LOL our thread last year got to I think 49 pages? Let's shoot for 50!
Jeez, I feel like ever since I decided to come back for sure I'm a bazillion times more enthusiastic for this summer than I ever was.
Oh, and don't tell Bunny I'm coming back. She thinks I'm going to Alaska, and I want to try and perpetuate that so I can surprise her at precamp.

I am going to gate crash again this year since I am not going to camp!

haha. oh what a wonderful surprise that will be for bunny... Well, i'm on! woot! I can use some excitement... I HATE FINALS. Ok, so off that I am so glad you are coming back RT! When is your interview?

No camp, Smudge? I think this is a sign of the apocalypse! Who's going to send the poor lost internationals our way?! *gasp* But for reals, good to have ya here.
Torch, I'm not sure when my interview is. I just sent in my application yesterday lol, and I e-mailed Brooke about postponing my interview until my car is driveable. She said that's cool, so my interview will be once we get my headlight and my window replaced.

Um, I'm really happy about your decision, Rosethorn. You won't regret it! What are you applying for, A&C? Program Director? WIT Director, perhaps?

I miss it. It makes me sad not to be going back this year.

I'm not old enough for WIT Director, silly goomba! You know how I wish I was though...next year, perhaps. This year I'm reprising my role as A&C director, so expect a long list of wanted supplies to send to your mama, Indigo! LOL.
I was looking at my list post from last year, and it's funny because I jokingly said "Maybe we'll have a freakish influx of TP rolls this year" in response to Clementines post about leather. Ironic that TP rolls were indeed the product of abundance last summer. I hope this year it's really nice fabric that I can actually use for projects...Wishful thinking? I think so.

Rosethorn mummy Smudge had minor stroke while I was travelling after camp this summer so I need to stay home and care for her. While we are hoping that I might be able to in 2010 that is a long way away and it is guiding centenary so might stay here and do stuff depending on how well mum recovers between now and then!

Oh goodness! I'm glad she's all right. Hope you get to camp again soon. I know how much you love it!

i hope so too! Good thing I am involved in guiding so can get mini-doses of camp to keep going! And there is always ACA - it is fun to gate crash your thread.

Just before mum had her stroke I had emailed your CD about coming to work there next summer!

For reals? That's awesome! Then you really wouldn't be a gate crasher lol. You know you want to join us. We're so alluring.

well, it's not like someone else will take your spot Rosethorn, i mean you were a pretty amazing craft director...
and smudge, that would pretty AMAZING! Are you sure you won't be bored?

Well I am already planning to narrow boating for a weekend next july which I couldnt do if I was at camp and then I will be able to go to guide camp - which is camping in tents on the ground not platform tents (real back to basics camping) - but I will miss camp. You guys will all need to sing my praises to your CD so that when I am able to go to camp (hopefully summer of '10) then she will be desperate to hire me!

hey guys!! they're back!!!!!!!!! I am also going to hang out on your thread again since there is a serious lack of Camp K staff here! One person signed up, but then disappeared, grr Mystique!

So, that's great that you are going back Rosethorn! Sad that Smusge can't go, but hopefully you all will be able to convince your CD that she wants to hire Smudge in '10. Or I suppose you could convince her she doesn't want to so Smudge can work at my camp! haha

Happy Camping!

Cedarledge's winter sleepover is this weekend... Everybody let me know how it goes, and pass on the gossip! I'm creeping in spirit!

What a fun way to spend the weekend before christmas!

that does sound amazing!!! I wish we had one! I think we are supposed to have a reunion thing but I haven't heard anything about it so who knows!

Indigo! I have the gossip!
Since Fiddlecreek is doing just troop and day camps this summer, they're having some three day camps at Cedarledge. And one of them is going to be a Harry Potter/wizard themed camp! Could be fun.
Also, they've opened some volunteer positions at Cedarledge because of the people bitching about the paid positions at Tuckaho. Which means someone could volunteer to be my assistant, so I could very well have some crazy scout mom in my hair for a week. Grrrr...But Speckles said she might volunteer for a week, which is cool, and she would totally respect my space at the 'Stone instead of try to take charge like those Tuckaho moms do, so that's cool.
Also, Superman applied for Program Director, and I'm totally stoked because it's looking like Brooke is going to hire him, and he will be the best boss ever!
I think that's all for now, but I will keep you posted!

We have had a HP program at chenoa the last 2 years - it was called wizarding for muggles - I really wanted to do both year but didnt get to even though I had loads of ideas for an awesome program!

WHAT? day camp at cedarledge?! How is that going to work? Hopefully I will get wrangler-that should stay pure cedarledge(I hope!) Not very stoked about this change... I feel like an old person resenting change, but i am anything but i liked cedarledge with all paid staff.
Who all was there?

Not day camp, Torch, lol resident camp programs that last for just three days, like Fiddlecreek used to have.
I'm not sure how many volunteers we'll have at Cedarledge. I think they just want to even things out between Tuckaho and Cedarledge. Not sure how it's going to work, but it'll make for an interesting summer! You'll know it's not going well if I'm at the barn all the time begging for me-time rides lol. They're my stress reliever.

Oh, and in answer to your question: me, Starla, Clementine, Superman, Speckles, Magoo, Lucy, Orion, Estrella, Smiles camp director, Smiles lifeguard, Happy, Socks, Froggie, Flame, Kudo, Squeaky, Hershey, Tex, Breeze, Sleepy, Pluto and I think that's all were at the reunion. Oh and Fidget showed up after the gates closed lol.

Hey, thanks for the gossip! I knew some of it... But don't worry Torch, no volunteers at the barn.

I think it'll be interesting to see how all this works out. You'll have to let me know what happens!

Oh, I will write oodles and oodles of letters. I have tons of Catwoman stationery to use this summer.

hey now, don't hate on tuckaho moms. they are going to be my coworkers! (i guess i shouldn't speak too soon, though - i haven't even sent in my app!) but *hopefully* i'll be program director there. and starla is applying for asst camp director. should be a good time. make new friends but keep the old...! lol. also, i don't think all of their volunteers are moms. fyi. haha.

also, council has all the program descriptions up. http://www.girlscoutsem.org/docs/Camp_Restructuring_Program_Information.pdf
wild about animals sounds so cool! and it turns out harry potter camp is a week long thing. i am cracking up about 'junior safari'- what makes it a safari? smiles said there was going to be a princess camp, but i see no such thing.

The animal one does sound awesome! Maybe they'd like the worm farm craft lol. I wish they would have had these cool camps when I was a kid. And the babysitting one sounds neat, too. We can make kid kits like the Babysitters' Club zomg I feel like I'm in gradeschool again!
Thank God there's no such thing as princess camp! Maybe Smiles made it up to scare us lol.
When I was at Tuckaho, the majority of the volunteers were moms. And they were scary. Hence my fear of a potential arts and crafts assistant. Though I would appreciate some help during the crafty kids and aspiring artist weeks. Those were kind of hellish, especially when White Lamby was there. *shudders*

Kid Kits are awesome! I love the BSC!! Read those books until like 7th grade!! Baby-sitting week sounds like one of the best camps ever!

i went to tuckahoe once.. i had fun but i like cedarledge SOOO much better- Clementine-too bad you and starla are going on the other side, but sounds like a great opportunity! HAHA Babysitter's club! I had 2 movies from them...

Um, that would be amazing for you and Starla at Tuckaho! Make it your own!

And the Wild About Animals one? Totally an excuse for me to ask to bring my snake and rabbit to camp next year. They definitely need some animals to use for that. But Cheertastic? Hm.

I'm glad they changed the name of After Hours, though. It sounded either a bit boring, or slightly wrong.

We did baby boot camp at chenoa - it was surprisingly popular - all the kids did the ARC babysitting cert and a former counsellor came and visited with her toddler.

Oh, Indigo, Superman and I are already planning a spoof of the SNL cheerleader skit for the session that the cheer camp is there. Go Spartans! More spirit! Man, I'm so sad you're in Korea this year.

oh it shall be hilarious r-thorn, but most campers probably will not get it... Cedarledge let's go! Show me some spirit fingers! 5,6,7,8, who do we appreciate? lol

oh my gosh, that sounds hilarious. you two and your jokes that go over campers' heads-tacos with sudden surprise, old school snl references...i love it!

Superman pointed out at the reunion that we were probably the meanest staff members to the kids' faces, but for some reason they loved us. Like, we used to hide from them so we didn't have to answer their scavenger hunt questions and once we actually ran from them when they tried to stop us on our way to visit the barn lol. If the world made sense, those kids would have hated our guts.

"YOU'RE ALL LIARS! I'M SICK OF ALL THE LIES!"
Ahahahaha...
You need to get somebody to make a video of each of your skits. And put them on the Facebook.

ahhhh i wish i had facebook!

Hahaha! We made that poor kid lose all her faith in humanity.
The first skit was classic. And the princess skit when Indigo crept on me and I got to hit Superman like three times.

sounds like some fun skits!!

