Delayed Time Table

My original goal was to have my book finished by the end of Christmas--or at least the new year. I am not sure if I ever would have reached that, but I might have been close. Until I slammed my pinkie finger in the wash machine, that is. It is the same one I broke so long ago on the trampoline and there has always been a bump and the fingernail has never grown back the same. Now it's swollen and very bruised, on both sides. Boy, does it hurt! Typing is pretty much a 9-finger thing now, which is so much slower than I'm used to that I'm getting frustrated. Today at work, Kamil built me a splint out of Velcro and some soft stuff to help protect it, which I fully appreciate. It makes it feel much better. I am also discovering that the letter 'a' is in a lot of words...and having to use the tab key and the shift key are a pain in the behind when you don't have a pinkie finger. And so, I doubt that my book will be finished when I thought. I am getting close, though! I have the ending pretty much mapped out, I just have to get there and coast through it! And hopefully my finger heals soon.

Christmas

This Christmas was pretty wonderful, I must say.

I think my favorite part has been all the time off work! I don't go back until tomorrow, and then only for one day before we go into New Year's vacation.

Here are some pictures of Kaelan, one before we started opening what Santa brought and then one today, playing with the Moon Sand. We made an entire herd of crocadoggles.

Mighty Flour Warriors

Kaelan and I were helping make dinner the other night, and that pretty much entitled us to paint our faces to show off our skills. After we put the flour on, Kaelan said we should go hunt crocadoggles, so we decided that necessitated a fierce scowl picture to document our crocadoggle prowess.

Ambitions

There is nothing happening today at work. In fact, I'm the only one here. Kamil is gone for the weekend and Tiff is mom-sitting, as her mother just had knee surgery. I have decided that since there is nothing going on--I did everything yesterday, just so I could have all of Friday to relax--I am going to start reading The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie. I'm pretty excited about it. It's only been sitting on my bookshelf for a year or better. Sheesh.
I also just heard an ad on the radio saying that for 40 bucks you get a one-hour snowboarding lesson plus all your rental equipment and lift ticket for the day at Hogodon on Saturday. Hmmm...I have always wanted to do that, as well. My knee is feeling good these days, strong. I should give it a go. I'll have to see what's going on. Weekends are too short lately, have you noticed that?
We have cocoa dusted Belgian truffles sitting on the counter here. My goal is to not eat the entire box. Those things are amazing!
I just received some sad news--Charlotte, my camp 'mom', fellow GL, and very dear friend, is not coming back for summer 2008. I'm pretty saddened by that. Heather already won't be there, so I was counting on Charlotte. Now I'll be all alone! My new ambition, in light of this tragic news, is to have a wonderful summer anyway!
I have encountered a snag in my book. I called my friend Caryn up and she helped me brainstorm last night, but ultimately, I think I'm just going to have to let it sit for a couple days until I can get things straightened out and look at it with fresh eyes.

Pirates, Matey!

Arrr!!!! We be Pirates!

It's Winter!

I had to stay late on Friday at work, due to an overly ambitious Christmas card project my boss set for us--and guess who conveniently had to leave work early that day? Yeah. So Tiffany, the other receptionist, and I were there until 7 getting them all ready to be mailed out. Needless to say, I am not a fan of the 10 hour work day. Unless it's at Bryn Mawr, in which case I don't really notice it as much.
We are in the midst of winter! I took Kaelan to the store this morning to buy doughnuts, and had to dig out the Jeep. It was fun, though, kicking through snowdrifts. I like snow, overall. I may not ski anymore, but I still am a fan.
I'm still working away on my book. I think it just might be nearing completion--although I don't necessarily have any ideas on how it will end, I'm sure that will come soon enough. I've already got all these ideas as to what is going to happen.

Tired of Chewing

I'm sitting at Evolution 4x4 writing this. I got off work early and decided I need to put in some serious work on my book--I am determined to finish it by Christmas. But I needed a change of scenery, so I came to the shop, and once I was here got the pleasant surprise that they have a wireless network. So here I am! Feeling much brighter about the day in particular. It really is the little things that make a difference.
This morning I was chewing my cereal--and chewing and chewing and chewing, pretty much spraining my jaw in the process. I got to thinking, how long have I been chewing? A long time. At least 24 years. And I realized I am tired of chewing. Maybe because I was tired this morning anyway, all that chewing just irritated me. I suppose I'll need to choose something that you can just swallow, like oatmeal or applesauce, next time.
So I finished making all the changes the lady who critiqued my book said to make. Now I just need to write that pesky synopsis and I'm putting it off because I'm feeling intimidated by it. Blast. I bet once I sit down and actually start it, I'll feel differently.
The atmosphere is different here. They've got 'guy' music playing, I can hear one of those air-wrenches, and if I glance up I get to watch a 4x4 video. And my butt is getting tired of sitting on the ground. Oh well. I think I'll get some good work done here.

Hurry Up and Wait

I got my critique back--Thanksgiving night, no less. Do those people ever stop working? Anyway, it pretty much enforced what I already knew about my grammar, spelling, and punctuation. No areas to work on. They told me it was really nice to read a polished manuscript. Also, they told me that I have a wonderful grasp on how to make it easier for a person to read my book, the way I break up my paragraphs, etc.
The dialogue! I have always wondered about my dialogue, however, they told me it is sharp and witty and shows my characters instead of me having to tell about them. So again, no changes necessary.
The plot is apparently interesting and well-written, so I guess I can keep forging ahead with that.
I have to write a synopsis, which I already knew, because a good synopsis will take me forever to write and I just banged one out for them. They enjoyed what I had written, but it was too short. I need at least a page, preferably longer. That won't be easy to write, but I have some good tips on it now and I think I can get one that's respectable enough.
Anyway, the overall consensus is that my book is solidly written and stands a good chance to be picked up by a publishing house somewhere without many more changes to it right now. So we are moving forward into the marketing phase of things.
However, I wrote my agent back and said that I have to finish the book! That might take a little bit longer. According to whoever did my critique, though, I might want to look into turning my book into two books, as it is too long right now. I don't know what to do about that. I guess I'll wait and see what the editors think.
This whole process has gone so unbelievably fast so far! And now we enter the period where everything is wait, wait, wait. They told me to expect at least 6 to 9 months before there is any activity surrounding my book, so far as publishing goes. I just hope someone wants it. It certainly sounds promising...so far, my poor little book has met with nothing but support, but I'm sure there are going to be lots of rejections before I get a break.

Not So Much

I haven't actually played World of Warcraft since the first time, so I guess that means I'm not such a geek, huh?
I'm waiting for my professional critique to come back on my book. I'm not too nervous, because I know my grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation are all good. However, I am excited to find out about my plot and dialogue. It will be good to hear someone tell me what's good and what isn't so good about my writing.
Work is a see-saw experience. One moment it's ok, and the next I hate it. I think the ok moments are trumping the bad ones, as I have not quit yet, but I still am not too crazy about my boss and his bipolar mood-swings.
Can you believe Thanksgiving is already here?? Crazy. I'm excited to have 4 days off though. I do enjoy sleeping in. Why is it that I can wake up at 6:30 every morning in the summer and be a-ok, but when I have to get up at 7:30 here, it's never enough sleep? Maybe I sleep deeper at Bryn Mawr because I'm so exhausted and here I don't fall asleep that fast. I don't know.
I am excited about this summer, though! After I am finished with camp, the plan is for me to fly directly from Newark to Frankfurt and then we'll spend about 3 weeks over there. I hope everything comes together for the trip, because it will be great.

Agent!

