"Mommy! I wet my pants!" "Oh no. Do you need to go to the bathroom?" "No. Can I have an ice cream cone?"

Oh my gosh-- Mrs. Timmons has jokes in the HS. Pictures of Alana and Genna on a WANTED sign for "Excessive Gossiping" all around the bookstore. Their friends were  a bit alarmed but they thought it was hilarious.

What are the odds. The last three times I've gone to Chik Fil A for fundraisers, Brookie has just happened to go through the drive-thru, see me through the window and then come in to say hi for a couple minutes. We love these random encounters. We're living down the street from each other this week so hopefully we'll get to meet up again. She's one of the greats.

I was so confused why I had a package in the office this afternoon because I haven't ordered anything lately. I found a cute little cardboard box with "Surprises rule" on the side. This is my kind of mail.

Inside the box was another cube made of card stock. Once unfolded, it held a secret message and pics of me and my best pal Smoon. Isn't this the coolest?! I'm so thankful for a friend like Smooney that loves me well even on regular ordinary Mondays. 

When I got to Young Life tonight Hools showed up with another surprise. She figured out and painted the coordinates of Camp Tecumseh-- my very favorite place. I can't wait to hang it up. 

She also had my birthday present from her and Maddie which arrived in the mail today-- a necklace with Tecumseh's coordinates. When they told me this was going to be my gift I teared up.  I love this place more than anywhere else in the world because of the people I've met, the ways I've grown, the experiences shared and the adventures and traditions we created. It's the greatest. How many days till summer camp?

The gal pals showed up to Young Life tonight with loads of enthusiasm-- we love Hools, Kegs, Alana, Kaylee, Genna and Erin. After our Brave Girls series on Sunday nights I'm so glad that our friends came to Campaigners tonight with us. They're selling flowers and counting down to Wilderness and getting ready for the Bus Tour and just living the YL dream. 

"I hear that there is a conspiracy theory that Katy Perry is actually Jonbenet Ramsey."

Highs of the Weekend

Friday- Pizza Reunion with Colleen and Emel, my old roommates. We lived together for two of the funniest, happiest, quirkiest years of my life. This pair is truly incredible-- not only are they never in a bad mood (seriously, they never are) but they're also brilliant and successful. Plus, they let me teach them things like what a DM is or how to search in your text messages. We reminisced about factory dollars, kale phases and old traditions.

Saturday- I picked up Sarah, Gidget and Fudge for dinner (where we learned about chip rationing and dipping techniques) and to see the new movie The Choice. These three are adorable, silly, fun and kind. All three of them wear crying during the movie and holding each other's hands with a death grip. They bracelet like it's their job and talk about Meredith and Derek like they hung out with them yesterday. They're full of character, gumption, creativity and joy. I always love being around them.

Sunday- Baby-sitting field trip to KCraig's house. I'm staying with a family all week while their parents are away. Ben and Caroline love dogs but don't have any of their own. Lucky for them, KCraig lives just around the corner right now with golden doodles Ben and Molly.

Today included paper airplanes, multiple volleyball practices, Fuller House, homework, unloading dishes, waffle paninis, remote control helicopters and a friendship bracelet marathon. It's going to be a great week.

Honorable Mention Blog Titles
"I should've asked for Ranch." "I wanted to too, but I didn't want to seem fat."
"Does that take Factory dollars?" "No! Stitch Fix is free!"

"That was a play I was in in High School. I was an old woman. In a fat suit. And I died on stage in the first scene."

On Tuesday, at our Tecumseh dinner, Ellyn told us about how frustrated she was with her store's lack of recycling. They only have a dumpster for cardboard but they throw away and enormous amount of plastic each day. Did you know that almost all of the clothes in retail arrive to the store individually wrapped in plastic? I didn't either. Today Ellyn took matters into her own hands and took home all of the plastic from this morning. A WHOLE JEEP FULL. FROM ONE MORNING. 

Changing the world, one Jeep full of plastic at a time. 

 Highs of the Day
1. Twin Day at the Clubhouse meant three 7th grade girls and I were all wearing our neon Patagonia
2. Hanging out with KCraig and a circle of girls during FBC
3. Finally reuniting with Sarah, Brooklyn and Emily post-DC trip
4. Dinner date with Alli Sams at Olive Garden
5. Top Secret Planning Meeting at the Devoe House for a coming-soon-YL-event

Honorable Mention Blog Title:
"Last night I had a dream that I found the bracelet you gave me on a person's wrist. I was so proud because I spoke up for myself."

"I was born with these on me, it's a rare disease called hyperbraceletia."

 I posted this picture of friendship bracelets this afternoon with the following caption:

Today one of my kids asked me, "Miss Wright, why do you like friendship bracelets so much?" Guess what I said...

Ellyn started a chain of comments with the funniest things I wish I would have thought to say in that moment...