2 BSC movies cedar? I know I have 1, but I am not aware of a second one! Tell me more!

Sounds like the Chenoa baby-sitting camp was really cool too! I would have loved the randomness of having a toddler visit and i love that it was an old counselor that brought her kid!

it was a cool program - i was the UL for it and a musical program at the same time - that was an interestint challenge but we found ways to link the 2 programs when were together.

Idon't know completely how the UL thing works at GS camps, but our UCs, with the exception of our 4th-6th grade girls unit, have 2 units that they are in charge of all summer. The 2 older boys units, the 2 older girls units, and then the youngest boys and girls units all have the same UC. Oh, and the special needs unit has its own UC.

impressive that you guys already have 2 pages in 4 days! or, have started the 2nd page at least!

I vaguely remember one BSC movie. I can't really recall much plot other than Claudia being in summer school and Stacey not telling a guy she was diabetic. All I vividly remember is lots and lots of '90s hair.

haha babysitters club- the 2 i had were not the movie, 1 was about stacey, christmas and a diabetic slip, the other about someone telling club secerets.

oh ok, I was wondering if it was something like that. I wasn't aware they had movies of the books like that. Totally cool! I might have to see if I can rent one or find one extremely cheap at a thrift store or something, just to see the hilarity of it!

not sure about cederledge but the ULs at chenoa were usually incharge of one program a session and it changes from session to session just like it does for the UAs.

I have never read a BSC or watched the movies - i think mainly cos my sister did and I tried to avoid doing anything she did!

The ULs at Cedarledge are pretty much just glorified counselors. The only thing they do different is that they make the schedule in addition to what the counselors do. They have one unit, which is usually just one program, for a two week session.

Sounds pretty much like what I did although usually we didnt have enough ULs for the number of programs we offered so we would have to double up programs which could present some interesting challenges.

that would be crazy to be a UL for two diferent programs! It's easy enough for our UCs, but for a UL with campers, wow!

We double up now and then, or have floating counselors... That's pretty rough on them.

It is - especially when you have to juggle not enough counsellors and 2 were different programs - and then add flooding cabins, constant rain and one your UAs who has special needs - that was a hard session but one of my fav of last summer!


Happy Christmas everyone!

Yeah, Merry Christmas Cedarledge friends and others! Have a great time!

i had a dream about camp last night. It was quite interesting. I also dreamt my Mom bought me a new horse named selena and she was at camp. DEFINETlEly a dream. Theb i woke up and felt bad, because my horse is a one horse per owner type of a horse if that makes since.

I've been having lots of camp dreams over here... About precamp, Gail's Place, the WITs, the barn... Good ones!

And Torch, that means if there is a horse at camp named Selena, you are meant for her.

mine was good, nut family style was for lunch and cafeteria for dinner. There was a increase of campers, so instead of buying new tables or eating in shifts they added a desk to each table where the head sat. It matched perfectly. Oh there was these units that were supposedly really hot. But they don't exist at camp. Kind of like RL in a distant way. Maybe I'll live there. Oh, I did love Selena very much. She was fast, talented beautiful and kind. My sister(in dreams) got a giraffe like spotted horse.
I am glad i am not the only one that dreams about camp. This is probaly the most realistic one though. Were yours crazy?

I had a camp dream recently! It was good, but I don't remember it sadly. I remember it was a good dream though!

Most of mine are pretty normal. I think some time during each winter, I dream that there's an incredible new WIT... It makes me excited about the coming crops of them!

mine are sometimes really crazy. I also have wild action saving the world while people try to kill me dreams. I want more camp dreams!

i would love to have some camp dreams!

So Cedarledge people, I've been talking to Brooke pretty often about the junior staff. Looks like a decent-sized group of applicants! Definitely more than there are spots. Lots of good former WITs of mine... I'll be excited to see who gets the positions!

Haha! So glad I'm over 18, it makes it so much easier to get hired.

lucky

So, guys, my Tuckaho interview is on Tuesday! So excited.

Oh wow, Clementine! Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

Yeah! Beat those crazy scout moms! Woot!

G Luck. I have had lots of experience with GS moms...

While I think the staff culture could take some adjusting to, I am actually really excited about the opportunity to work with GS volunteers (and I've got to say, not all of them are moms.) A lot of them have been working at camp for years and years and have tons of programming knowledge to share! I think the restructure is a really smart move on council's part and having a more intergenerational staff will serve the campers well.

I think it'll be interesting to see how Tuckaho works, and how everything is restructured. I hope you'll tell us lots about it!

I think Tuckaho will be amazing. It's getting a little more structure, and I think the multigenerations will work out as long as they don't second guess what we do and act as our moms.

I have my interview this afternoon! Yay! I hope I get my job back...

Good luck! I am sure you will get it back!

Good luck - I am sure you will get too!

Good Luck Rosethorn! Hope we both make it.

Good luck! We all know you'll get it.

All went well! We mostly just talked camp and exchanged ideas. Once I get my references in we can make it official. I'll be posting a wantlist of craft junk soon. Yay!
Oh, and Brooke said she's already hired a couple lifeguards from Australia who are full of questions, and I told her to send them our way. Yay for welcoming the new people!

All right, here's the preliminary list of craft junk I need:
grocery bags
food coloring
ball chains
clear packing tape
clear flat-bottomed decorative glass stones (like the kind you put in betta fishbowls)
terra cotta flower pots
Borax
paper towel rolls
plastic Easter eggs
empty rectangular juice boxes
fake flowers
embroidery floss
2 liter plastic bottles
small clear spice jars
twist ties
seashells
colored plastic lids
key rings
magazines (camp appropriate, of course)
empty spools
newspaper
wooden chopsticks
white pillar candles (someone might be able to get a church to donate some?)
foam trays
baby food jars
glass bottles

Oh, I love lifeguards from Australia!!

I'll pass along the list to my mom soon.

I was looking for borax before christmas for making christmas decorations with my brownies and I couldnt find it.

Hmm...quest for borax...should be fun.
Indigo, can I just say that I love your mom?

I found several places online that sell it - but the postage was more than the cost of the borx.

You would prob like this craft rose - make shape white pipe-cleaners and then suspend it but hanging it from a twig using some string into a borax solution over night - and apparently the borax crystalises onto the pipr cleaner.

hi friends...i decided i WAS a big enough camp nerd to talk about camp online...so here i am.

my interview is next Tuesday and i am damn excited!

you can get borax at home depot...

You dont have to be a camp nerd to talk on here - just a confessed camp geek - or in other words pretty darn cool!

Oh if you can get it in home depot I wonder if I can get it a the british equilent!

Yeah, Smudge, that was the craft I was looking to do! We're having a science program at camp this summer, so I thought we could maybe do that in conjunction with another science-y craft that takes up a more substantial amount of time.

Cool you will have to let me know how it turns out!

I directed a new international UL to the boards last night (this morning for you in America)! Brooke said she's excited and full of questions.

Also, Chudds is in the process of becoming the WIT Director! Yay!

Yay for Chudds! Yay for new people! Good luck Starla! RT: perhaps make goo or putty? Is there a science program this year? It sounds fun!

I found an alka-seltzer rocket project for mega cheap in a catalog, and I just gotta talk to Brooke about ordering it. The science kids will love it!

I think we have some fun science projects in our brownie adventure file to support our science investigator badge - I will check for you and if I do I can scan and email them to you if you want.

Dudes, I am so jealous of Cedarledge getting science camp. Please make sure that whoever their UL is makes sure they are like, constantly blowing stuff up and making a huge mess!!

Well, gee, Clementine, maybe you should come back to Cedarledge so you can be the science UL.

I agree, it does sound fun!

And Rosethorn, my mom mentioned she has loads of disposable chopsticks and possibly some ball chain lying around.

Hot damn! I love how your mother always seems to have to the one thing I think I'll never get. That's awesome!

Of course it fits that it's chopsticks

True...though I've been stealing a set at a time from Chinese food restaurants lol.

get all your friends to do that too!

I love Chinese food!

Me too! I love going to buffet resturants where you can try all sorts of stuff and then go back up for seconds of your favourites!

Mmm! Me too! Yum...

We should have a virtual girlie chinese night - where-ever we are we have chinese and watch the same movie and chat (in here!) - and then all the americans can give rose their chop sticks!

hahaha, I love it!! We should watch The Parent Trap with Lindsey Lohan, or maybe another camp movie! Cool thing is that we all live far enough away that we can rent it if we don't own it and not have to fight for it!

Although, it would be sort of chaotic on the thread at the time!! Oh, and times would conflict! One or a few of us would be having chinese for breakfast!

i have had chinese for breakfast before. sounds fun

I went to this amazing place called HuHot when I was in Columbia this weekend. You went up to the all you can eat buffet of raw meat and noodles and veggies, and then you take it up to the hibachi grill and they cook it for you! It was sooooo good, and I stole like five pairs of chopsticks from them.