They like it! I heard back on Wednesday night and they said they believe my book has commercial potential and that my writing is polished and also has potential. I was so excited when I heard that! Now I just have to finish my book. We are now in the process of getting it critiqued, I'll meet with my new agent, and we'll go from there! I hope that by this time next year I'll have it published!
My family was here from Wednesday night to this morning. It was absolutely fantastic. I loved having Brandt here especially. We don't get to hang out very much, so it was nice to spend some time with him. We went hiking to the waterfall and decided to go to the top the fast way--which entailed climbing directly up the waterfall. By the time we made it to the top, we were about 100 feet up and at least I was tired. The rock was all slippery and there was no place soft to land if we fell. My arms and legs were tired by the time we got to the top. Bouldering is hard work!
And now it is back to the everyday grind. However, I am hoping that once I really get into the book process I can quit where I'm at right now and get a very part-time job so that I can be home more often to work on it. After all, I do need to be committed to making this work! I need to be giving it my all. And making money...I've got some things to pay off and plane tickets to save up for.
I'm going back to Bryn Mawr this summer and then we are planning on going to Germany with Kurt and Kat. Very exciting!

Warcraft Geek

I have officially become a World of Warcraft geek. I think it's only slightly below a Trekkie, but somehow less cool. At least in my opinion. I mean, I suppose I could dress up like my character--who is a blue Orc with tusks protruding from her lower lip and size 16 feet--but that kind of costume is hard to come by. And I guess I can blame this all on my brother. He became the geek first. I only started because he's been talking it up so much and now we can play side by side with our matching computers. Sheesh. So I started last night, played an hour, and you know? It was fun. So here we go, on this odyssey of Warcraft.
As for my character, she's quite interesting. She's supposedly an assassin-type, but so far all she does is chuck a mean throwing knife. And those feet! Seriously, I think she can walk on water with those boats.
For the record, I do not plan on this becoming my entire social community, nor will I quit going outside so that I can concentrate on my life in Warcraft. I know you're all relieved. Maybe we better warn my brother...

Hmm

Still waiting to hear about my book. My fingers are so firmly crossed I'm finding it hard to do everyday tasks, but other than that I think I'm waiting patiently and with a minimum of stress. After all, my Dad pointed out that it is only one place and possibly one person, so if they don't like it, there are plenty of places to send it. Besides all that, it isn't even finished! I'm just really enjoying working on it.
Finally, people at church have started speaking to me and I now have a Sacrament buddy, which is always nice. There has been a bit of interest from some guy who recently returned from Sri Lanka on his mission and can't really speak English anymore, but considering he is at least 5 years younger than me, that is not happening. I'm up for being friends.
Today I rode with a friend of Kamil's to drop off Kamil's Jeep at Evolution 4x4(Kurt's shop) and completely got chatted up. His name is Roman, he's also Czech but living in Savannah, Georgia, and is only in town for a couple days. He had cool hair and is very interesting to talk to--but I really have to concentrate on what he's saying because I have a hard time understanding him. And he's lived in the States for 11 years! Anyway, he was all for a skiing expedition later or just hanging out, but I was vaguely non-committal. It was an interesting experience, I must say. He hung around the office all day and detained me at 5 when I was leaving, but finally I had to say, "Nice to meet you, Roman, but I'm freezing!"
Mom, Dad, and Brandt come on Wednesday for Kaelan's birthday and I'm so excited! So is the little guy. He keeps talking about it and chanting their names and saying how he's going to share his birthday cake and wrestle with Bubba on the big bed. He's cute.

No Halloween Spirit

My job is driving me crazy!!! I know I forecasted good things for this job, but it hasn't even been a month yet and I'm already dreading having to spend all day in here with Kamil. He's just so grumpy! I know that it's stressful for him, but he needs to hire someone who knows what the heck they are doing! The three of us secretaries have no clue, and Kamil doesn't either, so he just gets mad when things don't work out. Yesterday I was so mad I wanted to just leave. I'm job searching, so when I find something else, I'm out of here! This is not a good working environment! It has completely put me out of the Halloween spirit!
I have submitted a synopsis of my book to a writer's agency and if they like it, they will critique my work and possibly try to sell it for me to a publisher. I'm a little nervous, but I did it! So here's hoping they like it! If not, oh well. I still haven't finished it, after all. I'm sure I can find someone willing to work with me.

Halloween!

We took Kaelan trick-or-treating today at the big thing they have downtown for kids. It took him a while to want to put on his costume, but eventually he gave in. Kat made the costume this morning, before we left, but we bought the fire hat. He was Bubba--his uncle, who is a firefighter, for those of you who don't know. Here are some pictures.

Fire fighter?
Or character from Star Wars? You decide.

Musings

I was able to leave work early today--we have 3 receptionists, a boss who expects us to be busy the entire time we are there, and not enough work to keep us that way. So, I bowed out for the afternoon, as I was there all day yesterday. I think we have decided, in the interest of not going stir-crazy in that office with Kamil, that we will take turns spending all day. My schedule is going to be Tuesdays and Thursdays all day, and the rest only half a day. Today, however, it is Fall break at the college, so Jenny could be there all day.
I was thinking yesterday, as I was entering vendors into our ever-confusing P&O software, that I am so not cut out for an office job. I was bored out of my mind. Granted, I am a fast typer, otherwise I wouldn't have finished until the middle of next week, but holy buckets. It is interesting, don't get me wrong. But hassling with insurance and Medicare and doctors? Yikes. Besides, I would rather be jumping out of airplanes or diving with sharks--in a cage, of course.
Maybe someday I'll be paid to read! That would be my dream job.

Ugh

I have the stomach flu. Everybody here has had it so far, Kat's being the worst, probably, although mine is not turning out to be a walk in the park either. I've had it since Tuesday and haven't been able to go to work. I was supposed to head in this morning, but I woke up feeling like death yet again. And granted, I don't really do much strenuous activity at work, but I don't want to give this to any of our patients, either. Or Kamil. So here I am, wishing this would all go away.

Polo?

I couldn't resist blogging about this incident that happened tonight. Kaelan was upstairs so I went looking for him. I yelled "Marco!" and when I found him, I told him that when I yelled Marco he should yell Polo. It went a little something like this:
Me--"When I say Marco, you say Polo! Ready?"
Kaelan--"Yes!"
Me--"Marco!"
Silence.
Me--"Marco!"
Kaelan--"Go away, Marco!"
Ok, so I thought it was hilarious and cute.

Model Poses

We went out on the town Saturday morning, and Kaelan was all dressed up in the cutest little outfit. He looked like a little college professor--while Kat and I were wearing sweatshirts. Oh well. We stopped in this alley with the most amazing spiral staircase that went up 5 stories to take pictures.
Urban model! Nonchalantly stylish. Check out those elbow patches!

Hike!

I hiked all by myself!
Rock climbing! Kind of.

October Waterfall Pictures

What a day for a hike!
Throwing rocks into the water!

Beautiful October Waterfall Hike

I am watching Kaelan today, and we decided to head to the waterfall! It was beautiful out--the leaves were crunchy underfoot, the air had that sharp October tang, and the trees are turning yellow and gold! Kaelan kept saying it was pretty--the trees were pretty, the waterfall was pretty, and the air was pretty! We got a little bit cold in the shadows of the waterfall, so we decided to climb a bit to warm us up. That worked! We didn't climb very high, but it made us toasty warm. We took some good pictures and threw rocks into the water. What more could you ask for on a Fall day?

Beginning of Competence?

I have been working at Precision Prosthetics and Orthotics for 3 days now, and today, I finally felt like I am getting the hang of it! Well, parts of it. I successfully navigated my way through the file drawer, through a patient file, and the fax machine! I know, who doesn't know how to fax? Or make instant coffee? Me, sadly. Those skills were never part of my repertoire.
Kamil is out of town today and tomorrow, so it is just me here today. We get more people coming in because they can't find another office somewhere, and I am no help in that department, Casper roads remaining a secret to me.
I will admit, I was bored today. A bunny rabbit hopped to the front door and twitched his nose at me a couple times. That was the highlight.
Still, I am beginning to feel a smidgen of confidence, at long last! Starting a new job is such a pain in the beginning. Until you get the hang of it, it's pretty much misery.
It is almost 5, so I am going to do all my closing duties and get out of here!

