A Little Sooner

We are back in Montana. Originally the plan was to head here on the 23rd so we could be home for Christmas Eve and spend time with Brandt and Ash and little Will and mom and dad and everyone else. We left on the 18th instead.
Grandma Lena is in the hospital. She is looking much better after numerous blood transfusions but we all needed to be here right now. I don't foresee them letting her out in the immediate future. She has leukemia. They have not started any treatment yet because her kidneys weren't up to it and now I am not sure if they will. The chances of the chemo working are not good.
And then I got bad news from our soldier in Iraq. He is fine and everything is fine over there, but his family in the States was in a car accident and hospitalized.
This is shaping up to be quite the holiday, isn't it?

There And Back Again

Ok, I just actually watched The Lord of the Rings and that was stuck in my head--it has nothing whatsoever to do with this very long-overdue blog. Or maybe it does!

I took the GREs and got my score--my math sucked!!! But I got an excellent verbal and written. Good enough to get me into the schools I want, I think. As for that, I have applied for San Diego State for Criminology. BUT I recently developed a crush on a grad school in Phoenix--global affairs and management. Here is a bit about that: geo-political economy, international relations and foreign-language study needed to make a positive difference in regard to international conflict resolution, sustainable economic development, humanitarian relief and human rights. RIGHT??? I know, I have a total and complete crush. Sigh. I just have to make up my mind now.

As for the rest of life, the boys and I have just recently adopted a soldier. He is in the Special Forces over in Iraq right now and we are very much enjoying sending him messages, mail, and care packages. We email every day and he responds on the days he is on base and not out on a mission somewhere. We are very proud of our soldier and would like to encourage any of you to adopt one yourself! They need all the support they can get. Our soldier has been away from home for the past 4 birthdays and 3 Christmases--just an example of what they are giving up for all of us. We are very proud of our soldier--he's our hero!

It is the Holiday Season and I hope that everyone has found Christmas because trust me, it is already out there!

And Here We Go

I have been back at work since the first of September--and yes, I am finally on my last legs at Precision Prosthetics & Orthotics. I am taking the GREs on October 23rd, and keeping my fingers crossed that I get a decent score so that I can get into grad school for next fall. Criminology! After which, I want to join the FBI.

There you have it.

I have been studying like a mad woman, all while working 9 to 5 and playing with my boys in my down-time. Busy busy busy!

Spokane!

Mom and I are in Spokane, WA, for her National Rural Letter Carriers' Association conference. While Mom is sitting through meetings I am exploring the nearby campuses of Gonzaga and Eastern Washington--research for grad school, you know--hanging out in the park with the geese, reading soooo much, and playing the Xbox. It is a pretty sweet little place. Although more than one person has told me that Spokane is the place to find Meth, I don't think I'm going to let that ruin my experience here. I haven't seen any drug deals go down right in front of me, so I'm just going to pretend it doesn't exist for the week. Thanks, friends, for all the meth updates. Sheesh. Anyway, we have been finding some interesting little stores and watched Inception in IMAX. There is another IMAX theater that is playing an Everest movie that I would love to go see. We'll be here until this Saturday and then back to MT.

Home!

I made it!

Of course saying goodbye on Friday morning was sad--I was doing ok until I hugged Gary Brown goodbye. Then it went down from there, and I cried saying bye to everyone else.

The bus ride was ok. We had one girl throw up--I always have a puker on my bus. At least she made it in the little bag I gave her. Then when we got to Long Island the car service came to pick us up. 14 bags--8 of that big suitcases--for 5 people and one black sedan. You do the math. I wasn't about to sit there and wait for another ride to the airport, though, so I made sure everything fit. We didn't have leg room--Katie up front was sitting cross-legged, and the 3 of us in the back weren't doing too much better. And then the driver took us straight through Manhatten, through China Town, and into the Holland Tunnel. It took forever.

I stayed in a hotel at Newark that night and then went to the airport at 5:30 in the morning for my 7:50 flight. I of course went to the wrong air carrier to check in. I thought I was flying Northwest but I was flying United instead. Suckiness! That didn't make me miss my flight, but it did mean I didn't get breakfast. I popped some Dramamine because I didn't want a repeat of the flight over and that put me to sleep for the entire 3 hours until Denver. Then I took more Dramamine and slept from Denver to Great Falls.

I also sat next to 3 military guys in civilian clothes that were headed to Montana for the first time. They asked me if I was stationed in Great Falls, to which I kind of laughed, because I clearly do not look like I am in the military. Do I? Anyway, the guy next to me called in on his cell phone before we took off and said he was Agent something-or-other. That was intriguing. He had a military backpack and a Marine tattoo on his arm. I wonder just what they were doing...

