the crossing's first retreat!

not too long ago, the bridge youth group (dubbed 'the crossing') took its first-ever retreat out near brinnon, wa. we stayed with m and m, a wonderful senior couple who hosted us in cabins on their property out near a river. by day, we engaged in various activities from clam digging and waterfall swimming to scripture study and group reflection. among the more memorable happenings:

• n was quite daring, playing in the waterfall, swimming in the icy river, and generally being the nature girl that she's never been before. she also took a ton of photos. it was fun to see her stretch in some new directions.

• c, the only non-family member on the trip, jumped right in and had fun mixing it up with us. he wowwed the assembled with his eating of a raw oyster (a move he almost immediately regretted), swam at every opportunity, and helped lead the way on 'talk triggers,' questions we used to stir up discussion so we could know one another better.

• b, in her final 'crossing' activity, took a special liking to the s'mores and demonstrated her prowess as a log splitter, being the only one of the youth who managed to split a log with a single blow.

• m led the weekend and did most of the cooking and driving, and i... well, i fell down really hard at the waterfall, busting open my elbow and soaking my shoes, while managing to save the camera. that was two weeks ago, and my elbow still smarts -- ouch!