A Job

I was determined not to work retail again.
I was just getting my resume all whipped into shape, when my brother called me and said he'd found me an interview. I was naturally suspicious--you never know what someone else might think you'd like, after all. However, I was hired that evening and started my first day this morning.
I work for Precision Prosthetics and Orthotics now, as a receptionist. So far, that means I'm a glorified answering machine and really horrid coffee maker. However, I will be trained in the insurance and medical billing end of things soon, so that is good. It is all a little overwhelming so far, but I know that I'll get the hang of it soon.
Kamil, my boss, is from Czechoslovakia but when I first met him I would have sworn he was from Tibet or Nepal. He looks like a Sherpa, and not in a demeaning way, he just looks like that is where he is from. Turns out his father is Tibetan. His English is good but he has a very marked accent and sometimes you have to listen closely. He has an extremely interesting job, though, and we have already had many a conversation about it. He makes all the prosthetics right there in the office, so the lab areas are cool. I gather I'm the first receptionist he's had to take an interest in the job. He has only been open since the end of August, so we are still trying to get everything organized. We only have about 5 patients, but the one I met today was so nice. I like the level of comfort that was there. She was obviously very used to being there and very used to working with Kamil and the other receptionist. It reminded me of being in PT with Brace for that year.
So other than feeling like I don't know what the heck I'm doing, I think I'm going to enjoy this job. Much better than Waldenbooks! My head hurts a bit from all the thinking...
I also get to use my English degree, as Kamil has me writing drafts of letters for him. So that is interesting.
All in all, the speed with which it all came together was remarkable.
Here's hoping my second day is as good as my first.

An Evening with Elton John

I must say, Elton John really rocks out when he gets going.
Our seats were good--you could see him and we weren't 29 rows up, which is always a plus. We weren't on the floor, but that was ok. I hate when people stand through the entire concert, so it was nice to be able to sit. We brought the binos just because, and that meant you could see him very clearly, even if it was a little stalkerish. He was wearing a diamond in his ear that was absolutely huge! Very sparkly outfit altogether.
It was ridiculously loud in there. I guess because I've only been to country concerts...I don't know. But my ears were ringing within 20 minutes and then everything sort of muted down to a dull roar, so when we left every sound was muffled. It seems to be back to normal this morning, though.
I recognized more than half the songs, but the music was so loud you couldn't hear him singing! You got the idea of him singing, but the words didn't translate very well.
My favorite was watching all those die-hard Elton fans. They were very amusing. Some of them would reach out with both arms, like they were going to touch his hand, but they were in the back of the arena! It was great. I loved when the lighters came out! Some enterprising people used cell phones to sway with.
It was fun. When will I ever likely see Elton John again? Probably never. He gives a good concert, even if it was so loud your ears protest by shutting down.

Crocadoggle Hunting!

Notice the fierce scowl upon our faces--you have to show those crocadoggles you mean business! We are also wearing some pretty sweet--and very versatile--crocadoggle hunting capes. Also, you must carry a flashlight in case you need to spot them in dark corners or clonk them over the head.

We are riding a particularly active yellow crocadoggle. It was hard to break to reign, but we finally managed to get it calmed down enough to ride docilely. You just have to watch out for those teeth!

Casper Adventures

And I am back!
Not yet unpacked, but the boxes are in my room, so that is a start.
Kaelan was so happy to see us! He came running into the house yelling my name and gave us hugs all the way around. We are having fun. He has quite the imagination, which I must admit I love about him, and we are fending off 'crocadoggles' by the dozens! That is crocodile, to the layperson. We are learning that if you hit their snouts, they don't want to bite your feet. Also, the red and yellow ones are the most persistent and can pop out of nowhere! What was once a 'crocadoggle' free zone can be swarming within seconds. It's been pretty intense, but we're surviving and even flourishing, which all 'crocadoggle' hunters tend to do, for mysterious reasons.
We have great plans to go bike riding and to visit the waterfall and eat lots of popcorn.
I will start my job search soon, as soon as I get everything unpacked. I have a few things to pick up today, such as a reading lamp--mine has been drafted into service at my parents' house, which means that I need a new one.
Mom brought Kaelan his own cell phone, complete with camera--it is very fake, but the camera button makes a realistic camera-noise, which suffices for an almost-3 year old. He has been taking pictures by the dozens! Most of them, strangely enough, are of our shoes...
And he's been talking to Brandt every 5 seconds on the phone. Apparently, Brandt crashed his firetruck and needs to fix it, or possibly buy a new one--this is all according to Kaelan, keep in mind. I'll have to tell Brandt this story. He'll get a kick out of it.
We went to an Alpaca open house today and petted and fed the Alpacas. Kaelan was more impressed with a trio of baying hound dogs. We howled along with them until they were really worked up. It was a good time.
Now to fit time to unpack amidst the many 'crocadoggle' attacks...

Confirmed

Brandt was confirmed last night in front of the Helena city council as being officially off of probation and a city firefighter. We went and sat in with him while it happened. He introduced us to the room and said a few words. It was pretty cool. All his shift came, and they sat in the back in their dress blues, and the captain came up and introduced him. His friend and roomie, Doug, was also confirmed last night. They were hired at the same time, so that's been fun for both of them.

I'll tell you, it was pretty much one of the proudest moments of my life. I was just beaming at him the whole time. He's worked so hard! And he's doing what he loves, no doubt about that.

Afterwards we went out to eat dinner, because it is Mom's b-day today.

I'm trying to convince her she needs to go skydiving with me, but I don't think I've hit the combo just yet to working.

Building

Dad and I spent 9 hours yesterday building the deck. Ok, so I was mostly a holder, a measurer, a straight-edge plyer, a board carrier, a fetcher, an eyeballer to make sure the spaces were even, etc. I did get to pound in a few nails, and didn't break a finger doing it. I was also pretty darn good at all my tasks, I must say. No splinters!!!
We have to put on the stairs and the railing, but the rest is pretty much finished. And of course it is pouring today, so no deck building.
It was pretty cool to see it start to go up. Once we actually got going with the building, time flew by. My knee was very upset with me, though, and I had to take massive amounts of Ibuprofen.
Brandt came home last night and so Mom and I stayed up and talked to him until midnight. He was involved in a fire in Helena that tried to burn this little community in the middle of town, and Brandt and one other firefighter saved the grizzly bears at the Fish and Game headquarters. Of course, in the papers, the game wardens got the credit, but it was really Brandt! I like hearing his stories.

Crazy Weather Adventures

Like I have already lamented, the warm summer seems to be over. Yesterday we had 50 mph winds--I don't actually know how fast they were blowing, but it was pretty darn hard and the trees were tossing every which direction, so I'm assuming fast. Anyway, I wore my vest all day because it was chilly!
I decided to take the puppies for a walk and explore some areas of the farm I haven't seen in a while. We ended up going out to the tree island in the middle of the field, but to do that, first you have to climb the fence. I'm not very good around barb-wire, and I didn't want to add bleeding to my list of adventures, so I crawled under it. The ditch on the other side was very deep and very overgrown with weeds, so I stumbled through it, but so did the dog! Trisket, who is turning 12 this year and is not quite as mobile as she used to be while still retaining her portliness, tumbled in after me, right on her nose. I got her picked back up and made sure there were no serious injuries, and off we went again. Most of the trees out there have fallen over and been cut up, but there are exactly 3 left, and they are huge! There has been one that fell over ages and ages ago--back when I was in grade school, and it was always too big to cut up. So when they burned the field this last time, I guess they just let it get the tree too, so it's covered in this layer of char. It didn't burn all the tree, when you stand on it, you're still up in the air by about 3 feet, but you do get ash all over your shoes.
Anyway, Trisket decided she would climb with me. It's never been a problem before. She's always a tree climber, even the straight-up and down ones she'll try to climb, but when she's 12 and very stiff, it was not a good idea. She found her own way up, but I had to walk her through crossing it and getting back down. She kept wanting to leap off the top of the root tangle at the end, which is about 5 feet off the ground or higher. Probably higher. I think it's taller than me, actually. Once she was safely down, she was covered in soot. As were my shoes and my legs, come to think of it.
Kind of a tame adventure, as far as adventures go, but the puppies and I enjoyed it.
Mom and Dad and I have been watching The 10th Kingdom. We watch about an hour every night, and we are half-way through finally. It's a fantastic mini-series that Hallmark made for tv I don't know how long ago. It's a mixed-up fairy tale, and I love those! Even Dad is getting into it.
After our nightly session, we played Scrabble. Dad and I lost. Mom is pretty good, but that's because she always takes our spots, especially if it's on a triple word score. She's sneaky like that.