Mmm, that sounds delicious!
And leftover Chinese makes a good breakfast!

Yeah, we have a place like that called Changs Mongolian grill! yummy!! I like that you reward them for their goodness by stealing their chopsticks! ha!

Mongolian BBQs are fun - I went to one the first time I was in Utah - we could avoid having chinese for breakfast by doing it at late-oclock at night for me and early evening for campKgurl!

true on the timing thing! and we know that both Smudge and I are good at staying up late!

Lo mein sounds so goo with a crabarangoon.

Rosethorn! Remember our epic wait for the China Man at the gate? Oh what a night that was...

Waiting for Godot (And By Godot I Mean the Chinaman)? How could I ever forget that wonderful night. I'm gonna miss you so much, Indigo... You best be my pen pal this summer!

Sooo Starla was at council today for her interview and she bought me a Tuckaho bandanna!! I am so excited to explore this camp. We are talking about trying to go primitive camping there this Spring. Anybody down to come with us and explore your sister camp? Haha.

It's nice but just so far away from where I live. Sounds fun

If you guys go while I'm at school, I will definitely come with as long as I don't have a show going on. Otherwise it's a bit of a haul from Crystal City.

Oh man, I would so do that! Make another trip next year, and I'm in. I wouldn't mind revisiting Fiddlecreek either.

hmm maybe all three?

Guys...it's been dead here for over a week. It makes me sad.

tell me about it! It makes me sad too that all of us just stopped getting on and replying for a week! grr, maybe things will pick up soon! I hope that this is the beginning of the return.

Me too! I miss people!

I log on every day, and for the longest time there was one lonely new post in one thread, and then...nothing. It's like everyone disappeared!

For months there was just me and campKgurl - with rosethorn occcaisionally - then we got all excited cos we thought that people were coming back again - now they have all disappeared again!

I know, I come and look every day, and it makes me mega-sad to see nothing new!

except us complaining about the lack of anything new!

Well yes, there's that.

it made me sad too.

No one cares about your feelings, Torch. You like it.

Thats mean Rose!

It makes me think of that song - where have all the flowers gone? But we could do where have all the posters gone!

Ahahahaha...

fine then I was going to save chopsticks for you, i have 4 so far. If that's the way it's gonna be I'll snap them in half. snap snap. now there's only three. jk lol

Our camp has a history of feigned insensitivity to our campers' emotions. You like it.
So, Torch, is that 4 sets of chopsticks, or just 4...chopsticks? As in, like, 2 pairs? Oh man, I hope chopsticks are the toilet paper rolls of this summer. They'll be a lot easier to store.

I think she meant 4 sets. Because she had 4, then there were two snaps, and then there were only 3. Ah, I'm thinking 4 sets.

indigo is right.

And you guys keep trying to get me to come and work there! hehe!

Heh. It definitely helps if you can appreciate the fine art of the insult.

hehe!

I can prob manage that - I mean I will have another year to practice!

Just so everyone knows, Brooke is back on the hiring path... I found 2 e-mails from her today, asking for camp names to match real names of former WITs, and asking who I thought would make a better counselor among two of them (I won't mention names, but I'll hope I made the right choice. Torch, you weren't one of them).

Good! I hope she calls me soon. I'm still not official lol! And I wanna get planning!

councillll, why you gotta play us like this

thanks for that parantheses Indigo-ooh i would really like to know.

Well she's apparently checking with Smiles before she makes the calls. It'll be soon now!

guys!!!! we got hired!

ok, so here's the dl:
i am program director
starla is business manager
and our friend STRETCH (who we know from school) is camp director!

yayyyyyy

Oh, congratulations! That's such great news! Yay!!! It sounds like you guys have a great summer coming up!

oh, ps, smudge, where are you? you should send the tuckaho people on the camp america boards to this thread. (http://www.campamerica.co.uk/members/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8891&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15&sid=de69cf57681b8d75966bacada5f7d72b)

(tuckaho is in the same girl scout council as cedarledge, btw. i would start a new thread, but it would be more fun to let this one just get epically gigantic.)

Hooray for Clement and Starla!
So I found out my manager who is my third reference hasn't sent in my form yet. Grrr... But once she gets that in, hopefully Brooke will make it official!

We could for sure have some Tuckaledge (or Cedarho!) love on this thread.

Will see what I can do - cos I am not doing camp this summer offically I cant use the CA forum - however they did say that I could come on so will check it out later for you.

sweet, thanks!!

Hello,

My name's Louise (Camp Name: Hathi) from the UK. Hopefully will be in Missouri via Camp America to work this summer. Brooke emailed me and asked if I was interested in Cedarledge but then also asked if I would prefer Tuckaho.

So I'm a little bit undecided.

They both look like fantastic camps but was wondering whether you could give me a little background information about what its like working there...

Any help in this decision would be greatly appreciated!

Hi Hathi! I am sure you will have an awesome time at either camp, so there's really no wrong decision. Do you know what position you would have? Lifeguard, unit leader, something else?

While I'm working at Tuckaho this summer, I have only worked at Cedarledge in the past. Tuckaho's setup is completely different this year versus other years, so I don't know (at this point, at least!) how well I'll be able to describe the camp (seeing as I haven't been there since 2000 when I was a camper. :))

Here are some differences I can think of off the top of my head:
-Cedarledge has an equestrian center, and horse programs are really popular there. -Tuckaho has an outdoor adventure course (aka ropes course.)
-Cedarledge has 3-day and 1, 2, and 4-week sessions. Tuckaho mainly has 3-day and 1-week.
-Cedarledge has tons of different programs running at one time- so different living units have different programs- for example, one unit might be a horse program, another an arts and crafts program, another a water program, etc. At Tuckaho, aside from the 3-day sampler programs and a few others, all girls are there for the same program. So one week we have sports camp, the next week we have arts and crafts, etc.
-Adult and senior girl scout volunteers are a really important part of Tuckaho. Tuckaho will have staff that is there for the whole summer, but also volunteers that come for one or two sessions. Cedarledge might also have volunteers, but there will likely be many more at Tuckaho, because this is the first time they have had paid staff at all!
-Cedarledge is bigger and more hilly. Basically any hike you take at Cedarledge (aside from creek walks) is uphill.

If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask here or IM me (my aim is yadumbhotel) or facebook me (Sarah Christiansen, I'm in the Missouri network.) There are a ton of Cedarledge people on this board, as you can see, and they'd all be more than happy to talk about camp.

also! if you go to this link you can find tons of information about what programs are offered at each camp: http://www.girlscoutsem.org/pubs/agss/

HAthi which ever camp you choose you will have an awesome time!

Hi Clementine,

Thanks for messaging back!

As far as I know I'll be there as a general counsellor. Thanks for your information it helped a little bit. Cedarledge sounds a lot like my old camp in that it offers lots of different activities at one time plus horses (which I love!)

I've just emailed Brooke with my decision so fingers crossed. You never know, we might be meeting soon!

Hathi
x

Where was your old camp?

And did you use CA last year?

Woot for Cedarledge! It's a merry old land...
Can't wait to meet you! It seems like it's coming up so fast! Eek!

My old camp was in MN and I haven't used CA since 2004. I went to university, got a boring job etc.

Thinking about sorting my life out so this is kind of my last chance to travel and not have anything to really worry about back home!

You had a longer break from CA than me! I went 01-04 and then went back in 07-08 but sadly cant go back this summer!

Sounds like a good plan - def worth making the most of your freedom while you have the chance.

Are you planning to travel after camp?

I'm heading to New York at the moment to meet up with some friends afterwards but it completely depends on whether I need to be back here and if I have a time limit.

Don't know what I would do if I didn't need to be back! Will just have to wait and see!

Cool! I was able to travel after camp last summer - it was amazing!

I'm going to Camp Cedarledge!

See you all May 29th!

Yay!

:-)

and once again, Cedarledge gets another person on the board going there! If you notice, there are enough people to start their own thread! Where as any other camp has maybe one or two people on the boards! Oh, in case you didn't know Hathi, neither Smudge or I go to cedarledge. We just crash their thread often!


Congrats on getting the job, Hathi!

Yay - that is awesome! Congrats! I love GS camp and am going to miss it this summer (infact before mums stroke I was looking into applying to cederledge!)

Brooke got my last reference, and now she's just gotta submit my folder to Jennifer Morgan for approval! And I was such an asshat of an A&C director you know they're not gonna take me back...lol!
Oh, and one of my friends from theater is sending in her application today for unit leader. She was a Cedarledge girl back in the day, and I convinced her to come work with me! I'm so excited! I really hope she gets hired!!!

That is really cool! I hope your friend gets it!

oh, hello hathi! I am torch, and I am a J counselor this year-so good luck!

Rosethorn I've been asked to pass on a message...

Petal says hi!

Ah! I love her! That's so fun that you know each other.

Rose did you manage to find a source for your borax?

Nope! But I haven't really looked lol. I've got plenty of time, though, so I'll get it eventually.

