Serenity and Cows

I went for a walk last night on my evening off. I had originally planned on going for a long run but of course time slipped away and when I was actually able to leave the camp and start my night off, I had already eaten shabbat dinner and running with that wouldn't make me feel happy. So I went for a long walk instead. It was so nice, to be by myself without the clamor of 380 girls. However, there was a whole field full of cows that were eating and have you ever listened to the noise they make when ripping up grass? It kind of sounded like the ocean! Very cool. I closed my eyes and pretended I wasn't listening to cows eating and that I wasn't standing on the road 500 feet from a summer camp but that I was at the seashore. I would have liked to imagine I was on a sailboat, but nothing was rocking. I guess I could have swayed. Anyway, that was delightful. Then I continued on and admired the rock walls that are everywhere around here and look like the homesteaders built them when they first settled here. It truly is amazingly beautiful countryside in PA. I was also able to listen to birds instead of yells and shrill screams! Then I talked to my parents and was asleep by 9:30. And Olympics ends tonight!

Olympics

Olympics has begun! Last night we had a magician visit camp and after his show Olympics officially broke. Heather has been working non-stop on the events. I think she needs an assistant. Anyway, I helped her as much as I could between my own crazy schedule and last night it finally came together. The magician was amusing. I enjoyed him. He didn't do magic tricks so much as he did funny stuff to make the girls laugh--lots of audience participation.
And today all the games are happening. I have to say, Olympics here has never been my favorite camp event. I would actually rather crawl back into bed and go to sleep, but morning meeting wasn't too hard to get up for. It was a donut day! Gary Brown always brings donuts mondays, wednesdays, and fridays.
We also got our collared polo leadership shirts. Blah. Mine is huge--yet again, although not as big as last year's. I think I could have hidden an elephant under my shirt last year. This year it is just inconvenient. Luckily it is freezing so I'm wearing my white hoodie. Oh, and today is picture day! My girls did fairly well.
I'll tell you what, I am happy I have lower juniors again this year and not my girls from last year. They grew into a whole new set of crazy problems and the new lower juniors are so mellow. I love it. I also love my counselors! They are amazing this year!
I am getting excited for my birthday! It falls on Dorney Park day, so we all have it off and no one will be on camp. I wish my family could be here. However, I do get to celebrate with my camp family and that makes me happy.

Intuition

Yesterday was my day off! I did nothing but sit around--and it was delightful! I got to sit in my favorite reading spot of all time and work on my book. I'm reading Into Thin Air again, by Jon Krakaur. If you haven't read it, I recommend it. I didn't get to read very much, however, because Eric joined me, but it was nice to just sit and not have to dash off and be somewhere. Then last night I went out to dinner at Tick Tocks with Charlotte and Heather. Charlotte is fantastic! I love her. Then we went to Wal-mart, which in itself is exciting. There is nothing like going to Wal-mart on your days and nights off in Honesdale, PA.
Heather got a job in Colorado! She road-trips there September 1st! Yeah Heather!
I made a change in my camp lifestyle. The showers here are not conducive to shaving. Therefore I either shave in the sink when I get a spare minute or not at all, and since I've been so busy, the not at all has been winning. At least there really isn't anyone to impress, nor should anyone be touching my legs, so it hasn't been an issue. However, I decided, after much contemplation and discussion with other girls, to switch to the Intuition razor. Holy buckets! It changed my life this morning! It was the reason I was so happy to be awake at 6 and off to morning meeting! I am telling you, it will solve any shaving problem you may have! I love it! I think I will be shaving much more often now, which is nice. Drawback? The new cartridges are a little on the pricey side. However, I think I can make mine stretch a couple weeks. We'll see how it all works out. I was going to make it just a camp secret, but I may just be hooked.

Deep Breath

I cried this morning. I got the double dose of scary Widmans....oh man. Bill (head of gymnastics and head OD on camp) was mad about none of the counselors showing up for his meeting--which it turns out he put the wrong date on the form--and I don't know why I got the brunt of it, but I did. And hey, I'll take it for my counselors any day, because it wasn't their fault they got the wrong information. However, I don't like that I was the only GL busted for it. No worries, he has since apologized profusely and is now going above and beyond to make me feel better. Bill likes me, so that helps. And whatever, I could have dealt with that situation, but then I had to talk to Mark (head of the dining room and grouchy because of stress on good days) that one of my little girls needed chocolate milk. This little girl won't eat anything and her mom informed me last night that I needed to make sure she drinks milk twice a day. So I am feeling overwhelmed about that anyway. Mark proceeded to make me feel like a blooming idiot for even suggesting we give her chocolate milk. He wouldn't listen to any of my explanations, he pretty much dismissed me completely. It was the last straw. I was in tears. Oh, and he's apologized as well, but only after Marjori talked to him and made him feel guilty.
AND then today I had a stage-5 life sucker. This poor little girl. She's been crying non-stop since camp started and we keep being told to just be with her, she'll cry for 4 days and then she'll be fine. That is a lot of crying. Nothing we say makes her feel better. We're basically playing a giant game of hot-potato with this poor girl. I'll take her until I can't handle it, then I'll pass her off to someone else. Her poor counselors. Holy buckets.
And it isn't even lunch time yet!

