It's Not Just S'Mores and Sun...

I've spent the summer soaking in the sun while floating in a kayak, surrounded by laughing kids enjoying their adventure on the lake.

I've spent the summer leading silly songs as loud as I can until my voice gave out (and then I bought a megaphone so I could keep singing).

I've spent the summer surrounded by campers and staff cheering at the top of their lungs, watching them perform skits, dance, create art projects, hit bulls eyes for the first time- both kids and staff with wide eyes of excitement and discovery.

I've spent the summer being hugged by kids and parents, told that this is the best camp ever, receiving beautiful, moving emails of thanks from parents, hearing stories about how camp has profoundly impacted their lives.

Every moment of every day has been pure joy. This is my job, but being here is such an honor. It feels to good to be true.

And unfortunately, it is.

This is a great camp. But all of the challenges that I outlined as reasons for why I wanted to leave, and that the board used as reasons for why we should close down- those are all still there. We still don't have the enrollment or the fundraising support that we need to be financially viable. We still have 60 year old buildings that maintenance has been severely put off for too long.

I've changed my mind about giving up, but I am not sure if the board will change their minds back too. I got an email from the board president today. He hired a company to come in to appraise the land and the buildings. $3000. I could think of 3000 better ways to spend $3000 but if I am going to fight for camp, I think knowing the actual value of what we have will help us making the decisions we need to make. I know that beyond the fun and goodness of camp, we need to be realistic and business minded as we move forward. I'd like to stay here and sing songs forever, but that's just a tiny part of my job.

I'm hopeful. We've been "the little camp that could" since we started and I'm hoping that if we can make it for 66 years, that we can hang in there for a few more.

I Love Emails!

Camp Director-

A huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to you and your amazing counselors (and cook, and dogs, and Joe the Crow). If our kids develop some of the qualities of Will and Ben and Chelsea and Erin, we will consider it a huge success. Forget doctors, lawyers, teachers, executives ... Daniel and Ellie aspire to be Cool Camp Counselors!

D&E pronounced this the best camp week they've ever had (Daniel went further and proclaimed "Best Week EVER" -- but he tends toward the dramatic). Neither were ready to leave, which is music to our ears. Adventure Week was a hit, and the changes you make for the older kids make tons of sense (breakfast at 9 ... hurray!). Plus, we continue to appreciate how you make God come alive for a group that's pretty bored with traditional church routines. 

Thanks again to your crew. We love Camp!

-Camp Parent

Visitors

On Friday, my brother, his wife, their dog and my BF all came to camp to visit. We sat outside, grilling, talking, laughing, relaxing and then we had a campfire. I adore my brother and he is most definitely the funnest person I know, so it was great to have him visit.

Yesterday was a mandatory staff inservice and I had my brother do a speech at the end of the training. He spoke about professionalism and gave them three pointers for camp and for real life-

1. Make you job fun: some day you will be doing your job year round, so innovate, be creative and make it fun.
2. Always be having an awesome day: no one wants to be around a negative person. Leave your problems at the door and be positive. You will get ahead faster if you are likable and easy to be around.
3. Make your boss's life easier- If your boss could do everything, he/she wouldn't need you. Your job is to make them look good- do that and you will eventually be the boss.

My brother is a great speaker, funny, easygoing and it was great to have him at camp.

Earlier in the week, I had some other visitors- my best friend X, her dad and my baby nieces! I felt like a little kid at Christmas before they arrived!!

During the first week of my first summer, X came to camp. She and I stayed up late the first night trying to figure out a system for scheduling activities. She was there when my boss snapped at me for the first time. It was awkward, surprising, totally unprofessional, and the foreshadowing to my crazy camp journey. She is one of the few people who saw camp my first year, who has seen it every year and who truly understands what I've been doing all these years.

She has visited every year, and every time she is here, she has been part of memorable camp experiences- making tiny little envelopes for the elf, building an enormous owl costume, researching trailers after the flood. More importantly, she is the one who I have called to vent, share stories and stay sane while at camp. She has followed each summer as her own personal soap opera.

I wasn't sure if she would be able to make it out this summer due to the adorable, but time-sucking infants she is currently rearing. Why did I doubt? She and her dad made the drive and I was SOOOOO happy to spend the day with them and the babies.

We walked around camp, dipped their feet in the sand and the lake for the first time (as expected, the reasonable one liked it and my god daughter was VERY dramatic and unhappy with the newness of it). We took their photos in front of the mud pit, drove around on he golf cart and showed the babies the bulldogs.

It was a wonderful day- not just because I got to see my best friend and babies that I love, but just the simple act of being able to be unavailable for the whole day was kind of amazing. Camp is organized, well run, and able to run without me. It hasn't always been that way and I was fully aware of how amazing it was to be able to snuggle babies without worrying about camp.

