Sweet sweet summertime

I feel like since camp is over I should write some incredibly poignant entry about what an amazing experience I had but truthfully I don't think I can. I wouldn't be doing this summer justice by writing about how wonderful it is there, how much I've changed, etc, etc. Honestly, it was a tough summer. There were times I was so frustrated and exhausted and just wanted to sleep; I was pushed in ways I didn't know I could and did things I never thought I would ever do. But I wouldn't change a bit of it. I came to understand that our campers are more than just campers- they are colleagues, equals, friends. I worked with people this summer with such joy for the world, such hope that I couldn't help but feel happy even with very little sleep. One of my friends told me that he learned that they are not people to pity and they aren't. They are individuals who deserve love and compassion and respect just as much as the next person and one should never doubt their abilities. Camp focuses so much on abilities but reminds us that we all have our own disabilities. I wish I knew how to sum up this summer adequately but I don't think my words would do enough. I learned this summer what it means to be truly selfless and to put others before you and how liberating that can be. Spearhead claims that it is more than just a camp and it really is; it permeates your life and brings you to people who can show you more about yourself and others that you would have ever thought. I hope some day each of you can find an experience like camp but until then enjoy these:

My favorite camper/counselor quotes:

- Love me tender, love me sweet, I like you, You like me....

- Miss Allison that's a rat!

- Hottie boy at 10 o'clock

- My precious cutie pie

- That's culture!

- WENIS!

- Snickers bar!

- Boobies.

- I'm having a magical time!

- Bon qui qui

- It's the climb....

- ALICE!!!!

- I love everybody.

- Those weren't real clowns.

- You're my princess.

-Let's dance up some fun!

- Can we listen to Wicked!?!?!

- Ice cream and cakey cake

- I would want to be a merperson with you...

- We Rock!

- Am I childlike in nature?

- You know what's weird, presidents poop. (seriously ben...)

- Are you my girlfriend?

- I'm gooey, chewy chocolate.

- unnawares

- Do the wookie!!

-Man, I feel like a woman.

- I just love this place...

The Life Aquatic

We found Dory!

Takin' on the Jellies- Kyle was excited

We were in awe.

Will, me, and Kyle


So last weekend me and my friend Will from camp (who should totally go to Furman by the way) went to see the awesome Kyle Synder in Atlanta and we spent most of our time there at the Georgia Aquarium. I am in no way kidding. Apparently when get 3 people who are aquarium nerds you end up there for a while. Basically we walked around and saw all of the animals and read all of the information and touched some stingrays and may have ridden down the sweet whale slide. I don’t think we could have been more enthralled by it- I maybe took about 200 pictures of the fish. The Georgia Aquarium is sweet and it sort of made me miss when I used to want to be a marine biologist, or at least a dolphin trainer.

After our aquarium adventure and the necessary shopping excursion, we ended up at a bluegrass concert. A free one. You’d think this would be a bad choice but it was some of the most fun I’ve had in a while. Everyone there was so different, the bad was good, and it was pretty fun just people watching. We ended up sitting on a Pi Kapp blanket drinking white wine we brought in in a J.Crew bag. The only thing that would have made it frattier would have been a cooler. Or a bowtie. Of course we followed this with an oyster roast/clam bake in Kyle’s back yard because that? Is the natural thing to do after a free bluegrass concert. The evening closed with a viewing of Planet Earth where I promptly fell asleep. Ultimately, I think it was a near perfect weekend- the aquarium, Atlanta, good friends, good food, and lots of J.Crew. The only thing that would have made it better? If I were a dolphin trainer for real. Oh and penguins- they were seriously lacking.

Everyday is a winding road...

Somehow camp is almost over and I have yet to figure out how it has already been 7 weeks. I’m sitting here at my dad’s mom’s house in the middle of nowhere in Virginia with very little internet access trying to convince myself that really being disconnected from the world isn’t that awful. This summer I have slowly realized that having internet constantly at your fingertips isn’t totally necessary and really, Facebook is more than a tad over-rated. Still, I find myself freaking out anytime I can actually read my email- it’s become such a special thing. Even so, it is nice to know what’s going on in the world. I really think that something massive could happen and we wouldn’t know about it; but, part of me feels that we are so wrapped up in camp world worrying about our campers that the world essentially ceases to be as important.
The past 2 weeks have been exhausting but really a lot of fun. We’ve had the older ladies for two weeks and I’ve discovered that they are perhaps some of the funniest people you will meet. I absolutely love being around them and they are usually up for taking a nap so I’m totally into that. My parents actually made it up for a talent show and I was so incredibly excited to show them what I have been doing the past 2 months. Surprisingly, my dad actually really liked it- he did get a birthday party invitation and a girlfriend so I think that he fits in pretty well. Apparently its overwhelming to see that many special people in one confined space because I have become so used it to. There are times that I think I have completely forgotten what it is like to be in a world that isn’t camp and that I may no longer be able to functioning completely in society. I’m hoping this soon comes back. But most importantly, my parents got to see why I do what I do and what a unique place Spearhead is. This week Virginia got to come and I was so happy to see her! I have gotten to see her far more this summer but it was awesome to get to show her what I’ve been doing and why I’m a total “camera whore” at camp- its true, I take a lot of pictures. It is truly exciting to get to show people you love what you are passionate about and why this population is so important and wonderful. I hope that through this blog some of you have been able to see what a wonderful place Spearhead is and how important it is to me. I wish I could share with everyone all of my pictures and stories about it because it really has been a wild ride. Somehow I went down this road in my last real summer as a college student (I’m refusing to talk about the grad school application I’ve started- its too scary) and I don’t really know where it will lead me, but I think its going somewhere good. Either way, I’ve got some great stories out of it and maybe, just maybe, cured my email addiction. Maybe not.