Camp Life
One Really Cool Thing About Overnight Camp
There are tons of articles floating around about the benefits of overnight camp. (I have even written a few myself.) But this one is different. There are no moving pictures and it’s not a Top 10 list—in fact, it’s actually just about ONE thing. Before I start, I should explain that during the summer, I live around…
Read More6 Things I Learned From a 38 Special Concert
A few months ago one of my girlfriends (“Fly”) got a new car—one of those really cool new jeeps. The jeep had 38 miles on it so I started calling it “38 Special.” Right after Fly bought the car, she and “38 Special” went on a road trip. After that trip, Fly went on a…
Read MoreGood To Be Back
During the summer, my family and I live at an overnight camp in northern Michigan. Camp is its own little world. Everything you need is at camp. You could go several weeks without ever leaving, and lots of people (campers) are fine with that. But not me. Sometimes I need to leave. I have to spend…
Read MoreA Little Help With Homesickness…
The first day of camp is an emotionally driven day filled with bittersweet, mixed feelings. Excitement and anxiety are literally playing Tug of War in the stomach of almost every parent and camper. The kids going off to day camp, that’s a big step—but the kids leaving for overnight camp—that’s hard core. I imagine it’s very similar to sending…
Read MoreZero Tolerance For Zero Tolerance
I have a 7 year old daughter who takes ballet every Tuesday. She doesn’t like when I watch, so I don’t (until the last 5 minutes, because then it’s too late for her to get mad at me).
Read MoreBeing A Camp Director’s Wife
My husband, Cody, is one of the directors of an overnight camp for kids in Northern Michigan. Every year, Cody moves up to camp at the end of April to start setting up. My girls (4 and 7 years old) and I visit when we can, but we can’t move up for good until school is…
Read MoreMommy Mistake Number 2186: The Birthday Party F**K Up
I messed up. I’m not even sure how to start, it was just one of those things that while it was happening I never even considered that there would be repercussions. I never thought twice about it. Does that make me a narcissist? Maybe I’m on overload? Lazy? Stupid? I don’t know. You tell me. This…
Read MoreThe End of Something
I used to have a dog named Barney. He was named after the store, not the dinosaur. Barney got sick when he was 9 years old. It was summer/2003. Cody and I were engaged at the time, but he was up at camp. The vet informed me that Barney had cancer and presented me with…
Read MoreCamp Staff Meeting In Session!
One of the best things about spending my summers at an overnight camp is the staff. Of course the campers are fun (obviously) and we live on a lake (nice) but the staff—well, there’s nothing like being around a bunch of people in their 20’s. At home we don‘t see much of that age group. They‘re…
Read MoreBelly Hurts
My youngest daughter, Lovey, is currently due for her 2-year-old check up. The doctor’s office is in Petoskey, a cute little town in northern Michigan about 45 minutes away from camp, so I decided to make a day of it.
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