And then I arrived and proceeded to switch cell phone carriers to Verizon and to buy a new cell phone. I didn't really want internet on my phone, but after seeing the other cell phone options I went with the Ally Android smartphone--it was the only one that wasn't a step down from my current cell phone. And so now I have unlimited text, 5 friends, and unlimited data. It is so strange to have Gmail on my phone and to be able to Facebook. But I totally dig my star charts and all my GPS capabilities.

Mom and I are off to Spokane, Washington, for the week.

Ciao!

Last Day Sadness

The next time you hear from me, I will be back home in Montana...

We are packing today. My bunks are all finished currently, with the exception of bathroom baskets and the like.

It is also POURING rain right now. Not happy about that. I don't want to have a wet banquet night because there isn't much we can do with them. Outdoors is our friend tonight. And what about the last campfire and the launching of the candles into the lake??? And singing the Alma Mater for the last time?? Joe Widman asked me to stand by him for the Alma Mater. It was so nice! He's Bill's brother and in charge of the laundry every summer at camp. He's been here for like 15 years or so and has joined the list of my favorite people at camp.

I am all packed up and ready for tomorrow, when I will board a bus for Long Island, NY.

Talk to you all soon!

Take That!

Final Fight! And Sing, of course, as you can't have one without the other.

Green won Color War!!!! I think it was extremely close this summer, though.

Batman was in the Final Fight, as was James Bond, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Superman, a guy riding a horse, the giant hotdog, Spongebob, and I think that might have been it--oh yeah, and the Monster bad-guys from the Color War break. Needless to say, there was a little too much happening in all directions to really focus on any one person. The guy riding the horse went down quick, as did Spongebob, but Batman acquitted himself well. The giant hotdog had everyone kicking him at one point but he squirmed out while they were distracted and won the fight.

Color War is officially over. That leaves us one cleaning day on Wednesday and one packing day on Thursday.

Then I am on a bus to Long Island, NY.

And then I am on a plane for Montana!!! And then I am home.

Camp Thinking

Last night was Rope Burn/Kettle Boil--my least favorite activity during Color War. And of course I was on for it again this summer. 5 summers of watching water boil and ropes burn...

HOWEVER, this summer I was pleasantly surprised! Due to some intense prepatory work beforehand, the entire event took 18 minutes and wasn't long enough for my butt to fall asleep on the bench or for my hands and feet to get numb from cold. And the girls didn't have to cheer for an hour and get bored. Surprise number 1! I actually enjoyed it.

After walking back from the office I ran into Dan and Joe Widman, Bill's brother. Joe proceeded to tell Dan that I was one of his favorite people on camp. It was so nice! It made me smile last night.

Marjori told me that I need to go to Senior Camp last night. Another surprise moment. Marjori has previously told me that I need to stay with her. She is right, though. I need a new challenge. I was even contemplating not coming back next summer--thinking about running off to work in the circus or aboard a ship or something. Maybe go to Africa. Greece. Who knows. And now I have to do some serious thinking, because going to Senior Camp would definitely be a challenge. And I would get my old girls, who I absolutely LOVE and who I have kept in contact with this summer for hang-out time.

I don't know. I think I will just enjoy the last 5 days and get myself home and think about it later.

6 Days!

Camp is almost over. It is the final weekend, the last Saturday, the last Sunday BBQ, the last Leadership night, the last stretch, the point where I can see the finish line.

Sad days.

And yet, I am ready. I am always ready to be over when it happens. I will still miss everyone and it will be sad to say goodbye.

I am on a bus to Long Island this summer. Then a car and driver will take me to the airport and I will get on a shuttle bus to my hotel where I will get some much-needed sleep before getting up at the crack of dawn to board yet another shuttle back to the airport where I will be leaving on a jet-plane for home!

Mira!

Carnival! We were Group Leaders--as in, all the Group Leaders ever do is sit in the Adirondack chairs and do string or walk around in our polos with our clipboards. It was a way to poke fun at ourselves a bit because we definitely know how busy we are and just how much work we do at camp. I was an Adirondack chair and Danielle sat on me. We are at the very end of the group, against the wall.

So Much

We have been just humming along here at Bryn Mawr. List time!

1. Chocolate Banana Night! I wore my Chocolate Banana Night skirt--the orangey-gold one with the hibiscus flowers--and a very interesting yellow slicker with hood. We surprised the girls in a good way and had some bananas dipped in chocolate. Still don't really understand the significance of that night, to be honest.