Honesdale Pictures

Pictures of Niagra Falls

Pictures

Trek!

Last night was rough, I won't lie. After evening activity, I went into the ceramics studio and told Eric I was done and wanted to go home. I wasn't completely serious--only about 75%--but he shut the door and we had a nice venting session and it really helped me. So I headed back to cabin row and was able to not feel like I had made a huge mistake coming back. I got a good night's sleep and was able to wake up for the 7:30 meeting with no problem!
That having been said, I am still thrilled I am back. Just getting the Sapling every morning and seeing what all I have to do and be in charge of actually energizes me. Weird, I know. Especially having 3 cabins this year instead of 2.
I just packed one of my cabins off on a trek trip to Rickett's Glen. I was so jealous I couldn't go--I have too much other stuff going on here to leave for a day. Beau asked me to go and was still trying to convince me when they were pulling out of the parking lot--HUGE temptation! Oh well. My girls have waterski today. I'll get to be down there with them. I love going down to the lake and watching that.
Having my phone work in my cabin has been such a stress-reliever, also. I called Mom and Dad last night before I went to bed and it was just nice to have a check-in. I talked to Brandt yesterday--I think it was yesterday, the days all blend together here-- and that was good, especially as I have been worrying about him as of late, what with the tragedy that happened in South Carolina to those firefighters.
I have to head back out and put on some sunscreen--my nose burns like whoa, no matter how much I load on. What is that stuff that doesn't rub in but turns your nose different colors? I need some of that...lifeguards wear it.

Lunch? Food in general?

Wow. On the one hand, I feel so much less stressed out than last year. On the other hand, I forgot just how busy I would actually be once the girls got here. Forget seeing my friends, I don't even have time to notice that I haven't said hi to someone in a day. I saw Heather for 3 seconds today when I popped down to check my email and keep myself sane. And again, I do think I have a handle on this whole Group Leader position, so that is nice. I really love my counselors; they are doing an amazing job. My girls are cute and just good for the most part. We are embroiled in the lice check drama of the summer. So far, none of my girls have it, but we are doing final checks today. I do not have time to sit and eat. I try but mainly I shovel food in while I'm running after someone. Today at lunch I had to play musical chairs because we have peanut allergy girls and an overabundance of pb&j sandwiches in the group. Add to that one girl who won't eat anything--and I do mean anything--other than these meal replacement bars that I have to track down every day. I don't know how she survives. Her parents sent them in and said if we could 'encourage Hannah to eat more foods' it would be lovely. Yeah right. I think they all need to see a shrink. I don't know. I guess I've never encountered that picky of an eater before. Deep breath. Other than that, my spirits are high and I'm thinking this summer is going to be an upbeat one.

Arrival Day!

The campers will pull in today at 3! I am a little bit unready for them to arrive. I am feeling very positive and confident about my job this summer--as opposed to last summer. However, it just feels too soon! Crazy town. Everything is going well. I recharged my batteries yesterday and got up early to go for a run this morning. And by this time tomorrow I will be so busy. I do feel very calm going in, however. That is nice. I talked to Brandt yesterday and that was a big help to feel connected with my family again. I'll write more after the girls get here!

Toga!

It was staff Olympics today and we broke it by all the returning PDs and GLs wearing togas and parading around the dining hall during announcements. It was one of my dreams come true--to wear a toga! Now if only I could get to the others....hmmm. Eric wants to go skydiving while he's here so we said we'd look for a drop zone, but he also wants to help me be shot out of a cannon. What a nice friend, to want to help me accomplish that. Hint hint, Bryce and anyone else reading this.

It begins

Got my cabin placements last night--which means trying to connect with my staff and have fun with them and show them that I'm just here to make their lives' a little easier. We'll see how it goes. I have one girl who is super standoffish, but I'm hoping she's just shy and that she doesn't just have an aversion to working with me. We'll see. Also, I am trying to make sure my cabins are all set up, and I hate walking in and finding the bunks in the wrong places because that means I have to ask the boys to move things yet again. I feel bad doing that. They work so hard moving everything and now are unloading the girls' trunks for our unpacking day tomorrow. I did serve breakfast and let them all sit down today, so that is a bit of money in the bank, right? And I broke my sunglasses. Squinty is not a nice feeling.

