"I won the state championship at age 2. In tricycling. I still have the trophy."

 Today we celebrated "Wear Your Friend's Shirt Day." Ellyn and I swapped two of our fav party tanks and snapped our daily pic. I got to stand next to Mags in chapel and we snagged Annie for half a second. We're into the watermelon colors today.

I'm loving getting to play with CILTs like Libby, Jackie, Grace and Maddie all the time. These girls are just the best.

Finney Baby showed up at chapel! I sure have missed her this past week. I was so pumped when I turned around and saw her standing at the top of the aisle.

The CILTs had a quick bus ride up to the TLC but it was filled with bubbles and Neal's favorite song, "Chicken wing, chicken wing. Hotdogs and balogna. Chicken and macaroni. Hanging with my homies. Chicken wing, wing. Oh! Oh! Oh!"

The CILTs got split into two groups of twenty for the keypad challenge. Their team split into the four corners of the square. The goal is to get everyone into the square before exiting out the opposite corner. You go across the square by stepping on dots, if the dots are not activated than you lose them and it makes the course more difficult.

Smooney and I were so impressed with this crew. They only had to restart once after losing their first dot and finished the whole activity in 25 minutes. It was the best job we've seen a group do this summer. They did an excellent job of making a plan, helping the people around them, keeping their volume to a minimum, keeping everything in action, encouraging one another and staying calm.

We finished debriefing early and got to go around the circle sharing interesting facts and things on our bucket lists which served for really entertaining stories.

"I have a pet hedge hog named pippi pricklepants."
"I have to sleep with socks on because I'm afraid of my feet touching each other."

Next I was excited to see how this team would do functioning as a group of 40 as they tried to get everyone up and over the 12 foot wall. We've got a pretty talented crew-- Emily can be lifted in the air and Tommy can put his foot behind his head. They definitely each have their strengths.

Session 3 really did a great job supporting one another physically and emotionally through this whole task. Everyone went up and over and they made sure everyone was comfortable while they went. Their positivity, encouraging words and enthusiasm are some of the best parts of this group.

 We got to eat lunch over in Lake Village, one of my favorite traditions. Emily, Katlyn and I found our pal Mags. The Color War teams did their cheers and we unveiled the new CILT one.

Bringing back old traditions seems to be a theme this week. When they brought out the Turbo Tubes I immediately grabbed some kids to HOH (hang out horizontally) while we ate them so they wouldn't drip.

We walked back to the Riv telling stories along the way. This walk through the Oak Forest is one of my favorites. Usually we pass through here after lake time when the CILTs are with their adopted cabins and I miss out on getting to walk and talk with them but today I soaked it up.

Mud hikes are not really my thing. In the afternoons CILT counselors get to go play with any random cabin we want and I never choose the ones going on mud hikes. But today I woke up from rest hour and for some odd reason I just really wanted to go on the mud hike with all the River cabins. Smooney and I used Fazzio's trick to duct tape trash bags over our wrists to protect our friendship bracelets and then we were ready.

We hiked up the Bullet stairs, the start of the mud hike, with all these CILT girls and took our "before picture."

It was a grand adventure and I'm so glad we took opportunities to go play in the mud. The old mud pit is just filled with sand and water these days but because of all the rain there are several spots on the trail that serve as mud baths. I plopped right down in the middle and rolled around in it all. Smooney and Jamie were tentative at first but after collapsing in a fit of laughter they both got covered. We slathered up all the CILT girls with us real well and helped them gracefully fall into the mud pit too. 

Strangely enough, by the time we got back up the hill for our "after picture" we lost all the CILTs we started with. Uh-oh...

Don't worry, they all found their adopted cabins along the way so we were just flying solo to pop stop. In all our muddy glory we tromped across Lake Village for Diet Cokes and got to say hi to friends along the way.

The shallow end got intense during lake time today. We made the hose become a fountain for a sand village and dozens of us were working on the river, castle, tributaries and waterfall.

I was talking to a group of triplet girls, Allison, Katlyn and Anna who were all waiting in line for the Saturn when I had a brilliant idea. Only six people get to go on at once but I asked John Amy if he could make an exception just this one time and he let me go on as a "Saturn watcher" for their turn.

We made it rock in a circle, teeter-totter, jumped on the ring and tried to run around it. So much fun with these friends.

Meanwhile the Tecumseh Village building was still going strong. Molly kept a watchful eye over the whole thing.

On the way back down to the Riv I ran into my friend Shannon who has been in Shosho for two weeks. She was in my hip-hop clinic years ago and is still just as great as she was back then.

Then the most exciting thing happened. I walked into the Longhouse and found none other than ARIELLE FACE sitting on my bed. I screamed and ran over to hug her. She's here visiting for a couple days and we got to just catch up on life and CILTs and summer. I sure miss this girl being an every day part of my life.

We had a girls night on our night off tonight. Smooney, Kacey, Kellie, Annie, Coll, Mags, Claire, Marrigje, Katherine, Alicia, Maddie and I all went to Don Pablos and consumed an enormous amount of Diet Coke, chips and salsa plus our actual dinners. We loved this mix of LV and RV friends and getting just sit and talk together.

Later back at camp in the fellowship room we were serenaded by Cameron's cabin of Pathfinder boys. We miss out on this great tradition down in the Riv so we were happy to hear "What Makes You Beautiful" and "

Tonight Ellyn led the Kid President devotion with all the CILTs. I love that we get to talk about giving the world a reason to dance and the road to awesome. Other highlights: Irene giving me a piggy back ride, laying on the road watching the stars, all the Choctaw girls surrounding my bed, goodnight hugs and a bed time story. I love the CILT life.