I'm official!!! Got the call today! Yay!

Wooo Hoooooo! Congrats!

And Megan, my theatre friend, got a call from Brooke today saying that she wants her to come in for an interview next week!

yay! congrats to you and your friend, Rose!

That is really cool. I am happy for you Rosethorn!

oh, hathi! you have a camp america account! you should tell everyone to come over here and meet all of us girl scouts of eastern missouri people (and random friends who love us and our massive thread.)

also, rosethorn, that's totally exciting. hooray for getting hired AND for recruiting your friends! ohhh camp, it cannot come soon enough.

Yeah I should but I don't know where Brooke is finding the English lot cos there isn't a thread on the Camp America boards. I can try and get the Camp Tuckaho lot over here though?!?

There prob will be a cederledge thread at some point - I know there was last summer (mind you that might be cos under instructions from this lot I started it!) but I think there was one in the 07 forum too!

(I miss the CA forum - but it would make me too camp sick to go on it!)

yay rosethorn

Way to go Rosethorn! Does your friend have a name yet? Has she considered Utensil?

I just got my computer back, after having the backlight burn out, running all over town for 2.5 hours, using a translation program to communicate, and having them order a part from Seoul. So I'm catching up...

wow Indigo, I'm glad that all that work finally paid off and you have your computer back!

I think Rosethorn's friend should consider Utensil! I like it!

Haha! You and your determination to name someone Utensil! She's an old Cedarledge girl, so I think she's already got a camp name, but I will definitely apply some peer pressure lol.

What is with wanting to have someone called Utensil - although it is a great name

absolutely a good name, and I know someone who tried desperately to get a name used. the program director, who did our CIT 1 meeting really wanted someone to be named Speedbump or Brunehilda. Well, he got one of his wishes. Someone showed up late to the meeting and said she didn't have a camp name so he suggested Speedbump and she said ok. Just like that! I love it!

sppedbump is cool - but brunehilda where did he get that from? We wanted our camp nurse to be madam pomfry!

i like speed bump too. but indigo you got a wit named that. i had a camper too

Speedbump and Brunehilda are cool too! We did have a Boondoggle one year. Sometimes when I'm bored, I like to make lists of outlandish camp names I wish people would use.

I know, Torch! I'll be satisfied with campers. But it's still an awesome name, and if I didn't already have one, I might be Utensil myself.

Brunhilda was a valkyrie in Norse mythology, if that answers your question. Wow, I'm a nerd.
Megan's as good as hired once her last reference comes in!

Rosethorn, I heard about a certain other hiring that I'd like to gossip with you about, perhaps on Facebook chat some day.

Ooh, you know I love gossip!

Are you going to get your friend to come on here rosethorn? Or do think we would scare her away?

Nah, she's a theatre girl. Nothing can scare her. I'll let her know.

Has anyone seen the Red Bull commercial with Running Bear and Little White Dove? OMG every time I see it I think of camp!

Aaaah! I have to look for it on YouTube now!

If you find it on You Tube will you post the link please - I am not very good at finding things on you tube!

It's not there...

thats ashame - maybe it is on the red bull website!

Hope you all had a good thinking day? My mum has started collecting thinking day badges we have got some lovely GS ones off ebay!

I got a postcard from Bird in Guatemala today! I showed my special class, and we had a good talk about camp names, among other things.

Aw, sharing the American camp culture. I miss Bird. She was pretty much the best boss ever.

She was awesome!

i want to see that commercial! where did you see it?

I think it was on channel 4 while I was watching How I Met Your Mother the other night. It's a cartoon like all Red Bull commercials, and there's a ravine with a teepee on either side of it. Running Bear and Little White Dove send each other smoke signals of their longing for each other, and then they drink Red Bull and fly out to meet each other over the ravine. It makes me smile every time I see it lol.

Awww sounds much better than the one we have at the moment which is supposed to set in Italy and you have "big" italian mother trying to teach her son to drive until he drinks some red bull and then flies off with her shouting after him!

they must have different version of that ad the one I saw they dident have any red bull so they never got together and it was sad but I guess thats how the song goes

hey- has anyone gotten their contracts yet?

Nope. But I think camp stuff goes to my house and not my school address. Another friend of mine is applying! She's looking at unit leader or health aide.

Wow you are certainly doing a good job recruiting this year! Well done!

I seem to recall they were pretty late in coming last year.

thanks

Oh yeah! Speckles and I were freaking out thinking we'd never get our contracts last year.

It's been truly most sincerely dead on here for the last few days... not ok guys.
Hey, my roommate and I got a gerbil!

cool- name?

I agree with you Rose! On the whole board, not even just the cedarledge thread!

That's exciting that you got a gerbil and I also want to know its name!

Well, her name is Sha'dynasty, which is part of an inside joke, but we just call her Shady.

Aw, I love gerbils! They chew on everything! What color is she?

In pet news, I took my Korean rabbit to the vet yesterday to get his stitches snipped from his neutering last week. Now we're finished until we have to go back for a rabies shot in May or June.

She is gray. She looks like a little field mouse.
She doesn't chew a whole lot yet, but she poops EVERYWHERE lol!

this board is dead! but..we've exhausted rehiring gossip and it seems to be too early to start planning! i am just waiting for it to be warm so i can call up council and try to set up some sort of spring primitive camping adventure.

My friend Whitney is working on her app for health aide, and if she doesn't get that then she's applying for UL. I'm so excited for having school friends at camp this year!

Cool!

Our Contracts should be coming in soon! Brooke sent them out!

Is it me or is taking ages for time to pass?

It always does this time of year! It's soooooooo ssssllllooooooooowwwwww...

I actually feel like camp is rushing on me like crazy. Maybe because I'm super busy and haven't had time to do all the planning and craft shopping I've been wanting to do? Leftovers is calling my name from across the highway...curse your siren song, store of recycled love!

that is one great store! i got my contract today!

Yay for contracts!!

(I decided it was time for the Cedarledge thread to move up to the top)

I've been creeping on WITs. Brooke's last count for AWITs was... four... including one who failed last year. But after asking around, it's getting to be more. Still under ten, but the year is young yet! I've also heard about a few WITs who are going to be CITs this year, mainly from 3rd session.

Oh, WIT fail. Hey, Indigo, remember that time that WIT got her finger stuck in a Coke bottle? That was my favorite thing that happened last year.

My mom sent me my contract today along with a box of Tagalongs. Yay, now I have snackies to munch on while I fill out my paperwork!

fun! I wish I got some P-nuttles or mints with my app! Yay for Camp Fire candy!! Then again I had camp send it here so that wouldn't have worked but I got it a few days or a week before I would have! And I had my mom buy me some CF candy, though I do have to pay her back for them.

Heheh, I sure do remember that, Rosethorn. Funniest thing ever at A&C.
Oh, I wish I had some thin mints right now! Frozen ones, yum... I do love Samoas, but with prices going up and amounts going down, I find they're not quite worth the money anymore. Sad day...

too bad..

mmm girl scout cookies. delicious.

speaking of gs cookies, do people ask you about them every time you say you work for girl scouts? like, 'oh, the girl scouts, do they pay you in cookies?'

Haha Yes! Actually that has happened to me before.

I dont get paid in cookies but I get loads for free

Ah taking cookies from the kitchens under the cover of darkness....

I miss thin mints. There just isn't a UK equivalent.

I've heard that, but more often I get asked if I'm a volunteer. I sure am not!

I've never been asked if i get paid in cokies, but the volunteer question: yes.

i just can't recall any time where i have encountered a girl scout cookie at camp. they sure don't have a stockpile of them in the fridge! i wish they did. girl scout cookies would make an excellent prize, i think.

hmm, i think people have asked me if i was a volunteer, too, but more so because they didn't realize camp counselors get paid in general.

Sometimes we've gotten them for snack. But they always seem to run out (or the staff devour!) of the good ones. I remember the summer of All Abouts...

Kind of along the same idea, for summers we used to get Camp Fire mint patties instead of hershey's with our s'mores and they were amazing! I don't know why we stopped but one summer the hersheys appeared and the mints disappeared, which made me sad. Or maybe they just had an overabundance of mints left one summer, I don't remember as this was years and years ago.

that sounds so good- minty smore's. yum

absolutely amazing! Especially because our mints have the creamy soft mint filling in them, not the cookie-ness of GS mints, though those are absol-freaking-lutely amazing as well!

We had loads of them at chenoa - but they were kept under lock and key so we couldnt pinch them - we often had them for desert at lunch time pack outs and cook outs - and we could usually get away with reqw'ing on extra box - and we would ration them to make sure that every one got some and no one had too many - summer just isnt summer with out thin mints - I am going to miss them this year!

So I get annoyed because no camp people are on facebook right now. So I remember this site and decide to check if maybe someone still writes on here.
So before I even get a chance to search for Cedarledge, here you all are, lol.


So I've made an impulsive decision to apply for this summer. I'm blaming all the Camp quizes circulating on facebook. And the fact that I won't have a job or a place to live come June.

