"Fried Chickenisha"

Week 5 was a fantastic week of campers.  Everyone seemed to be hitting their stride as far as counselors go and the kids were awesome.  Justin and a whole bunch of returners were here for a week of 36 campers.  I co-taught a fantastic week of lessons with Marrigje and we just had a blast!  We had campers telling their counselors that their lessons were AWESOME!  This week was just the one I needed to revive my spirits, lift me up, and get me excited again about summer camp.  Summer drains you physically, emotionally, and mentally.  Justin is a natural leader and he created a family unit with the pathfinders and gave everyone new names.  He's a fantastic young man and earned a Character Counts award.  There were plenty of challenges during the week with a young man with several developmental disorders who Kylie and I were determined to give the best week of his life to.  She poured her heart and soul into the kid and to see him wash his horse because his cabin counselor was coming up to see him ride and the care he put into everything he did and how proud he was when he did it reminded me of the power of horses and God and love from us.  I hope he can take the feelings he had while here and take them home and be changed there too.  Good job Kaleb.  Then there was a horribly homesick camper that was able to stay the whole week.  She really loved her sister so much and felt like her soul was dying to not be home.  I told her she used her words so well she should journal.  And that's how she got through the week was journaling the good things that were happening here.  We inititally gave her 24 hours to stay and then we'd re-evaluate.  But she made it thanks to a lot of counseling from her cabin counselors.  Good job girls!  And lastly there was Henry.  Oh Henry.  You and I created a fantastic bond.  You asked me SO many questions. As you pestered Steve the farrier with questions, I tried to divert you away from him and I asked YOU why you asked so many questions and without missing a beat, you looked at me and said, "That's my job, to ask questions!"  Our bond was only strengthened on our trail ride together.  I had a strong suspicion that this would be the first trail ride where I'd actually use the halter and leadrope I always carried on my saddle.  Henry loved Flicka but there were lots of times where he was scared to death of her.  I prepared for all possible outcomes before our trail ride and had Henry put "all of Flicka's clothes (tack) on her", including her halter which is something we don't usually

use.  Another counselor had told him later he didn't need it and Rae had to make up a story as to why he was the only one who had a horse with a halter and she told him it was because we always pick one person on our ride to wear a halter on their horse in case it's needed an it was his time.  ;-)  Our trail ride is intimidating but I have always made it a safe experience.  I had no plans to scare poor Henry so I was

doubly prepared to hook him to me for the ride.  I led it out on a horse who would have no issue having another horse on his butt the whole time.  No sooner than we get out the door, Flicka tries turning around and heading back to the barn.  Henry-"She doesn't want to leave!".  Me-"Henry, she's fine.  Just turn her back towards me."  Then I walk Clifford back and grab onto her halter and lead her a few steps forward to get her going back the right direction.  Henry was so quiet during the ride and all I could usually here were sharp intakes of breaths every once in a while and him mumbling how nervous she was.  I kept thinking that he was projecting his feelings onto her.  ;-)  But we make it to the hill to go down in Ghost Creek Valley and I hear him gasp.  All along the ride so far I kept telling him to keep Flicka on Clifford's butt, pointing him to where I wanted him to keep her nose, and telling him it was going to be fine.  I thought eventually I'd have to hook him up to me but I wanted him to do as much as he was able to.  He makes it down the hill just fine, right on Clifford's butt, and she stops at the creek.  Henry-"She's scared!  She can't go across!"  Me-"Henry.  Henry!  Pull back on your horse and turn her around."  Flicka starts to go down a footpath into unknown territory and I start to yell at Henry (not in a mad but in a "get it done" voice), "Henry.  HENRY!  BE THE BOSS AND STEER YOUR HORSE!!!"  Immediately I see his hands actually pull back on the reins. By this time I've crossed back across the creek and am on foot with Clifford in tow.  I get him turned around and ask Clifford to back up the entire path (Good boy!) and I clip Henry to my long rope and then get Clifford somehow turned around to be facing the right way and jump on his back.  We go across the creek and Henry starts talking up a storm!  He told me that it was now like a "pony ride" and he didn't have to do anything.  ;-)  Oh Henry!  I'm so proud of you!  You made it halfway on the ride.  He was

so relaxed and chatty afterwards and I had made a new friend for life.  You were a drain in the question quota for the week but you were fun.  I wondered if his parents were good to him or ignored his million questions and it turns out, he's got good parents.  Yeah!  Sometimes the parents of these kids don't seem to care.  That's why they love camp so much because they matter to someone!  It was a challenging, awesome, loving, caring, tiring week.  A great halfway point for the summer.  Friday's theme was superheros and Sara rode Quiggley as Batman.  :-)  Got the job done and had a lot of fun doing it.  On to week 6!