2. We have been having the BEST clues regarding Color War! All James Bond-esque. The final clue last night involved a boat chase on the lake with homemade rocket launchers that shot fireworks. It was so awesome! I love stuff like that.

3. Carnival! I was an Adirondack chair, dressed all in green with soccer socks on my arms and legs. I have a perma-green eyebrow right now thanks to that costume--we painted our faces to look like the pointy Adirondack chair backs.

4. I hit the outlet stores last Friday and found the best deals. I snagged a North Face jacket for a ridiculous price in the best shade of blue ever. And I bought my first ever pair of Uggs. Yes, I did. But they don't look like your typical pair of Uggs. They have a zipper up the back and just look like really nice boots. I think they are the nicest pair of boots I have ever owned, to be honest.

5. Less than 2 weeks!

6. I talked to Kaelan and Kameron last night on the phone and it was AMAZING! I miss them so much! Kaelan and I decided we would ride our bikes all around the world, starting with the park and then going to Australia. Kam wants to come too and he'll be in charge of security, ie, wrestling crocodiles.

7. I have a cold. Sad face. I can't breathe out of my nose very well and have no voice.

Livin' La Vida Bryn Mawr

Soooo much has been going on since I last posted! That is understandable, considering a day at camp is more like a week in the real world. Let me see if I can remember some highlights...

Many days and nights off filled with much-needed sleep, great dinners and hangouts with friends, and of course, the Ice Cream Cottage. Oh Ice Cream Cottage, how I heart you! I am off tomorrow, too, and very excited to be heading to the outlet stores. Except I don't have anything on my list to buy because I can't fit it in my luggage!

My girls have been good for the most part. Little fights and misunderstandings and hurt feelings--nothing that can't be fixed with a little listening and some hugs. I really like this age group.

Weather has been fairly rainy and when it isn't rainy it's really warm. Not sure I like that. Am so ready for air conditioning!

Almost heading into Color War, but I don't know what the break will be. I imagine I'll hear soon.

Went to yoga with my girls this morning and had an absolute BLAST! I loved our instructor and wish I could take her class back home. She is by far the best yoga instructor I have ever had. I took some really good poses away from the class and a great idea with some rocks that I am going to do with Kaelan and Kameron.

All in all I am in good spirits and really making the most of these last 2 weeks with my friends here and my girls.

Lions and Tigers and...Woodchucks

We went for a hike yesterday with all the Upper Juniors. Our original all-day hike at the Promised Lands was cancelled due to weather so this one was rescheduled as a baby hike to the Hundred Acre Woods from 10 until lunchtime. I was ok with that. We were going to do some berry picking and that is always fun. Once there, the boys had the girls 'snipe hunting' like they always do--when it got really quiet and the adventure/trek guys decided to split up and have the girls all do 'hoo rahs' while they walked in front. Come to find out, a woodchuck had been spotted.

Woodchuck=bear.

In this case it was a black bear that was also berry picking and we happened to come upon it. The girls had no clue. The boys handled it very well. Gil showed me the spot where it had been lying down and eating the berries. We proceeded to pick berries and made it back without any further mishaps.

I do enjoy life at camp!

Last night was square dancing. It was fun. I learned a Jamaican line dance that I am totally going to teach the boys because they would love it! Especially Kaelan. Of course, he and Kameron would want to add some booty dance to it because that is their signature move.

3 weeks left, people, and then I see you all!

Explanation

How about I give a little background information as to why receiving my Angel should make me so happy?

Ok, that's what I thought.

Here we go: Our girls at Bryn Mawr are referred to as "Bryn Mawr Angels" and the Angel is on all our logos. I suppose you'd call it our mascot. :) Anyway, every Bunk One girl gets her Angel--which is a silver Angel necklace pendant--at the beginning of her Bunk One summer and not before. For staff, if it is your 5th summer you get your own silver Angel necklace pendant. The Angel is something that all the girls look up to and strive to receive--a super special reminder of all that you've done and all that you've worked for to reach this stage. Seeing how reverent all the little girls are about these necklaces, you definitely come to see it as more than what it is, even as a staff member. I didn't really get the significance of it until after my first summer here, but now I am super happy and excited to be included in the 'wearing of the Angel'. I didn't cry, but it was close.

And I shall include a picture of me wearing my Angel sometime soon.

Cheers!

Happiness Is....

Riding the giant fish while eating a root beer barrel, but since I am no longer in Missoula and I gave up root beer barrels due to the color they turn my tongue, this entry will have to be different.

