The Greatest Place on Earth :)

Every time I find myself back at camp I am convinced it will be my last.

I think that is why I appreciate being there more absolutely than nearly anything else in life. 

Today I had the most perfect day back in my favorite place on earth. Being back there always feels like transporting back into my favorite memory. Like staring at an old photograph and actually being able to be back and live it one more time. 

The people may come and go, new yurts may be built, old dining halls may be renovated but the spirit of camp never changes. Returners show wide-eyed new staff the ropes, accents mingle, bug bites are scratched, campfires burn.

 

Who knows if this summer will truly be my last but once again I am so lucky and thankful to be back at a place where "the real world" doesn't matter, people are welcoming and kind, and everyone is given a chance. And like every summer, I hope to blur the divide with "the real world" and bring the spirit of camp with me through the rest of the year. 

I Got the Job!!!

I am absolutely thrilled that I am lucky enough to be going back to Hayward for 6 weeks this summer. I will be going to resource staff training, staff training, session one and session two, and Vicky will be going session three and session four. Literally this couldn't possibly be more perfect and I am still in shock that one of my life dreams has actually been realized.  Never in a million years did I think that I would be lucky enough to be able to go back to the most influential, important, and AMAZING places from my childhood. On that note, here are the things that are keeping me up at night because I am TOO EXCITED about being able to do them again!:

JCs 2010 !!! So happy that so many of them will be back as well!

• Not showering for days
• Making string bracelets up to my elbows
• Breaking out my shark watch
• And my 5 year watch
• Pontoon jump!
• Blasting music from my cabin
• Making a happy list
• Seeing the stars
• Going to opening and closing campfires
• Trying the new water trampoline
• Taking about 5,000 LITP pictures with Allie
• Living in a bathing suit for the most part of 6 weeks
• Blasting music off the Pontoon

The Haywatch Waterfront

• Eating Lois's camp cookies and camp pizza
• Receiving care packages and camp e-mails
• Sorting mail
• Roasting Marshmallows
• Seeing all the new camp animals
• Eating staff snacks
• Playing douse the fire
• Going on fun time-offs
• Making European friends
• Laughing until my stomach hurts with my friends
• Taking a million pictures
• HAVING MY OWN RESOURCE STAFF SONG OMG
• Going crazy singing the JC and CIT song even though I won't be one anymore
• Buying the new camp sweatpants and sweatshirt
• Eating yogurt pretzels

And again

• Filling out a camp journal
• Riding the speedboat
• DRIVING the speedboat
• Kayaking
• Sailing
• Windsurfing
• Swimming
• Search and rescue
• Doing staff of steel

• 

  Pontoon Dock

Hayward Summer

I don't think there will ever be a time time when I won't get goose-bumps when looking at pictures or videos like this from camp. Three years later I still think about it everyday and wish so much that I could relive just one day from my JC summer. Especially now that one of my best friends is going to be the assistant director! So happy for all of the positive changes that are coming to camp and I wish I could be there to partake in them!

Missing Home

While its absoultely crushing my soul that I am not at camp right now, I am trying to think of all of the thinks that I would miss if I were at camp:

1. Spending all of August shopping for everything imaginable I could ever need for college. (As opposed to feverishly trying to think of everything I would ever need for a year away from home in the two short days I would have in between the end of banquet and Syracuse. And just dealing with college stuff in general.
2. Sleeping in. (Although I do miss the discipline it took to begin naturally waking up at 7:00am every morning).
3. Fresh fruit, home cooked food, meat that's actually edible.
4. Being able to wear nice summer clothes.
5. Some of my friends and family.
6. Silvershell, Marion, Nantucket.
7. My room.

Wahh, weak list. But what's done is done.