Where Did the Summer Go?

I feel like the crickets in Charlotte's Web--you remember, they were singing that the summer is ended and winter is here? Anyway, ever since I came home the summer has felt a little less warm. We've had more chilly days than we have warm days. My tan has pretty much faded. Still have color, but not quite as much. I'm still wearing my Chaco's everywhere and my toenails are still painted pink, so I'm keeping up the allusion of summer. But the other day Mom and I bought new cold weather jackets. I found a green North Face vest and Mom got a leather jacket she's always wanted. So we are in the prep for cold weather.
Dad is rebuilding our deck out front. It is a pain to have to go in and out the back door all the time. The kitty is enjoying it, but our dogs aren't too thrilled. Buddy keeps forgetting and falling on his beak out the front, and Trisket wouldn't survive that jump, not with her short legs. She's getting too old.
Brandt came home for a day and a night and we all spent a soul-sucking, mind-numbing 3 hours at Home Depot picking out lumber. I learned more phrases of carpentry than I know what to do with--flashing, joist hangers, angle brackets, lag screws, galvanized...I guess if I ever have to build something, I'll know what's what.
Mom and I painted last night, so now we are ready for Dad to build the deck. He discovered, once he tore down the old one, that a lot of wood underneath the house right there was rotten, so he had to dig it out and replace it. I think we're good to go now.
I've been writing again! I have a book that I started when I was in college and just never got around to finishing. Life gets hectic and there goes the creative flow. So I started reading it again while I was home and now I'm hooked. I write pages and pages and I thought originally I had a few chapters to go before being finished, but now I know I haven't finished the story. I am on page 300 right now, but I'm only getting started. It's exciting to be writing again. I would like to send this one in and see if I can get published.
Brandt is officially off of probation today! He has been a city firefighter in Helena for one year. He gets a raise and doesn't have to do any more training. And yes, all that you hear about probies having to do all the grunt work at the station for everyone else is true. But he's done! He is pretty excited. He gets confirmed in front of the city counsel on the 24th, so we're going over for that.
Kat got us Elton John tickets for the 30th, so I'll move to Casper on the 28th. I'm excited. Kaelan is a lot of fun, and I enjoyed getting to know Kurt and Kat better. And come January there will be another nephew to play with!

A Boy!

Kurt and Kat are having another boy in January! I will have another nephew. I'm pretty excited about that. Yay, another baby! Congratulations, Kurt and Kat!

Slack Line!

I finally got my slack line. I purchased the component parts while I was in Casper, but never got around to putting it up there. Kaelan bugged me for days to put it up so he could try it. He didn't even know what slack lining was, but he knew the word. Anyway, Dad and I put it up here and it took us a couple tries. I had never put one up by myself. Finally, though, we found a good spot that wasn't a military base for mosquitos, and put it up. Dad put one foot on it and said "No, I'm going to break a hip". So I hopped up. I haven't done it for about a month, so it was tricky at first, but then it's like your body remembers what it feels like and it gets smoother and smoother. I can do 3 steps again! I can also sit cross-legged. Mom came out and tried it--same story as Dad. I still think I can get them to try it. Maybe if I lower it? Brandt called me from Helena and said he'd come home and try it with me. He's on Kelly days right now, which means he doesn't have shifts at the station, he just teaches ARF at the airport. That stands for airport rescue something or other, and he teaches it for the fire school. I'll have to raise it up for Brandt, because my hip level will be about at his knee.

Kaelan Pictures

Here are some pictures of our vacation. Specifically, mini-golfing! Grandpa and Kaelan hitting the ball, then me and Kaelan posing with our clubs, and finally, Kaelan and Jack! Jack enjoyed Wyoming.

Vacation!

I've been in Casper since last Sunday. Just a vacation, not the permanent move. I won't relocate here until September--end of, that is. In the meantime, it has been nice to get caught back up with family.
Kaelan is adorable! He's grown so much in the 2 months since I last saw him. He is using sentences now! We have a good time. He has been my little shadow since I got here, even sleeping in the same bed as me the first night. That's ok. We have a lot of lost time to make up for.
We went hiking at Independence Rock and that was fun. Kaelan and Grandma and Grandpa and I climbed all over it. We had to find a new way down, but we blazed a trail. Grandpa wasn't sure about getting Kaelan down, but I talked him into it. We had to go down and then lift him after us and kind of pass him along like an assembly line. At the very top of the rock were these pools of rainwater and they were full of freshwater shrimp! Amazing. And the water wasn't even that warm. It wasn't super cold, but it definitely was cool to the touch.
We went to Alcova today and swam. I tried to snorkel--you can't see anything in that water, so that was a bust. Kaelan went in the water too, which was surprising. We built some pretty cool sandcastles.
Other than that, not much but relaxation and fun.

Questions

I have been lazy this past week and a half, and I couldn't be happier! It is so nice to just rest. I never realize just how tired I am until I get to stop moving. That being said, I already miss Bryn Mawr!
We are going to Wyoming on Sunday to stay for a week. I am so excited to see my baby! It is going to be absolutely fantastic to play with him all week and to catch up with the Casper crowd. I have missed it too, much as I never thought I would feel that way.
Tomorrow we are driving to Helena to see Brandt's new apartment. I'm excited to see him too. We have been talking on the phone quite a bit and it is pretty great to be around my little brother again. He's always been my favorite person in the world and now he's my hero too. I admire the career he's chosen, all the ways he helps people now. It kind of calls into question what I am going to end up doing someday. Brandt always was one of the most unselfish people I know, and he isn't hesitating to put his safety on the line for complete strangers. It makes me wonder if I could do the same.

Decisions

I think I have decided to go back to Casper until next summer. I was going to move to Portland, however, in the long process of praying and thinking about it nonstop, I eventually realized it doesn't feel right for me now. I think it would be a lot of expense for a very short time. I think it would be a great experience and it is definitely on my list, but I need to be working on something else right now. I want to help Kurt and Kat out some more with the babies--yes, in January it will be plural!--and I missed them all very much. Casper is not my favorite city, but I was happy there. I can be with Kaelan again and keep him preoccupied when the new little one gets here. I'm job searching for something other than retail right now.
Also, I am learning the ropes with the new business. As soon as I get it, I can start going to work in Casper. Who knows would could happen?
I feel this is a good decision, and Kurt and Kat said come on back. Kaelan was happy that the soccer ball would be home again, and the tunes.
In the meantime, I'm enjoying some relaxation time with my parents.

Home at Last

I made it! I survived my summer trip once again, and once again, it feels as though it flew by! I can't believe another Bryn Mawr summer is over. Looking at it in hindsight, it feels like parts are in fast-forward.
My travels home went well. I was tired, having arisen at 5. I also had to buy a bigger suitcase to get all my stuff home and then had to pay 25 dollars because the suitcase exceeded the weight limit. It was worth a curse, but definitely my own fault.
I made it through security without any extra searches, which is a miracle! I had all my ceramics in my carry-on and they commented on the amount I had, but I was waved through, unlike the elderly couple in front of me who had to open up every piece of carry-on they brought. They looked extremely unhappy, to use an understatement.
My flights were good. I got a window every time, which makes me happy. I sat in Minneapolis for 3 hours, but I read and people-watched, so it didn't feel too long.
And then, finally, I was home! It is so brown over here--dry and smoky, from the all the fires going on. Definitely a switch from where I've been all summer. Over in New York and PA it is green and humid, always. Still, I am happy to be with my family.
Brandt came home after he got off shift and he's been here ever since. I think he's due to roll out of here later today. It was so great to see him! I miss Brandt. He's always doing something work-related these days and I never get to talk to him much. We took a trip to Choteau in his truck--my second time riding in it. I like that I have to jump to get up in the cab.
Thank you for keeping up with my summer adventures! I am going to continue this thing year-round until the next Bryn Mawr summer and I hope you'll join me!