Visiting Day went really well. It was so hot in my polo! I have a nice sunburn momento in the shape of a triangle from the polo's button area because I didn't think about putting sunscreen there. My face didn't get burned and I put so much lip sunblock on my lips that I am positive I won't have a repeat of last summer. All the parents were lovely and the kids had a good time. And this summer I didn't eat too much! I only had 2 cookies at the cookie tent. They had fruit as an option this summer and I did enjoy that very much. We had our pool moment after the parents left and it was heavenly to be in the water. Then Male Beauty! I wore a pretty sweet Hawaiian style shirt with shorts and sandals. I think I was going for a dude-on-a-cruise look. It was fun.

And afterwards....

I GOT MY ANGEL!!!!

It was a very moving ceremony and I almost wish I had more time to absorb the whole thing. There were only 5 of us who got our Angels as staff and it was so awesome. I had to be wearing my Male Beauty get-up, but oh well. I have worn worse to camp.

JCSD, the Blob, Food Coma!

JCSD was on Tuesday--a whopping 2 weeks earlier than it normally is. And boy did that ever make a difference. The problem is that the first 2 weeks of camp are so busy that we didn't really get a jump on planning like we normally do. We had decided the theme should be video games before the girls got here, but that was about it. By the time we got around to planning it and really setting all the events in motion, we were like 2 days away. Not a good thing, for multiple reasons. We did not do a half-ass job, though--everything was done very thoroughly. We just didn't get it to people with enough time. We got called on it and consequently Heather and I cried. We had been working on that soooo hard and we were completely wrapped up in the whole situation and stressed to the max. We had filmed the break with Matt--I was Luigi, Heather was Mario. You'll have to check out the video on the website if you have that log-in. Anyway, we eventually got everything in the right order and the day went off with an actual rainy day plan that worked well. It was probably my least favorite JCSD ever. Except for our T-shirts! They were a stencil of the fireflower from Super Mario with "This Is Why I'm Hot" under it. So awesome! Heather did an amazing job screen-printing our shirts for us.

I went to the lake today with my girls in Bunk 13 and was the celebrity blobber off the Aqua jump. The very first blob I did I landed hard on my bad wrist and saw stars--quite literally. I felt my face go white and everyone asked if I was ok. I just crawled back up on the jump and shook it off. I did a second blob and then swam back to the dock with one arm up in the air. It feels much better now. It just did not like that jamming action.

On a completely unrelated note, I watched Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz last week and LOVED it! If you haven't seen it, you should.

Tonight I am doing a Counselor Appreciation Party at 10:30 on Cabin Row. I was off tonight and went to Wal-Mart, where I purchased massive quantities of junk food. Their requests? Double-Stuff Oreos with frosting to dip them in and anything with peanut butter. Ok then. I complied, with some soft cookies thrown in for Jess, my Co-GL, who does not like store-bought cookies unless they are from the bakery.

One of my girls met with Bob Ditter today. I am very impressed with Bob. I feel as though he should make a T-shirt that says "I dropped the rope, I've got money in the bank...AND..." on the front, with "I've been Ditterized" on the back. It would be a money maker!

Still no angel. Sad. Maybe tomorrow night?

Anniversary Night

Got my 5 year jacket! It's a fleece in Bryn Mawr green with my name and the logo stitched on it. And...no angel. Sad! Hopefully soon though. Last night Anniversary night landed on a Friday, which is also Talent Show, so I think that is why they didn't do it. I think they like to make a bigger deal out of it and not share it with 5 million other things. I'll keep you posted!

Heat Wave

It has been soooo hot here! Starting probably the 5th and going up until yesterday, when it finally, blissfully, broke. We had almost in the 100s with plus plus plus humidity these past 4 days and everyone has been cranky, uncomfortable, sweaty, sunburned, and just plain OVER IT!! I had a day off on Tuesday due to the girls going to Dorney Park and it was glorious--if a bit hot. We watched the new Tom Cruise movie and ate non-camp food. Wednesday and Thursday were long days of trying to go in the water as often as possible and avoid sunburns. I have been in the lake so much that I still smell faintly of lake water--after 2 showers?? Yeah, that's lovely. And yesterday while on the surfboards with my bunk 13 and Heather, something tried to swim up my lifejacket! I moved back a little bit in the water and felt it give me a good buffet in the middle of my back--much like those giant Tarpin did in the Grand Caymens, except they were almost 4 feet long and probably weighed 100 pounds or better. This was just a little something. I am hoping it was a fish and not a snake. Eww, I don't even want to think about it if it was a snake. Anyway, after that lake experience the heat started to break and we got some rain about dinner time. Lovely! Our evening activity was a GL night that Jess and I had planned. She was off so I ran it. It was themed skits in a bag and our girls had so much fun. They did a really great job with their skits. Then I sat OD until 10:30, actually got cold on OD, hallelujah, and Beau brought me a social cookie! I was so excited about that. I had been wanting one all evening. Social cookies, by the way, are the cookies they serve for the Senior Camp socials with whatever boys' camp is here. I ate my social cookie and went to bed. And today is also hot, but not as hot--there is a bit of a breeze, at least. Off tomorrow!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Brought my Batman bear to b'fast this morning because it was late sleep and jim-jam brunch. Jim-jams are your pjs, by the way. The boys and I call them that.

