Monday, July 14, 2014

"Sometimes I forget how good I look in my retainer and glasses."


Shannamin rolls were on the menu for breakfast. I also made it to the fruit bar in time to load up on strawberries and blueberries. Best breakfast of the whole week. The CILTs raced out of chapel to get on the bus as soon as possible. We were going on an adventure. 


The CILT Pack got dropped off by the Oak Dale dam for our extended float trip. Andy and Tom were awesome and got all 15 of the canoes ready for us so we could leave quickly.



I got in a canoe with Tara and Brenna, who had a bag over her boot. We took off into the river with the girls paddling and me hanging out in the middle while we sang songs from Pocahontas, Anastasia, Wicked and Avril Lavigne. 


To be honest, I really miss Ellyn when we're gone all morning. We're both so excited to reunite at lunch and hopefully hang out in the afternoon. She's ruling camp this week as the Buffalo Queen.


Today a magical thing happened at Camp Tecumseh. When we woke up from rest hour, we got word that a massive storm was rolling in and we needed to stay in the Longhouse. That means EXTENDED REST HOUR! The girls were pumped to put it lightly. Tara said it was the best thing that ever happened to her, Kelly ran over to kiss my cheek and Erin just snuggled back up with Eleanore. We all fell asleep again as the rain started falling and didn't wake up till 4:30. It was phenomenal.

When we finally woke up I headed to the Trading Post to get my pop stop Diet Coke and found a package from the Happ twins for Arielle, Smoon, Ellyn and I. Oh. My. Gosh. Greatest care package of the summer. They not only found all of our favorite foods, but the greatest part was they sent individual lists to each of us of the 50 things they love about us. It was just so precious of them to spend the time thinking and caring about each of us. 


Trading post time was so much fun tonight. After being inside all afternoon I was ready to play again, even if the grass was pretty wet. I spotted Kelly, Maggie and Cara in Main Field blowing bubbles with their kids so I ran over to jump in on the fun. 




 



Then there was a huge group of counselors, CILTs and campers playing Where The Wind Blows with a parachute. The drizzle was soaking the parachute but it didn't dampen anyone's spirits. 



I found the Oneida crew just in time to catch Emily Lanigan Jones' "your mom" jokes and to discover that Carrie is Jim Gaffigan's niece. Mind blown. 


I discovered that Finton is here this week and I'm so excited! He's awesome and I love when he shows up every summer. I love nights when I'm on with Katherine Maxwell and we get to hang out. She's actually the best and whether we're making jokes about our athletic ability or hanging out with kids, I always love spending time with her. 


I tried to do the cool "swing a kid around your body" trick with the Catawba girls but they couldn't really get the hang of it. Perhaps we'll have to try again tomorrow. It was still hilarious though and they all wanted a try. 


When the CILTs all made it back to the Longhouse it was time to teach everyone to make potholder headbands. Many of them had made them before but it was the first time the boys had tried. Jenna also told me this was a dream come true to finally make one. 





The potholder heandbands were cool enough to replace Erin's Costa Rican headband, to accessorize the bucket hat and to become a part of Annabelle's ensemble. 



A big group of CILTs ran over to the volleyball court to start a tournament while another group of us just stayed on the porch to take pictures and hang out. I love when they're in a photo shoot kind of mood and all have their cameras out.









We'd been hanging out for awhile when I suggested we just go for a walk. Later Shannon said the walk was the high of her day because she felt like we just had so much freedom. The light was beautiful on the lake road and we walked the loop in front of the cabins to visit a couple of the CILTs' siblings.


Spontaneous adventures are always some of the very best ones.


On our walk I ran into Lucy Trede, an HSJS girl who rocks, and her cabin mate Anna that I became friends with last week. Then I saw the twins Madison and Olivia who are awesome and I've taught in hip hop several summers. They're torchbearers this year and already signed up for CILTs.


We had more time to hang out in the Longhouse before devotions. I think this time is so special-- no schedule, just spending time with your friends. I love when all the girls climb up on my bunk and they play with each other's hair and scratch each other's backs. Tonight I got to listen to Alana and Gaby's stories and I'm so thankful for their honesty and vulnerability. I love that camp gives us the time and space to open up and be real with people.

Erin shared with the CILTs in devotions the other night how at camp she's learned that you can be best friends with people of any age. Her 12 year olds become some of her best friends every week. When something happens in one of her clinics or she does something weird, her 12 year old friends are the ones she wants to tell first.

I feel the exact same way. I'm 27 but these 16 and 17 year old girls are some of my very favorite people here at camp. They become my best friends in these two weeks as we learn each others stories and share so many adventures and memories together. I'm confident that we'll stay in touch and keep being a big part of each other's lives even when the session ends. These kinds of friendships endure.

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