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

Oh, this has got to be the good life :-)

I have to say I didn't expect it to be a whole week between posts! CD2 was amazing! This was the first week where I was honestly sad to see all of my campers go. My co-counselor JB and I had seven of the sweetest girls ever! My favorite (even though we're not supposed to have favorites) was a little darling named Lilly. Within five seconds of meeting her she grabbed my hand. Within five minutes she hugged my arm and said, "I like you." She was so adorable! She was incredibly helpful to not only staff but the other campers as well. I have an infected ear piercing right now and when I would go to the health lodge to have it looked at she would hold my hand and say, "It's okay, just relax." We also had a camper with a mobility issue who used a walker and Lilly would hold doors for here and try to help her with everything. The camper with the mobility issue, Meghan, was a sweetheart as well. She was always very positive and threw herself into every activity she could. She loved playing duck duck goose and she swam every day. She goes to school with three of the other girls in the cabin so it was a nice chance for them to hang out. They also got along great with the other three girls.

There was a lot of homesickness in the cabin. One of the girls literally asked every few minutes when she was going home and what the schedule was on Friday. This had a ripple effect and throughout the week three of the other girls would randomly get homesick and cry because they missed various family members. I felt for them, and by the end of the week I found myself being a little homesick as well. After next week I will be taking a little vacation to spend time with my family over my birthday. I am very excited to have this time with them.

The summer is already half over and I have to say that I couldn't work in a better place. Here is a list of some of the things I've been paid to do this summer:

• be pulled on an inner tube tied to a paddle boat
• go camping. 3 times
• play field hockey
• drive the John Deere gator
• build a 1-match fire
• have a dance-off
• dance to Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and Disney
  
• build sand castles
• get some crazy cool tan lines
• go swimming
• eat candy and ice cream with kiddos every night
• make craft projects
• shoot archery
• drive a pontoon boat
• take a hay wagon ride through the forest
• run
• laugh
• play

I'm not saying I get paid buckets and buckets, but the rewards of this job are beyond monetary measure. Every time I make a camper laugh or see them smile during an activity I feel like I have the best job in the world. Even when I am falling into bed completely exhausted I sleep well knowing that these kiddos and I are sharing this time together and that it is benefitting both of us. We say that we're here for the campers, but I think for a lot of us, they are here for us, too.

Next week is CD3 and I will have eight of my own girls again. They are 13 and 14 years old and I am looking forward to spending a week with them. I hope everything goes well in your respective weeks as well!

~SJ

I think it's a bug...but it's got fur...

Wow. How time flies when you're at camp. So not only are we done with DHH 1, but DHH 2 has come and gone as well. It's been a whirlwind two weeks. I had16 and 17 years olds during DHH 2. It was a small week because of the fourth of July. There were about half the amount of campers in all of camp so I only had four in my cabin. For two of them it was the last year--you age out at 17.

Camp out one during DHH 1 was really good. I got a deer tick behind my knee but one of the nursing assistants took it out. Our DHH 2 camp out at Indian Point was a blast as well. There were only three boy campers in the cabin we worked with so it was a small group. One of the boys went fishing and caught a bunch of bass. He lost his lure int he water close to shore so me being the darling I am shed my shoes and socks and waded out in my spandex shorts to retrieve it.

I will post pictures below so you get more of an idea of what I've been up to. Next week we have CD2 and I don't have any campers in my cabin so I will be a co-counselor to the Hemlocks cabin. There are 7 girls between the ages of 10 and 12. I am looking forward to the week!

Chelsey and I at the Tropical Oasis dance, DHH2

My unit pal for DHH2, Morgan, and I at the Indian Point lighthouse

Me getting the camper's lure from the rope swing area.

Me busting some moves during the dance off, DHH2

Two of the counselors dressed up as flamingos for the dance

Chel and I out on the pontoon on the weeked

Amy, J-Wow, and myself at the DHH1 dance

Luke and Jake

Me being super good at archery...sort of

Hanging out in the shelter we built out of branches and downed trees

Stay tuned for more camp fun!
~SJ

DHH 1, Day 2

So my "all-deaf" cabin actually has turned out to be an almost completely "total communication" cabin, which means my girls use both oral and sign to communicate. Only one girl communicates completely by sign, and we're getting pretty well! All the girls are excited to be at camp ad love to be active. This afternoon I played field hockey and soccer with a group of 11 kiddos.