Got to do two glorious dock jumps for no reason whatsoever other than it was HOT today--and I have a standing Gary Brown invite to jump off the dock whenever I want, even if no one is down there, just as long as I wear a lifejacket. Of course I'm going to wear a lifejacket...I can't swim with only one arm that well and with the lifejacket I bob really well. Gil ducktaped my baggie over my splint this time. It still got wet. Oh well.

Finished my JCSD stuff--game and things I needed to put together. Will tell you the theme on the actual day.

Watched the fireworks tonight and wasn't that homesick, considering this is my worst night at camp. I sooooo want to be home with my family right now, watching fireworks with my babies, cuddling my Kamo.

Just one more day and then the girls go to Dorney and I get a day off!

Birthday Dock Jump 2010!

Yay! Birthday Dock Jump 2010! My favorite part of being at camp for my birthday.

Notice the baggie over my splint.

It was cold this morning! The water was warm, but there was a definite breeze.

Pics: What I Have Been Up To

Staff Olympics! Wearing a toga is just not the same when you have a splint. :(

Blindfolded for that trust-game. Ridiculous. At least my wrist was ok then.

Pointing at fireworks for my 4th of July skit with Christine. I really dug my socks.

Torture!

Took a couple girls on a play-date to the Aqua jump today and could not go in the water! It was awful! Next time I am bringing a baggie and a rubber band to keep my splint dry so that I can actually go in. I think with the splint I can handle it--without it, no way. It feels like it is going to fall in two if I don't wear my splint.

Ok, off to a meeting.

Peace.

Honeymoon What?

There is no way this was the first full day of camp. Firstly, the girls act like they've never left--there is absolutely no honeymoon period whatsoever. At least not for the Upper Juniors. I have launched into it already.
And I am tired and I smell bad.
I went to gym tryouts and sat with Bill, who proceeded to say that my wrist was broken at least 3 times. I told him it isn't and he said that we don't know that for sure. Well, we don't know that it is, either! I do have the number for an orthopedic Dr. that I will be calling later, so I will keep you updated on that.
I smell. Did I mention that? SOOOO humid today.
Sat OD until after 11 last night and had zero criers. Hoping that tonight will be just as quiet and maybe I'll get to go at 10:30 instead.
Really want to jump off the dock but am unsure about if that will be the best thing for the wrist. Dancing with the staff tonight!

Camp Is Beginning

Yay! Camp starts today!
Staff camp is over, which is sad, but real camp starts.
And here we go...

Leftie and Other Impressions

I am a leftie for a little while and have decided to make it a positive experience for me. I am going to be the best leftie ever for the time that I am one. I am already very good at eating left-handed and because of prior tooth-brushing practice I am already pretty good at that with my left.
I also decided that the sling was bringing me down, emotionally, so I have adiosed it. Considering as how yesterday was the first time in 5 summers that I have wanted to go home, I knew something wasn't right. This morning it hit me. The sling! It makes me feel even worse about the situation and I can't use that arm AT ALL, not even for little things. And it, at least in my own mind, makes me feel like the broken thing is already true and we don't know that for sure.
So no more sling! And today has gone much better already.
Plus I can feel my fingers much better and they aren't swollen today for the first time.

Unhappy

I am not happy with my entire situation.
Feel confused about sudden transition to leftie, unhappy because I hurt a lot, sad that I can't join in any fun activities, completely and 100% superfluous because I can't help with ANYTHING....
This is the first summer I have wanted to go home! :(

Ouch

This is short--typing with left hand only.
Soccer accident yesterday--someone kicked the ball and it hit my wrist and dislocated it. Went to ER and had an X-ray last night. They can't tell if it is broken. Will know more in a few days. Hurts soooooo bad!