I don't want camp to end, but I miss my life at home. I miss being able to see the babies regularly and so the end of the summer is bittersweet. Check out these adorable babies-

Perfect Week

This has been the perfect week. The kids were so fun, the programming was the best I've come up with yet, the counselors were engaged- I wanted to burst into tears of happiness multiple times this week. THIS week is what I dreamed about when I said I wanted to be a camp director. THIS week is what I think about when I imagine a perfect camp.

Counselors skipped their breaks so they could stay with their kids and be part of activities this week. Everyone- kids, counselors, lead staff- was completely wrapped into the experience of camp this week.

I am so sad it is over. I am so sad the summer is almost over. It has FLOWN by and it feels like a dream.

I am trying to appreciate every minute and soak it in. I don't want to waste any of the time we have by being sad about the end. The end isn't here yet.

Showing Off!

Because I love reality TV and all of our challenges are based on challenges I've seen on TV, we've been videotaping each challenge and making short youtube videos to show what we are doing. I have been emailing them to the camper parents, but also to a long list of my family and friends.

This morning, I got this email from a camp director friend of mine-

I’ve been showing my camp director the videos of your challenges this week. I really want him to see a well-run camp. I’m not sure if this is going to work out, but I was thinking of coming up either tonight or tomorrow morning just to see your last day of challenges. Would that be a total invasion of your camp?

Like me (and my other director friend from earlier this week), B was a YMCA Day Camp director who just took over a resident camp that has been mismanaged and was in poor shape. We had dinner a few times before camp and I gave her some of my programming and training pieces. She is experiencing several of the same challenges I went through but is hopeful about the potential of her camp.

I was thrilled to get her email- I'm not sure there is a greater compliment possible than her comments. I wrote back right away and said yes and then showed her email to A, m and K because I was so proud to have gotten it.

It feels like yesterday that I was new to this camp, pulling my hair out every other day at something else going wrong. Six years later, there are still challenges (there always will be), but so much has changed. The progress that I've made as a director and that camp has made is indescribable. There are few people who can possibly understand how drastically improved this camp is.

'B' is where I was 6 years ago and literally every story she tells, I can relate to 100%. It is such a weird feeling to be able to talk to her and feel like I am watching myself from the past. I am so excited for her because she is going to do such great things for her camp and hopefully, a few years from now, someone emails her to compliment her "well run camp."

She and her program director came to camp this evening and watched the challenge (this as the make up from yesterday's debacle). We set up a scene (it was a kayak with about 15 other items strategically on and around it). Campers had to look at the scene and then run back to their team and send them out to find those items around camp and then recreate the scene. We were sticklers for detail and it was a very fun and exciting challenge.

It was fun to watch them watch the challenge. I felt proud that they were impressed. Afterwards, we toured camp and once again, I felt so complimented as they asked to take photos of some of the areas of camp that they thought were cool or ideas they wanted to use for their camp. It feels like yesterday that I looked around at a dirty, disorganized camp and felt frustration, shame, and hopelessness at my pathetic little camp. To be able to walk around and "show off" my beautiful, organized camp felt good.

I listened to them talk about their camp and I just wanted to repeat, over and over and over, "yep! me too! it was like that here! YES! amen! I totally understand!!" I tried to hold back but it was amazing to be able to so strongly relate to someone else's experience.

For the second time this week, I was reminded, in a very powerful way, of how far we've come and what a wonderful camp this is. We can't give up on it.

I Didn't See That Coming

The challenge we planned for tonight was this-

We had four 50 gallon drums that we filled about 1/3 full of water. We tied ropes to them and then draped the rope over the soccer nets. The teams were going to have to pull the rope to life the buckets off the ground and hold it up for longer than the rest of the teams. While they held the buckets, three teammates would use smaller buckets to throw water into other the teams' buckets (making them heavier). We put two teams on each soccer goal.

I blew the whistle and watched two teams pull, lifting the buckets dramatically and then, in slow motion, the soccer nets simultaneously topple over, ripping enormous concrete footings out of the ground as they fell.

For a second, I stood there in shock and then I blew my whistle to halt the competition. M, A, K and I huddled together. I did not expect that. I did not have a back up.

After about 5 minutes of talking about other options while the teams loudly sang their cheers and relived the drama, I sent all the kids to the chapel to buy us some time.

We decided to quickly set up a balancing challenge we'd planned for the next day and by the time the kids were finished with chapel, we were ready for them.

The challenge was to balance a stack of dishes on top of a round cone. We announced each dish, one by one and whoever could make the tallest stack, would win. We did 4 rounds (three players from each team were in each round) and it was intense! It is amazing how exciting you can make something so simple as stacking up dishes, but we were all on the edge of our seats at the end.

When the second to last stack fell and the boy who had the tallest stack realized he'd won, the entire team of boys jumped in the air and then collapsed into each other in a pile of hugging, excited boys. You would have thought they won the World Series based on their reaction! It was amazing.

