WILAC VIII

WILAC, Family Week One
-"We wanna see neon brown"
-"Doesn't that make her a pole hugger?"
-That's making the list
-Ghost peppers are hot
-Falling off ATVs hurts...
-Jumpercables can spread
-Matches burn twice
-"What shape is that?" "Banana!"
-I curled my hair and brushed my teeth
-Tires are sharp
-Hot hot coffee
-I'm a friend of casteration (intentionally misspelled)
-The name Kendra is growing
-It's probably toy-oxic
-"Wait...is this stuff corrosive?" "Yes" "..."
-Charlie, the dancing snake
-I didn't throw it at him; I threw it and his head got in the way.
-The Craft Store ramp is slippery when wet (Mariah)
-"That's my jugular!"
-There was a hand, who met a foot...
-"Once upon a time there were some maintenance boys. We're still wondering what happened..."
-Mops make a "wamp" sound
-"Chicken breast-random"
-I want to go to Stainless, China
-Ty and butter knives don't mix
-We're all doo-med
-"You move around in your sleep so much, when you wake up, you're in China"

So this week was Family Camp One, which is much different than the normal kids' camp. For starters, us male support staffers are rooming in the basement underneath the new dining hall, dubbed the Program Room. Yup, they put 5 teenage guys in a room full of balls, toys, powertools, and various projectiles. We got along fine at least, three maintenance, one kitchen worker, and one lifeguard. This entails a very long walk up-hill to the showers in the morning :(
Anyhow, we had a little over 110 campers total, and half of them seemed to be kids of all ages. Our schedule was much more relaxed than normal camp, yet we seemed to have so much more work to do (still trying to figure that out). At least we weren't stuck in the Snack Shack for 2 hours in the afternoon averaging about 3 customers (poor errand girls). Instead, we were doing things like staking huge piles of wood, setting up for a garage sale, setting up for a dinner theater, bbq-ing chicken, and all other hard labor you can imagine. My best relaxing time of this week was paintball refereeing on Friday. All I have to do is stand there, make sure they follow the rules (easy with adults), and laugh at their shenanigans (Don't believe I spelled that right on the first try). In one game of capture the flag, I was posted by one of the bases and I see this one man come rushing out of the woods and leap into the air for the flag. One, two, shots in mid -air and he was down. They all looked at me and I was speechless. Basically I said, "I wish I could give it to you but you're out."
So yeah, it was a good week, but tiring. I slept like a log every single night, and Saturday night, I slept for 12 hours straight! Well, that may have been because my mind was trying to forget "Scott Pilgrim VS The World," essentially a waste of $6. It sounded good, but in reality, the movie was just way over-done.
This next week finishes off the summer camp season with Family Camp Two. it hasn't really sunk in with me yet, but I know it will be both sad and relaxing at the same time. Then I have 6 days off (sort of) and then I go off to college.
So yeah, that's it for now

WILAC VII

WILAC-Jr. High Wk 2 (Best week of the summer)
-Soda is good for the soul
-The children burned down
-"Then I was a sign in front of me, and it said 'No smoking seatbelt.' I couldn't get the darn thing to light!"
-The kitchen floor will smell like chocolate pudding forevermore
-Burnt breadstick+whipped cream=awesome
-I can't drive and high-five at the same time (ask Mariah)
-Ty set himself on fire
-I've yet to have a good Tuesday there
-I had the best seat in the dinning hall
-I have a secret admirer
-It is possible to argue over spilled milk
-Candy boxes don't contain candy
-I can now do pull-ups
-"Bass"
-Some people can't dump water coolers
-It's in the refreezerator
-Splinters hurt, especially when under a fingernail
-I can still juggle (unless I have bandaged hands)
-"That sure wasn't diesel!"
-I'm the only one who can do the one-legged cross sit
-I started a matchstick trend
-"Rainbows in the front, let me hear you grunt (huu)
Rainbows in the middle, let me hear you sizzle (szz)
Rainbows in the rear, let me hear you cheer (Woo)
Rockin' Rainbows, Rockin' Rainbows, Rockin' Rainbows (Woo!)"

