7/30/2014

   As the end of our internship approaches, the beginning of my next adventure looms in the near future. In just a few short weeks, a new chapter of my life will be unfolding. Because the nature of these next steps in my life have nothing to do with Summer Camp, I find it appropriate to create a new blog to document my upcoming travels and adventures!

 Check Out My NEW BLOG HERE

7-13-14

  Yesterday was my grandfather's 84th birthday, so I took Danesha and Lissa to lunch at Craker Barrel with my parents and then later to my grandparent's house for cake and ice cream. After that, the three of us visited Gear Head for a checkup on our piercings from last month and had dinner with my boyfriend Jon.                                                                                                                                                                                 Today begins week 2 of summer camp, and things are looking promising already. Now the team has all had some practice from last week and is very comfortable with the way things work around camp. The rest of the summer will no doubt fly right by, and our next adventure will begin!              

My Grandparents, George and Anita.

 

  My Family: Earl, Tami, my brother Austin, and myself.

7-12-14

 

About two weeks ago, a kitten showed up on our doorstep and we decided to keep her and name her Clover. Here is a picture of Clover and Lucky on the couch with Jon. It is with great sadness that today we lost our Clover to a dog attack (one of our fosters that used to be a hunting dog). Although we didn't have her too long, she was a part of the family all the same, and this is a tragedy we wish to never repeat.

6-25-14

This is our first week with campers, although it’s merely a day camp. We have 6 boys from 9AM-5PM, Monday-Friday for what we call “fishing camp” (camp wanna-hock-a-loogie) where we teach our campers all about how to fish, types of fish, fishing regulations, boating safety, cast-netting skills, local FL biology and anything related to fishing. Personally, I could care less about most of these skills, but I do enjoy teaching this curriculum (Shark bait, OOH HA HA!), and this week is a great warm up for our three consecutive weeks of residential summer camp.

Martha's Dog, Shomer.

She is part Rhodesian Ridgeback,

hence the bright orange coat and huge paws.

This week, our camp director (Martha) is out of town on a mission trip to Key West (we’re jealous too), and has asked Lissa and I to house sit while she is out. This of course includes caring for her wide array of pets and chickens. We collected 19 eggs from the hens this afternoon, and I got the most honorable duty of scrubbing the poo off them, and packing them to be sold. I think I could handle the regular responsibility of raising birds, given that the reward is a constant source of fresh eggs. What better housewarming gift than a dozen delicious, organic eggs? I could handle that.

  

6-19-14

There are some days where nothing seems to be going as planned.

Sometimes we have to redo work, or reschedule exams for later dates, and some days we are just sick of seeing each other. Many times we disagree, as people tend to do, and sometimes the dishes are simply gross.

It is always best to try to see the light out of every situation, but today has been a little rough. Although we do have to redo some cleaning that should have been done right the first time, we should be able to knock out the unfinished buildings rather quickly. And even though we were not able to take our exams on time, we had an extra day to study for them. Despite having issues at first with the directions to our fingerprinting appointment location, no one was late and we all managed to get done early.

And although we will all dearly miss our beloved Lady Bug, we know she is running and playing in a better place, free from her handicapped hips and pain. Although the team sometimes becomes frustrated over one thing or the other, most issues are trifle and only serve as reminders for the bigger picture we are in, which is to be servants to the children who are our campers.

6-18-14

194.
That is the number of steps between the bunkhouse and the bathhouse, which we all utilize daily. 

At least we have a bathhouse. 

We have a bit of a walk to the kitchen facility as well, for meals and fellowship, but again, at least we have a kitchen to use. This experience has taught me to count my blessings.

After today, the interns move to the Willis Dorm, located across the campus, where the bulk of the fishing camp activities will be held. The showers and kitchen are cleaner and all within short proximity (as in down the hall) from where we sleep. All the interns rejoiced over this fact; hopefully we all have a better appreciation for our commonly abused luxuries.

This week has mainly been focused on training the interns in First Aid/CPR and refreshing the lifeguards in their certifications in preparation for the main weeks of summer camp. Tomorrow, all interns, CITs, and volunteers that will be spending nights in the same lodging as campers will have background checks and fingerprinting done, as per UMC requirements.

This weekend is promisingly eventful, with plans for dinner at my grandparents, thrift store shopping competitions, hair dyeing, care package creation, piercings, bonfires, and pit-bull puppies!

Lissa with her pink hair and industrial bar piercing, Danesha with her nose piercing.

                    

Missi's puppies  

My nose piercing and pink strip of hair

6-7-14

An old high school friend of mine got in touch with me via Facebook earlier this year, and actually became the person who sparked the idea for me to being writing this “newsletter” in the first place. She recently began what she called “a new chapter in her story” by deciding to leave her life in Florida and travel to live in California. Her descriptions of the events and emotions she experienced made me feel like I was still a part of her life, even though I wasn't necessarily seeing her or actually speaking to her directly. This is what I hope to achieve by the creation of this blog, and I would appreciate feedback describing what the reader in interested in hearing about, or if there are any questions that need clearing up.

I thank you for reading so far, and I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about my life!