Introducing the Kanakuk #2 Leadership Team 2010...

Hey Kanakuk K2 Gals, Parents and Staff,
Here is the official K2 Girls Leadership team for summer 2010. It's going to be awesome!


1. Trish Helsel: K2 Women's Director. She gets 1 picture of a pretty picture as she could fire me if I put any "silly" pics of her. Hehe!!! She is AWESOME! Married and has 3 amazing kiddos that are the bomb.com. Great cook! Yummy! Has amazing hair and nails and loves Nike Shocks.

(*Side note: I have no pictures because I run the blog and there are pics of me at the top header. I love being my own blog president to get all silly pictures of everyone else and none of me. Hehe!)

2. Brooke Roberts: doesn't she look so studious! Graduated Liberty University, Attending Kanakuk Institute now, really good at walking behind Shayla Helsel as a kid sitter.


3. Whitney Turner: volleyballer at King's University, extremely loud voice volume (we love it in her), has an awesome heart for missions/stopping the trafficing of young girls, is tall.


4. Rachel Nobel: St. Louis resident, graduated from Truman State and Kanakuk Institute, loves the K2 Kitchen, likes to take weird pictures with wooden pew in the background, crafter of crafts.


5. Meredith Grooms: K-Life Women's Director in Tulsa, OK, has a {funny blog}, loves music, has a podcast, loves TOMs shoes, very creative doodler, loves her dogs, and has great hair in the morning time.


6. Cynthia "Cyndi" Holley: loves the K2 office, loves to be in skits everyday of her life, has great fashion, helps keep Joe and Shay organized all year round, loves Coffee and mugs, has great cowboy boots.


7. Lauren "LK" Kolter: wife of Jared JK Kolter, mom of a new yorkie (i forget her name), works for Kanakuk Institute year round, scheduler extraordinaire for K2 girls side, she is the sweetest person you will ever meet, has a great recipe for BBQ cups (so yummy).

8. SHE'S NEW: KRISTEN KNOTH: loves blueberry farm, is tall, attends Kansas State University, used to work at Sonic as a carhop, is a transfer from Kanakuk Klassic, class valedictorian, editor-in-chief for award winning yearbook in high school.

Be awesome & love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

Oh, Precious Olympics...

(Picture from foxnews.com used on Kanakuk Ashley)

Hey Kanakuk Komos,

Well, once again, I am just loving the Olympics! I mean last night was intense, right? Lindsey Vonn was amazing and so precious after she won in her interview. She was that total not sure what I'm saying cry-er. Love it! Then Shaun White...seriously, he is just precious! Okay, I'm sure he would hate that I just called him precious...and I'm sure he will read my blog to know that I called him precious...but he just is! I don't even understand half pipe moves, but I totally teared up last night seeing him win. P.S. on that doesn't he have great hair?? Seriously!

So there is my random thoughts this morning. Oh, totally forgot about speed skating...did anyone watch the relay? Craziness. Shay and I at one point as we were watching Shani Davis and Shay had to remind us both to relax our bodies because you tense up your body as you watch. Oh, I just love the Olympics!

Be awesome, love Jesus, and go Olympics,

kanakuk ashley robbins

I Heart the Olympics

Hey friends,

Seriously, I am slightly obsessed...well, nothing about it is slightly...with the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. I DVR all of it and feel this overwhelming unity with the whole world during the games. The athletes that they do "feature" stories on become like best friends and I just cry during medal ceremonies for the athletes...USA or not! I just love them! Am I alone here or does anyone else feel this way? Well, I know my friend Jane (also my neighbor) loves them too!

So hope you are watching the games because they go so quickly...here are my top 5 favorite things about the olympics:

1. Bob Costas: I just think he is the best anchor for the Olympics! I think he is so authentic and calm! Weird, I know!

2. Figure Skating: Seriously, I love the story of the Chinese couple who won the gold. They are married and were just precious in their "feature" story.

3. The marketing design: Okay, this one is strange but I love all the background walls for the ski slopes, ice rinks, jersey deals the skiers wear...the blue/green variation design is just beautiful and cool like the winter games! Love it!