Week Goes On

We have been super-busy here at Bryn Mawr. Writing introduction letters to parents, someday making my calendars, going to sessions and participating in evening activities. I am leading a session after lunch today on the Angel Code with Tina. Last night was Rick Kelly--yes, I danced the electric slide. Much better at that than I was in previous summers. Missing my boys--I wish I could bring Kameron and Kaelan here for a visit. They would love everything that we do and I'm sure everyone else would love them. The girls get here on Saturday--do we really only have this week left??

Slackline

I set up my slackline this morning because we are just chilling until the general staff arrive. I set it up super-high and almost couldn't get on the thing. I'm talking above my hip high. I had to really bounce to get up, but I walked it! Except it was so humid that I was dripping by the time I finished my 45 minutes, so I took it down and went inside to hydrate.

General staff arrive today! Gone is the peaceful leadership week...dropping into the roller coaster of staff week and ending with the girls arriving. Ahh camp.

List Time!

1. I am having a bed issue--bed was too hard, even with egg crate. Added another mattress and bed was too soft and I cannot sleep like a taco every night. It was so bad I didn't even need a pillow because my feet and my head were too elevated. Now I am trying the one mattress on the bottom, board in between, mattress on top approach. Wish me luck, cuz I have been stumbling around like a zombie for the past 4 days without enough sleep and at camp I NEED my sleep, the 5 hours I average a night.

2. Have I only been at camp for 4 days, not counting today???

3. Today we did a session with Bill regarding the gym and what our GL role is--this was mainly for the new GLs and the returning staff who haven't been a GL. At the end, Bill stands up and says that he is going to leave and that once he is gone I will then tell them how I manage him, because we have never had an issue and that he knows I must have some tricks that I can share. He leaves and everyone looks at me. My response? A shrug. Bill likes me and I have no idea why. I know people here that are just as competent as me and he doesn't talk about them like he does me. So either I'm completely blind to my own abilities--and I doubt it--or Bill just really likes me and that is all there is to it.

4. We went out for dinner tonight with all the GLs and the Division Heads. Good times.

5. Tomorrow the general staff arrive. I am going to be assigning lockers to those who need them. I am so happy I will not be going on the bus this summer. It was very tiring last summer.

Blindfolded

This morning we did team-building again--and this year I was once more the blindfolded one. Last summer I didn't mind so much because I could kind of see out of the blindfold and it wasn't as scary having to walk on plastic lids and up on benches and across boards and swing across a rope. This summer? They got much better blindfolds.

I did not like it one little bit. I was always just standing there, superfluous, until someone moved me or remembered to explain what they were doing at that moment. The only picture I had in my head was what I remembered seeing of the set-up before they blindfolded me, so that didn't help much. A little, but not much. Have you ever tried to ask someone something when you can't see them to know if they are listening? Usually I just asked and hoped someone would answer me. I must admit, they did take pretty good care of me. I never fell off of anything and I never was shoved or forgotten. The rope swing was the worst. Joe moved me to the rope and just kind of shoved me off. Being on the bench wasn't too fun, either. We had to walk on the bench and get into some kind of order--height, I believe it was. At one point I had to get down and hug the bench so someone could step over me because they couldn't fit past. Yet again, I never fell off.

And so, that having ended--our team was just positive we were winning, until they pointed out that it wasn't a race. Ooops. Anyway, once I took off my blindfold I had trouble with my eyes adjusting. I had to keep blinking and everything looked slightly blurry. Not a fan of being blindfolded. At least I can still see, right?

Details

So I thought I was going to be able to finish blogging about my cruise with Mom last April--and that never happened. Sorry about that. Perhaps someday I will post some pictures.

As of right now, however, I am in Honesdale, PA, back for my 5th summer at Bryn Mawr! Yay! For once I didn't overpack, either. And my carry-on was relatively light, considering the past summers I haven't been able to carry everything.

The flight from Great Falls to Denver was so bumpy and turbulent I had my first episode of motion sickness on an airplane. I was pretty positive I was about to experience throwing up in one of those small, impractical paper bags that they have in all the seatback pockets. And I was not looking forward to it. In fact, I think throwing up wouldn't have been so bad--it was the fact that I had to do it in front of however many people. Gross! And to make matters worse, a guy behind me was throwing up and a girl in front of me was throwing up--and that sound does not do any favors for a person who is on the verge of throwing up anyway. The entire descent to Denver I was digging my fingernails into my arm, chanting "You are not going to throw up". And I didn't! My arm was pretty scratched up, though. I didn't mind the fact that we were tossing all over the place. My thoughts were so focused on not throwing up. It was pretty awful.

