Aaand I'm back

Aaaand I’m back. Smack in the middle of deaf/hard of hearing week 2. I have a great group of campers who are once again teaching me a ton of sign. LOVE it! It has been incredibly hot here this week. I don’t know exact temperatures but if you’ve ever been near an oven that might be a close enough comparison. Emphasis on the word might.

I find that I haven’t had much to say about my adventures at camp. It becomes pretty routine for me and I don’t know what is exciting for other people to read about. I wish I could post pictures of the kiddos, because it is so hard to explain the fun I am having without being able to show you the smiles on their faces, or the way they look when they have made it to the top of a high ropes element.

So I guess let me know what you would like to hear about, and I will try to deliver.

~SJ

Hey I just met you!

Whew! Just one day away from the first week of youth campers, Summer 2012! Last week was Adult BVI week and I had a blast. I had a great group of ladies in my cabin who kept me entertained and in high spirits.

I am looking forward to having kiddos tomorrow. It is a CD week and I am set to have 5 campers in my cabin. My cabin mate, Paskah, is going to be running her own cabin for a week so it'll be Sarah and the Fab 5 hanging out in the Aspens! Feel free to send encouraging letters!

Wisconsin Lions Camp
c/o me :-)
3834 Cty Road A
Rosholt WI 54473

Even though I was set for this to be my last summer, I'm really feeling like I'm not done here. This place has such a big part of my heart. It's my happy place. I am looking forward to this summer, but in the back of my mind I'm also thinking that I want to come back next summer. I would like to try being a C.O.R.E director--be the one belaying climbers on the high ropes, leading team building activities, teaching archery lessons, etc. It looks like fun and would be a great "next step" if I come back to camp.

It has been hard being here without Chelsey, who is in TN nannying for her family this summer (check out her blog: http://chelseyisananny.blogspot.com/ ). So hopefully next summer we can be here together.  But that's a long way from now. One thing at a time! Stay tuned for more detailed updates from camp!

~SJ

Camp 2012: The Final Chapter

After a great weekend of training, the school week is taking forever. But I will be headed back this weekend for another amazing summer at camp :-) Stay tuned, loyal readers!

~SJ

CDYA, day 4

Has it really bee two weeks since I last posted? Perhaps it was two days and the calender is just lying to me?? Alas.

My last day of camp is tomorrow. The past couple of weeks have been very busy and very fun. My diabetes 2 campers were 16 year old girls and they were a blast. Because we were in the oldest unit (they all graduated at the end of the week) we got to go on a camp out. They don't usually do camp outs during diabetic weeks so that was a special treat! I got more bruised and abused because we were so active all week. I scraped up my leg tipping out of a kayak during kayak soccer then later nailed my shin on a picnic bench that I couldn't see in the dark. That left quite the bruise! I also bruised my arms playing some really intense games of volleyball!

And just when I was thinking that Diabetes 2 was the best week, I found myself taking on 22 and 23 year old adults with cognitive disabilities--six, to be exact. These girls are fantastic! They have so much love in their hearts and they just love to laugh and joke around. So far this week my favorite moment has been tandem biking and singing camp songs with Kristin, who now can't stop talking about our time together. This will be a short week--the adults go home tomorrow after dinner. We will be having the dance tonight.

I wish I could post pictures of the campers so you could see what I'm really up to--I hope my words are enough. Here are a few more pictures of what I've been up to.

Sports Week Dance. I'm Chelsey's #1 Fan!

I got Sneaky again and had to dress up like a clown and do a circus routine!

Splatter paint banner our unit made two weeks ago.

Our Unit Director, Jake, let the girls paint his toenails.

Albert and I at the banquet! He was on American Idol this past year!

~SJ

Diabetes 1, Day 3

"People who don't have diabetes are so lucky," my camper, Gemma, told me today. I didn't know how to respond. It really made me think about the things that we all take for granted, from feeling safe in our own town or workplace to having good health.

Before each meal, which is served family style, the campers need to check their blood sugar, then fill out a sheet of paper that says what they are going to eat. They have to use measuring cups to dole out their food, and count carbs as they go. To offset what they have eaten, each camper takes a shot of insulin; some have pumps that they wear, some use the good old syringe method.

Every two hours we have snack, which means another blood sugar check. And if they feel "low" or "high" we take them to the lounge where the ADA staff hang out to get checked yet again. A normal blood sugar level is anywhere between 70 and 120. This week I've had a camper go as low as 38 and as high as 331. And for them, this is completely normal.

I'm having a lot of fun with these kiddos; they are just your typical 9 and 10 year old girls. It breaks my heart a little bit to know that I see just these five days out of their whole year--and it's not even the half of what they go through. One of my girls was in the hospital just last week for ketoneacidosis. When their blood sugar goes too high they may develop ketones in their. Ketoneacidosis is like the danger zone where your body is really not happy about that.

I'm learning so much, yet again, from these kids. But in the meantime, we're having some fun. The weather was rainy this morning so we played indoor dodge ball then had some relay races. Once the weather cleared up this afternoon we were able to head outside for some water balloon launching and a water fight. We had a great time!

~SJ

Out with CD3, in with Diabetes 1

Frog friend outside my cabin!

Signs to warn the ADA staff not to test my blood sugar at midnight and 2 am

Fire safety!

Superhero week dance

More fire safety fun!

First aid lesson

Celebration

CD 3, Day 3

It is so hot it's ridiculous! It's been in the 90s all week so we've switched a lot of the activities to water-based activities. Yesterday was interesting because we had two different sets of storms roll through: one during breakfast and one during dinner. And in between, blue sunny beautiful skies.

Aside from the strange weather, the week has started off on a high note. My eight campers are pretty wonderful kids. I am enjoying hanging out with them. One of the little boys in our unit (2 cabins=1 unit) is hard of hearing so I still get to practice my sign. He's so naughty but he's my little buddy!

The week is going by pretty fast. We aren't doing any camp outs because of the heat. Because I have a younger cabin we get to go to bed early, which is nice for me and for them. Our last activity for the night is always 6:20-8:20, followed by Trading Post at 8:30. During Trading Post time the campers are allowed to by one snack and one drink from the camp store. It is a nice chance to sit down together and relax after a busy day. After everyone is done eating we head down to the cabin for bed time.

I am currently facing a serious decision about what to do with the rest of my break...sleep or shower. Can I do BOTH in an hour??

~SJ