Roundup River Ranch

I am sitting here with an incredibly full heart and so many good memories of the weekend we just had at Roundup River Ranch. For those of you that may not be familiar with the camp, RRR is located outside of Gypsum and is a camp specifically for kids with a serious medical condition. There offer different sessions depending on the issue - kids who have cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, liver disease, neurological disorders, etc. Then in the fall, they offer family sessions where they invite the entire family to come experience camp with the affected child. It's a place that is structured to allow the kids to be kids while in a safe environment with other kids who are like them. This was the first time we've attended and the boys are already asking if we can go again next summer.

There were so many components to the weekend that were simply awesome. First and highest on my list was good quality family time. We fished, did archery, canoed/kayaked and went on a rock-climbing wall/zipline...and that was all before lunch. I was so proud of both Jake and Luke for getting up to the top of the rock climbing platform. It was a REALLY tall rock wall and Jake tackled it and pushed himself until he made it to the top. Luke conquered his fear of heights by climbing up the telephone pole and going across the a tightwire holding onto ropes. They both zip lined down and were grinning ear to ear the whole time. After lunch we played games, got to paint some pictures and then went horseback riding. The evening ended with a talent show where both boys decided on their own they wanted to play music but do it individually and not with each other. Luke borrowed a guitar they had and Jake used their drum set. It was a pretty proud moment to see both of them up there performing solo in front of close to 100 people...they did fantastic.

The staff at the camp is like none I've ever seen. There was such a genuine joy and happiness that was  just contagious. They are kind, caring, generous, fun people who put the kids first and create experiences/opportunities for them that let them shine. They encourage the kids to challenge themselves, then celebrate their success. They really listen when the kids talk and don't make them feel rushed. They'll sit and play games or offer suggestions for other fun activities if they feel the kids getting antsy, or just sit and rock in a rocking chair with them if they need a rest. One of our cabin counselors is from Boston and worked the summer sessions as her summer job. She's back in school now but flew out this weekend to be part of family camp because she loves it so much. Pretty impressive. Luke really bonded with one of the counselors, Molly. He said tonight at dinner that his favorite part of the weekend was the staff and he was "really going to miss that place."

Today before we left, they do this thing called the "Web of Gratitude." Campers can choose to share something that they are thankful for from camp and they wind yarn around a hula hoop creating a beautiful web. I was quite surprised when Jake raised his hand and cried when he said "I got to play drums for the first time by myself in front of people." Not to be fair, we had just watched a slide show of the weekend so I had already shed quite a few happy tears. This camp offered him a safe place with zero judgment to put himself out there and it was so cool.

The other great part of the weekend was spending time with other families whose lives have been affected by a child with some type of neurological disorder. While the specifics of our situations may have been different, many of the challenges and struggles we've faced are very similar. Everyone there could relate to your life on some level.

We're hoping having had this experience as a family, Jake might want to go next summer for the kids session. He's made a few statements already today that lead me to believe he's thinking about it, so we'll see.  Either way, we will definitely try and go back again next fall for the family session.