Every week there are certain program areas we have to choose an activity in. They are swimming, boating, crafts, outdoor living, nature, archery, and C.O.R.E. Today we did fire building and cooking; boys vs girls archery, and low ropes course for C.O.R.E. After we built our fire we made peanut butter and chocolate chip pudgey pies--and let me tell you, they were delicious! And in case you are wondering...the boys won at archery. Their prize: popping water balloons over all the girls' heads. Lucky misters! Low ropes was a lot of fun, too. C.O.R.E activities are all about team building and trust building. In low ropes, unlike high ropes, you rely on other people to spot you while you are on the ropes. They are close to the ground and require more thinking than high ropes. It's a great activity.

Only seven out of eight girls showed up in my cabin. They are all typical 13-15 year old girls. Many of them have been in cabins together for several years so they are already friends. They are all very helpful when I sign, especially when I do it incorrectly. You can't just be close when you sign, you have to be spot on; as my cabin mate Danielle learned last week, one drop of the hand can be the difference between "thank you" and "f* you". Almost doesn't count!

I am excited for my first camp out which will be taking place on Wednesday. We are hoofing it out to Pine Cone Point, about a quarter of the way around the lake. I am looking forward to a campfire and s'mores and some good old fashioned tent camping!

~SJ

DHH 1, Day 1

It's Sunday morning. Along with the usual anticipatory feelings I get in the hours before new campers come, I am experiencing a little bit of anxiety. Today I will be getting 8 campers with medium to profound hearing loss. Some of them use both oral and sign to communicate; some only use sign. Now I know some things in sign. I can carry on a conversation with the deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) staff. But what will these campers think of me? Their parents? I am hoping to learn a lot from my girls this week, rather than be made the laugh stock, "dumb counselor that doesn't know sign." <--I can actually sign that sentence so I guess I'll know if that's what's going on!

I am excited and also very nervous for the week ahead. I just want to be able to meet the campers needs and my fear is that I won't be able to if I can't understand them. On the other hand, I was picked as one of the top three female counselors that is most prepared for an "all-deaf" cabin. So that means that other people believe I can do this and I should too. It's a great summer for stepping outside my box, challenging myself, and pushing my limits. So, here I go!

~SJ

CD Week 1, Day 5

You might work at a summer camp if:
You swim for an hour in the morning and think to yourself, "Shower: check!"
Your boss walks in on you while you're in your underwear.
You wake up to the vocal stylings of Justin Bieber or Hannah Montana every morning.

Greetings from the end of our first youth week. It has been rainy and miserable outside everyday, but tomorrow should be nice. Too bad it's departure day!

My cabin full of 11 and 12 year olds has been interesting. I was actually pretty lucky because I probably have the highest functioning group of kids. They dress themselves, shower themselves, make their own beds without me asking, they serve themselves at dinner--in that respect this week has been a dream. The girls are all really nice kids. Even though over half of them are first timers, they've all adjusted quickly and have become fast friends, skipping around camp holding hands and such. Of course there is the typical pre-teen drama: she said this, she did that. But that comes with the territory of working with kiddos.

Bed time is frustrating. Three of the girls are little angels and go to sleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. The other four are silly and giggly and apparently don't let a little thing like sleep get in the way of having fun at camp.

I will be adding more to this post tomorrow. It has been a long week, but a good one :)

Okay so when I said "tomorrow" I may have meant Sunday! Whoops!

On Friday I said goodbye to my first youth campers ever. It was bittersweet--the week can become very long. I had two girls in the cabin who were sisters, and at about 11pm on Wednesday night one knocked out the others' tooth by slamming a cabinet door on her sister's face. How do these things happen?! Get in bed and stay there! On the bright side I had a TON of fun with the girls at the dance on Thursday night. They really enjoyed themselves. It's a great time for all of us to just be silly and have fun together. It is nice for the counselors because the area the dance is in is blocked off with only one entrance/exit, so we don't have to constantly worry about where our kiddos are. They can run around and mingle with friends from other cabins and it's okay. The theme of the week was Wild West. I wish I could show you how cute some of these kiddos costumes were! Instead, here are some pictures of staff!



It rained every day last week, which was hard on the kiddos and the staff. Many of our outdoor activities became indoor activities and changed shape from something active to something passive and borderline boring. You can only color so many times. We did have a fun girls' night since we couldn't go on our camp out. We played music and painted nails and sang camp songs. It was a good time!

~SJ

CD 1, Day 3

Our first youth CD week at camp is going well! I will update more tomorrow, but in the meantime, here are some pictures of high ropes, archery, and fun in the nature center!

Megan and I attempting to climb Giants Ladder

Teamwork!

We did it!

Archery


Nature Center adventures

More to come soon!

