So I’m packing my bags once again. I didn’t even finish packing from my trip to Seattle. I’m headed to San Diego tomorrow to shoot an engagements session, I have camp all week long, two shoots during the week after camp, and a wedding the following Saturday, and then straight to the airport to head home.

So many of you may not know what Camp Reach for the Sky is…well, my siblings and I work at Day Camp which is for all the cancer patients ages 4-8, as well as their siblings. It is my favorite week of the year. It’s so amazing to see kids that are sick and struggling manage to keep smiles on their faces and have such high spirits. My favotire thing is coming back each year and seeing how much the kids have grown, gotten stronger, how their hair has come back, and how they remember everything from the previous years. So many of the nurses at Children’s Hospital have told us that the kids constantly talk about camp…ALL YEAR LONG. Camp is such a blessing to me and I am so glad I am a part of a camp family that loves these kids so much. The week is all about them. So…I get to document the whole week, and then put together a slideshow to show the parents at the end of the week.

Why do I do camp? My sister Emily was diagnosed with cancer when she was 8 and fought it for two years. Emily went to be with the Lord in Heaven on August 24, 2003 (the day before my first day of high school). Our family misses her so much and life is not the same without her. We miss her smiling face and her laughter around the house. I miss sharing a room with her. I miss her curly brown hair. And I miss the notes she used to write me in her favorite purple pen. I miss everything about her.

My siblings and I all have been doing camp year after year because we have a connection with the campers that no one else has. God has used my situation to love and support other kids who have been where I was. Words just don’t explain the love I have for these kids.

I’ll update you on how the week is going. Pray that it’s not too hot. I’m so anxious to see all the campers.