Friday at Brave Girl Camp has the structure of Wednesday with the feelings of Thursday.  It’s magical…and we try to hold on to the magic as long as we can.  Nobody talks about how it’s our last day….kind of like we’re all in denial about camp ending at all!  We enjoy every second together.

Brave Girl Camp is full of traditions and on Friday they are in full swing…like the song, “Everybody” that we play when it’s time to eat.  By Friday everyone knows the words and sings along.  Sometimes dancing even breaks out around the table as we get ready to sit down.  So fun!

On Friday we have some special traditions.  The first is that we always take a group picture in white shirts with colorful jewelry.  Look at all our beauties from camp this last February – aren’t they lovely??

We love all our Brave Girls sooooo much!!  Wish you could meet each one – they are absolutely spectacular women!  {YOU included…even if you haven’t been to BGC yet – you are phenomenal and we LOVE YOU!  Can’t wait til we get to meet in person!!}

And then of course while we’re all prettied up, we spend some time taking pictures with each of our dearies:

And how awesome is it that even though we’re going home tomorrow {which we are all still in denial about and don’t even mention} we have all of these incredible friends to hold hands with for the rest of our lives – no matter where we live…we are connected forever.

Friday tradition number 2 is the Art Gallery.  After dinner, we are all invited to get whatever art we want to share with everyone and put it on display in the dining room.  As we’re getting ready for our music night (tradition #3), we all take some time to go around the tables in the dining room and see what everybody’s made.  It is incredible what can be done in just 4 short days!

And then, of course, there is the variety show…or music night.  It seems to take on it’s own life with each camp – each one is a little different.  For February 2011, we could definitely call Friday night’s music a variety show!

We have been preparing for months – practicing our guitars and finding new songs to share…

And when Friday night comes – we are READY!

At this camp, the show started out with Grandpa (Kallie speaking – this is MY Grandpa….he is Kathy and Melody’s dad…but everyone just calls him Grandpa.  He and Grandma come to every camp and love our Brave Girls SO MUCH!).  Anyway, Grandpa starts out the program by singing Muleskinner Blues, which is a song I’ve heard him sing at least one hundred times and I am just as enchanted now as I was when I was 5.  It’s so fun to hear -

This is what it feels like to hear Grandpa sing…just try to hear it – “Well I’m an ol’ Muleskinner {Grandma chimes in with “ya you are!” from the audience} …from ol’ Kentu-hu-hu-huhu-ky…and I can make any ol’ mule listen…or I will not accept your pay…”

Since Grandpa is already standing up, he and Hilarie (one of our regular staff who knows every campfire song there is) treat us to The Battle of New Orleans…

In a word: awesome.  And the awesomeness just keeps coming…

More silly songs – this time by Betsy, who is a guest:

A serious song, sung with a silly outfit because it is the only way to make it through…we call her Super Brave Girl…and she is…no cape required.

And we all chime in with our own verses to “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore”

And more Brave Girls sing us songs…

And if this were every other Friday night at Brave Girl Camp, this would be where it ended.  But this Brave Girl Camp was during the very last week of our online class – Soul Restoration.  And beautiful Brave Girls all over the world were on our minds and in our hearts.  We wished each of them could be with us too…so we sang a special song for them…our song….the song that has been there from the beginning….

Before we know it, it’s time to go to bed for the very last time…but we still don’t admit it. :)