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