Jul 18, 2008

It's Been a Long Time...

I've been gone 7 weeks. I have 2 more weeks left. And that's it. I'm going to be a nervous wreck on the last night. But as much as I'm dreading the end, let me recap the beginning.

Precamp started May 31 -- a week earlier than normal, which was weird. I could tell right off that we mostly had a great staff. I knew a few would quit -- they always do and I can always tell who it's going to be -- but for the most part, everyone got along GREAT really quickly.

First session, my kids arrived just as if they'd never been gone. (Let me explaint he Counselor-in-Training program: they come for 4 weeks one summer and then return the following summer the first 4 weeks for the second part of the program.) They were loud and obnoxious, just like always, LOL. Those kids were NUTS!!! Let's see, what did we do first session... one of my girls showed up a week late, to the surprise of everyone there. She had made nationals in rowing and was originally told that she couldn't come a week late, but me and the assistant camp director worked it out and she was able to come -- but we didn't tell any of the other CITs except one who found out and everyone eas way surprised. It was pretty cool. Hmm... Some first session memories... Well, there's the game our sports specialist made up called TIOTT -- Ting it Off the Table -- which is basically like Washers only you try and hit a table about 15 feet away with rocks. He kept making up phrases to describe shot that missed or made it (Like: That's a Mater meant that it totally missed, after my camper Mater who apparently Superman liked to tease).

Second Session was the beginning of the end for my kids. They were one their way to becoming former CITs and that's always a hard experience. but before they did that, they did their internship at another camp in the Council. This was interesting because two camper from our camp showed up there. And, let's just say that they weren't the kind of campers you wanted showing up randomly -- again. ha ha. Bunny, my counselor who shaved her ehad in March for St. Baldric's, was mistaken for a man at Walmart. We made 2 urgent care runs -- one for a "hole" in a leg, one for excessive bug bites. And that was all in the 3 days that we were at the other camp!! Then came graduation night, which is always bittersweet. I love watching my kids grow and take off to become their own people, but I hate saying goodbye, too, which is what happens at 2nd session closing. :-( The next day, they gave me a scrapbook that they had made for me, which brought me to tears 'cause there was a lot of, "Speckles, I love you so much. You've changed my life," blah blah blah. It sounds like I didn't like it, but I loved it. I've looked at it quite a few times since I got it.

Third session brought in a new group of CITs. And it's an interesting group, I'm not gonna lie. It's a verry eclectic group, to say the least. We have private, public, and home schooled girls, girls who like theatre, girls who like to dance, girls who like the Ham Radio, girls who are just plain weird, LOL. They're a great group of kids, and that's the coolest thing about the CIT program: you can throw girls of all different backgrounds and they'll start out as strangers, but come out on the other side in 8 weeks as sisters. Oh, how I love CIT-hood. Anyway, These kids have given me some laughs, too, like when one of the campers knocked our shower curtain rod for our door onto another camper. And one fo the girls is terrified of wasps: "Code Six!" And, of course, I still have Bunny, who will take my place next year as CIT Director.

Ready for some pictures of my first 7 weeks at camp? Here are some, minus pictures of my new girls because that's against personnel policy:

We had to build a building out of cups. This is my team building group's building.
Mater and Rhythm dressed the part on Superhero Wednesday
On our bike ride to the barn
Disney Wednesday!!


As for wedding plans, those have kind of taken a break while I've been gone, but I can successfully report on 3 things: 1. My dress is all MINE. It's hanging in my closet and everything. Woo hoo!! 2. My mom's friend is doing our flowers, so it's gonna cost less than $200. Cha-Ching! And 3. We booked our DJ this afternoon. It's only about $150 for the whole night for him. Sa-weet!

Post Camp plans include: A three-day trip to Chicago with J, Ariel, Bunny, and Sunny. I meet with my ST host teacher on August 6, then start student teaching on August 11 (eek!!), BM dress shopping at some point, plus helping Jen gett the house ready for me to move in. Whew!! I can't believe it's almost August. WHere has the year gone? I get married in 7 months and 25 days! (Not that I'm counting...)