Horses

Here are the pictures of the three of us at the horse farm. The one behind me was Queenie, and huge, I might add. As we all know, I ended up on tiny Izzy, but it was probably better, considering as how I really don't know how to ride a horse.

Banquet Pics

Here are some pictures from Banquet night. My counselors and myself--minus the ever-amusing Alexis, of course. And then my friend Eric, who was the ceramics PD from Portland and is one of the coolest people I know.

Riding a Horse

I went trail riding with Heather and her brother Nathaniel yesterday. It was so much fun. The place was in Tioga County, down in PA, so we drove about an hour and a half to get there. It was a very mom-and-popish establishment, but this being the first time I have sat a horse in years, that was ok with me. The horses were so trail-trained that you couldn't get them to go the wrong way even if you tried, which I have to admit, I did. I wanted a big horse--they had some huge ones--and I didn't want to get stuck in the back. Guess who got the smallest horse and was very firmly in the rear?
But my horse--Izzy was her name--and I got along very well together in the back, and we kept it interesting. I loved it! It was an hour long ride, but my butt wasn't sore at all. In fact, riding a horse improves your posture! The only thing that hurt was my knee joints, probably because my stirrups were too short and my legs were cocked at an angle. And Izzy didn't even bang my legs into too many trees, for which I was greatly appreciative. I let her eat a lot more on the way for that alone.
Heather rode a white horse named Sugar and she was slower than molasses. Nathaniel was on a horse named Shotgun who would only allow men to ride him. We had fun in the back, mostly teasing Heather to get her horse to hurry it up. But we got to trot a bit--the horses were so close together the trotting wasn't very long.
I enjoyed it. I want to ride more when I get home. How ironic that the first time I ride a horse in years would be in PA, when I live in MT and spent the last 7 months in WY!
This morning Heather and I picked blueberries with her grandma. It was quite relaxing. I have never picked blueberries before, probably because to my knowledge, we don't have them in MT. Huckleberries, yes. Blueberries are much sweeter when picked directly from the tree.
Two more days!

Big Finish

Another Bryn Mawr summer is over. And I can definitely say that I am going to miss it. I'm glad to be going home, of course. However, I had an amazing time. It was even better than last summer, minus never getting to see Heather. I missed her company this summer. We did find time to sneak in hang out time, and those were some of my favorite days.
Banquet was nice. None of my girls did the hysterical crying that completely ruins the beauty of the night, so that was great. I made my wish and sent my candle floating out onto the lake with a very bright outlook for future summers at camp.
It rained on departure day, so that made it really fun to say goodbye to everyone. I will miss my girls. They were awesome. Once we had waved the buses goodbye, we cleaned the cabins and then packed everything up.
For some reason I have accumulated so much stuff that packing it all back into 2 bags is a real worry for me right now. I think I can do it, but I haven't tried yet. I'm at Heather's right now and we have been laying low and enjoying downtime. Tomorrow we are going for a trail ride on horses, which I am excited about.
I talked to my parents today and Kaelan is there! He's enjoying some grandma and grandpa time. He very excitedly told me that he was playing with my soccer ball and that he had slept in my bed. What a cutie!
I am due to fly out on Wednesday morning.

Smiles

Today I had some amazing things happen that made it all go by quickly and very enjoyably.
I got an email that made me smile.
Eric gave me this teapot that is just incredible and my favorite ceramic item he created.
I found a katydid--the coolest bug I have ever seen thus far in my life.
Marjori went on the zipline!

Almost...

Packing day has arrived. Yesterday we cleaned and it was miserable. It was so hot and humid. I think I lost about 5 pounds from all the sweat. Gross.
Last night was the final shindig at Dan and Jane's. It was fun. They fed us way too much, per usual. I walked back early with Charlotte because everyone else was off and drinking and we don't drink--we were on duty, as well, even if we didn't have to go back to cabin row. It was still nice, though, to look around the room and see all the leadership staff that I have worked with so closely this summer. They are all amazing people and I will miss the comradeship we built.
Today I am not looking forward to packing. I think it will go quick once it starts...or so I am hoping. There is a lovely cool breeze at present, so if only the humidity will hold off!!! It is supposed to be 84 degrees--which is 29 in Celsius, thank you to all those Canadians for teaching me the Celsius scale--so that is hot, but if it isn't humid, I can handle it.
Tomorrow we leave! I will be out of here by noon and then Heather and I have a date with our camp 'mom'. Charlotte drives back to Illinois, so we are going to have lunch and put off the crying as much as possible. It will be sad. I'm going to miss everyone.
I have been asked back for next summer--and I have been told that I'm going to be a lower junior GL for as long as I want to be back, which I like. I enjoy my job very much. So I won't be sad for long because I know that my adventures at Bryn Mawr are not finished. There will be many more.
3-year water bottle, here I come!

Sing and a Showdown

Green won Color War for the second summer running. I have some pictures of the action--the showdown in the Widman gym, that is. I also have some pictures of Sing, just so you can picture it. Fairly intense event. It was also so hot and humid in there it was hard to breathe. Pretty miserable. Charlotte fell asleep beside me and started to snore and Katie Johnson elbowed her to wake her up. That was funny.

Sing is an event where all the campers and counselors learn the different team songs and then they all quietly file into the fieldhouse and sit in these 3x3 grid squares on the ground. They move the same, stand the same, sit down the same, sing the same--all to the directions of a Bunk 1 girl up front. Very intense. The front is a backdrop with Bunk 1 girls sitting there frozen, to create a tableau. It is cool, just kinda cult-like for the first viewing.

The showdown is when we all find out who won Color War. The winner of the 'fight'--see the characters involved?--hold up one of those kids in the picture to let everyone know in the end. Green won. It was a sweet fight yet again. Spiderman leaped into the window sill with the help of a mini-tramp and there was lots of throwing things around.

Next 2 days are just cleaning and packing.

3 More Days!

Color War ends tonight with Sing and then the shootout in the Widman gym. I am excited for it to be over. It has been hot and humid, so the games with the girls haven't been as much fun. I get tired of hearing arguments over everything and I am especially tired of repeating myself 900 times. I was taking points away right and left yesterday during kickball.
Last night was my very last night off. I watched Roman Holiday and then went to Walmart with Emily for some last minute things. I was in bed by 10. Very relaxing.
Today is Sing practice all day long. I warned my counselors that they were going to hate it, but to just suck it up because it would all be over soon. Yes, being bossed around by high-strung 15-yr olds sucks and having to sit like a robot in a teeny 3 by 3 square sucks, but you know, it is one day. It will be over soon.
I am looking forward to hanging with Heather finally! I haven't seen her at all for about a week. Today has been the first day I have even seen her, let alone talked to her. I hope it will be a relaxing couple of days for her once we get back. She deserves it! She's worked her tail off doing the Color War planning.
I am also looking forward to going home! A little over a week left for me, and I'll be flying homeward!
I have to write 40-some bus notes at some point. Not looking forward to that.