I'm nervous! Who that I know will actually be there next year?

You should go to camp - I am sure you will have a wonderful time! and welcome to the boards.

Everyone except me! And Kit-Kat. And Bird. We're all in other countries for the time being. What are you going to be?

I suppose a UL. Naturally I would love to be CIT director or even WIT director, but those jobs have been taken. I dunno what else is available. I called and left a message inquiring about job openings, but haven't heard back yet. I talked to Bunny on the phone though, and she convinced me to apply.

I'm very nervous, which is silly, but still! I haven't been to camp in years now, so what if I show up and think "yuck, this was a mistake." I'm out of practice with all things campy, including no A/C and being dirty all the time. It'll be weird because this is the first time I've gone without already knowing half of the staff!


Plus I'm nervous about the fact that I was fired from there a few years ago. What if they don't hire me back?

I went back to camp after 2 years and didnt have a problem.

As for the firing thing - I guess it would depend on the reason you were fired - I have heard of people being fired and going back to the same camp!

At my last camp, someone was rehired the following year after being fired. Just as long as you learned from the reason you were fired and dont repeat it, they could hire you back again. It does happen at other camps.

OMG guys camp is creeping up on me hardcore! I can't believe we only have like two and a half months.

ahh going back to the cookie thing , i woul cry if i went to camp and they had cookies , im going to camp to get away from them .
i work at millies cookies

girl scout cookies are completely differnt from anything you can get in millies!

Um, guys? I have a problem with logging onto the boards, finding there are 137 new posts and NONE of them are for Cedarledge. This makes me sad.

that is a very sad predicament!

My issue has been that every time I log on I find myself spending an hour on here just catching up and also having to finish up with the new posts since I want to be able to read them all and not leave some out. I need to pack up and head home today but I won't leave until like 2 because I got on the boards! Silly me!

Sorry - rose non of the cederledgers have been on!

I know! I don't actually read every post, but there's been a huge surge of activity, and it has not been from Cedarledge. Sad!

I know there has been alot of activity... some of us have been posting to a post a few seconds after the other.? I am so surprised the boards are having alot of activity

Its been soo dead since camp finished that I am glad to see it busy again - am dreading to think how many posts there will be by the time tomorrows team buidling confernece finishes and since it is a 24hr thing I suspect that it will be late night! But it is nice to see!

yeah I know that it will die down once camp starts

I know and I am going to be here all alone with no one to talk to - and kick asthma forum is even more dead!

If I get to go to camp, I will post on here in my free time if I have any such thing

Free time - at camp? What is that. Some weeks even with lappy to access the wireless rather than having to wait for a dinoPC I would barely have time to spend 30 mins emailing!

Yeah I know-- When I get the chance I will be on the boards.

I'll be on on the weekends but I definitely can't promise anything more than that since I thought I would be on a lot last summer but it didn't happen!

Same here.... I wasnt on that much last summer

I'll be here all summer, scrounging for camp gossip!

I'll keep you updated, Indigo, no worries!

I will post on here when its possible, you know how precious internet time is at camp!! There is always more people wanting to use it, then there are computers

Indigo I'm real sad we won't have gossip time this summer. And between the office and the barn we would have had quite the amount of info. Haha!

Also...the latest people to come back are Wildcub and Jumper. This summer may have even more returners than last summer. Who knows!

But the office should be fun: Smiles, Happy, Estrella, Superman, Twix, Pluto, Poppy, and me! Indigo -- just come back for camp!!!

Oh, what are Wildcub and Jumper doing? I know, that looks like an amazing office. The barn looks great too. But you know I'll be back at the barn next year!!

I'm super glad you'll be back at the barn next year!

Wildcub is a lifeguard I believe. And Jumper is a Unit Leader again.

Megan is for realz hired lol. She finally got the official call. And, Indigo, I'm sad to say she has said flat out no to Utensil lol.

Rosethorn...have you heard anything about Nature Director? I know one of Estrella's friends applied...but I haven't heard anything lately and didn't know if you had or not.

We can keep each other company on here during those long months when everyone is at camp!

yeah the last few years when I wasnt at camp all summer, hardly no one was on here during the summer

I'm not sure. I know we have one, but I haven't heard who. I hope we don't have a repeat of the Sassy summer...And I hope it's someone who can act lol!

Oh lord...Program Staff skits this year will be HILARIOUS! You and Superman teaming up to write again and I know Tex will just do whatever. Chudds and Bunny will be involved. And oh my goodness...I hope the Nature Director is another Sassy because that would be the BEST! Actually for your sake, I take that back - Sassy was pretty rough. But I do hope they can act...I'll miss being in Program Staff skits - but I do think it'll be hilarious to watch them. I'm super excited!

I feel that the pressure is on. I don't know if I can handle this!
I'm just pumped to try out some new crafts I looked up. There are some fun new additions to my giant craft binder, and I can't wait to do them!

Sounds like you have been having fun!

No pressure Rosethorn - your skits are just funny. And really...they could NEVER be as bad as the kids we can't hear and don't know what they're doing. Haha.

Glad you're excited and have new arts and crafts!

I'm super excited about Head Unit Leader stuff. I'm creating a survey for last year's unit leaders to kind of get some feedback and such. Happy and I have a "business dinner" this week to discuss some new ideas and such.

If anyone has ideas for unit staff/scheduling/etc. - let me know!!

Head unit leader sounds like a good job!

What kind of things do you do in that - we never had them at the GS camps I was at?

I'm on Ad Staff, and so I help with pre-camp planning and training. I work in the office. But my main job is to help the unit leaders and unit staff. I plan the scheduling meetings and work with the Program Director on the CIT/WIT schedules and making sure each program is fulfilled (like one water unit gets to learn to snorkel in the pool - so we have to make sure that happens). And then I also help unit staff with any issues they may have and I'm the first person that talks to homesick kids (we kind of set up a tier system).

I evaluate unit leaders as well, so I plan on going to visit each unit during an in-unit activity once a week to see how the unit leaders are doing. I also plan on recognizing the strengths of unit staff and acknowleding them and such.

I'll help a lot with programming events as well since I work in the office.

Ok I get you! At the camp I was at we had 2 Ads who did this between them as well as AD stuff! And sometimes I would get really frustrated cos my first summer at the last camp one of our ADs had only been unit staff for 1 summer before becoming an AD and the other had never been unit staff - and they were supervising us - and I had more camp experience than either of them and they often completely ignored this!

It'll be my twelfth summer at camp and my fifth as staff. But I'm really lucky because the person who had my job for the past two summers will be here and our camp director is a former UL and the assistant camp director (my boss) has tons of camp experience. So hopefully it'll be okay! But I definitely want to make sure I don't ignore people with experience.

I wasnt saying that you didnt have experience - but the summer I was talking about it was my 5th at summer camp (even though my first at that camp) - and one of the ADs had 3 summers at camp and the other 4 years and sometimes they treated me like I had never been at camp before which was so annoying!

Oh I know you weren't saying anything about me --- sorry, I didn't take it that way at all. I was just trying to sympathize that people who work in the office should have experience but at the same time recognize others have experience/ideas/methods.

And I think it totally sucks when people are treated like new staff because they are new to our camp. Camp experience is camp experience no matter where it was gained!

Exactly I totally agree - and experience at other camps brings new and fresh ideas to a camp - I think that when camps become too set in their ways they start to stagnat - I have seen that - one of the camps I worked at would say things like "we dont sing that here" "thats not a camp ***** song!" which I found bother really frustrating and stupid - I mean why hire people from other countries and who have worked at other camps if you are not going to value their imput!

That's so true. There's a song a new staff member brought a few years ago that became an instant hit. And for those of us who have been at camp forever, it's nice to have new songs to sing!

It's also cool to see what unit activities people come up with and then you see it spread that summer. It's good for new ideas and activities to be used.

Plus new staff just bring an outside perspective and maybe something we thought was working well, new staff can show us that it isn't really effective or needs to be reworked.

Definately! Every year I was at my last camp I sugeested a nightly cleaning rota for our staff room - cos it had worked at a previous camp at this camp we needed to do something cos the staff house was a pig sty and it was never taken up - meaning that the first year shopper/driver/archery instructor had to do it and it could take her over as much as 2 hours to do, and the second year i was there it would only be done at the session breaks and could take a group or 3 or 4 staff as much as hour. Yet at the camp were I had been were it worked - one night a session you were expected to turn up at the staff lounge (they had rota) to clean it 15 mins before all camp lights out - and it didnt take more than a few minutes - the longest job being to sweep it - but because people knew that eventually it would be their turn to clean theykept the place tidy! And if you didnt turn up for your turn you had to clean out the slop buckets at the end of the session (except when I missed my turn - but I hadnt been feeling great and often did things I didnt need to during my TO).