So in the end, tonight's activity was a success, despite our initial setback!

Being Away

Last night, the dogs and I left camp and headed home. This morning, I had to be a ACA visitor at a camp that is about 4.5 hours south of my camp, just 2 hours south of my house.

I have two entirely separate lives. I have my life at home and my life at camp. I love them both, but they are so different and it is so incredibly weird to switch back and forth. I had a difficult time pulling myself away from the fun of this week, but after being home for a few hours, relaxing with my boyfriend, I didn't want to go back.

Today, I visited a camp to re-accredit it for the American Camp Association. I am friends with the director. This is his second summer as the director of that camp. He was previously a YMCA Day Camp director like me and also like me, he came into the camp after the previous director had basically run it into the ground.

He and I had lunch when he started as the director and I gave him tons of programming and staff training materials. We talked after last summer and he'd had so many of the same challenges I'd had my first summer, so I was eager to see how he was doing the second year.

The camp was beautiful and I was a little awestruck. It was located in the bluffs and it was so picturesque that I was a little bit speechless. But as we toured, I started paying attention to the nooks and crannies and corners and I noticed that there were flaws and there was dirt and it wasn't perfect. And then I noticed that their arts and crafts area was just a little table in the corner of the basement of their dining hall. I noticed that their docks were old and crooked. I noticed that their bathrooms were dirtier than ours are! And I felt happy.

I wasn't being judgmental- I was not allowing myself to be blinded. Sometimes I am critical of my camp and sometimes I feel like we are so far behind other camps. It is easy to be blinded by a big climbing wall or gorgeous lakefront. But as I walked through I found myself thinking about my camp and how it was just as nice, maybe even nicer in some areas.

Last year and before coming to camp this year, I felt so hopeless. All I could see were the dirty nooks and crannies, not the beautiful parts of camp. But touring a beautiful camp that was so impressive and then comparing my camp and coming out ahead in some of the areas of comparison reminded me of how much I love this camp and how impressed I was when I first toured.

I don't want to give up. We have too much good to close the doors...

Reality TV

15 years of being obsessed with reality tv has inspired this week and I couldn't be more excited! A, K and I are all HUGE fans of the tv show Survivor and in May, when we were planning programming, we had so much fun talking about challenges that we could copy and use at camp. 

Yesterday we blew out eggs and then filled them with paint. When the counselors announced their cabins, they got to break the eggs to determine what color their team would be. And today, the challenge began.

The first challenge today went like this-

Cabins had to choose 2 campers to compete in each of the following challenges. The entire cabin had to travel as a group from challenge to challenge. Once a challenge was completed, the whole cabin could move on. The cabin to complete the course fastest would earn 100 points, second place= 75 points, third place= 50 points and for completing the challenge, the last team would earn 25 points. 

·     1.     Mud Pit- 2 campers must dig through the mud to find two puzzle pieces

2.    Boating Bay- two campers will canoe through the boating bay to retrieve two puzzle pieces floating in the boating bay

3.    Volleyball Court- 2 campers must dig through the sand to find two puzzle pieces

4.    Swim Beach- 2 campers must swim out to the floating dock to retrieve two puzzle pieces (only one camper per cabin can swim at a time)

5.    Knots- Two campers will untie a string of knots to release two puzzle pieces (this leg of the race will be located at the friendship circle)

6.    PUZZLE- One camper will assemble the puzzle while blindfolded. The second camper will be able to see and yell instructions at the blindfolded camper. No other campers are allowed to help! This leg of the race will be located at the field.

All of the cabins ended up at the puzzle (which was actually really difficult). The green team had been in last place the entire time, so when they finished the puzzle second, it was a genuinely exciting comeback. I found myself lost in the magic of the moment and jumped in the air with excitement when they won. I think it is going to be an intense week!

HOT Weather!

On Sunday, we planned an entirely new week of programming based on the expectation that it would rain every day.

I caved in and bought an $80 raincoat (I figured I would splurge since I work outside and it will get a lot of use).

It didn't rain a drop after Monday morning at breakfast. I think it is possible that for the rest of the summer and maybe for the rest of forever, it will not rain and I will have an $80 unwearable coat.

WORTH the money! I would spend ten times that amount to have a rain free summer.

Anyway, it didn't rain, but it was 90+ degrees every day. It was draining just walking from my house to the dining hall. We ended up swimming 3 times a day and then taking the hose out and spraying it into the air to let the kids run through it. I am sure that when the kids got home, all of their clothes were wet from the week.

Hot weather is preferable over rain though, so I'm not complaining.

This weekend, my mom, my aunt and my brother's mother in law are at camp. We have eaten lots of good food, gone out on the pontoon and tomorrow we are going out to breakfast. It has been a relaxing and wonderful visit. A great end to a great week!

