Without wasting any time, I got right into Fall Break after school on Thursday. Kraft and I drove up to Purdue to reunite with camp friends. I love that we totally overtake restaurants. We scoot tables together and scrunch our chairs together as more friends arrive. Everyone gets a hug as they walk in and you scoot around to talk to different people.
Arielle, Kraft, Mel and I were CILT counselors together in 2011 and reunions are few and far between these days. It was so fun to have all of us there. Our campers are now freshmen in college and SO many of them are at Purdue. As we were driving up Kraft and I talked about how we're still connected to many of those kids. Lizzy Dale is one of those girls that we love so much.
More and more friends kept walking through the door-- Bailey, Kevyn, Molly, Alli, Claire, Mel, Lizzy, Jamie Z, Kraft, Booker, Caleb, Joey, Jordan, Stacey, Arielle, Madison, Lydia, Brenna, Whitney, Irene, Karisa, Grace and Sophie. The Tecumseh family is huge.
A small group of us got to keep hanging out and Mel, Arielle, Jamie Z, Grace, Sophie and I sat in the girl booth and learned all the secrets of snap chat from Sophie.
Then the camp party moved to Orange Leaf because every good reunion ends with fro yo. I laughed more with Arielle tonight than I have in the last month combined. No one else make me laugh to the point of tears like she does for no reason.
Saturday morning I picked up Grace Andritsch from cross country practice to go to breakfast. We ate pancakes and talked about life and I was reminded of how awesome this girl is. On the way home we stopped by the "One Day I Will..." chalkboards in downtown Fishers and added our own goals.
I got to see her siblings Audrey, Luke and Ava back at their house and they gave me a grand tour of the woods on the golf cart. It was mildly freezing but so fun. I'm always so amazed by how kind this family is to one another. In all of their interactions, their tone of voice, the way they listen to each other they are so kind. Hope showed up to go to Brown County with the family and I was so glad I got to see her for a little while.
The only thing better than not going to have to go work on Friday morning is getting to spend it with Grace instead.
Friday night I got to join Chandler, Rachel, Taylor Fischl, Tay Hof and Rebekah, all session 2 CILTs, for dinner in Carmel. I love that all of these kids are so good at being friends and staying connected and spending time together.
Just like last night, our time together finished up at Orange Leaf. Then I made it back across town in time to go to the second half of the HSE v Carmel football game. It was freezing under the Friday Night Lights but it was so fun to see so many YL kids in the stands and our girls cheering down on the field. We lost dismally but it was fun seeing everyone.
We're officially getting Young Life spirit jerseys! They're coral and beautiful and you can order yours at hseyl.com now. I'm so stoked these are happening.
Saturday morning I got to finish up a little craft of wooden name tags and picked up a book I've been looking forward to reading. I got to meet Amanda Miller, a session 1 CILT, for lunch and caught up on life with her. Sometimes these 1 on 1s are the best.
Allison Stamer was in town for student staff downtown so I got to meet up with her for a heart to heart in the afternoon. Allison always makes me feel better about life. I'm thankful for her perspective, the way she loves words and thinking about big ideas, the questions she asks and the way she really listens. Her girls are so lucky to have her as a YL leader and friend.
Saturday night I got to be part of a grand caper. Brannt is one of our YL guys who just moved here this year. His birthday is tomorrow and we planned with his family to pull off a birthday kidnapping tonight. JD, Natty B, Grace, Audrey, Lauren and I drove to his house while his sister convinced him to put on a blindfold and brought him to the front door. From there we got him buckled into the van and drove to Xcite Laser Tag where we finally took off the blindfold.
Brannt was stoked and so excited to be playing laser tag with us instead of X Box at home. Pidgeon let us in to her secret hiding spots and taught us her ways.
Jacob arrived in time to play the fourth round with us and we had the most intense game of our lives. We ended with a late night trip to Steak n' Shake-- Natty got her plate of pickles, Jacob chatted it up with Nina, Brannt got his birthday fries and Red Bull. Hanging out with all of these friends was the perfect spontaneous adventure.
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