I never went to summer camp as a kid, and last Friday as our family headed off Family Camp at Trout Lake, I certainly didn’t feel much like a light-hearted kid going off to camp. Packing for four and taking a long road trip amidst almost-back-to-school and we-just-put-our-house-on-the-market chaos didn’t lighten my load. At least not at first.

But five days later, I came home feeling a kid again! Maybe it had something to do with being completely off kitchen duty for so many days. I’m still tired from head to toe, but we sure had a memorable and adventurous time horseback riding, canoeing, paddle boating, rock climbing, riding the zip-line and doing the flying squirrel.

My dear friend Alice also came to camp with her precious family.

Ever the fun-loving, adventurous type, Alice encouraged me to do the zip-line with her. I decided to live dangerously.

This was my first zip-line experience, and I wouldn’t have done it without Alice.

My six-year-old was totally convinced I’d chicken out once I got up to the platform. (That’s me, second from the left, and Alice, third from the left.) I’m posting these next images as proof that, while I did scream, hang on for dear life, and close my eyes for a brief moment, I most certainly did not chicken out!

I even completely let go of the rope and threw up my hands when Alice encouragingly yelled, “LET GO, DIANA!”

My 9-year-old says she’d never seen me with such a big smile on my face.

Another highlight from family camp was the flying squirrel, which involves nine people in climbing harnesses. Eight people are “horses,” yoked together and running together in the same direction. The ninth person is the flying squirrel, running in the opposite direction — just a few steps — until he is yanked up high into the tree-tops. What an exhilarating experience to swing freely 35 or 40 feet in the air! I can’t imagine actual squirrels getting this high in the trees, though.

My 9-year-old kindly snapped this photo of me as the flying squirrel.

And this one of my husband as a flying squirrel.

Yes, we both made it back to the ground safely. And by the way, our kids did have a little fun at camp, too.

They rode horses, kayaked, competed in a sack race, paddled canoes, rode the sharking tube and the caterpillar, made rockets, shot bows and rifles, made paracord survival bracelets, hiked, swam and enjoyed a carnival. We also sang some great praise songs and studied the Bible each day. It was church camp, after all.

All this to say, you really must take your family to Family Camp next year. It totally, totally rocks and you are missing out if you stay home!