I'd like a professional camp packer, please!!!

Home Sweet Home! I'm finally adjusted to the time change and I'm seeing all my friends before I head up to camp for the summer! Monday was Ashley and Andrea's Birthday. Ash and I ran around all day...she was off on Monday and I decided to take a day off from my demanding job to keep her company on her birthday :) We went to lunch with Andrea and then Andrea gave us facials at her work...I felt kind of bad, the birthday girl was giving me a facial, but it was fun. Then Ash and I ran errands all afternoon until it was time to go bowling!

There's the whole group bowling at Franklin Lanes!!! We got wild and crazy on their 25th at the bowling alley on Monday! Actually...everyone had to work the next day...so we were done around 10, but it was a lot of fun. There is a group shot above...clockwise: Ashley, Kelsey, Jenna is hiding behind Kelsey, Andrea, Devan, Blake, Tiffany, Melis, and Scott! Fun group!!

D won about 7 stuffed animals from "The Claw"...I think he practices! No one wins in those games!

Me with the Birthday girls!!! Friends for 18 years!!!

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On Tuesday I got to go kayaking with my friend from church, Donna. She was nice enough to invite me and let me use one of her kayaks. We paddled down the Harpeth for about 3 hours or so and it was such a gorgeous morning!!! We saw two baby turtles (like the size of my two thumbs, little!!), a deer, an owl, a few blue herrans (they look like they belong in Florida!!), and a herd of cattle blocking the river! They eventually made their way to the side...but they were funny little things. Umm...I guess little isn't the appropriate word. Anyway, we had a fun trip, barely beat the afternoon thunderstorm, and I got a head start on my camp teva tan for the summer!! So a big thank you to Donna!!

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I am now procrastinating my next project of packing for camp. This isn't just pack a bag and go...I can handle that. I have to pull out the trunk, the rubbermaid drawers, all the bathroom stuff, the sleeping bag, blankets, costumes, cave clothes...and it goes on and on!! You need lots of options when your schedule has you canoeing the river, caving in Wick's, and mountain biking on Peola during the day...then Baby Spice at evening program and Harry Potter for Mystery Date party at night. That's a very typical day...and THAT, my friends, is why I love summer camp!!!

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This will be my first summer without a cabin. I am graduating and moving on up to Program Staff. It will be strange to not have 12 girls sharing a room with me all summer...instead I'll just have 2 roomies, Clarissa and Katie Berry! The three of us were all in a cabin together when we were campers in 95 and 97!! We are ready for an awesome summer...get this...between the three of us we have a combined 46 summers at camp, and I bring the least amount with 8! Clarissa wins with 25...sometimes people think it's crazy that I'm still at camp at 25 (Katie and Clarissa are both 25 too) and they think I must be running the place...so I just want to share Clarissa's story so you can get a feel for the way Taum Sauk works!

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Clarissa's dad, Bud (Shelly), came to Taum Sauk as a counselor when he was either 18 or early 20's...I can't remember which. Either way...he has been at camp every summer for a little over 40 years. His wife, Lesa, runs the kitchen. They were married at camp and Clarissa has been at camp every summer of her life. And to take it FURTHER...Clarissa met her fiance, Jason, at camp when they went to the dance together third session of 1997! They didn't really date until college...but he has spent many summers as camper and counselor and they are now getting married at camp this October!! So...you think I'm a lifer??? I pale in comparison...I have a lot more summers to go to be competitive!!

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Anyway...5 days til Staff Week starts! Any takers to pack my stuff?