Parent Feedback

This is the email that was waiting for me this morning-

I do not think anything could possibly warm a human heart more than a picture of a bunch of boys with big smiles playing in a mud pit.  You are a real treasure to these children and families from the good Lord!   Matthew talks of all his adventures at [camp] all year long!  You are creating so many special memories for these children that will last a lifetime.  Please know this family appreciates the efforts of you and yourself beyond words.  I cannot adequately express my appreciation to see the joy in Matthew's face given his daily struggles still with the loss of his father.  His father asked that I ensure he experience a happy childhood...thanks so much for helping me honor his final request.

This camp can't close. I am not sure how I will save it or what kind of fight I am in for, but I'm not giving up.

Cutest Camper of All Time

I have a lot of favorite campers, but this camper might just be my favorite of all time. On Tuesday, he brought be a letter and asked if I could email it to his mom. Parents can send one way emails to their campers through our registration system. We print them out every day and the kids get them at lunch. His mother had emailed and told him to have fun, be safe, get enough rest and make lots of friends. His response-

"Mom I will do that. Will you send 8 dollars for the next two days.
There is a really good thing."

He had started the week with $25 in his camp store account, but he went through it quickly. I told him I would email her and we would see what she said. I scanned his letter and emailed it to her. 

She emailed me back right away and told me that his letter had made her day and that she had put $16 into his account. 

I went to the camper and told him his mom had responded and we had the following conversation-

"She put $16 in your account."-me

"$16??!?!?" (absolutely dumbfounded)

"Yep, $16, she must really miss you." -me

"I just can't believe it. I mean, $16..." (shaking his head)

"Why are you so shocked?" -me

"I didn't want her to waste her money on me!"

"Well, maybe you can buy her a present with the extra money." -me

""That's what I wanted the $8 for!"

So cute. Just so cute. 

Programming

2011 and 2012, I was very hands off with programming. I came up with the themes and helped with some ideas, but I mostly let the program directors do everything. In other years, I have written and planned ALL programming. I'm good at it. I'm not bragging- it's just a fact that it is a skill I have and I LOVE doing it.

At the end of last summer, I felt like I hadn't actually been at camp. I hadn't gotten in a kayak, had barely even looked at the programming (and hadn't gone to most of it). I was disappointed in myself and felt like I'd wasted the summer.

So this year, in addition to K being new and needing more guidance, I wanted to make sure I was involved in programming because it's the part of camp I really enjoy.

I'm proud to say that programming has been outstanding. I am particularly proud of this week. This week is "Game Week" so we have created a bunch of games for the kids. But not just your typical board games or group games!

Here is a list of just some of the cool stuff the kids will be doing-

 All-Camp Twister! This was from Pinterest. I have had bad luck with ideas from Pinterest (too often, the projects look easy but end in disaster), but this one worked well! K and I made a stencil out of a big piece of cardboard and then used spray paint to make the circles. I am pretty sure we were both high by the time we were done, and the circles weren't as perfect as I'd hoped, but overall, it turned out great and the kids really enjoyed it!

Chutes and Ladders! When I'd imagined this one, it was with those small orange slides that are often in backyards. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any and I didn't have the budget to buy several so we had to use beach towels. I was a little disappointed, because it would have been so cool looking with real slides, but the kids had a lot of fun. When they hit a shoot, they had to roll on the ground to the square they were going to. We used real ladders laying on the ground for the ladders. The giant dice are cardboard boxes covered in white paper. The kids loved it.

Battleship! We hung a giant tarp over the volleyball net and made "ships" using milk crates. Some ships were made of 2 crates, some were 3 and some 4 (because in real Battleship, the ships are also different sizes). Kids threw balls over the net to try to hit the ships and "sink" each others' battleships. Ultimately we had to take down the tarp because it was basically impossible when you couldn't see the other ships, but it was really fun.

Skinny Hippos! In Hungry Hippos, you try to eat as many marbles as you can and whoever has the most, wins. We created 6 triangles on the field that cabin groups stood inside of. We were afraid if they were trying to gather balls, it would turn into a wrestling match, so our version was called Skinny Hippos! Instead of eating the balls, you were trying to get rid of them. We blew the whistle and every beach ball, kickball, football and other type ball we had at camp went FLYING through the air. Cabins attempted to keep their area ball-free while throwing balls into the other areas. When the whistle blew, whoever had the least number in their area would win the round.

Skinny Hippos was super fun, but it was approximately 100 degrees outside, so after about 4 rounds, we took out the hose and shot water straight into the air and basically let the kids run through and get soaking wet.

I am VERY proud of the creative programming this week and I am so much happier this summer being hands on again.

RAIN!!

Yesterday was RAINY. It rained from the time I woke up, through our 1pm staff meeting, and poured as the parents dropped their kids off. The weather forecast for this week predicts rain- all day, every day.

