"I think I'm allergic to the drone just by the sound it makes."

This morning the sun was shining and we finally got to have chapel in the Riv in the Green Cathedral. If you haven't visited camp this year you may not know that the Green Cathedral has been updated and it's beautiful. 

A few groups have worshiped in this space this year, including the 2014 CILTs during their winter reunion, but today was the first time for summer camp counselors to be in this space. Ellyn was a perfect singer to have up on stage.

The stage has been expanded but has the same layout, there are now two screens for lyrics, there is a new beautiful stained glass cross and the benches and aisles are all really cool stone. I love it.  I can't wait for this place to be filled with campers.

And next Tuesday these benches will be filled with all of the campers and counselors from both villages. This place has always been so special because of our shared experience and the way God fills this space--none of that has changed.

This morning's chapel was a twist on the Body of Christ-- We are Camp Tecumseh, the camp that works together! We wouldn't be Tecumseh without Joy on high ropes, Meg at the pool, Ellyn in the CAC, Molly running clinics, Keith at the Nature Center and Noah leading music. Each of us brings unique gifts and talents to the table that make us better as a whole.

After chapel it was PARTNER PAIRING TIME!!!!!
Everyone was randomly split between two buses. Some of us thought we knew what was going to happen because the reveal was similar a few years ago. But little did we know, there was about to be a plot twist.

We got off the buses and met Dayna, Matt and Jamie-- the River Village directors.

Everyone had a random letter or number written on their hand that they were supposed to keep a secret...

Then we loaded up the buses again, circled Main Field and then lined up along one goal line while the other bus lined up on the opposite side of the soccer field.

Joel and Tom stood in the middle and called out one of the numbers like "100!" and then the people with that number would run across the field to each other, hug/jump/slide/fall on each other and then get an envelope that had their cabin inside.

IT WAS SO EXCITING TO WATCH! It was awesome to just stand on the side and see each of these counselors run towards their new partner for the next 9 weeks and discover their cabin together.

Even when the Coords like Erin, who already knew everything, ran to their partners like Katherine it was so sweet because they were just so happy.  Molly and Whitney slid right into each other and didn't even care cause they were so pumped.

Amanda and Evelynn have been in my cabin this week and they just got paired in Chickasaw. They'll be just so precious.

Here's the Brave girl squad-- what a phenomenal crew. Don't you wish you were an 8, 9, or 10 year old girl so you could hang out with all of them?

Then I found out I GET TO LIVE WITH ELLYN IN CHOCTAW THIS SUMMER!

Just kidding, we already knew that. But we're genuinely this pumped about it. Can't wait for more late night whispers and candy snacking, hearing stories about the CAC, back scratches, willingness for anything, blog title worthy quotes, daily pics, scuttlebutt on the scuttlebut rug and a third summer of partner memories together.

AND WE FOUND OUT TIM, ALLI, LIZ AND I ARE DOING CILTS TOGETHER!!!!

Just kidding, we already knew that too.

BUT-- we did go and get our CILT hats and then make up a cheer to the song Shut Up and Dance.

Hey camp, CILT it up, Hey camp CILT it up (x4)

We're wearing our pink hats 
and our brown shirts too
Adventure to the max
We said, "Get up and CILT with us!"
Tecumseh is our destiny
We said, "Oooh-ooh-hoo,
Get up and CILT with us!"

Brova and Longhouse in the Riv,
and adopted cabins with our kids
Excited for the CILT dream we will live
Yeah, 40 bound to get together
We'll be friends forever

We stood on chairs,
I'm just so glad it happened
In the Party Room and we said,

We're wearing our pink hats 
and our brown shirts too
Adventure to the max
We said, "Get up and CILT with us!"
Tecumseh is our destiny
We said, "Oooh-ooh-hoo,
Get up and CILT with us!"

CILTs! Live the Adventure

Other highs of the day:
1. Seeing everyone at lunch in the Riv sitting with their units for the very first time
2. Planning RFAJWD
3. Tim and Sar bonding night when we took another counselor to the doctor
4. Talking with YL girls and Wyld Life kids that are so beyond excited to go to Castaway TOMORROW

Honorable Mention Blog Title:
"I will be so angry. I will freaking haunt you."

"I take two baths a day at home. One in the morning, one at night, then one in the afternoon if I'm cold. Ask my mom." -David Z

Ain't no party like a breakfast flagpole party... Honestly it's not my favorite thing, but today was pretty entertaining. 

We finally got to have chapel outside this morning at the Kettlehut Chapel. I'm thankful for singing songs like Everyday again--- and isn't it so cool how every day at camp really is focused on God? I love that about our culture.

Michael Brandwein came and spoke to us all day-- Ellyn made sure we got our daily pic with him after one of his sessions. This guy is a genius and I'm so thankful for time to learn from him. He gives us so many tools that we can apply to camp and that I can use in my classroom.

FBC: Tecumseh Summer Edition. If this is my crew, I feel really good about that.

I also feel so good about these collector's edition FBC tanks for the summer.

And apparently the nautical theme goes really well with friendship bracelets too.

These girls really are three of my best friends here at Tecumseh and I'm so thankful for another summer together. Their silliness, willingness to be themselves, creativity, contagious joy, back scratches and hugs make life better.

I'm so glad Molly Brunner is back and that I get to play with her and Molly Henry-- such good people. I love just about everything about Erin O'Awesome and wish I could just follow her around all day if that wasn't weird.

Tonight the counselor mud hike happened. Crocs are the best choice for frolicking in pits of mud. Here's what happens when the counselor with the largest feet and the counselor with the smallest feet trade Crocs.

Meet Amanda and Emerson.

Whitney, Emily, Alli, Jessica and Kevyn really committed to the mud this year...

The pre-mud hike dance party/volleyball session was one of the funniest parts of the day. I'd like to give an award to the Papaya group for their continued enthusiasm to putting the word Papaya into every song I threw at them. 

The last big event of the night was the Ice Cream Name Tag Party in the lodge. Ellyn let me make the new Art Master apron for the Riv, I handed out the friendship bracelet lanyards I made this year for name tags, ate a huge bowl of blueberry cone ice cream, sang and danced to some hits like Bad Blood and Stick To The Status Quo, chatted with the CILT team and played with counselor friends.

One of my favorite parts of this week has been becoming better friends with returning counselors like Jess and Kevyn that I didn't know very well in previous summers. I was missing out. Can't wait to play with these friends all 9 weeks.

Honorable mention blog title:

-I'm really good at writing letters to myself-- open up with a joke, then finish with, "Love you, stay weird."

-Caught that journalism doe. 

-"First view!" "It doesn't tell me that..." "Yeah, but I know. First view!"