Thank You, Miss Emma

It's been a little over two months since I've stepped foot on Kanuga property. Two months filled with stress, learning, laughter, smiles, tears, running, jumping, swimming, reading, singing, tie-dying, coloring, imagination, boo-boos, friends, frustrations, and a little bit of blood. I've experienced so much that has helped me grow as a person and a leader. I've come into contact with some kids who I absolutely adored and others who I anxiously awaited their departure from the Children's Program. Going into training, we were told that we would have kids that fell into those two categories, yet the ones who would teach us the biggest lessons would be the difficult ones; the ones who we couldn't wait to get rid of at the end of each day. This past week, I had quite a few of these kids; specifically, there was a group of 4 or 5 little boys that were all 4 and 5 who knew exactly how to grind on mine and each others nerves. During those 5 days, the Lord taught me more about patience and understanding than I could have imagined possible. I learned how to deal with difficult children, and I gained a huge respect for their parents, who gave me the same "I'm so sorry that he _________ today" speech after every program. After all the stress of the week, one of the little boys who gave me the toughest time looked at me and very secretly whispered the best 7 words I've heard all summer: "I had fun, Miss Emma. Thank you" Those are the kids that make my experience here the learning experience that it's become. Those are the kids that teach me about being a good care-giver. Those are the kids that teach me patience and perseverance. Those are the kids who make me thankful for my parents and their patience with me as I grew up. But those words? The words "Thank You" are the words that make me the most thankful that God has given me such an amazing opportunity to affect these kids' lives in the best way possible. They're the words that make me get up and go to work each morning. They're the words that make me want to stay a little longer.

I had a grandma come up to me at the close of the week and tell me some of the best news I've heard all summer. She is a big donor of Kanuga and somehow, I know she sensed that I was having a stressful day...and she was right. I had two counselors who were not doing what they were supposed to be doing on top of being a counselor short, I had kids running around not listening to their counselors, and I had popsicles and empty water cups in my hands. She quietly asked me to speak to her in private for a second. Ms. Wilson proudly told me that she has been bringing her children and grandchildren to the Baker Building for 34 years and that this year has been the best it's ever been--the counselors have been welcoming, and the directors have been organized and so inviting to every kid. (You'd be surprised at how hard it is to memorize 30 names in 3 hours) Ms. Wilson not only gave me this flattering news, but said that she also told the exact same thing to the President of Kanuga in hopes that he would notice our hard work. Right as she began to leave, Ms. Wilson handed me some folded dollar bills and politely asked me to divide them evenly among me and my counselors.
Isn't it amazing how the Lord works? He took my crappy day and attitude and quickly showed me that things aren't as bad as they always seem. Sometimes, it's just up to us to take a step back, take a breath, and just be a kid. It's okay to ignore the popsicle trash for 20 minutes in order to read a story to a group of quiet little girls and it's okay to have a little chaos in order to hear those two words that keep me going..."Thank you." I realize that I don't say those words as much as I should--not only to my co-workers, parents, and friends, but to the person who I have the most to thank--my Father. This whole experience has taught me the importance of thanks and I have a lot to be thankful for.

Not my week

This week:

I sliced my finger open cutting apples and had to clean up my blood from the kitchen walls, fridge, sink, and counter.

I had to kick two kids out of program.

I ran carnival by myself...and it got rained out.

Two kids fell and busted their heads open.

A kid stuck a bead up his nose.

A mom complained about a towel being on the front porch...and then later apologized about being a "Bitch" in front of her 3 year old daughter.

A kid pegged me in the head with a ball.

And another kid referred to me as "the tan girl who gives us snack

A mom from last week called and asked Kanuga to refund her for her daughter's "birthday shirt" because the Tempura paint won't come off.

A kid peed herself all over the bathroom floor.

And more than one kid stripped in the middle of the Baker Building floor.

Welcome to the Children's Program at Kanuga Conference Center.