~SJ

Taking a breather

Our BVI adults are gone. I am enjoying a nice relaxing weekend before our first set of kiddo campers arrives on Sunday. These kiddos will be campers with cognitive disabilities. We will have three weeks of campers with CD, but not all in a row. I am looking forward to meeting my seven girls (ages 11-13) tomorrow.

Yesterday about 20 of us went to Stevens Point for dinner at a restaurant called El Mezcal. It was delicious! Afterwards we all met up at a little festival at the Rosholt Fair Park called Good Times in the Pines. They didn't have carnival games or fireworks like last year, but we still had a great time listening to live music and eating and drinking together. Afterwards we rocked the world of one of the local taverns. In a town of 519, people will notice when you're not a local. Especially when there are 20 of you!

Today has been sort of a lazy day. I went into Point with a few of the girls, because that's what all the cool kids do on Saturday morning. We ate at Taco Bell then just for kicks went to WalMart (this qualifies as entertainment when you work at a summer camp in the middle of nowhere.) On the agenda for the rest of the day, watching Season 1 of 24 and The King's Speech with Chelsey, and possibly Skyping with my family :-).

I will try to update again as soon as possible, which will either mean Monday or Tuesday. Next week I am going to start running during my time off.

~SJ

BVI Adult: Week 1, Day 4

Today is a better day. I think yesterday I had a case of cabin fever (get it, CABIN fever...I'm at camp...) The weather has been better today. This morning I spent sometime on the lake kayaking and paddle boating with campers. I even remembered to wear sunscreen! I hope you are all as proud of me as the camp nurse is (my old boss.) She's extra hard on the staff when we turn up with sunburn because we should know better. The smell of sunscreen reminds my of my brother Ethan because he puts it on every morning before he goes to work at Steins and it makes the whole upstairs smell like it.

This afternoon I got to go on wagon rides through the forest. We saw a couple of deer milling about. I always feel so connected to nature when we go off main camp and into "the wilderness". Next week I will be starting to run to train for the 5K Chelsey and I are planning on running in Milwaukee this September, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Everyone is looking forward to the talent show tonight. My duet partner Matthew and I have been practicing all week. We are singing a song called "Awake and Alive" by a Christian rock band called Skillet. It is one of his favorites. Before the talent show there is a pig roast in the rec shelter. Everyone is looking forward to that as well!

A bit of a shorter post today. Going to use the rest of my time off to relax and get ready for the exciting night ahead and saying goodbye to my campers tomorrow.

~SJ

BVI Adult: Week 1, Day 3

True story from this weekend:
After months of using the washers at school, where a load of laundry costs $1.25 and you have to pour your detergent into the little pullout drawer, I was happy to be doing laundry for free at Lions Camp. I was so excited to get all the sweat and dirt-stained clothes fresh and clean. I got all my clothes separated and in washers, then paused, confused. Feeling around the machine, I looked at Chelsey and said, "Where does the detergent go?" She nearly passed out from laughing so hard. Good luck trying to domesticate me, dear :-)

It is a rainy day here at camp. This afternoon's tractor rides have become movies in the memorial building, and gecoaching has become crafts. Not only is it wet, but it is also cold. In spite of the miserable weather, time marches on. This mornig I helped lead some crafting chaos. Helping 30 BVI adults bead necklaces, paint cabin flags, and make clothespin animals was a trip. Organized chaos! The waterfront is still open for boating this afternoon--luckily I will be indoors, all snug and dry.

The week is becoming very long. There is a clashing of two mind frames going on. The first is that these are BVI adults who need help doing things they cannot do on their own because of their limited vision. The second is that these are adults who are asking or demanding something every two seconds and it seems as though some of these things they can do on their own. This may sound crass, but for anyone who has ever taken care of another person (patient, kin, child) I hope you can understand where I am coming from. I love what we are doing for these campers--I know they love coming to camp and they have a great time. But it can be frustrating to give someone so much attention, sometimes at the expense of your time. I am frequently late to activities because someone needs to be walked somewhere. The age group I am working comes with it's own set of obstacles. Because they are young, they want to go and be free and do their own thing. Again, this is why they come to camp. But in cabins with older campers, the campers with low visibility help out the totally blind campers when it comes to walking places or helping dish out dinner.

I'm not a bad person. Really. If it were a family member it would be different; partly because it would be 1 and not 8 people. I am looking forward to the youth weeks because it makes more sense to be serving them, keeping an eye on them, making sure they get their meds on time.

I still love camp. I love what we do here and why we do it. I'm still having fun. But a long day at camp can either be a good thing or a bad thing and you never know which until you are in the thick of it.