Frogs and Snakes

I forgot to tell everyone my running story from 3 days ago. I was kinda looking over my shoulder at this 3-wheeler roaring by--it was kicking up rocks and I didn't want to get pelted with something. When I turned my attention back to the road in front of me, I realized I was almost ready to step onto a snake. Yep. And I'm sure you all know how I feel about snakes in general, but when one is in the middle of my stride, I am even less happy. I ended up doing this awkward hop/kick/jump thing over it, and I had the irrational fear the stupid thing was going to leap up and bite me in the leg on the way over, so I made it a high hop/kick/jump thing. I did not land prettily on the other end. My knee has been a wee bit sore because of that, but no swelling, so I'm going to keep on being positive! Anyway, the snake was tiny--the smallest one I've ever seen--but most definitely a snake, and all red and black diamond-patterned. Who knows what it was; I'm no snake expert. It did make my run a little bit more memorable.
And then last night, as I was leaving the bunker, I happened to look down and saw a frog. It was dark and hard to see, and the frog was trying to go in the same direction I was to avoid it, and in all the confusion, it ended up grabbing onto my leg. So I was hopping around trying to dislodge it, because, to be honest, it kinda freaked me out. I am not scared of frogs, but when one suction-cups itself to the back of my leg, well, I did lose my head. And Peter drove by in the golf cart and asked me why I was doing such a creative dance. "I have a frog stuck to my leg, Peter!" I finally got the little thing unattached and was trying to pick it up to transport it back down to the lake, but it wouldn't stay in my hand. It was a rather large frog, and felt very slimy on the back of my leg.
So, my adventures with reptiles and amphibians has been great thus far!

Chicken what?

And it begins. The girls are not here yet, but the general staff is and I feel like a chicken with its head cut off. You know, it hasn't been that bad all week--last week was just phenomenal. I have had free periods and socializing time and been able to run a mile. Today, that just didn't happen and it completely threw me off kilter. We had to sit down and help the division heads make cabin placements and that was a 3 hour ordeal with people yelling and talking over each other and it just was frustrating. I had to leave finally. I went and took a shower with the 15 minutes I had left before dinner. A run would have been nicer, but I didn't have time. I honestly am a little bitter about that. So consequently, I'm just in an off-mood tonight. A wee bit melancholy.
On a happy note, I found someone to play cards with. He can't beat me at Peyote or Slap yet, but he's really good at Speed and we play some other interesting games he has been teaching me. So that is delightful.
Oooh! And I am getting so TAN!

My summer home!

I am here! I got here last Saturday, but due to the sheer busyness that is Bryn Mawr and the fact that we don't have our PD/GL internet hookup in the bunker yet, I have not been online once. This is my first time. Sorry about that.
I got here and it immediately felt like home. Everyone was super-excited to see me and that made me happy. Even people I didn't talk to last year--well, now I know them very well, which is great. I'm definitely branching out of my GL world. Now I get along with the Program directors better than my GL bunch, but that's ok.
I am Lower Junior Group Leader again. My co-GL I am still not sure about. I think she'll be ok, but she's one of those really hyper, really enthusiastic people that are kinda annoying. Sweet, sweet girl. Very young. I have all the hard girls in the group and was told that my summer is going to be hectic. Oh joy. I also have 3 bunks to her 2, but that's ok. I can handle it.
There is a new ceramics PD here from Portland and he is one of the coolest people I have ever met. So far he's been my favorite to hang out with, other than Heather. He reminds me of Bryce. He is even making me a toothbrush holder. I like him.
I have been running a mile every day still and it is keeping me sane. I hope I can keep it up when the girls get here. Just a matter of taking that period off to do it.
I live in the old Program Office, where Drew was, and it makes me happy. I spent so much time in there last summer, and now whenever I open up that screen-door, it just makes me smile.
I'll write more soon!