We've had entire weeks that rained all day every day, so I am not afraid. Before the staff meeting, M, K and I re-wrote all of the programming, making sure all of the theme activities could be done inside. And then we wrote alternate programming for swimming, canoeing, fishing, sports, outdoor cooking, and throwing so that if the kids got rained out of their activities every day, counselors could lead activities that had to do with the activity and not just play board games for every activity every day. I felt confident and prepared going into the meeting yesterday.

This is my 14th summer as a camp director and while I might have had a decent rain coat at some point, I haven't had one in years. I have 4 "rain coats" that are more like windbreakers. They mostly keep the rain off of me, but I've been meaning to get a nice raincoat for years. Yesterday, after the meeting, I finally broke down and ordered one online- rush delivery. Tomorrow morning I will be the proud owner of a beautiful new raincoat.

When I woke up this morning and it was still raining, I didn't feel as confident and enthusiastic as I did yesterday. I am nervous it is going to be a longgggg week...

Juxtaposition

M and I went out to dinner with N, B and N's parents. Later, M told me that she was really glad I'd come and that N and B had told her how nice it was to be able to hang out with me in a social way. When N and B were at camp, they were counselors and so we didn't have the "hang out" type of relationship.

Also at the restaurant was a group of counselors. They were laughing loudly, jumping around and at one point, one of them sat in a mini airplane ride for kids that was off to the side of the deck. The rest of them laughed and took photos.

M, N and B all looked on- slightly disgusted. "We were never like that" they said maturely. Uh huh... "yes you were" was my response. It's amazing how quickly they grow up.

Counselors are the same every year. There is the loud one, the funny one, the quiet one, the annoying one, the popular one, and so on. Their names change but they are essentially the same. And they follow the same pattern- unsure and a little awkward at the beginning, everyone trying to define themselves in the group. By the third or fourth week, they've become best friends- inseparable and feeling like they've known each other forever. By the end of the summer, they are like siblings, arguing one minute, best friends the next, but family.

If they come back a second year, there are more patterns as well. It was interesting for me to sit back and look at three counselors who had been through it compared to the counselors who were just beginning.

Later, M said to me, "I remember arriving to training and looking around, unsure if I would be able to make it the whole summer. You said we would be best friends by the end and I thought you were crazy. But these are my lifelong friends and I can't imagine my life without them. You were right and it turns out you know more than I thought.

I smiled. I didn't have to say I told you so, but it certainly felt good to think it in my head!

Visitors

About a month ago, I got an email from a former counselor who was wondering if he and his girlfriend (another former counselor) and his parents could come to camp and visit. They were on staff 2009 and 2010. They met at camp and have been dating ever since. Both live out of state and his parents have never seen camp, so it was a great chance for all of them to come to camp to visit.

At the end of every week, I tell the kids that for the rest of their lives, no matter what, they will always have a second home at camp. I tell them that former campers come back all the time and visit (that's true) and that they can always come back.

When N and B arrived, I hugged them both and welcomed them back. "You won't always have a job at camp, but you'll always have a home here!" They showed N's parents every corner of camp, shot archery, threw tomahawks, went out on the pontoon, went canoeing, and relaxed at camp.

Last night, M and I joined them for dinner and we sat around reminiscing for hours. All three of them were at camp with my dad and many of the stories that were laughed about included him. I am comfortable talking about my dad, but it was weird to hear other people talk about him and remember him so fondly. None of this year's staff (except 'A' and 'M') have been at camp when my dad was here, so it was really nice to share camp memories, including memories about him, with people who were here and knew him.

Last summer was so difficult for so many reasons. One of the reasons was that I was still so deeply grieving that I could hardly see straight, much less give my full attention to the intense demands of camp. It's been a year and a half since my dad died. I still miss him and I'm still grieving, but I feel like the fog has lifted and I am not all consumed by the pain. I am able to enjoy camp and it feels normal even though he isn't here. He will always be here in spirit and in the memories that so many people (besides just me) have of camp. It was so nice to share those memories together and be reminded that my dad was part of so many lives and in the history of camp.

Blood or Fire

~Is there blood or fire? If not, then it's not a real emergency~

That's my motto when it comes to reacting to incidents at camp. Camp staff have a tendency to see ALL things as URGENT EMERGENCY level when in reality, a locked sports closet or running out of orange paint are not what I consider crisis level.

Right before lunch this morning, it was all-camp capture the flag when we had an actual (read- involving blood) emergency. One of our CITs (counselor-in-training) had somehow managed to run into a window and had cut his head open. Head wounds bleed A LOT and it looked gruesome.

He was laying in the health center and I was holding bandages on it while the nurse was preparing to wash and examine him. He kept looking down at his hands (which were covered in blood) and he was visibly shaken. I talked to him and tried to keep him calm. As our nurse cleaned up his head, I called his dad to explain the situation. We needed to take him to the clinic to get stitches, but it wasn't a serious injury.