We have all camp kapers everyday. And the unit that hops lunch and dinner counts that as their camp kapers and the unit that does flag counts that. But otherwise, right after dinner the entire camp does all camp kapers. Each unit is assigned an area that everyone on camp uses. And if there's a staff area in the area your unit cleans - then the staff are required to clean it. So like if campers are cleaning our rec porch and the meadow - then their staff cleans staff house. If your unit cleans the meadow outside new dining hall and then the staff cleans the staff bathrooms. So that idea also works at our camp! They should have listened! Haha!

It works for the staff bathrooms/showers - which we clean when the campers are doing theirs but that is the only area where we could do that - even thought the staff house porch is used by campers it isnt included in kapers because it really doesnt get that bad! I think the CD didnt see how bad it got cos she never used it - and there for thought if it it aint broke dont fix it!

Incidentally her first ever camp that she went to a child was cederledge! We were walking to the dining hall one day past her yurt and she heard me saying to one of my friend that the I was thinking of going to missouri this summer rather than returning to chenoa and she asked me if the camp I was thinking of was cedarledge cos she had gone there - what a small world it is!

Wow! That's crazy...it is such a small world! Do you know when she was at Cedarledge?


My first counselor ever was so incredible and I lost touch with her (as little campers do!). And then my sophomore year of high school, I found out she was the new journalism/English teacher - but I only found out because I wrote a series of essays for my English class on camp and my teacher put two and two together and because of her I got to re-meet one of the most influential people in my life! Camp makes the world so much smaller!

What part of the UK are you from Smudge?

It would have been about 20 years ago because is about 27 and she said she was 6 when she was there.

That must have ben really awesome to meet her again after such a long time. Are you still in touch with her?

I am orginally from the south coast but now live in sunny (not) scotland on the west coast.

I am still in touch with her. She actually just moved to New Mexico - but thankfully there's Facebook! She's taking a summer roadtrip this summer with an old camp friend - I'm hoping they'll stop by camp when they reach Missouri!

Sorry to hear Scotland isn't sunny - haha. We've had a few staff members from Scotland. Most of our international staff are from England and Australia though.

That has been my experience too - oftern times thought it really depends on where the camp goes to a recruitment fair as to where most brits will come from - eg if they only go to edinburgh they will have more scots than if they go to london and vice ver!sa!

they probably will come by camp - when ever we are near my old camps we swing by!

I think it'll be fun to visit camp after I stop working there - it'll always have a piece of my heart and it'll be cool to see the new changes and all of the old familiar sites as well.

We get our international staff from Camp America - so it's cool that we get people from all over. We've had staff from Scotland, England, Ireland, Germany, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden.

We've had staff from Iceland? Ooh, don't forget South Africa!

CA rock! (not that I am biased you understand!)

The camps that I have worked at we have had staff from places like azebyjan (ok I am spelling it as it sounds not how it is really spelt), Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, france, germany, spain, poland, denmark, russia, kazakstan (again spelling it how is sounds!), South Africe, Egypt, thialand, mexico, the UK, poland, turkey, hungray, columbia, jamaica - and lots of other countries too!

When I did Roughin' It in 2002 my UL was from Iceland - her name was Tigger. And I thought we had someone from South Africa, but then I thought I was crazy!

I think it'd be cool to get staff from other countries. I'm studying Azerbaijan for my Post-Soviet Politics class and it'd be awesome to have a staff member from there. I'm a Political Science major with an International Relations minor - so I'd love to work with people from all over the world!

Stretch was from South Africa. She was there the year before I was a CIT I think.

we've had staff from Australia, South Africa, England, Spain, Germany, Scotland, Mauritius (an island near Madagascar) and many other places I am sure, but I don't really remember right now!

The places I remember internationals coming from my camp was England, Austrilia, South Africa, Ireland and Colmbia

oh yes, we've had Irish staff too.

I know one of the irish staff was hard to understand. As the summer went on, either his accent started to go away or I could understand his accent better. During staff orintation, even though he was speaking english, the accent was so deep it was like he was speaking a forigen language

We have had irish staff too! Infact last summer we had a girl come to camp from County Antrim in Norhtern Ireland - and our camp in the town of Antrim New Hampshire!

i had stretch, that was a good yearm, staff from all over would be great!

It took me a minute to figure out what a "yearm" is, Torch. LOL.

Oh wow...I remember Stretch. I thought she was from England. I never really talked to her. Haha - I'm dumb! Wow...

But yeah - I do love our international staff! I think it's good for the campers to experience people from different cultures. Although I'm sure the "Do you have ___________ in England/Germany/etc.?" questions get annoying!

If can be but it can also be really funny - the best one I have ever been asked is "do you have electricity in England?"

And also "do you know ******** they are from England?" like England is a little village were everyone knows everyone else!

Thats a good one-- When I worked in New Jersey I was asked if I knew ****** because they live near Chicago-- Hello people Chicago area is huge!! That question was from a fellow american.

I love that campers are so naive sometimes, both with the thinking that you should know anyone that came from the same place you did and with the "do you have..." quesitions!!


When a camper asks you if you know someone from the same country as you, you should answer in a question "Do you know (a former staff member they don't know, or someone from a previous camp)? They live in the USA." You could also even narrow it down to state or city if you feel like it!

The best was in 07 when I had to explain to one of the camp nurses the dfference between Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales - and she was old enough to have a 16 year old!

At my last camp, I told the campers in my cabin where I was from, and when we did a quiz show thing in our cabin before they went to bed, some of the campers came up with cities or states that were no where close to what I told them. I was told that I lived in Flordia, Califorinia, St. Louis - that was at least in the same time zone and even was told I lived in Canada

Kids are funny. I am from Saint Louis, Missouri and my Unit Leader was from England. And we are pretty much the same person...except that she's four years older than me and you know - grew up halfway across the world! However, we managed to convince our campers that we were sisters and our parents were divorced and she went to England with our mom and I stayed in Saint Louis with our dad (Parent Trap anyone?) but we were sisters and I was so excited that she was visiting me for the summer. Haha. We kept it going so long because it was halfway through the summer and knew each other so well. But it was just funny that since the campers had no concept of England such that we could convince them we were sisters. Haha. It was pretty fun!

That sounds really funny!

I convinced a camper that we had camp names because one of the requirements of working at the camp was the we were all called Ermintrude - and that it would be confusing trying to know who was being talked to - so we all had camp names. And the only male member of staff had a camp name so he didnt feel left out and cos he didnt like his name which was engleburt, even one of the program managers went along with this story and the girl spent the rest of the session calling coda engleburt! much to his confusion!

Haha! It's just too fun tricking campers like that. I love doing silly stuff like that. It makes the summer a lot funnier.

Definately - what would summer be without pranks and jokes and fun!

I like the pranks as long as they are the harmless ones

Right...pranks have been "banned" at our camp due to some problems a few years ago. But people are still permitted to do fun, silly pranks like boxers up the flag pole, TP-ing a unit (as long as they clean it up!), hiding bikes of older girls (CIT's and WIT's --- not our younger girls!), etc.

Rosethorn's CIT group put an old toilet in the middle of a meadow in the center of the camp. That was hilarious!

We filled our directors yurt with over 400 balloons in 07! It was really funny cos half the staff were in on it including members of the ad staff!

Thats a good one Smudge.? The toilet thing, I dont think that would be allowed at any camp I been at

I had a prank war running with another counsellor. Can't remember how it started but it ended with us in front of the camp director soaking wet bemoaning her putting pickles on my bed and attracting the raccoon and me hiding her stuff all over camp.

At my previous camp we had the golden flushie which spent half the summer roving all over camp!

And last summer we had a frog garden ornament that I moved around tent city (where the add staff lived) - the best was the first night he got bored with the garden and went to visit tent city - cos we were on our overnight and me the CIT intern left the other counsellor who was asleep as were all the girls and went to do this cos we had a bit of rubbish day and needed cheering up - to get to the garden we had to get past the office so crept around the back of the program center, grabbed froggy, then ran to the road to the upper units and didnt stop until we got to tree cover - then down the path that came out at the edge of tent city - ran through tent city stopping only long enough to put froggy on the porch of the CDs yurt and then onwards to next unit were we could cut through under the cover trees - back down the road to the upper units and then another dash from tree cover to the back of the program center and then back to the unit. When we got back to our tent we couldnt stop laughing. And then we moved the frog around that uni!

You have some good pranks, the most I ever saw was a volunteers underwear onthe flag pole or the Arts & Farts ( ask Arts and Crafts Building) getting TP

Did the underwear things as a 13 year old guide - is a bit old now!

Yeah I know--- Our pranks were pretty lame

oh- sorry rosethorn. yearm= year typo!
oh- i loved the toilet prank from a couple years ago!

The toilet prank sounded like a good one

My CIT group flipped all the picnic tables on camp, ran boxers up both flag poles, TP/silly string the AWITs (our oppsites on camp), hid the WIT bikes and helmets all over the areas near their unit, and took the screen doors of the porch of the health lodge and put them around the flag pole. It was pretty fun!

