Adventure #14: A CAMP Day! AND A FIELD TRIP Day!

Yesterday was not only Wednesday.  Not only an Adventure Day.  But yesterday was a Camp Day.  Yup, I decided that with as few days are left at camp, I should take full advantage and share the fun times with my blog readers.  So ready yourself for a fun-packed, busy day that was my Wednesday!

To the left are my Adventure Shoes, of course.  But you'll notice an interesting bandage that I sported all day.  I'm thinking my sore ankle is from walking for so long on the very rough track during Relay for Life last Friday.  Hopefully it shapes up soon--working at a summer camp with all boys is difficult at times with a cranky ankle!

The morning started out pretty average, with me enjoying the morning paper as I typically do during the week (except Monday--no Dickinson Press on Mondays!)  Of course I had a cup of tea and a chocolate-banana-oatmeal smoothie.  There was also plenty of chaos in these early morning hours before work due to the wild kingdom of Tony, King, and Duncan...

King's defense mechanism:  ROLL INTO A BALL AND HE WON'T GET ME!

Eventually I did make it out the door and off to camp.  And I remembered:  Today Heidi brought her ice cream maker so we could make homemade ice cream!  Below is the epic ice cream maker.  And the messy counter.  Kind of a constant state for the counter, but give us some credit, we run a camp of all boys who have more energy typically than most boys their age.  (Believe me, NOT an excuse, simply truth!)  And we are also sustainable at camp, since each camper has his own plastic cup instead of a disposable one each day.  And I also like starting sentences with the word 'and.'  Mostly just because I can.

Next order of business post-arrival was prepping for next week--the LAST week of camp.  It really is a crazy thought and definitely sad to think of all the camp memories I have and how much the campers have grown this summer (and not literally).  I know I've even grown this summer.  But yes, end-of-camp-prep meant going through tubs of prior years' crafts to do an inventory.  My co-leader Rebecca and I successfully made a mess of the 'Counselor Area' by scattering everything across the floor.  Inventory was completed, though (and only about 20 minutes after campers arrived--not bad!).

Much more happened that morning besides homemade ice cream making.  We had a guest speaker who helped the campers with social skills, we had craft, a story, and a science experiment, too.  We even used my 'blooming teapot' (pictured left) to make some awesome tea.  (If you don't know what a blooming teapot is, you should Google it.  It's awesome.  And the tea is delicious).

Anyway, lunch happened (in which counselors do paperwork while eating food as quickly as possible), and our P.M. campers came.  P.M. campers got a FIELD TRIP yesterday!  Bowling day!  My Adventure Shoes were tossed aside for some classy new neon green kicks provided by the ever-so-generous Paragon Bowling Alley for the duration of our bowling venture. 

The good thing:  I had a blast and LOVED cheering on everyone for each bowling attempt.  The bad thing:  I didn't break 100.  And we used bumpers.  Boo to that.  Oh well!

After a stop at a local park for snack/play time, we went back to camp and P.M. campers left for the day.  More paperwork for counselors and then cleanup time/prep for today.  I snagged a pic below (thanks to self-timer!).  Our staff is so awesome.  These ladies amaze me every day we work together, and I've learned a LOT from each of them!  I'm so grateful.  (And we are such a good-looking, fun-loving bunch!)

In fact, we are SO fun-loving that due to Laura's birthday today, Heidi, Rebecca, and myself decided to dec out her seat in one of the camp vans, make her a birthday crown/badge, make signs, and get surprises for her!  Didn't we do a great job with the paper chain garland?!  (And we weren't even done at this point!  Finished product had the seat covered in tissue paper, fringe on the dashboard, and writing on the window with window marker!)

Ok so after all of the festivities above, I was tired.  Actually, I'm usually tired after camp.  Ten hour days are expected, and that's just...tiring.  So I had dinner and decided to chill (again, a usual tactic for me after work).  Due to my ankle problem, I propped up the foot with pillow/blanket, too, all while doing stuff on my laptop.  For hours.  But that's ok.  I got to talk with Fish.  (Fish got a job for a couple weeks!  YAY!)

So how was that?  I gave you a peek into a chaotic day at camp.  It wasn't super-detailed (camper confidentiality is super-important), but it gave you a glimpse  at what some of my camp days are like.  And really, the only way you could truly know what it's like is to be there.  But just know that I've loved it, have valued the experience, and have a summer that I certainly won't ever forget.  Now--time for me to enjoy my WEEKEND!