4. Drama: Okay, typically I hate drama (especially since I work with 13-18 year old gals at Kanakuk) but there has been drama for Apollo Ohno and the whole country of Korea (is Korea a country...oh, goodness, please don't leave comments to tell me I'm not smart). The Koreans feel like he was violently moving his arms in this 1500M race but Apollo says they were all bumping and making a ton of contact...oh, the drama! More speed skating I think tonight! Woohoo! Apollo is going for #7!

5. Alexandre Bilodeau: This is the mogul Canadian skier who won Gold for Canada. I was just a hot mess in tears with this one! He skiied for his older brother with cerebral palsy. Amazing story and amazing brothers!

Be awesome & love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

Kanakuk Staff is Hired...

Hey Kanakuk #2 Friends,
Girls, the past 2 weeks have been CRAAA-ZZZY! Trish Helsel, the K2 Women's Director, and myself have been sitting in a room with all the other women directors mulling through all the applications for staff for summer 2010 to find the best of the best! We want each of you this summer to have a great experience...so that takes Great Counselors! So we have hired, called, and this week will send official Kanakuk Kontracts (did I really just spell Contracts with a "K" hehe!). Anyways, all this hiring is making me very very ready for summer! Seriously...really ready!

So continue to be awesome and love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

Just a Friday Night for a KANAKUK Family...

Hey Kanakuk Friends...K2 and any others!
Well, it's Friday night...we started hiring staff today! Goodness, I'm in awe of the place I get to work and the women I am surrounded with...especially my boss, Trish Helsel is just by far the best director, boss, friend, mentor, and teammate ever!! I am thankful the Lord has called her to Kanakuk as the Women's Executive Director. Anyways, we started going through hundreds of applications and are in awe of the willing hearts to work for some crazy place called Kanakuk.

Moving on to the fact that I have a Star Wars picture...at the moment our little girl is laying between us and we are watching Star Wars. I have no idea which one, oh, Shay just told me...it's the 2nd one. Anyways, I don't really get the whole craze and am pretty confused on all the characters but it's a blessed night in our home. We are together, warm, fed, and lovin' life. Sure miss Kamp...can't wait to be back at K2.

p.s. does anyone else wake up with hunger pains for blueberry fluff??? Deeee-lish!!! Can't wait to have that yummy stuff in my mouth again!

Be awesome & love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

Hiring, please pray...

My Kanakuk #2 Friends,
Trish and I (and all the other directors) start hiring today. Please pray for the exact girls (and guys) to get hired and for the Lord to direct each one. His will is perfect and I pray that Trish and I's hands or hearts would not be involved...only the Fathers!

Kanakuk has the best staff in the whole wide world! What an honor it is for Trish and I to serve alongside of them! Thanks for the prayers!

p.s. I probably won't get to post all next week either because we hire/in meetings from 8:30 - 5 pm everyday to get it all done! It's nuts!

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

Vote for Shay & Lulu...

Hey K2 Friends and other random folks who might check this blog,

Well, our kamp videographer is entering a contest for Lousiana Hot Sauce and we need your help to vote for this video. He asked Shay and Lulu to be his actors and I think the video is so funny and should totally win...but I'm quite biased! Anyways, follow the link and instructions below:

http://www.youtube.com/group/LAHotSauce5KContest#p/r/0/zed535puOug

1. Click the yellow button to "join group" (not sure if you have to sign in to YouTube)
2. Click "discussion" below video box.
3. Click "love it" (should pop up after you click "love it" and say "thanks for voting")
4. Leave a fun message and click post.

Thanks everyone! How fun!

Be awesome & Love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

Mom as your BFFAEAEAE...