"Don't be alarmed if..."

Story time!
So, a few weeks ago, we had what has been my favorite group of kids. They all were really sweet, and most importantly, we didn't have any major allergy or medical issues...or so I thought. You see, on each registration form, there is a big area that says "medical or dietary issues we need to know about". You can't miss it. Really. Now, keep this in mind during the rest of this.
So, one day while walking our kids to the lake, one of our counselors approached a dad and asked him if his daughter (let's call her Jane for anonymity) should take her glasses off to go swimming. He politely told her that yes, she could, but...and I quote "Don't be alarmed if her eye comes out. She has a prosthetic. Just don't let her rub it too much, and she should tell you if it falls out" WHOA. This wasn't on the form! Can you imagine what would happen if I HADNT known and it had fallen out? Do those things float? Luckily, the lake went fine and no eyes fell out of any body.
Now, fast forward a day or two. Our counselors took our little 3-4 year olds on a rather long hike. Jane, falling into this group, was one of the smaller kids, so about half way through the hike, she asked one of the counselors to carry her because she got tired. From the point of where she was picked up to the Baker Building was approximately a fourth of a mile or so...nothing too huge. So, Counselor A returns to the Baker Building with Jane and politely hands her over to the parents. With all of the counselors and a lot of the parents standing around, Jane's mom exclaims, "Honey, where is your eye? It's not in." I COULD HAVE DIED. right there. The next hour and a half, Counselor A and Jane's mom, in addition to half of Kanuga maintenance and staff, hiked the lake trail looking for the eye and FINALLY found it right back in front of the Baker Building.
Anywho, lesson to be learned here. PUT EVERYTHING ON MEDICAL FORMS and read them...you never know when you may lose a fake body part.

Top 5 Things I've Learned So Far

1) Always Be Prepared

Vague? yes. I meant to do that. I've learned to be prepared for any and everything...like being stuck inside for 3 hours with 30 screaming 3,4,5, and, 6 year olds because of a massive thunderstorm. Or like being promoted to Director of your program and being given a week to transition and hire a new assistant director. Cool. Or...be prepared to have a 5 year old who isn't potty trained. According to Mom, "we just haven't gotten to it yet." Okay. Orrrr even being prepared to search for a fake eye around the lake.

2) Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.

I am so beat! Seriously, I chase toddlers around for 8 hours a day and I honestly could go to bed at 8 every night...I'm starting to feel like my mama. I have really learned that you need to take care of yourself in order to do a good job...two hours of sleep really does affect your ability to safely care for kids.

3) It's okay to miss home.

Homesickness has never really been a problem for me. I can honestly never remember a time that I was extremely homesick. This summer has definitely changed things. My family has definitely undergone so extreme challenges in the health department which has really made me want to be home so much. I miss my family, my boyfriend, and my friends so much. I may not get to talk to my family every night, but I really try. I've learned not to take one of them for granted.

4) I'm still a kid at heart. And that is perfectly okay with me.

Self-explanatory I believe. I still like playing with side walk chalk and playing house. I still like making sandcastles by the lake and playing jump rope. So what?

5) The mountains are seriously amazing.

I think it's been established that I don't consider myself to be the "outdoorsy" type. I seriously think the mountains are beginning to change that. On my way to the gym today (that's right...ya girl joined a gym) I seriously got teary eyed thinking about the amazing place I get to work. I see the most amazing sights every day and I completely take them for granted. I feel so close to God here. I see him in everything from the eyes of the kids I get to work with to the lake side chapel to the green mountains I walk through every day. I've loved every minute of it and I can't believe it's half way over. YIKES!

I'll leave you with a quote that my dad said over the phone the other day. Our convo went a little something like this:

Me: "I don't think I'm a diva anymore. seriously!"

Dad: "Baby, being a Diva is all about attitude....you're a diva."

Cool Dad.

Friendly Faces

Here are some of the friendly faces that have been surrounding me these past few weeks, and, more importantly, the faces that have already taught me so much about myself and what it means to be a kid.