Emotional

I don't recall becoming sad about camp being over until maybe the night before camp and definitely the morning we were all waiting to board buses in the dining hall on the day itself. I remember feeling impatient for the time to go by and thinking of the mountain of stuff we had to do and thinking we'd never get it finished. I even remember feeling tired and stressed about everything leading up to the last day of camp.
Today we had a meeting in the g'zab with all the GLs and Jane and Nancy. It started out by being just last minute packing stuff, what to do and what not, etc. Then we went around and said one thing we all felt that we'd done this summer that made us feel fulfilled as a GL and something about the summer that made it great for us. Oh man. It started off well--but by the end, we were all bawling. There wasn't a dry eye in the circle, except Jane. It was amazing to hear the emotion in everyone's voices. That is one thing I love about Bryn Mawr and this job--you can't help but be affected by it, in some way.
I looked around the circle, at all these girls I have come to respect and love, and it was overwhelming. That is why I come back to Bryn Mawr, and why I am coming back next summer and as many summers after until I feel as though I need to move on. This is where I need to be right now, in my life. I am learning so much, whether it be about working with children or just communication and relationship skills with my own peers.
Anyway, Charlotte called me her camp daughter and made me cry even more, because she was crying when she said it. We all knew we had each other's backs this summer, and that created a bond so powerful. It was a beautiful moment, realizing that our summers were amazing and that we were all responsible for making them so wonderful for each other.
It definitely made my day. Afterwards I felt kind of drained, like all I wanted to do was sleep. I guess because of such an intense outburst of emotion. It started early for us all this summer! I am just going to work hard at making this last 5 days fun and as relaxing as I can. It is the time to let things go and to end on a good note, to push through and really finish as strong as I started. And hopefully many of the people I worked with this summer will be back for the next one.

Little Things

Yesterday was hot again. I was all sweaty and tired through most of it, but after lunch I was able to take a period off and relax. I was tired because we'd had phone calls and Jenny Caine had a tour which meant I took all her bunks again. I have all 5 more often than not lately, and while I don't mind, it does really wipe me out. It is nice to get time off to just be in where it's cool and where I don't have to run a game or watch 57 10-yr olds. So the period off was delightful and completely recharged my batteries.
At dinner Drew told me I was one of his favorite GLs and that made my day. Drew is awesome.
It was Rope Burn and Kettle Boil last night, not my favorite color war activity, for the simple fact that it takes so blasted long. You just sit and watch. Of course there is cheering, but holy buckets. Waiting for a kettle to boil and then for the fire to burn through 3 ropes is not the most stimulating experience.
I had fun last night, in spite of all that. I hung out with Jenny Caine and then my counselors afterwards, and it was just nice. It really brought it home to me that I am excited to leave, but there is so much about Bryn Mawr I am going to miss. The bonds you form here are truly amazing.
I guess it is the little things that make my day, really, all those things that don't seem very exciting at the time but when I look back on the day during my prayers I realize just how happy I really am. Just how blessed I really am.

Heat Wave

It is so hot here! But not just that, the humidity is fierce. Color war is in full swing, but the heat makes it not so much fun. We've been trying to be in the pool as much as possible, but that sometimes doesn't work with the schedules.
We had the longest talent show ever last night, and even though it was silent taps, I was tired. I do love silent taps and silent dinner, though. It is the quietest that the camp ever gets. What a relief, not to have a meal punctuated with cheering time and standing on chairs to shake your booty. I think Kaelan would love it here. He likes dancing and singing. He could shake it and wiggle it all he wanted.
Less than a week! And in less than 2 I'll be home!

Weary

I am ready for camp to be done. We are in the last week--by this time next Friday, all the girls will have boarded the buses and I will be cleaning and packing. I am so ready. I feel tired, but it's more than just need a nap tired. I feel tired like all I want to do is sit somewhere and not move for a few days. Home is sounding sooooo good right now. I miss my nephew and my brothers and my sister-in-law and I miss my parents. I also feel a little whiny. Oh well. I guess we're all entitled to a good whine now and then.

Sketchy Dunk Tank

Color War Break Pictures

We Want Color War!!!

The break was tonight.
It was frankly amazing.
It was down on Wembley, and the first thing you saw when you came around the corner was a 36-ft long castle that was 12 feet high. It looked so good. Nancy and I were the peasants patrolling the top, which was a tad sketchy and wobbly. I was afraid they were going to bang on it or knock into it and then down we would go with a wooden castle atop. Anyway, peasants from the gold team stormed our castle--we were green, obviously--and they killed the peasants out front. Two retreated inside the castle and shut the drawbridge, and then the other peasants battered it down with a huge tree ram. It was so scary when they slammed the drawbridge! I just held my breath and clung to the top. Nothing happened, fortunately. Then some knights came dashing in and our green knights came out to defend. Nancy and I threw 'rocks' and I have no idea what all down on the attacking knights and then we just ducked below and watched the rest. They shot flaming arrows and everything. After quite a lengthy battle, they retreated and the king and queen rode out on horses to announce color war!
We had a fireworks show that was incredible. I have never seen some of the fireworks we had. They were very Harry Potter-esque, some of them. Amazing!
It was a chilly evening, but my peasant garb kept me quite warm and toasty. It also provided a good knee cushion for me to kneel on. Climbing back down the scaffolding was interesting...I got my foot stuck once, but I didn't fall and break anything.
Tomorrow is my very last day off. That is so strange. We have one week left. I can't believe it.
Color war is always relaxing, so I'm looking forward to everything. It sort of smooths over any rough patches the girls have been having.

Business

One of my counselors was moved today. She is no longer a counselor, just a buddy counselor in senior camp now, which means they didn't want to fire her but had no other place to put her. She had to be moved out of the bunk. It is a horrid situation.
The girls were screwing around during the alma mater and the counselor separated them, which caused the girl to trip on the bleacher. The counselor kept her from falling, but the girl wrote home and parents got involved. I know that she didn't mean anything by it--but she touched a kid. She touched a kid, the parents got involved, and she had to be terminated. We fought for her, which is why she isn't going home right now. Not cool, though. She's so upset. I hate that business has to take preference.
In my heart, I'm not so sure it was the right decision. In my head, I have to admit that yes, she did touch a kid and it was rough, and the business says that no child will be touched that way. Dan doesn't know any of my counselors. He made the call solely on the guidelines of how he runs his camp. It was Marjori and Jane who told him that she is a good counselor and that she didn't mean anything by it, which is why she is still here today.
On a happy note, color war breaks tonight. I'm off but coming back so that I can take my place atop the castle. I'm very excited.

Dunk Tank Update

I was right. The dunk tank is scary and very ancient. I was the guinea pig because the seat wasn't sticking and we were trying to figure it out. And after one sit down on the seat, ants came boiling out of there. It was incredibly, incredibly, fear-factorish. Drew kept telling me to quit being a wuss and sit on there. Now, as you all probably know, I don't have a problem with ants. I am actually rather fond of them in general. But there was no way I was going to sit in a pile of them and wait to be dumped into that tank. No way. So finally Max was on my side and we got Drew to hose the ants off. Into the water below, but I guess you can't have everything. Then they proceeded to dump me 3 times just to test it out. The water was freezing! You had to be careful not to lean too far back or the seat would hit you in the back on the way down, but you couldn't lean too far forward or you would fall off and the metal on the edge of the seat would take off a layer of thigh on the way. You had to keep your arms in or you would bang them on the edges of the wood. You had to keep your legs straight or you would bang your shins on the edges of the tank. And hoisting yourself out was fun, let me tell you. Every time I would sit on that seat, it would just be horrible, waiting to be dropped. And I have lots of owies now. A layer is missing from my elbow--rather reminiscent of that volleyball dive I took on the rubber track that time in high school. I'm going to have a nice scab over that. It stings like whoa. I hurt my ankle from landing awkwardly at the bottom. I scraped my thigh on the metal and it's bleeding. I have bruises all over my legs, and I took the seat in the kidney because I wasn't leaning far enough forward. In other words, ouch! No more dunk tank for Jessie.
I also burned my hand on the rubber pirate ship bouncy slide. Carnival was just painful for me this year. I went on one of those obstacle course bouncy races with Emily and I schooled her. I came out the end and landed on my back and said, "I think I won!" And the guy in charge looked down at me and said, "I think you won by a lot...she's not even over the top yet!" And then here she came, ankles over teakettle, right down the slide. It was fun. We went on the big slide but that just left patches of upper leg on the slide itself. We needed gunny sacks to slide down, like they have at the fair for those rides.
Still, carnival was fun this year. I'm tired, but looking forward to evening activity.

