow....well, turns out we take a 1 1/2 mile trek to the our destination to play croquet and we have to WALK! My mind is screaming...."We're doing what?!?!" ---- Now, I have 2 ways this can go...I can quietly slip back and get "lost" or I can suck it up, put my big girl pants on and go have fun playing croquet! I choose the second one and it was a fun and meaningful time and I made a lot of connections with kids who had previously been a little standoffish. My feet still hurt, but hey.....that's not the point now is it?!
I'm sure that each person on our team has had this same experience this week....some daily. I have to say that I am so very proud of each student and adult leader on this trip this week because they have all done a fantastic job of making that same choice and it has made all the difference. Not only to them but to everyone around them as well. Shout outs to each one!










The great thing about Wednesday is it's our free afternoon.
There are times in life when you just have to take the time to be with each other, cut loose, laugh and have fun, act like a kid, share a great meal with one another and not worry about when or where you have to be next.  Our group does this amazingly well! We spent our free afternoon riding the L down to Millennium Park to see the Bean and to Navy Pier for some deep dish Chicago pizza, do some shopping, see the sights, watch fireworks, to ride the Ferris wheel, the carousel and the big huge SWING!
We were even able to meet up with one of our Calvary ABY Alumni Matt Beard who met us along the way to Navy Pier and hung out with us for a while! It was great to connect with a former "youth" and catch up, spend some time and just hear about how things are for him in Chicago!

Life is too short not to take the time to just swing when you need to!