Best Idea/Worst Idea?

I've started dreaming of the sound of tiny pitter pattering paws and snuggling... yes, my biological puppy clock is ticking again. It's hard to imagine I could ever love anything as much as I love and adore my Olivia. And I have been agonizing that a new baby would make her feel jealous, take attention away from her or that she would be in any way unhappy. But I've also been doing extensive research and trying to remember that she is a dog, not a real baby, and that by nature, dogs are pack animals. And so, while she may feel jealous and need to adjust at first, she would actually probably really love having a brother or a sister.

I'm not sure if I will get another dog. The dog I have has pretty much taken over my life and turned me into a crazy dog lady. But I'm thinking about it.

Pros-

• Olivia will have someone to play with all the time.
• If I start grad school in the fall, I won't have to worry about Olivia being home alone because she will have a buddy to play/snuggle/spend time with
• It will be good for Olivia- exercise, company and hopefully it will make her less needy of my undivided attention (she is biting my foot and barking at me as I type this)

Cons-

• I might need to take out a second mortgage, sell my car and give up using electricity to afford to buy and maintain another bulldog
• Twice as much hair, slobber, messes, cleaning, etc.
• The possibility that Olivia and the new puppy don't like/keep each other entertained and I could end up with two puppies demanding my undivided attention
• It will be more difficult to bring two to my office, out and about, etc.
• Another 6 months of puppy adolescence (which, if you haven't gone through, is, in a word, hell...)

I have consulted a breeder and have been weighing my options. I will keep thinking about it and we'll see what happens...

Christmas Reunion

On Saturday, I hosted the summer staff Christmas party/reunion. It was so wonderful to see everyone again and we had such a fun night. Several people updated their facebook status the next day with things like, "great to see the camp family again" and it's true, camp staff is like a family. When you spend 24/7 for 3 full months living, working, playing, being stressed out, having fun and everything in between, you cease being just co-workers.

When I planned the party and sent out invitations, I planned that we would be making gingerbread houses. Growing up we always used cardboard covered in frosting, which is a smart way to make a gingerbread house because you can tape it together and it is sturdy. But for this party, I wanted to make actual gingerbread houses. So I spent several weeks researching recipes, techniques and even made a test batch, as well as doing the same for royal icing. On Friday night, I made four big batches of gingerbread and was set for Saturday.

Luckily, one of my fabulous staff came early and helped me roll, cut and bake the dough. Each house required six pieces, and we had to make enough for 10 houses, so it took some time and effort. But it went well and by the time everyone arrived, my house smelled Christmas-y and we had a tower of gingerbread ready to be constructed into houses.

When everyone had arrived, my brother walked into the room and made the comment, "it's universal- if you're a camp person, you don't have an 'inside voice'" as the volume of all of us was making my little house shake. It made me laugh, but also made me feel more "at home" than I have since the summer. Those are my people. People who talk loudly while swinging around their hands, think a party with an elaborate arts and crafts project is the best thing ever, and who, at the end of dinner, all, every single one of them, immediately jumped up, cleared the table and fought over who would help with the dishes. I love camp people. I miss camp people.

Gingerbread house crafting was fantastic. The royal icing stuck like cement, the gingerbread was the perfect thickness and not too hard or soft, I had a variety of sprinkles and candy, and a surprisingly little amount ended up on the floor. By the time we were finished, we had constructed the most beautiful gingerbread village I have seen.

I had made lasagna and chicken, salad and bread for dinner, s'more bars for dessert and had lots of snacks to keep us going through crafting. It was a night of food, fun and laughter. My three favorite staff all stayed overnight and it was fun to stay up late chatting, talking about the summer and new plans for 2010. In the morning, we went to church and then had french toast and bacon. We sat around talking and planning the summer until the afternoon and I was sad to see them leave. It was a wonderful event and I look forward to making it a yearly tradition.

I'm Back

It's been a while since I updated and my fan called me to complain.

I returned from camp, settled back in and experienced the same bittersweet feelings that I always feel at the end of the summer. It's hard to be away from home, totally consumed by camp, out of touch from family and friends. But camp is magical and wonderful and fun that you never want to end.

2009 was such a fantastic, well run, fun summer that didn't experience the lag in productivity that I usually do in the fall. Usually when camp ends, I go through a period of time when I am so exhausted and burned out that I can't even think about camp. But this year, from the day camp ended, I have been busy tweaking the schedule, planning themes and programming and being excited for next summer. I find myself working all hours of the day, typing away in the evenings, falling asleep thinking about camp and jotting ideas constantly. It's a good feeling.

In September, I bought a car, which was more difficult that I'd expected. My old car didn't have heat, died randomly and didn't start in the cold. I wanted a car that had heat, started and didn't die. That doesn't narrow it down, so I had to test drive a million cars before I finally found one.

In October, my uncle tore my kitchen apart and remodeled, top to bottom. He took out a wall, replaced the cabinets, my mom and I installed ceramic tile, new electrical and after about a month of having my house in complete chaos, my kitchen is beautiful. I had no idea how stressful the whole project would be and I just about lost my mind, but it was something I'd wanted since I bought the house.

Other than that, life has been pretty uneventful. I don't know if there is anything interesting coming up, but you never know...