Thats good. I wish my camp would have done that

Hehe!

Last summer one group brought a table and benches down from the dinning hall and set it up on one of the float ing docks - and set it up complete with crockery and silverware! And the summer before my buddy checkers (life guards in training!) and the life guards took the boats - one at time - to visit one of the ADs who had been the waterfront director when she had last been at camp (serveral years previously) - the worst was a a big yellow escape that I had to help them get back in the water - even though I had a dodgy arm! But it was fun!

That sounded good

Some of the staff last summer moved the entire dining hall (approx 20 tables) down to the field next to the dining hall. We had breakfast in the meadow (the field) that morning, and the lifeguards did some silly things as the lifeguard chairs were also over there. The only problem is that it was actually a colder morning, but it turned out ok. It was pretty fun!

One of my counselors like 5 years ago actually convinced a camper that her real name is Bert (her camp name)! The camper didn't believe her for a while, but I guess she finally won her over!

I like that - moving the dinning hall - not something we could have done at my camp though cos the dinning hall was 1/4 mile away from the field!

magoo- playing tricks on the wits is not nice. gosh.

And u never played tricks on the CIT?

Someone did that dining hall reversal thing at Cedarledge once, too. I wasn't there for it, but Speckles told me about it.

Dining hall reversal?? What did you guys do- move the dining hall or something?

me personally, no. wits- went table flipping

We had people do that at chenoa too - and take all of the tables outside and stack them up in pretty patterns, and other times they have hidden the staff benches which go at the head and foot of each table.

What happened once and it wasnt as much of a prank as being mean and intolerant and luckily happened during a session break so the kids didnt know - was that 2 live-ins were put in my cabin - but one of them couldnt stand the other - so they took all her stuff and put it in another cabin - one that wasnt going to have campers in it - it caused major friction in the unit. Infact as unit leader I was the one who had to speak to ad staff about it cos the girl whose stuff was moved stormed off in a strop (understandibly) and the others were all thinking that what they did wasnt that wrong! It was a nightmare situation and caused alot of tension in the cabin!

I could imange it would cause problems with some people

Our general rule is not to mess with campers personal stuff -- and 99.9% of people keep anyone but CITs and (A)WITs out of any pranking.

However, we do have issues with campers messing with each others stuff. One year a girl threw another girl's backpack and riding boots down the ET.

I had a group of campers that were just good kids indvidually - but the group dynamics were bad. I got back from an Urgent Care visit for a burn and was told my unit needed help immediately, so I went back (since it was cook-out night, I figured the fire was slow to start or something). Turns out tent had been trashed...I mean shampoo and conditioner and toothpaste covering everything, clothes torn and destroyed, stuff cut up, etc. It was BAD! So I talked to the two girls it had happened to - they were cleaning. And I sat our girls down and apparently put quite a bit of fear in them because one came up to me about 2 minutes later and told me who had done it. It was girls who lived in the tent that had been destroyed. Apparently during a storm the girls (who did the trashing) gave stickers to the the other two to comfort them - but expected to get the stickers back and when the stickers weren't returned....she decided to destroy their things. CRAZY!

that's crazy! I guess I am lucky that I haven't had anything anywhere near that severity happen with my group's dynamics!! wow!

Nor have I although last summer I had to do three verbal contracts in one day - 2 with the same girl!

We are also not allowed to touch campers stuff - or staffs - but that doesnt seem to bother some people cos they do it anyway! Some people decided to prank me by stealing my rubber chicken and hidding - what they didnt realise is that I have it there cos I use it with the girls and I actually had to change what we were doing cos it was missing - was not impressed!

As far as pranking staff individually...it's kind of a grey area. One year a staff member had a blow up shark named Bruce and we all took turns stealing it and hiding it in areas around camp and people picked a side to be on. The girl who owned it was a good sport and led her team and such. It was really funny and kept the summer really interesting.

However, I can see where taking something that was to be used for a camp activity or taking something that was personal would cause some problems. People need to be careful and think about what they're doing. One year some staff members took a huge, paper mache dragon our A&C director had created and placed it on the roof of the lodge our CITs stay in. And the A&C director was very upset because she had made it and it took quite a bit of time. And while many people found it funny - she certainly didn't. It was part of our Masquerade Ball all-camp. So people really need to take everything into consideration before pranking.

I would agree with that - and if that had taken something like my book or teddy bear I wouldnt have been as annoyed - but Fred is there to be used by the campers and when you schedule to play chuck the chicken and you cant find the chicken it is a bit of a problem!

I can see why the A&C director would have been upset but it does sound like it was funny - but imagine if it had rained before they could get it down - all that work would have been ruined!

I think it is just a case of using your judgement.

I mean at the camp I was at before Chenoa - we werent allowed into other cabins without permission cos someone had complained that someone had been in there cabin - that someone only been in their cabin to leave a secret buddy gift and note on their bed - so I think that was silly reason to complain!

We do secret buddies as well -- it's one of my favorite parts of summer!! I like to buy gifts and sneak them into mailboxes or have them delivered randomly. And getting a gift/card can totally brighten a bad day at camp.

Secret buddies is one of my fav parts 2 - I have done all sorts of fun things - such as hiding messages in their units kitchen box, taped to the inside of the units bathroom, in the mail box, and gifts on the cabin door step or mail box. I used to try and leave something everyday - even if it was a just an inspirational quote!

My favourite thing is makeing the end of summer gifts!

We never did that.

what secret buddies or making the end of summer gift?

I didn't have time at the end to get something for my secret buddy cos she was leaving early. So I ran all the way to the waterfront and back to lift her tag from the buddy board for her during the staff party.

She got the meaning behind it so it worked out for the best.

Secret buddies are awesome!

bubby tags are the best gift - especially if you have an assigned one with your name on it!

I adopted a second one half way through the summer cos she joined as a CIT intern and was feeling a bit left out - but she left the same time as the camper so I didnt have time to finish her gift so the CD posted it to her!

I found the buddy tag necklace I made at camp last time hiding behind the wood cookies. The lifeguards kinda had access to the blank tags (every camper got their own so there was PILES of blank tags).

YAY for buddy boards!



Boo Campsick....

end of camp gift-- I did secert buddies thought at my first camp but it wasnt done at my last camp.

My last camp didnt have a buddy board - all campers had a number (or letter) and they had to count off and the counsellor had to count off for any who had left the waterfront! but main idea had one - kids were supposed to flip as the came onto the waterfront but there were 2 paths to beach and only one board!

That sounds good

We have secret buddies but we call them Pixies. Supposedly they pick new ones half way through the summer but last summer we definitely only did it at the beginning and I didn't get my paper in on time so they had already divied them up so I didn't get to do it. This summer I plan on getting the paper in the minute they give it to us! We did a CIT Pixie during CIT 1 since we couldn't participate in the staff one so we made our own amoung us! It was excellent!

We don't have a buddy board. One of our dock sitters (watchers for some camps) has a clipboard and you have to sign in and out with her. We attempt to do a number system sometimes but in the end we just end up writing their names down. When they sign in we assign them a letter and write their name next to it. When we do buddy checks they must raise their hand when we call the letter. Sometimes a few kids don't respond and we call their names. If they don't respond by then we usualy glance up and see them cuddled up in their towel in the meadow (our field next to the waterfront) or in the bathroom. Then they get a talking to and we keep an eye on their movements in and out of the water and remind them to check in and out.

At my camp that did camp buddies, the staff only did it and since the number of CIT always varied in the number of weeks, the CIT's ( who were mostly adults because it was a special needs camp), some of the staff took them on as a secert buddy during the week - we had the permission of the director to do this so they did not feel left out.

I just adopted our CIT intern cos we only had one - the year before we had 4 so they orangised something between themselves! But last year of 11 CITs in CIT only 1 wanted to come to CHenoa - the rest were all farnsworth campers so that is were they choose to do their internship!

some of the CIt's at my first camp chose what they wanted to do as a CIT- weather doing just a counselor or becoming an activity specalist assistant.

Our cits have to be counsellors when they are interning - but when there doing CIT they do shadow all the areas plus the counsellors!

Well the CIT's do shadow the counselors if they are not assisting an activity area.? Some of the CIT's/JC wanted to assist the activity areas

i love seceret buddies!

yeah I enjoyed when I did it, however, I really didnt get too much from my secert buddy

I have friends who have been like that - i have been lucky! But I usually give random gifts to people I know arent getting stuff!

Thats cool. I think the reason why my last camp didnt do it was because they didnt want to let us organize it

Thats just silly! If people want to take the reigns and organise it that means a happy staff and one less thing for them to worry about!

Our Program Director is in charge of organizing Secret Buddies for staff. We just do it during pre-camp so that people can start giving gifts when the actual camp sessions start.

One time I organized it among my campers...we had an amazing unit who was so excited to do it. They all drew names (counselors did it too!). Then instead of gifts we told them to write little notes, draw/color pictres, or make those bracelets and such during A&C. The girls loved it!

