YAC and RATPOD

So I am really really not in the mood to blog buttttt this last week and a half have been amazing! So June 10th we went to the airport, did the whole "hello campers that are older than me, I am your cabin leader... OBEY ME." okay not really but I sort of feel that way some times, or that was how I felt a little bit because most of the campers this week are, in fact, older than me.  But turns out this week was really just seven days of hanging out with buddies.  I met some of the most hilarious and inspiring people in the entire world.   

Run down of YAC: yac stands for young adults conference and it is a week long "conference/camp" where people from the ages of 18-40 get to come and get away for a week with a combination of campy things and educational sessions.  I had 16 campers and one amazing volunteer in my cabin this week.  It was a pretty heavy week this week because two of the greatest campers passed away over the last year.... quick shout out to Jordan and Cassie... Really missed you this week, camp is not the same without you but I'm glad to know that you are in a better place (side note on how grateful I am for the church I am a part of, knowing that I will see my friends again makes it so much easier to deal with their passing) anywhooooooo this week we went bowling and I actually got to do the crazy curving way and I got like seven strikes! amazing.  We went to the saturday market in Missoula as well and I got to spend my time with the most hilarious lady ever who sang a song called sardines and told more blonde jokes than anyone I have ever met.  Spent a day P-buring in P-burg and I got married. in the thrift store. to a hilarious camper. lucky me!  We also had a spectacular day on rope courses, swam, did lots of horses, another really awesome Butte hiking, fishing (no we did not catch anything but my dear friend jack says that is why its called fishing and not catching).  One night I spent the evening in my cabin with my pants pulled up to my armpits- a bunch of girls got a really great laugh out of that.  Dance party was just about the coolest thing ever, we did all sorts of crazy dancing and karaoke, even learned a dance from a camper that will one day own her own dance studio- she taught us some pretty legit break dancing moves. and yes. I pulled out the tye-dye jump suit. Of course talent show and slide show are the most amazing way to end the week- so many crazy talents (singing voices, dancers, and even people that can touch their tongue to their nose (me being one of them. proud moment)) and some memories that will last forever.  We talked about things we were grateful for on the last night of cabin chat and I will end my blog on YAC with one thing that I am grateful for:  I have never had cancer, none of my immediate family or friends have ever had cancer but some how I had the opportunity to come to this amazing camp and what I am grateful for is that all of these amazing people have been and are willing to open up and let me into their circle, their joys, fears, struggles and life lessons.  I am thankful for them.

RATPOD- Ride Around The Pioneer In One Day. 137 mile bike ride. raises over a quarter of the annual Camp Mak-A Dream budget and is an amazing party weekend following a bike race.  This was this last weekend and everyone on core staff got to go to the middle of no where Dillon, Montana with over 600 riders all with the joint goal of raising money for camp- probably one of the longest and hottest days ever but also one of the most inspiring.  One day, I will ride in this race.

Other things: over break we went to Helena and did some karaoke at an Irish Pub- and we sang My Heart Will Go On by my dear friend Celine Dion and hiked to the top of Mount Helena, had a really fun hotel party night and now are showered and ready to go for TEEN CAMP... starts tomorrow!

part of core staff in Helena!

my dear rachael and me before banquet

dance party! jump suit trio

Pinter Cabin- YAC 2012 <3

karaoke with the cabin.

early morning fishing!

Adult HUC.

June 4-10:  Adult Heads Up Conference.
        - For people over the age of 18 that are currently undergoing treatment for or have survived one or more brain tumors.
This week was amazing.  Its hard to put into the words all of the amazing people I have met in the last week and how many great friendships that have come as a result of just a few days, I feel like I have known every single camper from this camp for years.

Run down for the week... so we went to the airport to pick up all the campers and I am pretty sure when the first campers came off the plane I had the weird dear in the head lights--awkward don't talk to me look on my face but that went away quickly because the first camper of mine that came off the plane was quite the talker!  By the time we had made it to pick up her luggage, I knew pretty much everything there was to know about her, and had been serenaded all the words to "under the sea" from the one and only little mermaid.  yes. my campers were awesome.  Within the hour I had met 10 of the most amazing girls in the entire world that I spent getting to know on a super personal basis, like family.  Within the hour I had my hair french braided (this was a common thing during the week- thanks to Amy I never had to worry about my hair), I had been told all of the best cruise spots to go to, said hello to many great old friends from last year and had completely overcome any fear of having to talk to strangers.  I don't think going through every single day is a great idea because it would take way too long so highlights!!
            - cabin chats- a time for all the campers to just talk, not only was this the ultimate struggle for me because it was a discussion and I had to lead it, meaning I had to be able to think on my feet and come up with smart sounding things to say on the fly (lets just say I still have work in the area) but I got a very special perspective of people that have literally looked death in the face and have come back stronger than ever. pretty neat.
           - the butte hike... we climbed a mountain, many of the campers never thought they would be able to get to the top but they made it.  I was inspired by one of my hiking buddies who I never thought would make it to the top and actually made it in true fashion!
         - high ropes, this is the day where everyone from having balance issues to visual problems to being terrified of high places, over comes their individual challenge in a ropes course 30 ft in the air, last year I was able to be a part of the team waiting at the top to help campers along, this year I was at the bottom ready to congratulate them on however much they accomplished.
          - art barn- almost every one of my campers could have spent their entire week in the art barn and would have been completely satisfied.  I had a cabin of artists! I got a self portrait, bracelets, posters and origami lessons ha! yes....
         - dance party/ karaoke-   this was my favorite night because everyone dressed up in their Hollywood costumes, another staff member named Ellen and I were Reeses candy bars.  Pretty awesome.  But three hours of dancing and singing is an excellent way to get people out of their shells, for some people to show off their talent but for others of us (cough me cough) to look like a complete lunatic. good thing I don't care if people think I'm weird... its not like I have never heard that before.
        - everything else!  we did horses, drum circle with smiley eyes, fireside chat, videos, late night fun, p-burging in P-burg and more stuff. oh and my birthday (i got presents and packages and sung to, couldn't have picked a better place to celebrate) and I also got to spend my birthday with michelle.... haha in spirit...