Diva Puts Her Big Girl Pants On

I'm twenty years old, and I've still considered myself to be a "teenager"...up until a few weeks ago. A lot has happened the past few weeks that have made me realize how old I am...not like the "omg I'm so old" old, but the "i really can't believe how fast time is flying by" old. I do my own laundry, I buy most of my clothes, I basically live away from home, I have a job, and I drive a car. I'm not fully on my own yet, thank God because I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do when Mom and Dad let me be free in the real world...I've been doing a good job lately just not thinking about it. This summer has already taught me what a big maturity gap lies between a twenty year old and an eighteen year old. Number wise, sure it's only two years. Maturity, however, is weighed entirely on a different scale. I've begun to call my cabin Kanuga High because of all the drama that has ensued within the past few weeks. The staff housing here is divided by sex and by age; I live in the under 21 girls cabin, which complicates things because that means that I live with all of my counselors. Because it is still conference period, we are working solid 12 hour days, going back to our cabin and spending more time with each other. It's seriously almost becoming to much sometimes. Granted, they are really fun and really good girls. There's just something I forgot about being a teenager...they're boy crazy. Seriously. And in addition to the boy craziness, a few of the girls are just now having the freedom from mom and dad because they either haven't been to college yet or have only been there for a year, so they're still in the "wild and crazy freshman" mindset. I had to take a minute and refresh my memory of what that first few months on my own were like and it really hit me why these girls are acting the way they are. Being away from home is fun and exciting and new. This would be perfectly okay if one thing were different. You see, they haven't hired an RA for my cabin yet, which means curfew isn't enforced and staff activities haven't really started. So at night, all the girls have to do is go to the boys cabin. Hopefully, as the staff directors are hired things will get better. This past week, I had to learn how to put on my Director hat and leave the Friend hat hanging by the door. My girls did a few things that earned them what my mom likes to call a "Come to Jesus meeting". I quickly learned how difficult it is to lay down the law and keep the director hat on even when it's easier to toss it away and keep the friend hat on...it's much more comfortable after all. However, in the end it all worked out well. I finally got to take the director hat off for a little while and the girls have settled down and become a little less sassy...turns out I'm not the only Diva working at camp this summer. Here's to hoping that I'll have many more hats to adorn the top of my head this summer...I'm thinking rock climber or maybe potentially super hero? We'll see.
God has really been teaching me a lot here. I truly think He's put me here to show these girls His grace and his love, because I remember how freeing it was when someone told me that I shouldn't look for my prince charming on this Earth because I already have one in heaven waiting on me. I truly think that if the girls here can see that and stop relying on the boys here to satisfy them, things would go over a lot smoother. I have been praying really hard that God uses me to my full potential this summer and allows me to be an effective leader while at the same time showing these girls the love and grace of God. In addition, being away from Chad and my family has also taught me how important it is to have that relationship with God. Phone calls have been pretty rare and when they happen they don't last very long. No one has written me letters or sent me packages (GET ON IT!) so I've had a lot of time to myself, which has been very freeing. I've had the time to have those serious conversations with God that I don't always want to have and He's definitely been showing me how to be a positive moral influence on the life of the girls and children I'm working with.
Next week we have 30 kids already registered for Children's Program. THIRTY KIDS. holy madness. We haven't had more than like 7 since we've been here so it's going to be craziness. I CAN'T WAIT! I am so excited about relaxing and potentially waterfall hopping this weekend if the weather is nice. I will let you know how that all goes...here's to hoping for no broken bones, and a sane mind by this time next week!!

