Sick in July?

Who would have guessed I would get sick in the summer? Definitely not me. Normally, I get sick twice a year, and usually those two times are during the school year. What I've been feeling the past twenty four hours has been torture.

I went out to dinner last night, and was fine. But, maybe two hours after finishing, my stomach began to ache something awful. I assumed it was from the food and tried to sleep it off. I spent most of the night up with discomfort which made for a very tired day. The nausea did not subside until about 2:30 p.m. Long time to feel so ill. I struggled through my day, and at the gym, as well. I decided soup and bread were on the dinner menu for tonight. I feel a touch better right now, but more drained than usual. Maybe I am feeling the effects of the rEdiculous turkey leg I ate after the Rebel Race. Someone told me it takes 48 hours for food poisoning to set in. Maybe that's what the problem is ... Imagine??? Hopefully, by the morning, I will feel better. :)

Photo :: my cup o soup

Camp Outings

After a long day, who doesn't love some time out with friends to 'review' the events, share some laughs, and maybe even vent a little? The camp crew sure does like to do just that, and throw a few back, as well. When I make my (rare) appearance at an outing, I'm usually just hanging, not drinking. One day we went to Piper's Kilt, in Eastchester, the next week we ended up at a Mexican restaurant in Bronxville, (can't remember the name), and last week everyone went bowling, but I was too tired to attend. This week, however, was a different story!

This past Friday, a number of camp 'administrative staff' got together (again) for bowling at White Plains Bowl, and this time I eagerly joined them. We got a late start, but had a great time. Whomever added the names to the board made up some good ones. I can't remember mine, but it was funny! My first game was definitely better than my second, but it didn't matter. It was all about the camaraderie after a long three weeks of camp. With two more to go, I can only imagine where our outings will take us.

Photo:: The Ladies

Camp Carnival 2012

Another camp season, another carnival. This year's was MUCH more organized and enjoyable than last year's. There are no words for what went on last year. I may have actually blogged about it. I have to check.

The carnival happened to fall on what what the HOTTEST day of the year. It was so hot & humid, parents were picking their children up before noon to keep them at the pool for the day. Thankfully, it cooled down considerably by the time the carnival began.

Seeing the campers with their families was a precious sight. They were so excited to see their counselors. I loved it. My job of supervising was rather easy & I was thrilled that my staff was doing their jobs without having to be reminded. I even got to visit with my friend, Jody, and her family. They came to enjoy the carnival, as well.

Although it was a long and hot day, we survived & everyone had FUN. Really, that is what it's all about.

Photos::
My Dance/Drama people and my administrative staff.

Rebel Race

About 3 months ago, I registered for an endurance event called, Rebel Race, in New Windsor, NY. New Windsor is approximately an hour and a half away, and not fun to drive after completing the obstacles of the event and being in the sun all day. You're just exhausted by then. It wasn't a very challenging race by any means. Yes, there were SOME challenges, but nothing that wasn't doable. From what I heard from other racers, the Spartan Race is much tougher, and honestly that is something I look forward to trying at some point.

The Rebel Race consisted of running (my fave event), different obstacles such as wall climbs (that were so high, I screamed at the top), rollig down a hill (FUN!!), net climbs, crawling through mud under barbed wire, jumping over a small fire, trail running, balancing across a beam, going down a water slide into a pool if muddy water, going through muddy water tunnels, etc. It was enjoyable & exciting at the same time because you never knew what was coming next. The only negative part was having to wait at some obstacles because of overcrowding. When I was finished, I wasn't as exhausted as I expected to be. Instead, I relived all the events I didn't give my all to, and was thankful that I didn't break any body parts as a few racers did. True story.

Me being me, I had NO desire to crawl through the mud. None. Instead, I squat walked through it & missed the barbed wire ... the first time. On the second mud pool, I used the same tactic. By then, I had slid through muddy water and crawled through a mud water tunnel. Staying as clean as I would have liked was out of the question. YUCK. Still, I tried once again to squat walk through the second mud puddle ... This time, I got too close to the wire, my braid got caught and I was STUCK. It was HILARIOUS. A person happened to be right in front of me, and all I could do was yell, 'Please! Help me!' The individual heard my cry, turned around in what seemed like slow motion, saw me and cracked up. That caused me to crack up, and we both just sat there IN THE MUD, that I so desperately tried to avoid, CRACKING UP! He never did get to come and help me. Instead, my hair somehow became uncaught and we moved forward ... Hands and knees this time through the mud. The idea of being embarrassed never crossed my mind. Oh what a sight that must have been!! Interestingly enough, no one got into the mud while all that was transpiring. It was the funniest part of the whole day!

Turns out some other guys from the gym were also doing the race, so we ran into each other when they finished, and talked about our experiences. It is definitely something I'd like to do again.

Pics :: Me, friends, during and after the race, one of the obstacles, friends completing some of the obstacles. (wow, that was a lot!)

Catch Up!!

Camp has me drained come the end of the day. Who am I kidding? I'm drained by 10:00 in the morning. Having the weight of the camp world on my shoulders is not an easy task. Thankfully, the people I work with & God's grace help to make it a little lighter. That being said, I am very backed up with my writing. Let's get to it right now ...

Fourth of July was one week ago. Camp was closed for the day, and I spent it relaxing. A few wrenches were thrown into that plan, but overall, I rested. Ran in the morning, laid out at Glen Island park in the afternoon, saw Marisel's new residence in the evening and made it back to Mamaroneck for fireworks with Kristi, Leon and their friends at night. While I seemed to be everywhere, I was content at each place.

Can't exactly say what my favorite part of the day was. I was nervous that I wouldn't get to see fireworks and I LOVE fireworks. I wait all year for them! Maybe next year we can all go to Manhattan for Macy's Fireworks Show. It is my favorite. Well, Disney is really my favorite, but Macy's is a close second. Mamaroneck's show was GREAT! Everyone who went, from near and far, to see the show seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. There were SO MANY people there. I never realized how many actually attend. The crowd was controlled, so that was a plus, and time with friends is always welcomed. I guess it was an extra special fourth because I got family, friends AND fireworks in one day.

Camp Seeca, 2012

And so, camp season 2012 has begun & is in full swing. Today we began week 2, and I am already exhausted ... as is every person I work with. Week one was very successful, thank God. We had a mid-week day off for July 4th, and it was a MUCH NEEDED BREAK. For the rest of the season, we have straight weeks to get through. Let's see how we do.

My staff is pretty good, so far. They seem so young, which is probably because I'm a good 15+years older than most of them. Scary. Most seem enthusiastic about their job, which is to work with and entertain 4-5 year old children; not easy tasks at all. Many are putting their heart into their job, and that makes me proud.
You can't force someone to give their all or to be enthusiastic. I love when genuinely comes from them.

I get to work with Meredith and Tina again, which is wonderful, and we get along so well. I also have the pleasure of working with a former counselor turned Division Head, Matt. He's doing a great job, has fallen right into the position, which entails A LOT, and at times can become stressful, but he's taken it on so well and that helps so much. We all work nicely together. It makes the job go that much more smoothly, and the days together are great ... Even through the moments where we may want to scream.

So, now that day one of week two has come and gone, we now have 19 days to go. Is it sad that I'm counting down already? I do have my summer vacation to look forward to ... What that will entail has yet to be determined. For now, I will focus on camp and the 'momentary victories' we will overcome every day.