• Because each knot represents friendship and a memory
• Because I think my wrists are hideous
• Because I actually don't have skin on my wrists, it's just bone
• Because I like daily reminders of my friends and wearing them on wrists
• Because my wrists get cold easily
• Because fun colors make me happy
• Because if friendship bracelets didn't exist neither would I
• Because they remind me of camp
• Because I have many friends, but why don't you stop trying to distract yourself from your work and actually sit down and do it
• I was born with these on me, it's a rare disease called hyperbraceletia
• My arm hair grows into friendship bracelets. Idk. It's weird
• You know how you like to pick your nose and eat the boogers? It's same thing but less gross and more fashionable
• Because my lawyer told me my old hobby was "not normal" (collecting friends' eyelashes)
• Because my dad is Hobby Lobby
• You don't even go here
• I'm trying to make enough to stretch all the way to Pluto, either help me or get outta the way
• Because hand bell choir didn't work out for me
• Because I sweat friendship bracelet string ad I really just don't know what to do with all of it. I've tried making curtains but they caught on fire and I've discovered that wrists are less flammable OKAY?!

The Staff v. Student Basketball Game is one of the many reasons I love my school. This is seconds before tip off when the tallest student (over 7 feet tall) faced off against one of our shortest teachers (just about 5 feet tall). Our principal, vice principal and athletic director all played on the court, the kids were so excited about the game and had their own coach and manager. The stands were full of kids and parents-- watching, cheering and laughing as they watched the players fight it out. 

Because of bad weather rolling in, Wyld Life got cancelled tonight which was a total bummer. Lucky for me, I still met up with Rachel and Chloe for dinner. There's never a dull moment with these two and I'm so thankful for them.

"Miss Wright, I didn't know Hillary Clinton was a girl. I thought that was a boy name."

Highs of the Day:
1. Going to RNR at the HS before school to support Chloe and hear KCraig's talk
2. KCraig came to school to bring me lunch, work on the WYL bus tour and make class more fun
3. It's spirit week and I got to wear PJ pants all day
4. Letters from Nikki Lanigan Jones and Becca Wiebke
5. Chipotle with Ellyn and DC 2k16 counselors Allie, Caroline and Ashley

Tecumseh Moments I Miss Today

1. When all of the CILT counselors joined the Fugitives Session 3

2. When Alli and I took the CILTs on a walking tour of River Village (to get steps) instead of just waiting at Irving for the bus (where you get 0 steps)

3. Telling the CILTs they were having an Easter Egg Hunt in Main Field and then watching all 40 of them leap off the CILT porch

4. Heart to Hearts at the end of the Prayer Station devotion with Nikki and Bridget during their sessions

5. All of Liz Koch's bday extravaganza (especially the ruler chandelier, Riptide and SuperBass wake up, emails from Session 1 and 2, Empire and blob time, pizza for dinner, snacks galore, a special hike up to Upper Pioneer)

Honorable Mention Blog Title
"I've had 32 oz in the past 10 minutes trying to decide which hole of the splash guard I like better."

"Plot twist: BC Serna is the speaker at Camp Club."

Monday mornings start off with a bang with this group of 7th grade girls. Guys--they're amazing. They all show up before me every week, they all read the two chapters every week, they're all ready to share and talk about what we're learning. It's a dream. This time together is quickly becoming a favorite part of my week 2nd semester.

Tonight a seemingly impossible dream came true. We brought YL Camp to Club and squeezed a week long experience into just an hour and a half. It was insane and beautiful and chaotic and organized. But before I tell you about the magic-- I've got to say that tonight was such a picture of the body of Christ. From Ryan and Kathy to committee members to every single leader on our team to the kind souls at Chik Fil A-- no one could have pulled this off alone. Everybody was in.

We locked the door into the barn and put up a sign that said, "YL Camp is closed. See you soon! #getexcited" I waited out front with a clipboard and assigned kids to cabins as they rolled in. Once we achieved critical mass we rolled up the barn door, with music blaring of course, and kids ran in through the leaders' Tunnel of Love. Immediately the mob of kids ran to their cabin leader and put on their cabin costume. WE LOVE YL CAMP.

Feldman and Feldman rocked jerseys.

Scott Black had his own marching band (hands down, my favorite costumes).

Dianne, Molly and Emily's girls went to Hawaii.

Jackie and Kylee's crew had an overall good time.

Joey and Beesley rounded up the nerds.

Scott and Austin crushed the trash bags and paint (this has been a cabin costume at ever YL camp in all of history).

My crew got to wear Camp Tecumseh staff shirts for the night. This squad is too varied in age for it to ever be a reality, but having this cabin for a whole week would rock. 

Liz, Kaelyn, Erin, Julia, Ashley, Rachel, Haleigh, Chloe and Kegley have been some of the main characters of my YL story from the very start.