A best friend is so rare and so valuable these days. I remember through the years having only a small handful of best friends. I had an elementary school best friend...then I had a high school best friend...then a college best friend...now lots of kamp best friends. But today I wanted to remind you of the most tried and true best friend you will ever have...YOUR MOM. Mom's are the best, not perfect, but so the best! Here are 5 things that make Mom's the optimal best friend:
1. Moms always wait up for you or stay up with you, no matter how tired they are. (*When you are a baby, they are up with you. When you are a teen, they are up waiting for you.)
2. Moms leave you little messages in your lunch for school.
3. Moms truly truly do want the best for you...even if they can't quite communicate that the way you want them to.
4. Moms always make you soup and bring you coloring books when you are sick, sad, or heartbroken. (Again note, this was my mother you can sub in what you like and what your mom does)
5. Moms are the best accountability because they know everything about you.

Okay, so this is not an exhaustive list, just a fun one that I came up with on the fly. What do you love about your mom? Go hug your momma's neck and curl up on the couch and ask your mom questions about her growing up years...and actually be interested!

p.s. For those reading this that have lost their moms or don't have ones that love them as they should, first of all, I'm so sorry. Please know that the Lord's love is more than enough and I would guess their are days that you ache to say "mom" but please know that I pray that their are women/friends around you who fill that void with an overflowing love that bursting out of you! I would love to hear from you about how the Lord has supplied a person to fill that void in your heart.

Be awesome & Love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

Home...

Tonight I am at home and feeling more blessed than ever. Shay and I were out on the Kanakuk Movie Tour this week and got to be with precious kamp families and got to travel with Joe White, our President and K2 Director. We are home with a heart full amazed with who we get to work for and that the Lord has brought us here.

We are home and tomorrow is pajama party Saturday for mom and Lulu! Woohoo! Movies, laundry, 8 week baby photo shoot, and maybe some apple cider since it is still chilly! Hope you all enjoy your weekend...what's everyone up to? Anything fun/exciting/new?

Be awesome & love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

I'm basically a Master Chef...

Hey K2 Girls,

Just a little insight to a Kanakuk director's life and marriage and cooking skills. Girls, I am so loving having a home so I can finally learn (or should I say try to learn) how to cook! I made a recipe called Angie's chicken tonight! My friend Bronwyn (from K-West) brought us this chicken after I had Lulu and we loved it! I got the recipe and prayed for the best! Well, Shay loved it and it was truly delicious!!! I even wore my Valentines apron (I know I'm a little early!) while I cooked! I had bread, oil/balsamic dipping sauce, salad with homeade dressing...I mean watch out Rachel Ray!

Crazy Cook,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

Road Trip for 1 More Week...

Hey K2 Friends,
Well, Shay and I (and Lulu) have been all over the place. We started last Saturday and headed to Shreveport, LA on Sunday. We have counted up that Lulu has been in like 5 states already...and she is only 8 weeks old. So crazy! We had such a great week out on the Kanakuk Movie Tour. We truly came back to Branson feeling overwhelmingly humbled by the families we got to meet and spend some time with. We got to go to Texarkana, TX/AR for the first time and met the dearest family! I just am continually in awe of the people that choose to open their homes to us (even with a newborn) and their lives to us to become dear friends. Goodness, being a part of the family of Christ is just so dear and authentic! As Nasa (ya know, our resident K2 rapper) would say...and we, PRAISE GOD!

We are headed to KANSAS CITY, TULSA,

OKLAHOMA CITY, & ST. LOUIS this next week!

On a side note I wanted to encourage each of you to SLOW DOWN this year. I actually had another image to upload that said "Slow Down or Die." I couldn't get it uploaded. Anyways, you girls are so very busy. As a 8th grader you are already thinking about ACT's and SAT's. As a sophomore your summers are full of summer school to get ahead. As a senior you have to know your major and have 24 college hours before you step foot on campus. That's just school...not to mention sports, organizations, and even church activities. My friends, I pray you slow down and enjoy relationships in your life so that you can hear the Lord in the gentle whisper of life. (I realize that sounds so cheesy...but serious! :)

Love you guys!!
Be awesome & Love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

A Dad & His daughter...

Hey K2 Girls,

Today I have only a short time to post but goodness I want to write a novel. As I have watched Shay with Lulu I have been so quickly reminded of the Lord with me. We are God's precious little ones. I heard a mom say that she sees her 16 year old daughter and can still see her as a 6 week old little baby. I wonder if God sees us as our grown up selves but still can see us as the little young immature innocent child we once were when we said our prayers at night and really believed every word as we prayed for our pets and dolls. I wonder if He misses the moments where when tears hit our eyes because we had made our parents sad by choosing to disobey. I wonder if He misses our innocence and wonder and purity of heart?

