That Camp State of Mind...

I am in complete countdown mode for Camp Fantastic...it is the 30th Anniversary year...and I feel so lucky to be able to be a part of it.  It is getting close enough that I am starting to dream about it.  Thinking about it causes a giddy grin and goosebumps...it is that special.  It is an unexplainable special that you can only experience first-hand to really know.  I don't know that I would have imagined 11 years ago that I was going to form bonds that would last so long...in some cases...everlasting.  It is in that moment, where you know that you are in the right place at the right time, where your life changes forever.  Mine did.  The first year I volunteered at camp in 2002...

My life is full of these moments over the past 11 years that I carry with me always.  The first time I met Joel on the bus on the way back from Farm Day.  That all night conversation that Amy and I had with Chass.  Watching Christy read an essay at the talent show and blowing everyone away with her words.  Hanging out with Laura all week while shooting a video about camp.  Listening to Carolyn read a poem about remembering Alex.  At campfire when Daniel claimed honors and thanked me for taking care of him during the week.  When Katie wore a dress to the dance...a little black one at that.  The first I met Becca Parcells and her family at their first ever Special Love event, it was a Spring Family Weekend.  Becca was six.  Now she is sixteen...and looking fabulous in her purple butterfly hoodie don't you think?  This is a picture of us from Reunion Weekend in June.

As an incredibly shy person with very few true friends, I instantly gained

an incredible network of friends who are always there for me...in camp life or regular life.  For an introvert who had never been to camp before, I learned that there is a place for everyone .  As a team, a group of volunteers (each person with their own individual gifts) work together to create an amazing experience for campers who get a whole week to be a kiddo with the focus on fun and not on cancer.  It is a beautiful, beautiful thing.  Life changing.  It is life changing for everyone.  When butterflies or dragonflies swirl around me, I can see Chass smiling to me.  When a Cake song plays, Joel is saying Hi. 

As I sorted through way too many unfilled Vera Bradley notebooks, I put a lot of thought into selecting just the right one for this year.  I start a new notebook every year to house all of my planning, all of my lists, and all of my ideas for the following year.  I decided to use Purple Punch because it reminds me of the person who is like my big sister.  She will be moving away...not long after I return from camp in August.  She is strong, brave, and fantastic...just like my camp friends.  And just as I have learned at camp, friendship is everlasting.  No matter where you are, the people who care about you are always there for you.  No matter what.