Diva Apologizes

Sorry I haven't been updating recently! The internet in our cabin has been down, so I have to trek up to the inn to get any internet. Camp pretty much rocks. The past two weeks have been pretty light as far as kids go, but next week we are expected to have at least 25 or 30 kids which is cray-cray. Baker Building is really great and all of my counselors are finally here. One is even a Pi-Pi (hollah, sarah). I promise I will update you on everything soon. I will be making individual posts introducing you to each of my counselors.
I have definitely learned a lot about myself as a leader, woman, friend, and care giver so far. I've earned the nicknames "grandma" and "mama bear" in the cabin because I go to bed early and I'm the mama of our cabin. hah!
Promise I'll update fully soon!

Diva Does Dirt. And Spiders.

So it's day two here at Kanuga and I LOVE CAMP. Seriously. This week at Kanuga is "orientation week". Each program is spending this week just getting acquainted with their fellow counselors and most importantly, cleaning up the buildings and preparing everything for the kids. Well, needless to say the Baker Building has needed some serious TLC. Me and my counselors (WHO ROCK, btw) spent the whole day practically up to our elbows in bleach and dust. I have to admit I was pretty proud of myself today. I killed off a huge spider nest that I found creepin in the corner of the room (not to mention the bug crawling on my computer screen as I type), and I dominated the bucket of bleach like a champ. By the end of the day, I was sweaty and dirty and tired. But you know what? Diva went on a "hike" after all of that work. Holla!
Just being here for the past 48 hours has made me so eager for this summer. I absolutely love my counselors that will be working with Children's Programs, and the other counselors in the other programs. I love my boss, I love my cabin, I love Kanuga. Granted, the bugs could lay off a little. And some AC would be nice every now and then. But being in the mountains just opens my mind to an entire new mindset. A mindset that's open and adventurous and willing to do a lot more than the Diva would ever consider doing. One of my fellow counselors, Chelsea, and I took a stroll around the lake this afternoon, and I found myself stopping at one point completely in awe of the fact that I get to work here and live here for an entire summer. It's funny because when I talk to the girls that live here and tell them about Darlington and how flat and humid it is, they are just like "oh, that's weird. I can't imagine not living here." I caught myself thinking today that I could get used to the hills and the cool breeze, and the shady trees, and the constant trails to hike on...whoa. Did I just say that? Oh bye, Diva.
Lesson of this week: It's weird the things we discover about ourselves when we step out of our comfort zones just a little--enough to get sweaty, dirty, and sunburnt. Me? Well, just in the past 48 hours, I've discovered that I might not be such a Diva after all.
Tonight was pretty interesting. After we got back to our cabin and took a nap and showered, we took a stroll to see what was for dinner--since spinach stuffed porkchops didn't sound so appetizing, a few of the counselors who have been coming here for years decided they would open my eyes to the wonderful place that is Hotdog World. And man, let me tell you. I've never seen a bunch of people get so serious about a hotdog. But, I'll let them have it. My corn dog rocked. We then took our second trip to Wal-Mart(see? I'm not completely out of touch with society) to get some things for the Baker Building that we needed. I did something I've never done before--I was responsible for the company credit card. That's right. I said it.
If you ask Mom and Greg about me and credit cards, the story never goes very well. Let's just say a trip to Belk to buy a dress turned into a trip to Belk to buy a few dresses...and some jeans...and some jewelry...and some sunglasses. Whoops. Anyways, after our responsible trip to walmart, we returned to watch a movie in our little cabin. Actually, it's a pretty nice set up. As of right now, I have a room to myself, and I share a bathroom with another Assistant Director, Ellen. We still have a few girls that haven't moved in yet, but I'm fighting to keep my room to myself--it's smaller than the rooms at Presby. I'll post some pics as soon as I can, but until then I'll leave you with this:
Anyway, I love camp. I love my counselors. I love the mountains. I love this life. I'm starting to think that Diva might leave sooner than I thought she would.

PS: please pray for my mama. She's in the hospital having some tests run and it's pretty hard being 4 hours away and relying on texts and emails to keep up with her condition. Thanks, pals.