The great thing is, just like the mom who is bearing through the teenage years, that God is clinging to us as He sometimes refines, sometimes breaks, and sometimes disciplines us because He, just like the precious mom I was with last night, LOVES US. Today, I hope each of you precious girls would take time to think and reflect of the way you view God. He is your almighty Heavenly Father!!! That is a big deal!

p.s. If you have an earthly father, remember they are not perfect, but I wonder how his heart would swoon if you went today and crawled in his lap or left him a note in his briefcase telling him you love him and you are lucky to have a daddy like him...if you have lost your earthly father, I pray you rest even more in the arms of Jesus today!

Be awesome & Love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

Still a Winter Wonderland...

(Lulu and I in the morning of the big snow)

Hey Kanakuk Friends,

Well, I am typing as I sit in my house bundled in my Arkansas Razorback Snuggie (oh, yeah, I got one for Christmas) because in Branson today it is like -1 degrees and our heater in our house is having a tough time keeping up! The Branson kiddos have been out of school a whole week and I'm sure they are loving it! Shay and I leave today to start our trek to Louisiana. I am excited to see some dear friends down there! This will be our 2nd year to go on this trail and we are so blessed!

If you have snow, enjoy it! Go outside and be a kid...snowman, sledding, and snow ice cream!

(our house covered in a winter wonderland!)

Be awesome & Love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

Louisiana, here we come...

Hey Friends,
Well, all you Louisiana K2 kampers I am coming to you all! Shay and I are taking off for Shreveport, Baton Rouge, Monroe, Alexandria, and Texarkana, AR all this next week. A different city every night! Check out http://www.kanakuk.com/ for details under Kanakuk Movie Tour. I would love to see ya if you are in the area. Shay and I will have Lulu with us and we would love to have K2 reunions the whole time! Hope to see ya soon all you Louisiana gals (and Texarkana, AR gals too).

Sunday night: Shreveport, LA
Monday night: Baton Rouge, LA
Tuesday night: Alexandria, LA
Wednesday night: Monroe, LA
Thursday night: Texarkana, AR

Woohoo! I love my job!

Be awesome & love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

A Moment...

(Disclaimer: I promise this blog will NOT turn into my ramblings of motherhood and Lulu all the time...promise but it will be a part of the blog ever so often and since this is my 2nd day back to blogging this baby thing is still new and all things very precious and dear so I'm posting today about it.)

At this very moment I sit typing in my living room as I gaze out of our huge window to the magnificent view of a winter wonderland. I have my sweet little one resting on my chest in her baby carrier wimpering as she hopefully dreams of how much Shay and I love her. I have a children's lullabies CD playing and pictures of Lulu playing a slideshow on our other computer. It's a sweet moment in the Robbins House tonight.

I know these moments seem so long ago to some of you girls but know that at some point you were the precious one on a someone's chest cooing through a dream. And know now that you are that precious one to a Heavenly Father still...

Be awesome & love Jesus,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins

Oh blogging, how I have missed you...

Hey there K2 kampers/parents/friends/staff,
Well, I'm back! Mommy-hood is in full effect and girls, I am lovin' it! Lulu is sweetly asleep beside me right now and she is all bundled up because Branson got like 5 inches of snow. Shay and I drove into the office and we are loving the winter wonderland we have here.

So now that December is over and January begins all that Trish, Joe, DJ, Don, Shay and I start thinking about is YOU and Kanakuk K2 Summer 2010! Oh, I do hope each of you are coming back. You can leave a comment to let me know if you are or aren't. It's going to be such an awesome summer...not because Kanakuk but because the Lord has made K2 such a refuge and that is a great thing friends.

Okay, so start checking the blog regularly again...cuz I'm back (I just had the Backstreet boys song go through my head...weird)

By grace,

Kanakuk Ashley Robbins