Last day of HSJH and first day back at Camp T

If you've been checking for updates on the blog all week, I apologize. I've been packing in time with friends between packing and cleaning and teaching and knocking out friendship bracelets and just not making time for the ol' bloggity blog. But it has been an awesome last week and it has flown by.

Last year I made 54 bracelets leading up to camp. This year I wanted to get too 55... I passed that over a month ago. This weekend I figured out who all of them will go to and labeled them so I'm ready for camp. I never really made bracelets when I was a kid but now they're one of my favorite things.

This week I got to reunite with old friends. I had dinner with Emily, Mac and Kayla, met Hannah for frozen yogurt. I hung out with Libby on Tuesday and she helped me move more furniture out of my apartment. We got to see Haleigh when we dropped it off and I said good-bye to her too.

KCraig and I met with all the 8th grade girls one last time on Memorial day. On Thursday night I got to hang out with Julia and Olivia before our last day of school. All of these people have such a big part of my heart and I will definitely miss them while I'm gone all summer. I hung out with Rach and Em one last time, so strange to be going to camp without them again after working together for so many summers.

 

Today is my last day with my students. It has honestly been my favorite year teaching. Between this incredible crew of kids, sharing the hallway with Mr. Hodgin, starting Wyld Life in our building, visiting kids in the lunchroom, getting to work with Trulock and KCraig and all my different bible study girls I won't forget this year.

The last few days are a blur of signing yearbooks, showing up at the 8th grade celebration, playing jeoporady, getting caricatures from 8th grade art students and saying good-bye to everyone. Some students bring in gifts and the best are the most thoughtful-- a scrapbook from a group of best friends, a decopauged W to hang on my wall, a gift card to Barnes and Noble so I can get a new book for the summer, all of my favorite candy and the kindest letters and notes.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. When I started teaching I had no idea that these kids would make such an impact on my life and take up such a big part of my heart. They are still shaping who I am.

After the award programs for both grades today (and watching movies for 20 minutes in each class) I will trade my dress for a party tank and jump in my car to drive to Camp Tecumseh. My car is already packed with my drawers, backpack, neon hats, devotion books and sleeping bag. The other counselors are already at camp running to greet each other and going on tours to see archery and riflery. I can't wait to jump out of my car in the LV parking lot and run to meet them at flagpole. So strange to say good-bye to so many people I care about and say hello to so many a few hours later.

 

 

This has been a year I won't soon forget. Thank you to everyone who has been part of it!