First Four Weeks in Review

Oops, I realize now that my last post was a few days before summer camp even started.  I am way behind on keeping you all up to date on what's been going on at camp.  The summer has gone fast so far and in some strange way, I'd like it to slow down a bit.  Summer is draining, physically and emotionally, and takes everything out of you but I love the community and the energy and the love.  So, without any further ado, here is a quick review of my first 5 weeks of the summer.

Week 1 brought Annie back to us for a week to fill in for our blazer cabin.  It was so much fun to have her back in action as I've been trying to bring her back for years now so she could get her green jacket.  Sadly, I only had her for a week but trust me, I tried so hard to convince her to ditch her internship.  As is the case, week 1 brings lots of jitters and nervousness for both the counselors and myself.  I know my counselors were overwhelmed and wondering if they would remember everything.  Well, they didn't, but I didn't expect them to!  I honestly felt a little like I was going "through the motions" for the week and I wish I hadn't felt like that.  There was a lot of work and stress going into week 1 and Amie and I had been going hard core for about a month with no days off just to lead to this one moment.  We may have been working on activities up until the last minute but we always got them done before the campers got there, even if it was just minutes before.  ;-)  My first two trail rides of the season went well and the third got rained out due to the monsoon that hit us Wednesday evening.  It was still so wet Friday morning that I still didn't take Iowa out for their ride.  My class of five had a fun time and I found that I worked very well with Marrigje which was fun.  The magic school bus was an absolute hit with Abby and her bearded dragon and our horse costume for Friday night brought tons of laughs!  While I may not have been as into it as usual, week 1 was a success and we did it!

Week 2 took us to only two EQ cabins as we had 21 girls and 5 boys signed up.  Still a lot but not enough girls for 3 cabins.  Donica went to Iowa and Taylor swung to resident camp.  It's a tough transition but they did well and learned to go with the flow.  Taylor still got to come up for all three periods of horsemanship so she still got barn time which is good for the soul.  Marrigje and I only had three kids in our class and it was time for me to step out of the way and watch her work this week.  She did a great job with the jumping aspect of the class.  Taylor's birthday was also on Friday so Kylie and I conspired and she and Donica helped decorate her bunk and I made gluten free brownies.  We dressed her horse in a birthday hat and she got to ride him on the trail ride.  Success all the way around!  Closing campfire was in Kampen so no horse parade but still a horse costume made it's appearance.

Week 3 brought us back up to three EQ cabins and this time Jess and I were teaching the upper level english class.  This time Liz Demoss helped us out by filling in for our last counselor spot.  It was crazy and ridiculous and draining that week but I can't remember too much specifics.  I do remember that my class was very difficult.  We took on 7 kids but that wasn't the hard part.  The most difficult thing was having three different levels within that class with a kid who never should have been passed the earlier level.  We made do but it wasn't easy and the kids weren't always happy with the lesson.  We finished up pretty strong and made it.  It was country hoe down night and my barn assistants dressed up english style just to be funny.  The horse parade went out and was a little rough but we made it.  I was a bit stressed out by the end of the week and had to pick myself back off the ground Sunday and keep fighting through the funk until I was able to get passed it by Tuesday or Wednesday of the next week.  Glad that funk doesn't come often.










Week 4 is independence week!  My favorite horse parade of the summer where I carry my grandpa's flag in the horse parade and then up on stage for the playing of the anthem.  It's so cool because the anthem starts to play and then I'm coming up the side with the flag and I don't know what people are thinking when I ride behind the sign but all of a sudden I'm riding up on stage with the flag on a horse!  Then I take off at a canter when I leave the stage.  All very cool as they are chanting "USA USA USA!" Week 4 started off in a bit of a daze as I got myself sorted back out...."It's going to be okay"....that was my mantra.  I had a class all my own and they were pretty fun.  My barn assistants dressed up as the musketeers for the campfire and had a ton of fun.  Week 4 was pretty good.  Oh and Brooke came back and joined us for the week as a fill in counselor.  Yeah!

Four down, five to go.