Costumes, Carnival, and Color War

That title was very alliterative. True, however. Today is a huge day for costumes. I have to change multiple times, and for most of them, I am looking forward to it. It is a hot day, however, and I am already sweating.
Yesterday I went to the lake with bunk 21 and we had a blast. It was warm also, so being in the water for almost an hour was quite delightful. We took the big surfboards out to the aqua tramp and just played and splashed. I had so much fun. I just bobbed in the water with my life jacket. Extremely relaxing. I wish I had more days to do that, but sometimes my schedule is so crazy I just can't play.
This morning I was part of the Color War clue, so I dressed like a peasant with Charlotte and Heather. They had a treasure chest and I ran up behind them and hit Charlotte with my shovel so I could steal it. Then Heather got me with her shovel and I 'died' too. So basically I laid on the ground and played dead while they read the clue. It was interesting. We had charcoal all over our faces to be dirty.
Then I had to hurry and change so that I could be in the Wayne County championship gymnastics photo. We won it for the 27th year in a row. It was exciting to be included in the picture. I don't do much with gymnastics, but Bill said I helped by getting my girls there and he wanted me in the photo.
Later I have to put on my carnival costume, which is just my rain gear. We're going as months of the year, and I am April. I have to put my bathing suit on underneath, because guess who is in the dunk tank again? Yep. Great. I am a little apprehensive. Last year I was voted in but never actually made it in due to time constraints, which was lucky because everyone who went in the dunk tank was hurt in some shape or another. The dunk tank is ancient and scary.
And one more change after that! I am a fortune teller during the carnival itself, which greatly excites me. I found the coolest outfit to wear and I am going to be very creative with my fortunes. Good times all around.
It is hot out there! Not looking forward to that part.

Or Not So Much Relaxation

And the stress begins. Color War is beginning--the break hasn't happened yet, but we are embroiled in all the speculation and spirit chains leading up to the event itself, and that is proving to be just as stressful for me as last year. I hate the beginning of Color War. Once it actually happens, it is chill and I enjoy myself. At the moment, I just wish I could skip it all.
Last night I was the only one on OD with my girls--all 5 bunks decided to go crazy at once. I had two PDs come down to help me, which is unheard of. Normally I can handle it, but not last night. Their counselors were off, as it was Sunday, and it was just Bunk 1 leadership in there and they are no help whatsoever. More of a handicap, usually. I was tired and with each successive problem my tolerance and patience would diminish a bit more. Finally, I had to leave cabin row. I had nothing left to offer, and I couldn't even be around my counselors when they got back. Times like that you know when to wave the white flag and leave.
I am in the Color War break this year, as a peasant. I am interested to see how this is going to go. I'll relate more on that topic as things happen.
Tomorrow is Carnival. More stress.
Negative SFU came to play for us last night, and I really enjoyed that. I would have enjoyed it more had I not had girls with issues at every turn. I think I am just weary. Being tired causes everything to turn a color that it wouldn't normally be. I'll be fine after tonight--my night off, finally!

Relaxation

That is a funny word to use to describe any part of my camp experience. Nevertheless, that is how I feel lately. Most of my activities with my girls have been very relaxing.
Yesterday, for instance, I went tubing with bunk 21. I rode twice, once with a girl who didn't have a partner, and once with one of my counselors, Emily. It was probably the first time I haven't felt like I was going to fall out. I thoroughly enjoyed it. We did see a snake swimming in the water, which freaked out my girls--ok, me too, but I didn't admit it. However, I convinced them it was more scared of us tubing than we were of it, and they all agreed to get in. Then we jumped off the dock and had fun splashing and playing. I was enjoying bobbing up and down with my life jacket. It does all the work for you. Jumping off the dock with that is the definition of relaxing.
Yesterday was also phone call day for the lower jrs. Jenny Caine had the night off, so I basically chilled in the phone call room all morning and all evening. I missed some of evening activity, but that was ok, because when I got back, they announced ice cream night! That is always exciting. A later night, but oh well.
We also had the first Color War clue yesterday! And it begins. Someone rode in on a horse dressed like a knight to main campus. I love seeing how excited the girls all get. They literally stormed the main campus and had to be held back before they spooked the horse. I didn't even pay attention to the clue, so I have no idea what it was. I'm just looking forward to seeing what the break is this year. Last year, you might remember, was Star Wars.
Today I am planning some more tubing. It is Sunday, so that meant late sleep, and I went to church for the first time in 2 weeks! I still don't have much of a singing voice--I know, like there ever was one to begin with--and I cough on occasion, but I am feeling much better. And next Sunday will be our last in Honesdale. Craziness!

Themed is Better

We went out to Cooper's, in Scranton, for Liz's bachelorette party last night. It was so much fun. Cooper's is this themed seafood restaurant/bar. There was a pirate ship, pirates everywhere, and lots of sea life on all the walls. There was a huge lighthouse sticking out of the top and perched beside it was a massive octopus. I think that places like that, no matter how corny, are delightful. They make it so much more fun. I wish that we had more themed restaurants in Montana.

I took some good pictures of everyone hanging out. Here is a great one of Heather, Drew and I.

My cold is feeling much better. I am super-tired this morning. I also would love to go for a run today, as my run yesterday was awesome. My legs were tired and it was wonderful!

Less than 2 weeks of camp left!

Pirates!

This was the coolest restaurant/bar ever! It was very corny and pirate/sea themed, but I loved it! We had a blast.

Camp Mom and Sister

This is a shot of Heather and Charlotte and myself on Visiting Day. Check out the horrid polos we had to wear...ugh. Anyway, Charlotte is our camp 'mom' and Heather is definitely my camp 'sister', so this makes us a nice little camp family!

And Yet

I ran last night's evening activity. It did not go well. Sometimes I get so frustrated with the girls for their lack of...respect? I can't say that about all of them, but definitely the majority last night were stressing me out. Oh well. I praised the ones who did actually pay attention and make an effort, which is all I could do about the situation. I also lost my voice temporarily again. I got it back, but I had some major coughing fits in the process. I wish this cold would just leave!
Today is my day off. I already made a Honesdale run and did my laundry. Now I am going to go for a really long run--well, we'll see how I feel, as I haven't run for 2 weeks due to this cold. Perhaps a nap and then a movie later, and of course, tonight is Liz's bachelorette party. I'm pretty excited about that! It is being held at a seafood place in Scranton with a real pirate ship inside! I'm going to be the DD for everyone, so that won't be much fun to watch, but I am looking forward to the pictures we'll get.

Rapper K

This is a picture of Kaelan in his 'rapper' mode. He loves to pose like this. I found it when I was looking through some of my pictures. He's hilarious. Sadly, the sunglasses were eaten by the dogs--but I bought him a new pair of Diego glasses. Ok, ok, he also might look like the Unibomber...

2 Week Countdown

The summer has flown. We are definitely on the down portion of the roller coaster ride that is Lake Bryn Mawr 2007. I have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, having my own personal time again will be amazing! I miss my family and Kaelan like crazy. I also miss getting enough sleep, although that hasn't been as much of an issue this summer. I think I'm turning--gasp--into a morning person. Who knew? On the other hand, I am going to miss this place so much. It is my summer home and everyone here feels like family. My girls this year are incredible, and the people I have met have made this summer even better than last summer. I wish all of you could come for a visit so I could show off Bryn Mawr!
The night of JCSD, all the junior GLs, minus Charlotte who had other plans, went out for dinner in Scranton to the Olive Garden. It was fun. We celebrated the end of JCSD, and a job well done. We also decided to be Grey's Anatomy for Carnival, which is coming up on Sunday. Scrubs will be easy to procure. Nothing will top last summer's Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum, but no one else can take Heather's place. That being said, I love my co this summer. Jenny Caine is amazing! No matter the reservations I may have had about her at the beginning, I think that we work so well together. I have gotten to know her and she's a fabulous person.
I was able to finally touch base with my girls last night, and just talk and joke with them. It was nice. I have been stuck in problem mode for so long, and busy with the special day, etc. It was really great to catch up and spend some time with them. I am looking forward to the next few weeks, just making every day fun. We have some tubing dates, and some gym dates, and of course, all the craziness that is the End of Camp.
I finished Harry Potter. Now I feel as though I can get my head back in camp life, instead of wondering and worrying about Harry!