Diva Leaves Darlington

Well, today's the day. Dad's car is all packed (see the picture of how a diva packs below), and this girl is ready to go. I feel like I've been counting down the days for months now, and now that the day is finally here I don't think it's really hit me yet. Maybe by my fourth night without air conditioning, it will hit me. All joking aside, I am really so excited to get there and to get started. I already love the people I'm working and living with and cannot wait to get to know them and begin camp.
Earlier last night I was thinking about everything I wanted to accomplish this summer. I've come up with a "Bucket List" if you will:

• Go on a real hike. Not like a little stroll around the lake. A Big girl hike.
• Conquer the climbing wall.
• Go white water rafting.
• Learn to appreciate the outdoors (not so concrete, but it's a serious goal)

So, there you have it. It may be short, but hey, I only have 10 weeks. Here's to hoping that when Diva leaves camp, she won't be such a Diva anymore.

This is Dad's car all packed and ready to go.

Diva Does Packing, Has Car Trouble, and Leaves

You would think that it being Sunday and all, I would be packed and ready to leave for camp tomorrow, right? Well...because I am the queen of procrastination, I began packing for this 10 week journey at approximately 2pm this afternoon. Whoops? What are you supposed to take to camp anyways? Do they have any classes on this? Like Camp 101 or something. Presby...get on it. After a long afternoon of fighting with my closet and my suitcase, I think I have only over packed a little bit. Looking back on my packing experience, I've always been an over-packer. "Yes," I would always argue with mom, "it is necessary to bring 4 pairs of shoes for one night. You never know when I'll need to dress up." It is a running joke with my family that whenever I pack to go anywhere for a weekend or a few days, my parents usually stare at my suitcase, look at me, and with a smirk on their faces, joke "Are you going for a weekend or a year?" Well, all I can say is that I'm well-prepared. If something happens and I am stuck at Kanuga for 6 months, I am ready. And if not, well then, I just have more options that anyone else there. Although I will have to leave a lot of diva at home, a lot of the diva in me is joining me at camp. This includes my wedges for carnival night and weekends, my headband with the flower on it, my pearl earrings, and a few sun-dresses. I will say that I bet I will have the most comfortable bed at camp...maybe not something to brag about but hey; If presby has taught me anything, it's that a comfy bed is really important in keeping your sanity during high stress times...like starting a new job at camp for instance.
Speaking of high stress situations, this week threw a little curve ball in my journey to the "noog"(Thanks Holtie for the new nickname). As some may know, my car (Cora) has been having a lot of car trouble in the past few months. It's always been on the interstate, and she hasn't broken down for a good 8 weeks or so, which means that I was finally getting comfortable driving her again. She had gotten me safely to Kanuga and back twice, so in my mind we were good to go for the summer. So rewind to Friday. I was leaving the bank when all of a sudden Cora wouldn't go. My power steering was turned off and every single emergency light on my dash turned on. You know that sounds when you stick your tongue out and like make that vibrating/spitting sound? (Gross analogy, I know, just bear with me) Well, that's what she did. She quit and would not budge anymore. Apparently, Cora doesn't like the heat...she must be a Diva, too. After an embarrassing conversation with the lady in the drive-thru window, I managed to get my little car down the road far enough to pull over and call my dad for help. Good...I leave for camp in 3 days and my car is broken down. No bueno. Fast forward to today, and here I am. Car still in the shop, not going to be ready by tomorrow. So, what is the plan B? Dad will be making the 3 and a half hour drive up to Kanuga to drop his little girl off...just like camp back in the day. Thinking back on it, I just can't help but to laugh and to think that maybe God let this happen to really get things going with a punch just like they did that one summer when I was 9. Let's just hope this time, Papa Rich doesn't have to drag his little girl into her cabin kicking and screaming...I'm twenty now. I'll just cry after he leaves.