~SJ

BVI Adult: Week 1, Day 2

We've officially hit the ground running here at WLC. It's a whole different world outside the health lodge, but I am definitely enjoying myself. I appreciate my time off much more since I'm not just sitting around all day. It's taking some getting used to be sharing my space with other people--last year I had a room all to myself. It could be messy or clean or I could have underoos thrown everywhere. I even had a shelf to hide snackies on! Plus I had access to a bathroom I could be in alone.

GONE are the days, my friends! But like I said, I am enjoying myself. This week I am enjoying hanging around with our adult campers, offering them an elbow around camp, and hearing stories about their lives. I met one camper on Sunday who is from St. Francis. It sounds like he is practically neighbors with my aunt and uncle! Two of the campers in my cabin are totally blind and the other six have low visibility. These women, from the ages of 18-29, are a fun group and like to joke around and have fun. Our cabin is connected to another cabin by a common lounge area. The counselor in the adjoining cabin also has a younger group of women; we've been joking that we're running more of a sorority house than cabins!

I've spent most of the last day and a half out on the lake pontooning and paddle boating. Many of the campers really enjoy being on the water whether they are fishing, sailing, or relaxing. Again, we're running more of a resort this week, so I'm still trying to define my role as a counselor. I'm very much like a mama hen, always wanting to know where my campers are, even though they are more than welcome to stay out all night gallivanting with their friends. Next week will be much different; we aren't allowed to let the kiddos out of sight.

Tonight we have a polka band coming in, which a lot of people seem to be looking forward to. Thursday is the talent show, which is also a hot commodity as far as entertainment goes. One of the campers has asked me to do a duet with him, so I will have to look up the words and music for our song.

My time-off is quickly slipping away! When I get back at 5:15 it will almost be dinner time. In case you're wondering, I definitely like the food here :) So meal times are always exciting. A little noisy and overwhelming at times, but definitely enjoyable.

~SJ

You got algae where??

Sunscreen and algae and bug spray--oh my!

Staff training is almost over! It's been a busy week here at WLC. We've been preparing ourselves for another summer full of campers. We have been going over a lot of procedural type things, as well as participating in some practical training like running lost camper drills. We've also bee having some fun. On Monday we did the high ropes challenge course. Pictures will be up soon! Since it's been extremely hot all week, the administrative team (A-team) surprised us with some water balloon fun this afternoon! Training will be over at 3 tomorrow, a very welcome though since everyone is exhausted. We are heading to Steven's Point afterwards for a fun staff dinner. Then we have a few days to rest before our campers come.

Our first week will be blind and visually impaired (BVI) adults. Camp functions as a resort for these adults; it is their vacation. This means that while we offer a wide variety of activities, the week is less structured. The adults will get to pick and choose what they do. If they want to stay in their cabins and sleep for a week straight, they are more than welcome to. I have signed up to lead a variety of activities from climbing wall to pontoon fishing.

It's hard to be away from my family right now with everything that's been going on. Everyone at camp has been really supportive and made themselves available to me. I am lucky to be able to spend the summer so close to my girlfriend, Chelsey, after a long school year apart. She has been infinitely supportive and loving.

Well, it's time to head to the dining hall for dinner. Someone at my table at lunch time had Sneaky--so we all have to wear life jackets while we eat. Better go get geared up! Stay tuned!

~S

Camptown Race Track 5 Miles Long

Training is underway...and I will be there shortly :-) I can't wait to join everyone for another amazing summer at Wisconsin Lions Camp!

It will be harder than ever to leave home this summer; the last couple days have been very tough for my family. But God knows what he's doing--I was able to be here for my dad's surgery because I was released early from my contract at school and I will be student teaching in Milwaukee this fall so I will be around to spend time with him. Things will definitely get harder before they'll get easier, but we are staying positive and hoping for the best. Thinkin' shrinkin'!

~SJ

And So You're Back from Outer Space...

I received a call from camp this week and they offered me the job as cabin counselor for the summer...

AND I ACCEPTED!

Now I have even more reason to look forward to the summer :) I fact, I'm really looking forward to this whole year. This is my last semester on campus, after which I will be spending my summer at camp, followed by a semester of student teaching! So many exciting things happening!

Right now I am working in a 2nd grade classroom two days a week observing and teaching a few lessons. The second graders are great, so much energy! My cooperating teacher is fantastic as well.

This weekend I did the Polar Plunge in Oshkosh. I collected $110 in donations for Special Olympics and jumped into the frigid waters of Lake Winnebago....wow! It took my breath away! Chelsey and I both escaped with some minor war wounds due to climbing ungracefully out of the water.

That's the haps right now. Hope you are all doing well!

-SJ