My trip!

Self-explanatory. On Tuesday, June 24 we (my youth group) left for Creation! We were on the road for about 2 1/2 hours, and part of that is spent sitting in line. Once we got there, we spent a couple hours setting up our campsite. Yes, a couple hours. About 60 people probably went and there was a lot to set up. This includes 3 tents together for the guys, 3 tents together for the girls (not camping tents, the kind you would eat under) , 1 tent for the kitchen, 2 stoves for the kitchen, 2 showers to set up and hook up with the water tank, and lots of other small things to prepare. Yeah, we brought a whole moving truck full of our stuff. Oh, and we also had a refrigerator, a big chest freezer, and a pantry which were kept in the truck. To sleep, we have this tradition of hanging hammocks in the tents. To all who oppose, hammocks are very comfortable to sleep in. You can lay completely flat in them if you want, and they're just all around comfy. Most of the youth group loves them! =]

So here is our home for the week! This is only showing 2 of the tents, the third one is behind me. A lovely bedroom, if I do say so myself. ;]. Although, when it rained the rain would come in between the cracks of the tents, but that's not a problem as long as you move your stuff away from the cracks. It does get kind of annoying though when you go to climb into your hammock for the night and everything is a little damp. You sleep nonetheless, because of the exhaustion of that day, it's just something you get tired of. Also, we take plastic totes and/or footlockers to put our stuff in. That way, if the lid is on the dew doesn't get in there and make all your clothes damp. Truly a good idea on the part of our wonderful youth leaders. Now for the music and speakers!! Every day you have to go down to the main stage and lay out your tarp, and that's your spot in the audience for the whole day. So, at around 4 a.m. some of the guys would take our tarp down. We always got a wonderful spot, and I applaud greatly the people that got up so early. =]]. So, at 9 was the first event of the day. There would be praise and worship and then a speaker. After the speaker a couple bands, another speaker at around 11. After the second speaker we usually went back to camp for lunch. We always had wonderful lunches too, like hot dogs and burgers and one day enchiladas. Yum yum yummmm. There were dinners just as good, home cooked!!! Ahh, food is the best. =P.

Well, some of my favorite artists/bands are Jeremy Camp, Hawk Nelson, Switchfoot, Kutless, Toby Mac, Sanctus Real, Newsboys, and SOOO MANY others I just can't think of at the moment, XD. I only got pictures of Switchfoot, Kutless, Hawk Nelson, and Jeremy Camp though. So here they are!!

DISCLAIMER: I apologize for the extremety of

low quality in these pictures, all the close-up ones are of the big screen so..yeah. =P

NOTE: Captions are beside the pictures.

ANYWAY, Jon Foreman!!! He grew his hair out since last year. Not particularly a turn on for me, but I love this guy. I'm completely obsessed with Switchfoot at the moment. And hopefully all other moments following. WHOO! And now for more horrible pictures...

<- I like that one. =D. I just now noticed that little boo-boo there on his elbow. XD. I know, I'm kind of pathetic. But still. XDD. And this one is higher quality than the last one. XD.

...Mmmkay yeah..this one is downright crappy. >.<. BUT anyway, he completely came into the crowd, and this is NOT a picture of the screen. It was freaking awesome. =P

<- And this is him coming out of the crowd. Yes, it's of the screen. =P

HAWK NELSON!! One of the few pics I could get of the stage that turned out pretty darn well. =P Let me just say, this is one of my favorite bands. <33

Gotta love Jason Dunn. Then again, I do love him!! He's awesomeee. Andd I'm only adding 2 pics of Hawk Nelson because they're basically all the same.

Kutless!! He's so buff. =P

Lol, this was when the screen was changing, like fading into another angle. I thought it looked cool. =P

JEREMY CAMP!!! AAAHHH!!! Lol, let me make known right now, he is my FAVORITE. I'm sorry. It's a place of honor. It has sentimental value. It can't be undone. And also this is NOT a pic of the screen. Loove him. *melts* =P

=D Looove him.

Did I mention I love him?? XD

Anyway, overall, you could say Creation was AWESOME. Not just the music, it was just an amazing time, fellowshiping with each other and stuff. And of course how moving the speakers were, the whole week was just downright awesome. I can't wait until next year. <3

Creation??

So...what is Creation festival?? Well..I will tell. =]. Basically it is a 5 day Christian music festival. The biggest Christian concert in America. There are also many amazing speakers and new artists putting themselves out there and being more recognized, as well as many amazing and very popular artists and bands. Here is a brief description taken from the website:
"Hundreds of thousands of people have been spiritually enriched and made life-changing decisions for Christ and we give God all the glory. Many who originally came as a youth or young adult are now returning with their own children and grandchildren! By the grace of God, Creation has been passed from generation to generation as an event that God uses to touch people with His good news!
Each day is jam packed with music, teaching and activities for all ages including the hottest bands performing on our Main and Fringe stages, Creation Worships tent, seminars, climbing walls, kids activities, vendors, and more! The laid back atmosphere allows you to choose your own pace. Although there is a wide selection of musical artists to choose from each day, The Creation Festival is about much more than music. Creation is also about honoring the Word of God. Each year many fantastic speakers join us at the festival. Their seminars provide a variety of vital and relevant messages to challenge and inspire you in your relationship with the Lord.
The Creation Festival is all about changing lives and glorifying our Creator. Our prayer for at CREATION '08 is that people will be changed, restored, and challenged to serve the Lord and to make a difference in this world. Plan on joining us!
'It could be the highlight of your summer, maybe your life!'"

Last year I went to this festival with my youth group and it was an amazing time. There are about 100,000 people who attend. That's a big number!!! It's such a cool thing to be surrounded by people who love the Lord, it's a great atmosphere. The speakers and bands are all very moving, and during Creation I'm always at a spiritual high. It was definitely the highlight of my summer, and maybe even my life. ;]

The First Blog

Well this is the very first blog ever. I guess I will stick with the theme of blogging, and just tell you what's going on ;]. Creationfest 2008 is tomorrow!! Whoo!!! Very excited about that. Going with about 50 people from my youth group. The rest of the summer, well I'm riding and dancing as usual. And in my spare time I'm volunteering at a local horse rescue about 5 minutes from my house. Fun fun. So, nothing too much is going on right now, except creation of course. =]. Summer dance classes technically start tomorrow, but because of creation I will not be going until next week. I'll keep you updated. =]