Over the Falls in a Cell Phone

Buffalo was quite an interesting place. Fairly big--larger than I am used to. I asked Heather's friend Nick how many people lived there and he couldn't tell me. He did say I had no accent, which he found odd. He was having me say 'car' and 'bike' and all these random words, and then told me I am definitely not a New Yorker, nor do I have much inflection to tell where I am from. Very interesting...I never thought of that before.
We went to the park and had a picnic. Heather's friend Don brought his 3-year old brother, Kaden. It made me miss my monkey. I must say, Kaelan is definitely the cutest little boy I know of, and for sure the most fun. I think I talk about him too much--oops. How annoying. I don't, however, tell anyone he's the cutest and the most fun when their little one is around, so I suppose that's something.
We went to the Buffalo zoo. It was totally sketch. Poor animals. It wasn't even that hot out, and they were either hiding--which who can blame them? I'd hide from everyone staring at me day in and day out too. Or they were just standing and staring, with very dull dull eyes. You could just see it in their expressions--my life sucks. I don't think I like zoos. You'd think, oh, great, the zoo! All the animals will be perky and happy and you can see them in their habitat! Not. It was smelly and warm, with hordes of little kids on field trips, and not one animal was perky or happy. And they definitely weren't in their natural habitat, nor even a fair estimation of one, I'd say. A grizzly bear really was sad--they don't just stand there and stare at you and refuse to move a muscle. And it was all skinny, with lank fur. It was horrid. Ok, I'll get off my zoo soapbox now. I just didn't like it. Give me Glacier Park or Africa anyday.
Niagra Falls! I was a wee bit underwhelmed, I'll admit. I don't know what I was expecting, but perhaps bigger? I don't know. It was certainly cool to see. And there were tourists from all over the world there. Everyone was speaking a different language. I did take pictures, but I'll post them at camp, because the internet is faster there. And Heather almost dropped her cell phone. It made this mighty leap for freedom over the falls, but she managed to subdue it again. Rather amusing. Very sucky if she would have dropped it. I think perhaps it would be more impressive if seen from the Canadian side, but neither of us had a passport handy, so we had to stay on the American side, which is on top of the falls. Still, it was great to be able to see the Niagra Falls at last. However, the Honeymoon capital? I fail to see just why that is.

Weather blues

I think I brought the cold weather with me. I got off the plane and into humidity, but thus far it has been cold and rainy. Not cool. We did go hiking today, just behind the pond by Heather's house, and it was cold and very squelchy, due to the all the mud and wet. My legs were mud-splattered! Oh well. And it isn't as if my shoes haven't been wet before. I should have worn my rain boots.
Heather's parents are super-cool. It is very laid back around here, which is the perfect atmosphere. We've just been hanging out and having fun--we had dinner last night with Heather's friend Jim--we met him in Fort Collins, remember, Kurt and Kat?
Other than that, we've got some adventures planned already--tomorrow we head to Buffalo to the zoo and then Niagra Falls. I'm excited for Niagra Falls. I'll take plenty of pictures. Then after camp Heather and I are driving to Maine to meet her family there for vacation. I don't fly home until the 15th so we'll have 5 days there. I have always wanted to go to Maine!
So hopefully the weather will pick up soon! Enough of this cold weather. I think it will be 80 tomorrow. I'm ready, despite the humidity!

I Have Arrived!

I had previously established that flying by myself makes me grumpy. I think it is due to the rush and hurry-hurry feeling airports inspire--and perhaps the fact that I can't seem to pack my carry-ons lightly AT ALL...and then the seats are inevitably uncomfortable and way too straight-up-and-down for the human spine.
Well, not this year! I arrived at both destinations with a completely unhurried, ungrumpy frame of mind. Yes, my carry-ons were beastly heavy and completely bloody hindering awkward, and yes, the seats were super uncomfortable and cramped. However, my first leg from Grt. Falls to Minneapolis went super-quick due to the very pleasant company of the lady sitting next to me. She was a grandmother-type, and we shared a bit of our lives on the way to Minneapolis and it was delightful.
Once at the airport I had about 2 hours to kill so I called Bryce and we chatted for a bit. And my plane to Rochester was full of mormons, all going to see the Sacred Grove, so that was kinda funny. They were all very excited, I'll tell you what. I wasn't even tired when we landed in Rochester! I could, however, feel the humidity the second I stepped off the plane onto the tarmac. Ick! It begins already...
Heather and I drove the 2 hours to her house with no problem and then went to bed and I think I slept the longest I have for quite a while, but that must mean I needed it. And here I am, and who knows what we'll get up to this week.
I just have to give Heather a shout out for buying her first chalk bag. I look forward to seeing your climbing skills this summer at the Bryn Mawr walls!

I miss my nephew already! But I'm on my way to Rochester, NY, to hang out with Heather Dickerson, my co-group leader from last summer. We're going to have a wonderful week before we have to be at camp and I'm super-excited!

Summer Adventure!

Can you believe this summer is already here?? Just last May I was getting ready to graduate and looking forward with much trepidation to my summer job at Lake Bryn Mawr Camp--and now it is a new May and I'm once more looking forward--without the trepidation--to my summer job at Lake Bryn Mawr Camp!
I decided to start a blog so I can post pictures and let everybody know what is going on with me without having to send out mass emails. I know some people aren't fans of mass emails, so this way I can just send out the address and everyone can read it at their own leisure! And like I said, I'll be posting pictures as I take them, so yay! Let's have a fabulous summer!

Jessie