When I handed the phone to him, he started to cry as he talked to his dad. It was a good reminder to me that super cool, 17 year old tough guys are still kids- despite their appearance.

The parent ceremony was scheduled to begin 45 minutes later, so I sent 'A' and 'K' to take him to the clinic. I crossed my fingers they would make it back in time for him to ride the bus home (they did!) and I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't a serious injury.

6 years ago a kid broke her collar bone. 5 years ago a staff member collapsed outside the chapel from swine flu. 4 years ago I took a kid to the ER for an asthma attack. Last year I took a kid to the ER because she thought her tongue was swelling (it was just a sore throat as it turned out). Camp has been very safety focused and also very lucky to have few emergencies, but it's not something I take for granted, ever.

Earlier in the week, I had a discussion with the CITs about what made them nervous for next week when they would be assisting in the cabins. One of the kids said, "I am nervous about keeping the kids safe." And I replied, "I am nervous every minute of every day from the moment the first person steps foot on camp until the last person leaves." All of them sort of shook their heads and mumbled, "whoa" in response.

I think they are starting to understand why I say no to all of their "good" ideas and why I am so strict in so many instances. It was my idea to let a room full of kids shoot mini marshmallows all over the place in a chaotic, sugar filled frenzy- I am fun (whether they realize it or not). But I am also the person who calls home when someone gets hurt, so I am the one who gets to decide what is fun and what is a bad idea.

A Special Camp

The Bishop came to camp today to say mass. My VERY religious staff was SO excited you might have assumed that a rock star was coming based on the way they were bouncing around. This is the Bishop that I met with in May to discuss the possibility of closing camp. I have met with him many times over the years and he has come to camp every year. He is a camp supporter and a really great guy. I was excited for him to come because I enjoy seeing him and because it was making the staff so happy.

Right before mass, I looked around and ALL of the male counselors had changed into khaki pants and polo shirts (even more surprising and adorable- so had some of the campers!). It was so cute, so sweet and not at all surprising considering my staff this summer.

During the homily, the Bishop talked about what a special camp this is. He said so many nice things- things I have worked really hard to share with the world over the past few years. I KNOW that this camp is special and I know we are doing good work. We're in need of a makeover, yes. We haven't been able to fundraise as much money as we need or get the marketing momentum to fill the weeks. But aside from the challenges, the work we are doing is important and this camp is not just your typical camp.

Hearing him talk about how special our camp is made me emotional. I love this camp so much. I know that I write that in every post. And maybe everyone who works at a camp thinks theirs is special. But it really is.

I said a prayer for God to save camp. At this point, I have to trust that if it's meant to be, we'll figure out a way to make it work.

Bringing Back M

Last week, 2012 Program Director M came back to camp to help out for the week. It was SO nice having her back. She and I connected when she was a counselor 4 years ago and I have always really enjoyed her. It was also really nice to have another person who knows how to run camp and is willing to step up. There was a day last week that 'A', 'K' and I were all late to breakfast and 'M' handed out table numbers. I think it surprised and maybe even annoyed some of the staff, but I was thrilled to have another set of hands to help out.

At the end of the week I told her she needed to quit her job and come back to camp. I was sort of joking, but I knew she wanted to. At the beginning of the summer, she went on a trip to Uganda, which is why she didn't think camp would work out for her, but camp is where she belongs.

On Saturday night, she texted me and asked if I was serious and if she showed up on Sunday, would there be a job for her. I told her "YES" and that was that.

This summer is going so wonderfully and both Assistant Director 'A' and Program Director 'K' are doing FABULOUS work. I made sure to clarify to both of them that hiring M had nothing to do with them or jobs not getting done. It just helps to have one more person and I would have hired all three of them for the summer if 'M' had applied. Also, it's about a $1500 difference in the budget and considering we are projecting a $50,000 deficit at the end of this year, I didn't think it would really matter.

So she's back and camp feels complete.

On Wednesday night, I went to my house to re-tape my floor. As you may recall, we covered the white carpet in linoleum at the beginning of the summer. Some of the duct tape that was holding it in place had come up, so I was going to re-tape it. I figured it would take 20 minutes. Except that 'A' offered to help and she felt like we needed to take up all the tape and re-adjust the linoleum. 45 minutes later, we were struggling so I walkie talkie-d 'M' for more help. "M, M, M, where are you?! Come to the tin can right away! It's urgent!" M's walkie talkie was on the table and several staff heard my call. M was in her room when they all started yelling for her to hurry up because I needed her. The staff are still at the point where they take me VERY seriously. M is not.

She marched over, yelling, "this BETTER be an ACTUAL emergency because if this is just one of your ridiculous projects, I'm not coming inside!" But of course, immediately jumped into helping with our crazy project of moving furniture and taping linoleum into place. 2 hours later, my floor looked FANTASTIC!

I'm so happy 'M' is back (not just because of my floor, but it was REALLY nice to have help with it!)