Jackie welcomed everyone to Camp SharpWolfLakeAway and asked about their long bus ride to camp. She was just telling us all about what camp has to off when she was interrupted by Old McDonald and Mad Cow. They were upset we were trespassing on Grandpappy's farm which used to be a petting zoo and threatened to make us all leave.

Jackie interrupted and told us all, "CAMP IS YOURS!" and everyone ran in much delight to play during free time. Basketballs, footballs, frisbees and soccer balls rained down. Literally. We threw them out of the upstairs windows into the gym. WE LOVE YL CAMP.

Tonight was one of those YL nights when we couldn't stop smiling. Even though it was a Monday night in Fishers, IN it really felt like we were at YL camp. I slipped right back to Spinnaker with Julia, Meric and JP. Julia was living the freaking dream wearing a Tecumseh staff shirt for the first time.

While the guys chucked basketballs around the room the girls started the first dance party of the night. Our girl Gracie knows how to throw down. WE LOVE YL CAMP.

Beesley and Mike Feldman traded in their identities tonight to become Simmons Richards aka the characters we met at Castaway last summer. They nailed the run on lines, jogged in place the whole time and got some of the kids working out upfront.

Then they announced the Cabin Volleyball tournament. Leaders held up the volleyball nets jump ropes and cabins battled each other to pass, set and hit their way to victory.

Because there were four games going on at once and no real boundary lines there may have been a few volleyballs to the face... but everyone still had a smile on their face. WE LOVE YL CAMP.

The Simmons Richards announced that there wasn't just one winner of the volleyball tournament-- everyone was the winner because EVERY CABIN GOT BIG COOKIE! You know we chowed down, every last bite. From the start, devouring Big Cookie simultaneously has been one of HSE YL's strengths. WE LOVE YL CAMP.

Old McDonald and Mad Cow (who can't speak because she lost her tongue in the war) reappeared, very angry, and cut the power on the whole barn. Seriously, they turned off all the lights in the whole barn and it was pitch black. Luckily I brought a head lamp since we were going to YL Camp.)

(p.s. The person in little girl Mad Cow is really KCraig. Our friends at Chik Fil A showed up earlier in the night to help her in the costume and explained all the cow rules.)

Next, every cabin ran through the obstacle course on the turf side of the barn-- in the dark. We made up a cabin cheer, hopped on one leg, kept balloons in the air for 30 seconds, did a dizzy bat spin, painted faces in the dark, crawled under a sheet tunnel and made the word "CAMP" with our bodies. WE LOVE YL CAMP.

Dance Party #2 of the night happened in the dark while we waited for all of the cabins to finish running through the obstacle course.

Joey and Kylee, aka the Dance Brigade, showed up to perform their choreographed routine to Uptown Funk. They killed it. This needs to happen on a regular basis. WE LOVE YL CAMP.

Everyone jumped up to join the Dance Brigade, the lights turned off again, glow sticks rained down (yep, literally) and we danced and sang like you only can at Camp SharpWolfLakeAway. WE LOVE YL CAMP.

In Ryan's words, "The lights turn on at the end thanks to the magical power of the children's dancing. Dance Party ends much to everyone's chagrin." Ryan and Jackie came up front to sing "Still haven't found what I'm looking for" in harmony and it was beautiful. So many people named their song as a highlight of the whole night. WE LOVE YL CAMP.

Scott Black came up to give the Club Talk tonight and totally nailed it. He spoke to us about being reaffirming and supportive of others because that's how God first loved us. Christians so often get a bad rap of being arrogant, boring, close minded, etc but we want to mirror a God who is selfless, exciting, open, forgiving, accepting, trustworthy. How can we become more and more like Christ to give people a picture of the God we love?

Old McDonald and Mad Cow appeared one more time. Instead of taking over the Barn and turning it into a petting zoo, Old McDonald instead wants to turn it into the world's largest Chik Fil A. He told us that we're starting tonight by giving everyone a free Chik Fil A chicken sandwich RIGHT NOW. Immediately everyone rose to their feet and ran to the back of the room to get their sandwich. WE LOVE YL CAMP.

God Bless Chik Fil A and Camp SharpWolfLakeAway.

We'd only been at camp for an hour and a half but it basically felt like a whole week. We've got 10 of the 14 Spinnaker girls, 8 of the 12 Jib girls and we all can't wait to go to Timber Wolf or Wilderness in just a few months. 

I love Alana's spunk and enthusiasm and can't wait to climb a mountain together. Meric and JP have each got a chunk of my heart and I love being their leader. Ashley and Rachel must have two of the sweetest souls-- their smiles don't leave their faces and their giggles are actually filled with sunshine and rainbows. WE ALL LOVE YL CAMP.

Honorable Mention Blog Title:
"You're sassy and I appreciate that and I respect you."
"If I vomited right now you'd be finished."