So this past week was the second JH week, the Best Week of The Summer, and the final week of regular campers and counselors. We had 206? campers this week, which is pretty much maximum capacity. It was pretty crazy Monday morning trying to park that many cars (4 rows!) while chatting with friends and directing people who can't read simple signs. Any-way, it was a pretty long, tiring, but overall satisfying week. There was some drama (as always), laughs, tears, and pain (burnt kitchen worker, a bruised and a torn counselor, pudding-fearing kitchen workers, and a split family).
So yeah, I didn't get to see much of the chapels this week. In fact, I don't think I saw any of them the entire way through. I was too busy with various things. Thankfully this week, one of our volunteers, Ty, was assigned to maintenance for the entire week. He was really a giant help, I don't think we could have pulled off all the stuff we did this week if it wasn't for him-especially Thursday. Every Best week (except for one year) there's a game of Toiletbowl-Ball, which is basically ultimate Frisbee with a beanbag as the disc and toilets as the goals. It was really fun for every one, even the people placed in cheer-leading, security, and homecoming. During the halftime show, all us maintenance, errand girls, and executive staff did a "Hi, my name is... my testimony is... and a funny story is... " and I got Kanye'd by Katie B for my funny story! Oh well, it was entertaining.
This next week starts family camp, which means that most of the counselors have gone bye-bye. I'm sad to see them go but glad for the memories I have with them. I think I'm going to have to come back next year just to make more. I have no idea what to expect this coming week, but it should be interesting.
Text me when you're bored, pray for me when you have time.

WILAC VI

-Not everyone knows what Converse are
-Mouthwash can make even trash smell good
-When I say "eyeballs," you say "click"
-"Elbow it!"
-It's Christmas in July
-Rolling mean constant contact with the table!
-Ish is too strong for shovels
-I'm laughing at the situation
-Wicked jams in the kitchen are awesome
-As the gas goes down, the fish goes up
-Grocery stores don't sell nails
-Hand-squeezed juice
-All of Ish's troubles could have been avoided with two blue slushies
-Mowers can go up 45 degree hills without tipping
-Sodium hyopchlorate > bleach
-"It's like I'm taking a bath in a cough drop"
-"Jesus be tripping"
-Can I-Maaaaay I?
-"I'm still all sudsy!"
-"ROY *clapclap, clapclap* G *clapclap, clapclap* BIV *clapclap, clapclap* ROYGBIV, Noah built the ark so the animals could live"
-"It's like spiders went crazy and had a war in your hair"
-And somewhere in the distance, a cow moo'd
-Boating in the shower
-"That's a creepy hole"

So, this week was the first of the Junior High weeks, with a total of 88 campers (50-50 guy-girl), which is good because the low numbers were easier to deal with. next week...*gulp* has 221 campers signed up (220 is about the camp limit) and we accept walk-ins. Soooo Monday will be an interesting day seeing as how we're going to have to park all those cars, find beds for all the campers, and set up almost 300 chairs along with all our other tasks....oi...
So yes, prayer will be greatly appreciated
Anyways, I don't really have any super-special, dramatic epiphany or anything this week. The week was long, hard, fun, crazy, and all-around awesome, but nothing spectacular (although that means that nothing catastrophic happened either). Oh, we had a reader's/dinner theater, which for those of you who don't know is just like a normal dinner theater, except the cast is always reading from a script, even when on stage. It went off really well, and I can't wait to see it again this week.
This Sunday we're in for a treat. The board is giving us a special dinner (steak) tonight, and we have some other special things going on.
...which reminds me, I have to go pack;
Caio!

WILAC V

-If there's enough, you can sweep water
-Cabin 19 has had a leaky roof
-A frayed knot
-1, 2, 3, eyes on me
-Nursey can rock it on the guitar
-I need a belt
-"Flood" is spelled with an "i"
-1, 2, eyes on you! (yes, sometimes it takes just that long)
-Glow sticks can explode
-So can pipes
-Every week is unique (+5 rhyming points)
-Puddle jumping is fun
-Skirts can be used to hide water balloons
-I know where something hidden is
-Mud sliding is dirty
-Tar is hard to get off your hands
-If I ever do have kids, I hope they're girls
-The song game is fun
-Shaylem and Emily are deathly afraid (knot) of snakes
-Something bad was supposed to happen on Friday
-I love drama
-Next best thing to candles: bubbles
-When it rains, it pours