And I am now here!! I am still trying to get adjusted. There are so many new people. The good thing about us returners, though, is that we are all super-close, even with people that we weren't close with before. I guess that happens once you're a lifer.

I have my own room and a sink in there, so I am happy as can be. About to go on a mattress-stealing escapade, though, as I have a metal bed with broken springs and Bill put a board on there last summer for me and there are now 2 boards. Even with an egg crate I am in pain. I feel old. When I was younger, I could sleep on anything.

I am the Upper Junior GL this summer yet again--I love that position. And my co-GL is Jess Maas, who was the Lower Junior GL last summer. So I am thrilled to have someone that I like!

More later!

Cruise!

I was unable to use the internet while on the ship, so I figured I'd talk about every day from what I put in as a journal entry.

And here is Day 1!

Flying to Houston on Saturday, April 17th. None of the flights were long, but we changed planes 3 freaking times, so that made for a really long day. We woke up at 5 and got to Houston at about 6. We checked into our hotel, had dinner, and went to bed really early.

Day 2

We had a very nice breakfast this morning and made it to the airport with no problems. Everyone else we met were taking the trans-Atlantic cruise for 2 weeks, and we were very definitely not. I felt kind of like a loser for a second or two--or at least like we were completely out of the loop. Apparently the new thing in cruising is to cruise to Europe and fly back home. Who knew?

Then they told us to wait in the wrong spot and when we finally made it to our shuttle, it was full. Which meant we ended up boarding another bus at least an hour later than we were supposed to. Oh well. I guess we did end up getting there.

After reaching the Cruise Terminal, they attempted to put my bags on the Royal Caribbean ship that was heading to Spain! I finally got them to take the tags off and we made it to the Carnival ship--with the 6 other people who were also not cool enough to cruise trans-Atlantically.

And talk about lines inside! It was way worse than any airport, ever. But I guess when you try to get 3000 people onboard a ship at once, there are bound to be lines. We made it without feeling too uncharitable about our fellow man.

Once we got on the ship, this is what we found....

A seal waited for us after our Steward made our room ready for the night. I really liked the towel animals.

A coast guard ship escorted us out into the Gulf of Mexico

Our room wasn't too small--but we didn't have a window, so no natural light would come in to wake us up.

We left Galveston at 5 and headed out into the Gulf of Mexico. We went to dinner at 6 and met our two waiters--Noel and Noel, who we referred to as Noel 1 and Noel 2 for the duration. Noel 2 was my personal favorite. They knew our names and remembered everything that we liked to eat and drink at dinner. Plus they danced for us and sang for us. We met our room steward. He made us a towel animal every night.

We really liked the people we sat by during dinner. We also made a decision to walk from deck 2 all the way up to 9 when we had to eat so that we would keep the pounds off.

More later!

2 Weeks!

My Caribbean vacation is swiftly approaching! Mom and I booked our zipline tour while we're in Jamaica, and today I booked us to go out on a pirate ship while we're in the Grand Caymens. I think the rest of it we'll just play by ear. I am so ready to be there. We got more snow today...boo! Snow for Easter, yet again. I guess it's like old times, right? I barely remember a nice warm Easter egg hunt.

Oi

I just spent my Friday afternoon writing my boss' personal ads for online dating sights. I think that sentence about sums everything up nicely.

Haiti Trip

Getting ready for the Haiti trip

Kamil is finally going to Haiti this weekend--there have been many setbacks, not the least being the Haitian government imposing a sizeable tax on any donated materials. Either they get to take half of anything you bring into the country, or they tax it--at a very outrageous sum, I might add. I understand they have no revenue, but to attempt to get it by taxing medical supplies and other donations?? Not cool. Anyway, so the trip has finally come together. Today was especially long. A t-shirt shop here in town donated so many sweatshirts--for the rainy, cold season Haiti is approaching--shirts, hats, shorts, and some little kid clothes. So we were going through all of that and packing Kamil's tubs with casting material. The plan is for Kamil and his two helpers to cast for the entire 10 days they will be there, and then for them to bring the casts back and for the prostheses to be built at Precision. After that, Kamil will return to fit the prostheses and hopefully cast some more. We are also starting an Adopt an Amputee program through Wyoming Haiti Relief, kind of like those sponsor a kid things except instead of food you would be helping them get a prosthesis, either a leg or an arm.

Will

Here is a picture of Will attempting to crawl--at the tender age of almost 3 months. Check out those eyes!

