"Taylor Swift has a Hawaiian song-- Bad Blood. It's about a harpooning accident." "Wait, that's really what it's about?!"

I have long standing tradition that's a little bit weird. It started with Noelle Freebeck when she was a CILT and we wanted to make friends with a random Pathfinder that looked fun. We met Bridget Eckrich who became a CILT the next summer. Then Bridget and I befriended Rachel Lombard. The next summer Rachel and I met Ellie Pearl. Then when Ellie was a CILT we picked Natalie Brosious. Last summer Natty and I became friends with Avery Tudor. Last summer Avery and I added Rachel Wilson to the line.

This morning Rachel and I picked this fun Torchbearer Kelsey Dmetri to join the long standing tradition. She was SO excited, it was adorable. I gave her a friendship bracelet and we promised to follow her on Instagram-- that's how friendships start right? Hopefully I'll get to come back and be one of her counselors next summer. 

When you ask Mei Mei to take a picture with you she licks your face. Oh holy River Village will not be the same without this child. I will miss screaming her name across Main Field whenever I spot her. Maybe next summer she'll stay for three weeks.

The Longhouse Porch was full of hugs and tears this morning as our Session 1 CILTies headed home with their parents. I will miss girls like Corinne, Lauren and Rachel who had such an impact on me in the past two weeks. CILTs has a way of making two weeks feel like a very short time when we're saying good-bye at the end of it.

Alli was struck by how weird it is to not be able to say, "See you next summer!" to our campers as they left. We're not sure if they'll be back at Tecumseh again as staff and she's not sure if she has more summers in this place. Growing up has a lot of potential and a whole lot of uncertainty. But we can be sure that these friendships will last.

Took the opportunity this afternoon to finally take a picture of my friendship bracelet quilt. Bethie and I made all the bracelets in the Spring and then she had the whole thing finished for me when I moved in during staff training.

Oh holy I love this gem. Once your wrists are full and you've made hundreds of them, the only thing left to do is make a friendship bracelet quilt.

Smooney came back to play all day. For the past two summers we've been together almost every weekend. Thankfully she was here today to sit with me as I did laundry, wrote a stack of Parent Letters for the Choctaw girls that just moved out, drive to Lafayette to eat all our meals and go on a run all over Tecumseh. She's one of my favorite friends.