Back to Normal

Last week was a different schedule, lots of kids who were new to camp, and just sort of hectic. My weekend was fantastic, but a whirlwind of activity!

But this week, we're back to normal- lots of happy, excited kids who are thrilled to be at camp; counselors who are bringing their "A" game with energy, enthusiasm and fun; and cool programming that reminds me why I love this job so much.

This morning, we made marshmallow shooters and launched mini marshmallows all over the place.

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/family/kids-parenting/toys-you-can-make-00000000039117/page4.html

At one point, the air was filled with flying marshmallows and the entire crowd of kids was giggling and I looked around and thought, "I hope this isn't just a crazy dream and I am going to wake up and realize I imagined all of this!"

The weather is perfect, everyone at camp is happy and I got to fling marshmallows for almost an hour. Life is good...

Fairy Godmother

Yesterday, I became a fairy godmother!

Fairy godmother is sort of like a regular godmother, but instead of offering spiritual guidance, a fairy godmother guarantees to always have gum. I just don't think I have the ability to guide another human in any sort of religious way (ironic, since I run a religious camp), but I can promise to love them and spoil them and let them do fun things there parents don't allow when I babysit.

My best friend X had twin baby girls and I couldn't be more excited to have nieces. I LOVE babies and when X got pregnant, I knew I would love these babies, but I had no idea just how much I would love them.

On Friday night, my boyfriend's parents came over for dinner and apparently his mother asked him why I kept referring to my "nieces". I think it bothers him slightly that I refer to them as nieces and I was slightly (actually very) annoyed when he relayed her comment.

So I clarified it for him-

It just so happens that their mother happens to be my BEST, most dearest friend on the planet who I love as much as I love my flesh and blood brother. So "my friend's kid" is not quite going to cut it for describing these babies. Also, in this day and age of blended families, I can be their aunt without having any blood involved. Aunty N. Nieces. Let's just get used to all of that and move on, shall we?

Luckily I happen to have a WONDERFUL boyfriend who embraced my explanation and had a very positive attitude while giving up his entire Saturday to sit through a VERY long mass, take dozens of photos, carry my purse for me all day and then help me with dishes and loading the car at the end of the after-baptism social. He even held one of the babies for a while and didn't look terrified.

Like their mother, these babies happen to be incredibly peaceful and easy going. They didn't cry and they were SO cute and lovable the whole day. My god-daughter is SUPER chunky and doesn't seem to have a neck which I happen to think is the MOST adorable trait a baby can have. Her sister is equally cute and looks a lot like the Gerber baby.

I wore a white dress that had giant bright pink flowers on it, a pearl necklace and earlier in the day I'd gotten a manicure so my nails looked pretty. The day before, my feet were dirty, my legs were scabby for old bug bites and I was wearing a sweaty, stained camp shirt. It felt wonderful to step out of camp life for a day and be clean!

But even better, I got to see my best friend, my favorite babies and be part of a very special day. A great weekend!

An Angel Arrives

For Operation Purple, the NMFA sends a licensed therapist to be on site and available to the kids if they are struggling with issues more complex than just homesickness or disagreeing with cabin mates. The therapist scheduled to come this week had a health emergency on Sunday and couldn't make it. It wasn't until Wednesday night that they were able to get someone to camp. Wanda flew in from Chicago, drove 3 hours and arrived at 11:30pm in the middle of the dark woods. I met her at breakfast on Thursday morning and she was relaxed and easy going considering the journey to get to camp.

When the original therapist didn't show up, I'd told them it wasn't necessary and when Wanda arrived on the last full day of camp, I didn't really see a point to her being there, but I welcomed her and showed her around.

Somewhere within the 24 hours or so that she was at camp, I fell in LOVE with Wanda. Maybe it was the fact that she was a sassy African American woman with attitude. Or maybe it was her gentle but confident demeanor or the way that everything she said seemed to be rooted in soul and wisdom. Or maybe it was that saw the beauty beneath the peeling paint that I see and fell in love with camp. She told me that she had prayed for something like this and believed God sent her to camp, even if it was just for a short time.

We had several wonderful conversations throughout the day- she was a talker and I was absolutely drawn to her, so we kept coming back together to discuss camp, faith, kids, and life. She told me I was a "warrior woman" and I felt empowered.

My BF was at camp for the day on Thursday. I'd asked him to come up and help me with the BBQ since I knew that I couldn't cook for that many people by myself. After he left, Wanda looked at me and said, "that man LOVES you." I smiled and said, "I know" and she said, "no, that is a man in love. The way he looked at you. That he would drive all this way and spend a hot day burning all of his arm hair off over the hot grill. That man LOVES you." I know he loves me, but listening to her observation of us from a distance made me happier than ever.