Family Affair

So, last night I went and stayed at my sister's and we were talking about camp. Suddenly, it hit me--the whole horrendous camp experiences thing runs in the family.
Growing up, I was always the one who didn't mind leaving home. I was all about meeting new people, having new experiences, etc..I just didn't do dirt. Well, let me introduce you to my sister as a child--homebody. Baker never liked leaving home and still doesn't like leaving. However, I guarantee that she knows every single person in a 50-mile radius of where she is at all times.
Well, my sister had worse camp experiences than I had. Not only was she being forced to leave home, she was being forced to run around in the heat. No Bueno.
I think the worst experience for her was when our camp wouldn't let her call home because they knew it made her homesick. Well, being determined, Baker made herself sick so that they would call my parents to come pick her up. Little Baker walked into the bathroom, made herself throw up, and demanded that my parents come to pick her up. Take that, Camp Pee Dee.
Coming in a very close second is Baker's experience at Asbury Hills. This was way further than Camp Pee Dee and Baker was even less thrilled. I'm sure she was plotting in her mind ways to get home quick, but the counselors refused to let her call home. The fake getting sick thing didn't work so poor Baker was forced to stay at camp for the whole week. I still don't think Baker has let them forget it.
So, here's to hoping the trend has reversed itself. Here's to hoping the two Reynolds sisters who hated camp, dirt, sweat, and heat have grown to love it. Well, Here's to hoping I have atleast...otherwise it's gonna be a long summer. :)

The Beginning

I'll never forget the first time I went to camp. Growing up, I was pretty much a diva; this meant anything dealing with dirt, sweating, or running was out of the question. So, of course, Mom and Dad packed me up and sent me to bike camp at Camp Pee Dee. The most vivid memory I have from this week has to do with something that they called "The Pit." This pit was a huge hole dug in the ground, filled with water, and left to bake for a little while in the sun, leaving a nice, steaming, bath of mud...obviously I wasn't amused. I had been riding my bike all week (which, by the way, was a girly Schwin with pedal brakes because I hadn't conquered the handle breaks yet..dont judge me) and had slowly gotten used to sweating, but I was not going to go into that pit. Out of the question. Well, needless to say, I ended up getting thrown into the pit. Pleased? No. Pitch a fit? Yes. I'm sure I was not an ideal camper and I apologize to Erica (my counselor).

The second vivid memory I have of camp was when I accidentally locked myself in the bathroom and a boy counselor had to break in through the little tiny outside window and break down the door. whoops.

So, fast forward 10 years and we have this: A girl (me), who hasn't been to camp since bike week, who has spent her summers babysitting and laying out by the pool, and going to the beach who randomly decided she'd apply to camp. Good idea? I'm starting to think so.

Here we are. I applied to Kanuga which is an Episcopal Camp/Conference center in Hendersonville, NC...five and a half hours from the beach and smack dab in the middle of the mountains. I figure if I'm going to get out of my comfort zone, go big or go home. And, much to my surprise, I got hired! You are looking at the Assistant Director of Children's Programs at Kanuga Conference Center. I will be working with 3-6 year olds and I honestly couldn't be more excited.

Last weekend, I trecked up to Kanuga for the Directors Development meeting which was an opportunity to meet the other directors and my 2 bosses, who pretty much rock. Other than the drive that kept my heart racing (never driven in the mountains before...ptl mom and dad got me hooked up with Triple A just to be safe). Within a 12 hour period, I fell in love with the people and the place itself. Throughout the rest of the weekend, I learaned about my job and grew closer to the other staff that I'll be working with. Now, Im back home and I cannot wait to go back. I go up next weekend to meet the counselors who will be working with me and I am so excited!

Thanks to my friends that already work at camp, (Sarah Derrick, Blythe Reynolds, Leah Hassler, Murray Corbett, Holtie Murphy) I have all the "cool" camp gear--chacos, rope bag, nalgene, etc. I definitely feel too camp for cool...here's to being too camp for cool!

So, I leave you with this. Diva does Camp and I think I'm ready.

This is where I'll be working. Literally fell in love in 30 minutes.