Living the Dream

I last posted that I had come down with pneumonia--lovely condition. Well, after I had been taking my medication for a week, I got really sick and then I started breaking out in hives. Back to the Dr. I am allergic to Biaxin. Good to know. Am now on a different medication for my pneumonia and can finally go back to work--it's only been 3 weeks of missing at least 3 days a week. I need a paycheck!

Kurt and Kat took the boys to Germany on Thursday morning. I am house-sitting, dog-sitting, cat-sitting, and fish-sitting. I am ok with being here solo. I get to go on my own vacation in April, after all. Except the dogs have decided that they can act out--being such neglected puppies, of course. They have eaten the entire contents of Kat's purse, peed on the couch pillows, and raided the boys' playroom. I am about ready to sell them!

I took them for a long walk this morning through almost knee-deep snow and am now contemplating the new Alice in Wonderland in 3D.

Winter Blahs

I came down with something on Thursday that has kept me more or less in bed for these past 4 days. And I am probably going to be staying there for a couple more, at least. My chest hurts and my head hurts and I have had a pretty good fever, too. Finally I went to the Urgent Care and discovered that I am the happy recepient of bronchial pneumonia. Lucky me! I got a prescription for some pretty good drugs complete with codeine cough syrup because the Dr. doesn't want me coughing--that is hard to do in this case. My poor lungs are just full of gunk. At least it is a light case. Hopefully I'll start feeling better and my fever will go away so I can go back to work. I'm already bored of staying home.

And This Is Why Life Is Fun

Mom and I booked our cruise! We leave on April 17 to fly to Galveston, TX, and from there we go to Jamaica, the Grand Caymens, and Cozumel--a whole week of sailing adventure! And who needs a porthole anyway??
Yes, we booked the cheap, interior room--but we did get a free upgrade, so we are no longer in the propeller! And perhaps there will be enough lifeboats for us. Ok, enough Titanic humor.
And now to wait until April...

3D

So my previous 3D movie experience has been limited to those dorky plastic glasses that you can tear out of a magazine and then on TV they have something that they say is 3D but really doesn't feel all that 3D. And then this summer we took the girls of Bryn Mawr to see G-Force, that Guinea pig movie, in 3D. And yeah, it was more 3D than before, but still, it was G-Force. I'm sure there is only so much you can do with a movie about talking, fighting, special-forces, Government agent, Guinea pigs.

We went to see Avatar yesterday in 3D. And the glasses weren't the plastic kind--they were pretty heavy-duty. They were so heavy-duty that my ears hurt by the end of the movie because of those monstrosities resting on them. But they worked much better than any other 3D glasses I've worn. And by blogging about this I am showing just how much of a nerd I really am, because I had the best time in that movie. Not necessarily the message part, which was basically Ferngully meets Pocahontas, or even the fact that Sam Worthington was one of the major leads, but because it felt like I was there. Yep, I'm a nerd. I buy into the whole experience. And I really liked feeling like they were right in front of me, even more so than on a screen.

And yes, I returned the glasses.

Haiti

Kamil has decided he wants to go offer his services as a prosthetist in Haiti. We received an email from the ABC--American Board of Certification in Prosthetics and Orthotics--that over 70 people are losing limbs a day down there right now. Yikes! They have an organization called Healing Hands For Haiti that you can either donate money to or join if you are a certified Prosthetist/Orthotist, PT, nurse, doctor, etc. I spent most of today filling out the volunteer information and writing a radio ad that asks for old braces, prosthetic legs, arms, etc that people are going to throw away. Kamil will take the componentry and customize new sockets for the victims in Haiti with the old parts.

Then he asked if I want to go with him.

Although I am completely all for anyone willing to donate their time, energy, and money to help those poor people, I do not think that I have the qualifications to do much of anything. A mastectomy fitter is not required right now. Kamil thinks I could be useful, as I have 'assisted' him in the past, but I have my doubts.

I think right now the best thing I can do is pray for them.

Anyway, Healing Hands For Haiti lost their clinic and are still trying to determine the safety of their staff. Their website is www.healinghandsforhaiti.org. They are completely nonprofit and have been working in Haiti for 10 years. They send prosthetists/orthotists down on a weekly basis, along with PTs, nurses, doctors, and therapists to Port Au Prince. They need your help and donations more than ever!

Family

And Baby Will makes 3!

New baby in the family means new family picture!

Things I Want To Do In 2010

Jump out of an airplane!
Go to Prague!
Get my book published!
Go back to camp for my Angel summer--5, for all you non-Bryn Mawr folks out there
Spend time with my nephews, especially the new one
Figure out the logistics of hitting where I aim with my bow

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Yay for 2010!