So, this week was junior week two, same ages as last week but with over 140 kids this time (max capacity is a little over 200). It rained most of the week with showers hitting all days except Thursday, which allowed for splash games to still take place. Wednesday evening was the worst of the storm, with the water coming down in sheets with wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour (and me, Doug, Adam, Christian, and Emily D were all standing in the gazebo taking it head-on (someone was too scared to come out of her cabin)). The other days, it just kind of drizzled for most of the day. Personally, I love the rain, the sight, the sound, the thunder and lightning, the smell afterwords, pretty much anything to do with rain. The management staff did a great job working around/through the weather though, and the counselors must have loved it since they got to spend more time with their campers (hopefully it was love). The only really bad parts about the rain were the fact that the basement of the Tab flooded, and the fires for s'mores wouldn't light right. So, yeah, that's the first part of the "rains/pours" I have.
The second part is centered around the fact that this was the second hardest week of my life, the first being fishing camp, which I'm sure a few of you have heard about. Anyhow, given the intense weather, drama which both involved me directly and not, and a few complications I don't want to share publicly until I deal with it privately (isn't there a verse in Matthew that says to deal with the person responsible first?). Nevertheless, this was a long, hard, tiring week, not only for me but for all of the staff. What set this week apart from all the other lousy weeks in my life was the fact that it was worth the struggle. I grew closer to my friends at camp, and even those who I don't normally talk to. I lost another 3 pounds (making the summer total 21-blackjack!) even though I was eating more this week than normal (care package from my aunt). I also learned how to replace sinks.
Today, or it might have been yesterday... I was reading another staffer's weekly update (she has so much more detail than I do) and in it was the phrase "Life's not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain." That phrase really called out to me this week (not just because of the literal rain and all the fun we had in it) and it encouraged me. I'm a sort-of opportunist; if I see a time to do something and have the ability, I will do it (sort of like kleptomania). However, this phrase takes it to a bigger picture aspect. I realized I need to take it a little bit more relaxed and just enjoy the moments as they come, no worrying about college, romance, stories, or anything like that untill after camp, and even then I'll still take it slow. Thank you Mariah (and as a thanks, I spelled your name right)
So yeah, next week is Jr. High Week I, with a total of 85 campers so far. This week will definitely be easier. Can't wait to give you guys an update. Oh-and I'm now past the half-way point for the camp season! Only four more weeks to go...four weeks? oi...

WILAC IV

What I learned at camp: Junior Week I

-Emily S. is a trashcan-ninja
-I am the lobsterman
-Shaylem is a cat
-The fire will put out the rain
-Razor blades are sharp (triple cream and a bandaid!)
-I can single-handedly harm myself more in one day than the entire previous two weeks
-I got a 5 on the AP English exam
-Danielle and Shaylem should never have caffeine or sugar
-There's never ever ever ever ever been a show like Veggie Tales
-I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves...
-Mike can't Kayak
-The lifeguards are all non-swimmers
-What happens when we over-load the trailer
-Clotheslines are valuable property
-My name is JC
-Friends change

So, this week was the first week of the Junior duo, ages 8-10. it was a lot easier than the two previous weeks, especially last week (if you don't remember, I went home sick from the heat). Maintenance-wise, we had no real problems or drama, a couple toilets clogged the last day, but other than that it was fine. The kids were great-I keep getting the cabin full of angels, apparently. The weather was fine too, a little rain at the beginning and end of the week that helped keep it cool. The activities went off without a hitch, well, except for me getting soaked during the water games...thank you Emily. The speaker for the main assemblies was good, he kept the services active. In one, he had all of us line up on the lower field to mark out the demensions of the ark (Man that thing was long). The one who did the nature trails and out staff devos spoke from II Peter about being content in all situations, and how prosperity can actually become more negative than hardship. All-in-all, it was an enjoyable, active-yet-easy week, and i can't wait for Junior II.
So, onto the major topic (which if you've noticed, is the last line of the list): friends. I like how I handle my friends; I have a core group whom I can do any and everything with, another, larger, group who I can go around and talk to naturally about stuff and hang out with them (I call them my peripherites), and then there is the last group, those who are more acquaintances than friends. Personally, I love this because I love being able to slide between groups and hear the different reactions, ideas, opinions, and everything else (I love knowing things), but I also love having those few who as soon as something's up, we all know.
So anyhow, this past year, I noticed how much my friends were shifting. The people who I thought would be my closest friends ended up not, and a few people surprised me by how close we became. Even this past week at camp I noticed this trend. The people who, at first, I thought I would spend the most time with, I have barely talked to since staff training, and those who I am spending the most time with, I never would have thought. I mean, don't get me wrong; they're awesome and I wouldn't trade them for anyone else. Although, I laugh as I think them over. There's a bearded redneck who (we decided) is dangerously immature, a (what was the word?) petite blonde who is only a little evil on the inside (I blame her nekomimi (look it up) traits), a pouty brunette who loves annoying me, and a skirt-wearing errand girl who was mistaken for a trashcan (yeah...).
Well, hopefully I'll find another insane group like this at college (already found one) and that those who I have now will stay close to me. To all of you who read this, thank you for being such great friends to me, and I hope I've been good to you too.