At the staff meeting today, we went through our highs and lows of the week. Several people said that Wanda was their high of the week. As one counselor put it- "just when you think you are at your breaking point and can't take another step, God sends an angel to make it easier. THAT was Wanda." I couldn't agree more. There was something so peaceful about being around her that made me feel like everything is going to be ok. Camp is going to be ok.

I still have concerns about the buildings that need so much updating, the budget that is so terrible, the challenges our organization faces, but I am not ready to give up yet. We are doing good work, we are a special camp. I thought I was ready to give up, but I'm not. I don't know how, but I know we are going to keep going. An angel visited and I feel inspired.

Re-Set

The staff this summer is FANTASTIC. They are creative, enthusiastic, hard working, camper focused and I regularly feel like I will burst with happiness when watching them with the kids. I am proud of them and I feel honored to lead them.

But this week has been a bit of a struggle and by this afternoon, my patience with them was gone and I was at my breaking point.

Campers sign up for three individual activities to specialize in. All of the cabins meet at the flagpole and counselors all off the kids that have signed up for their activity and everyone divides up and goes off to different activities. To begin this process, I go around the circle and ask each counselor if they have all of their kids. Then the individual activities divide up, but don't leave until I confirm that each group has all the kids.

During the first individual activity block, there was some confusion about a few kids who had switched activities. During the second activity, when I asked if everyone had all their kids, they all said yes, but 2 minutes later when we divided into activity groups, we were missing some kids. At that point, I was glaring while I quietly (through clenched teeth) told the counselors to "work this out, because I am walking away".

During the third activity, when I overheard on the walkie talkie that they were missing a camper from archery and the counselor was at the beach trying to straighten out the mix up, that was when smoke started shooting out of my ears and I started YELLING at Assistant Director 'A'- "WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE COUNSELORS??? AM I MISSING SOMETHING? ARE THEY MESSING WITH ME??"

I am incredibly strict when it comes to safety and rule number 1 of safety is to know where all of the kids are. It's the MOST basic and MOST important thing we do at camp.

After third activity, everyone headed to the field for an all-camp barbecue. I told the counselors to count their kids and leave them with 'K' and 'M' (Program Director from last year who has been helping out this week) and head into the main lodge.

I could tell everyone was nervous. We have not yet had an all staff meeting while kids are at camp. But I wanted them to understand how serious I was and that I have no problem pausing everything in order to address an issue.

"Lets all start with a deep breath, shall we?" I said calmly.

I was calm and quiet and spoke slowly. I think that is much scarier than if I was yelling. I pointed out the issues that I was seeing and listened to their concerns. I wasn't harsh or mean, but I told them they needed to get focused.

Afterwards, we met up with the kids, had a 4th of July BBQ, played some games and went back to normal.

I've done this in years past and it has been helpful. Sometimes counselors just need to pause and "re-set" in order to get focused. I am hoping that this helps.

Hiding Out

Yesterday was perfect, but I was TIRED and didn't feel very well by the end of the day. I ended up taking some Nyquil and going to bed at 8pm. I don't remember the last time I missed evening activities or heads/meds/beds (which is when the kids get ready for bed), but I thought I was going to fall over and I knew that everyone would survive without me.

This morning I woke up feeling much better. 'A' and I went for our morning run and then I went to breakfast. But by the time breakfast was over, I was dizzy and achy and CRABBY. I wanted to yell at everyone for no reason.

Today was a normal day with cabins doing three activities together in the morning and no all-camp activities until the evening. So I spent most of the day in my house. I answered emails, blogged a little bit and relaxed. It felt VERY weird to be in my house when camp was going on, but I didn't want to snap at anyone and I wanted to feel good for fourth of July tomorrow. I felt guilty and almost like I was doing something wrong being away from all the action, but I think it was a good use of my time and energy to have a small amount of rest time.

Camp is running so smoothly this summer and everything is still so perfect. I hate to even type that because I don't want to jinx us, but it's just so easy... This can't last forever, but I certainly enjoyed being able to take a day of rest when I so badly needed it.

Nearly Perfect

It was a nearly perfect day today. The weather has been GORGEOUS- sunny, warm, not too hot, no humidity- just perfect.

Today was military day and so we had a group of National Guard soldiers out to camp to lead activities. Kids got to eat MREs (meals ready to eat), learn to fold the flag, learn to march, did some exercise drills, try on the gear and get their faces painted. Cabins rotated every 30 minutes.

The kids and the staff were happy and smiling, engaged and well behaved. Actually, several times throughout the day, I felt like I was in a movie. The kids and the staff kept saying things like, "I'm having so much fun" or "this is great!". Whenever I watch movies about camp and they are cheesy and over the top, I roll my eyes. But that was how it was yesterday. I was a little afraid I would wake up and realize it has all been a dream and that I actually work in a boring office somewhere.

After the soldiers left, kids had rest time, and then swam and played field games. Everyone was tired and happy.

Just another typical day of work....