just blowing out some birthday candles with my bestie.

I'll leave it with one other story... I left camp a day early to meet my family in Florida (congrats Bott on 6 amazing years with the APTA) and as I was leaving, one of my sweet campers ran after me as I was leaving yelling about how I better be sorry I was leaving early and that it was too hot in Florida and that she was going to miss me.  she was right. I was sad to leave early, it was boiling in Florida and I already miss every single one of those campers!

hiking the butte... "Sarah sandwich" with Tom

staff day on the ropes course

Olay! Taco Tuesday!

dance party reeses

My Girlies <3  PINTLER ADULT HUC 2012!!

I also had a really great 2 day trip to Florida with most of the fam, minus Kristin who has a big girl job these days.  But we went to Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios which has... wait for it... HARRY POTTER WORLD. pretty sweet. best break ever! best family ever. i love roller coasters. i love camp. i love flying by myself. i love talking to my best friends on the phone. i love sun dresses.  i hate blogging.

Training... and my bestie

Well I am proud to say that training and our first break is DONE. and it went better than I could have hoped.  Everyone on staff is amazing and adds a different bit of flavor to this place. 

I'll start with the run down of training... so we got here and I got assigned my cabin, I am officially the PINTLER cabin leader.  Facts about pintler: It is the furthest cabin from everything and anything so I am gonna get a work out every time I go to my cabin.  It has been know to smell like sulfur (good thing I am armed with smell good sprays and a big coconut candle) and I have already killed about 8 spiders, including one that was in the hat that I put on my head before I realized it was there. I had to take a shower. AND most importantly I couldn't be happier to be there and get this opportunity. Anywhooo, got assigned to my cabin and we spent the next two days going over every single little detail of camp that we could ever need to know and too bad for me, I still feel like I have absolutely no idea what I am supposed to do when I go to the airport to pick up campers tomorrow.  I will cross that bridge when I come to it, tomorrow morning, ha. shoot.  We finished training and headed to Missoula, went to dinner and stayed up till way to late playing temple run and trying to figure out how to make pudding because apparently you have to boil the stuff before you cool it down and eat it.  This is why they invented instant pudding and that will be my purchase from NOW ON.  Oh and I swam laps today. about three of them. then I pooped out. but I will work on that.   Summary of my time so far, my second family is up here and I couldn't be more excited to get to know old friends better and make new friends---how lucky am I that I get to be around such strong and kind people all summer? I would say pretty dang lucky.

We start our first camp this week... Adult H.U.C. which is the Heads Up Conference for people that are living with or have survived a brain tumor. More to come on that once it happens but I really think these people are going to change me for the better.

This picture describes the two of us more than anything I could write... this is us.

Michelle Price. my best friend since 5th grade.  the year we both turned 11, the year we were stuck together blue people for Halloween because why not of course, the year that I found a friend that would be there for me through every little thing for more than 8 years and many more to come.  It's her birthday today, my birthday is tomorrow (awhh so cute. meant to be best friends) This girl knows every thing there is to know about me and more.  She is the one I go to when I have a really lame story to tell like how I watched some guy trip up the stairs, or how someone passed gas in class (hehe passed gas...) and I had to leave to room, I don't think people really need to appreciate those stories, but she always does. People have this thing where they like to sit back and just watch michelle and I while we do whatever it is we do...I am not quite sure what we do but people really get a kick out of our conversations, facial expressions and rants about really pointless stuff.  Vent sessions at three in the morning keep me sane, laughing attacks are the only reason I have any kind of abs, and having someone to come everywhere with me is super convenient.  I really could write an entire book about all of the crazy things that michelle and I have experienced and it is very likely that at some point we will both die because of a really stupid spur of the moment idea that we decide would be fun.  yay for my LBC, dont know how I would sit down, stand up or walk with out her.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY WOMAN!