Tubing, JCSD, Golf Carts and More!

So much has happened in the past couple days, I almost don't know where to start!
Yesterday I went tubing with my girls. I know I vowed last summer never to do it again, due to the crazy boat-driving of Gary Brown, but I just had to. My theory is that the things you are most scared of doing are the things most worth it, really. On a side note, Gary Brown calls me Jessie James, which makes me laugh because Kaelan calls me that! Anyway, so Jenny Caine, my co, and I hopped in the race-car tube and Gary proceeded to pull us behind the boat. I almost came out of the tube and Gary had to stop. He yelled, "Are you all right, Jessie James?" I told him I almost fell out but just to go! He did. Oh man. My life flashed before my eyes again. It was incredibly fun, though! Gary told me he wished he had a picture of my face when that happened, and I told him my theory and when he asked if I was scared of tubing, I said I was scared of falling out. I guess it wouldn't be that bad, right? I would skip like a rock, but at least I'll be wearing a life jacket.
We had our JCSD today! It was a Nancy Drew mystery that they had to solve. We filmed the break, all of the junior GLs terrorizing Bryn Mawr. We were dressed in garbage bags with paper bags over our heads so that no one knew who was who. Strategic clues were available if you were paying attention...Charlotte's angel, my watch, Ashlee's shoe, etc. The break was incredible! The film turned out awesome and the girls were so excited. We had moved things around and hung signs up all over, trying to turn Bryn Mawr into a boy's camp. Then we had a skit at the end where Bill interrogated us and Penny confessed. It was so much fun.
Jenny Caine and I rode around in Drew's golf cart all day, picking stuff up and moving it and planting our scavenger hunt clues. I think the girls had a really good time.
I smell really bad right now. I need a shower.

Odds and Ends

I have completely forgotten what happens to me on a day-to-day basis. I like to remember what adventures go on so that I can write them down, on here and in my journal. Time is slipping from me! I don't even remember if something I did happened yesterday or 3 days ago, blast it.
Today was late sleep, and since I still have a cough and no real voice, I didn't go to church but used my late sleep. I am hoping to get over it eventually. My goal is to not have it by the end of camp, 3 weeks hence.
Yesterday Brandt had the new Harry Potter sent to me. That made me happy. I don't really have time to read it, but I'm doing my best to fit in a couple pages every now and then.
JCSD is coming up--Junior Camp Special Day. 2 days! We are starting the filming for it tonight.
Let me see, what else? I can't believe camp has flown by so quickly! We are definitely on the down portion of our coaster ride of the summer. I am missing my family and looking forward to having a few weeks of quiet down-time when I get home. I am also looking into the possibility of visiting Bryan and Melissa in MA before I fly home.

Horrendous

Last night was the first night since I've been here that I wanted to go home. Nice that it has come so late, considering last summer was full of those moments. We only have 3 full weeks of camp left, after all. The problem is that it is Explorers weekend, which means we have 60 extra little girls here and the camp is focused on putting on a good face so that these girls will want to come to camp next year and proceed with their 9-year camping blitzreig that will culminate in one big Bunk One year sometime in the year 2016 or thereabouts. This puts a bit of stress on everyone involved. I have an explorer living in my bunk this year, which is a first for me. Of course she's in 19, where problems abound. Last night was talent show, and since we had so many explorers, it turned into a 2 hour ordeal. And it was freezing last night. I don't know where that weather came from. I had to wear a sweatshirt, pants, socks, 2 shirts and 2 blankets to bed last night! My girls didn't get settled with the lights out until almost 11, which is an unheard of hour for junior campers. I had to give B19 some tough love in the matter, too. I told 3 girls they weren't going to cry, we were done, we'd talk about it in the morning. It actually had results, as mean and unsympathetic as the method sounds. I was just tired. And my cough and sore throat came back, resultant of sitting out in the wind for so long in nothing but shorts and a long-sleeve t-shirt. The wakeup this morning was fairly grim.
Other than that, I am doing fine. My girls seem better this morning. I know they were all just over-tired and over-excited. Happens to the best of us.

My Favorite Spot

Every morning, I wake up early and sit in the green Adirondack chairs in front of the art Shac and either sit and listen to birds or read my book. It has become my favorite, de-stressing, spot in all of camp. They are located underneath a pine tree-well, at least it has pine cones, although I am not entirely sure of the species. A squirrel and/or a chipmunk loves to scold me for sitting there and I generally get pelted with tree debris. Whenever I hear the sound a pine cone makes when it detaches from the tree, I generally cringe a bit and cover my head. So far I have not been hit, but there have been many a close call. When Eric and Heather sit there with me, they generally have to cover their coffee cups, so much stuff is being thrown. This morning I was reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night and enjoying the clouds racing past. They were low and moving very fast, and I got to wondering where they were in such a hurry to get to. No one else was outside yet, so it was rather as though I had my own private showing. Beautiful.
We are getting close to Junior Camp Special Day, and this year have chosen Harry Potter as our 'fake'. So today we are all wearing lightning bolt scars on our foreheads. All our girls think it is for the JCSD, all the rest of camp thinks it is because the book comes out tonight at midnight. I am a fan of the books, but would not necessarily wear a lightning bolt on my forehead to demonstrate my loyalty, therefore I don't know if I will be wearing it for much longer. We'll see.

Camp Out

The first camp out for my girls happened last night, and I was all set for pandemonium, like last year's debacle. To set the stage, therefore, I pretty much laid down the law: they were going to go to the campfire, they were going to sleep out in the tents, and there was not going to be any complaints or tears about it, or we would have some consequences. It worked. They went, they sucked it up, and they didn't give me or any of their counselors grief about it. I was the only one on last night, so I had all 5 lower jr bunks. After I had the other 3 settled, I went down to the 2 at the campfire and made sure they were all settled and not crying or carrying on. All was well. It was even peaceful enough that I got a chance to watch the stars a little bit on my walk. There were fireflies zipping around the tops of the trees, and it was so amazing to look up between the spaces of leaves and see firefly flickers and far beyond them the familiar presence of the stars. All in all, I was happy with not having hysterical campers.
Today we are on rainy day schedule. It is pouring and looks to be so all day. I am rather content with that, to be honest. I've got my rain coat and my rain boots on. We also need the rain. Our water-table is so low that we can't have Aquarama this summer. We are approaching the draught stage very quickly. It hasn't been that humid, for which I am thankful. I am also slowly getting my voice back.

Harry Potter Excitement

Ahh for a much needed day off! I had last night off, as well, and that was doubly wonderful. Yesterday I ended up going into the lake fully clothed. Heather came with me to the lake with my girls from Bunk 21. I must say, they are my favorites--in spite of the fact that I know I shouldn't have favorites. Those girls are just so full of fun and they all get along, which amazes me. The other two bunks really are good girls too, but I can't help but love my Bunk 21 a bit more than the rest. I am constantly in 19 or 20 for one thing or another, but 21 is where I would like to be all the time, so I guess it does balance out. Anyway, Heather came down to get in some play time, and we were kayaking with the girls. That meant that of course our butts were wet anyway. So when they brought out the huge surfboards for a free swim...the temptation to stand on them was just too much. So Heather, the counselor in 21, Emily, and myself hopped on them as well. We all were able to stand, except Emily who did a nice belly flop in the attempt. Heather and I didn't end up going in on our stands, which was nice--slack-lining improves the balance! A couple of my girls returning from their soccer win decided to be pirates and take over my surfboard, thus rendering me in the water. The walk back up was wet and delightful.
We went out for breakfast today and watched Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix. I liked it. I had been hearing it was all dark and scary, but I don't think so. Not anymore so than the huge snake in the second one, or even the werewolf in the 3rd. Everyone here is speculating about the book coming soon...can't wait to read it. I myself have mixed opinions. I am looking forward to it, but in true Harry Potter geek-dom, am also going to be a little sad because it is all over.

My Baby!

New picture of Kaelan I just received in an email from Kat. I miss him so much! He's adorable! And all you Griz alums, check out the shirt!