Our CITs shadow counselors regularly (starting with just a few hours at a time). And the first few times they observe, and then as they spend more time in units they are given more responsibilities - this may include leading songs or lines, checking kapers, etc. And once they start having responsibilities, they are evaluated so they can work towards improvement. Their final practical test is to serve as a counselor at another camp run by our GS council -- they are evaluated by those staff members. Our CITs get a LOT of time observing units and shadowing staff. I think it'd be cool to let them shadow in program areas one day - hopefully we can work towards that!

Our WITs also work in units once a week (Sundays) and are evaluated as well. And our WITs have a LARGE role in the running and operations of both corrals, and they are constantly evaluated on their performance there. And they basically have the opportunity to shadow wranglers all day.

One thing I like is that our CITs and WITs foot (pour water) at dinner and they sit with a staff member that is heading (serving food) - so they can also get to learn about staff stuff in that way. At all-camps we also like to have our CITs and WITs help run the events and get experience in that area. I think we do a good job in providing learning opportunities for our CITs and WITs -- although we can obviously always improve!

Our CITs and WITs (when we have any WITS) also foot our tables for the staff heads. While most CIT programs are more internship experience than anything else, ours is a good combo of both working with the groups and learning things. We also spend time just being campers in a way, though everything we do we consider the campers and what you would do with campers, like our counselor will say, "now if you came up here with campers, you would do this/what would you do" etc, and oftentimes do those things with most or all of the CITs as the "campers" and our counselor, or one of us as the "counselor".

The only thing I don't really like about our program is that we actually have a pretty bad WIT program. They split time between being with the horses and with us and campers. Our program isn't big enough to have a seperate program for the two so our WITs are almost more like CITS who get to spend time up at the horses (anywhere from 2-6 hours a day). So I suppose it works if you want to be a counselor but are considering possibly being a wrangler. But then the WIT (only 1 in my CIT 1 group) is gone from the group for part of the day so then they feel a little left out and they don't do all of our cool activities and sometimes miss the being camper stuff.

We are very lucky to have two separate programs. The WITs and CITs both have strong programs. The two groups do some activities together as they are the oldest girls on camp and get to host campfires and such - so they work together. But the groups are kept separate so that they develop their own bonds and can relate to each other based on their experiences and what they learn/do each day.

What I think is cool is that we have some former CITs that become wranglers and some former WITs become some of our best counselors. Interesting how things work out!

I was almost a CWIT, but Mom and Dad could only afford to send me for one program. I told Smiles I want to be WIT director someday and she laughed really hard lol. Then she felt kinda bad when she realized I was serious.

I would love to CIT director if manage to get back to camp - last summer I wanted to do that but the gave the job to some one who while she did a great job didnt want it - and she had less camp experience than me so that kind of annoyed me! I think if someone really doesnt want to do something they shouldnt be made to!

I hope my camp this year will do the camp buddies

Marty - I hope they do it as well. It really brings extra fun to camp for the staff.

Smudge - I feel ya on that one! CIT/WIT Director positions are so difficult because the person needs to be the perfect combination of teacher and unit leader/counselor. I definitely think our camp has had some wonderful people in those roles - and some not so great people in those roles. Sucks that you had more experience and didn't get the position...sometimes the hiring is just wrong!

I think she got it cos she had been at the camp a year longer than me - but I had 4 summers of GS camp and one at a different type of camp. But never mind!

One of my other camps did that with a unit - we had one 2 week unit while all the other programs were 1 week - and me and one other person wanted to do the ranger program cos we didnt mind not having a break at the same time as everyone else - but they didnt put either of us in that program - and what was worse was that it was a primative camping unit and one of the girls really didnt want to do it at all - she was devistated to say the least. I jus think they didnt put me on it for the same reason as they didnt let me go on a previous units off camp camping trip - they didnt want me to have an asthma attack (although that isnt the reason they gave me!).

No worries, I am back from vacation, and will jabber on here till I go to camp/don't get hired.

I mailed my application last Friday, and two references with it. I haven't heard anything yet. :-( I'm nervous since it's so late in the year! What if they don't need any more ULs?

I think it says on the website they're looking for ULs and health staff, so you should be in the clear, Willow.

On the website it says they are looking for a CIT director too...don't tell Bunny!

Turns out one of my friends went to Cedarledge ages ago. In fact she was in Kia when I was a CIT 1. And she and her cousin may have thrown all of their tent-mate's clothes around the unit. And gotten her underwear stuck up a tree. I actually remember hearing about it at the time, lol. I almost think that Bird was in-unit for that one. The one time she didn't come home smiling...

I kinda sorta really really want to be RIT UL. I <3 sleeping out, and I am a pro at cookouts (if you recall, Rosethorn).

Nevermind. They updated it, lol.

I tried to convince aforementioned friend to apply, but she has awful allergies so she would have to be a Nurse's Aid. I dunno if she would be able to keep herself from throwing the Nurse's underwear up a tree though.

Hehe! I have to ask even thought I dont think I want to know the answer - but they "may have" done it - does that mean she doesnt want to own up to it or she cant remember ?- and just how does one get underwear stuck up a tree?

What is RIT? I know what WIT and CIT are but have never heard of RIT!

It means I just don't want to incriminate her, lol. She kept saying how she was a "good camper"...except for that, lol. That's a pretty big "except".

RITs are the "Roughing-it" group. They're great! They have a sleep out every night, cookout every day, and do lots of campy stuff. The group is usually on the small side, and there are no super-young girls.

"Hike up the seven hills at camp, sleep under the stars and
participate in team initiative games. Campers cookout two
meals each day as well as swim and horseback ride. An
adventurous field trip outside of camp may be included too."

Ah we had similar programs - fun!

thats funny we have roughin it and we also have wits and rits wits are wranglers in training and rits areriding instrustors in training

Hm, what's the difference between wranglers and riding instructors?
We had LITs (lifeguards in training) for a few years. The program kind of died, but it sounded pretty cool. Way back in the day the LITs were leaders in training, which I think was a coverall for those who didn't specifically want to be counselors. That evolved into the CIT and eventually WIT programs, but not every CIT ends up as a counselor, and not every WIT will be a wrangler.

I remember the last year we had LITs...they were kind of a mess, lol.

wit is to learn how to work with the horses and rit to to teach others about horses
we also have a lit leaders in training at one point we had chalenge instructer in training so we called it chits but it did not last long
we are starting a lifeguard program this year hopefully it will do well we can alway use lifeguards

I am going to change the subject a bit and ask if any of you lovely cederledgers would like to join in our summer camp/guiding/scouting badge exchange? If so just PM me an address to which you want people to send badges and if there is anyone you really dont want to have your address!

Hey Smudge...can you explain it? I was confused when I read your posting...I think I'm just not processing information that isn't for my classes lately!

Basiclally we swap badges - you know the sew on ones with your camp name/logo on. Guides then sew them onto a camp blanket, my friend in NH sews them on to her GS vest.

I am going to collecting names and address until 19th april and then will send a list out to everyone who wants to take part. Then you send your camp badge to people on the list and they send you their camp badge or in my case scottish guiding badges.

This is part of my camp blanket:

Oh, that's cool! I dig the hippie Chenoa one lol.

I dont have any of them left Rose but we have some very cool scottish guiding ones and centenary ones!

Well not gonna lie...I am WAY too uncoordinated and un-crafty to ever be able to make a blanket like yours Smudge. Yours is awesome! However, I would LOVE to send anyone who wants one a Cedarledge badge!!

That blanket has taken alot of work - some people just sew their badges onto a plain blanket and then others make them fancy like me.

I would love a cederladge badge! Just PM me your details!

Oh oh Oh me me! Can I have one? I've been hearing sooo much about Cedarledge I want to go there too!

Um...it just hit me that we have less than two months until camp.

Newsflash: Just ran into Spam (she was a CIT with me if any of you recall...), and she is seriously considering applying for this summer. Apparently Cedarledge is the place to be for college grads with no jobs.

I am sooooo jealous!

Gah! Only two months left and I haven't been hired yet!

Its the girl scouts I would not worry I got hired two days before staff training Ive know people to get hired during staff training

Yeah, I know there were at least three open UL positions after Megan got hired, so there is hope. Stop freaking out, Willow! :P

How long ago did Megan get hired? I can't help freaking out, I'm too excited to not get hired!!!

About a month ago, I think?

Though I am not as jealous as Smudge, I am definitely jealous that you have 2 months left and I have closer to 3.

But you get to stay at camp longer than them if you are staying for fall OE!

true, very good point! Although that is going to be almost too much work to be worth it! Almost!

A month ago! That is TONS of time to hire 3 ULs!

Willow whenever I see your name I think of the cartoon charcter Willo the Wisp. Have you ever heard of it?

Well incase you havent here is what he looks like:

That looks exactly like you, Willow!

hehe - is willo the wisp a british thing? or do you have it over there too?

I think it's a British thing lol.

It must have been before my time! I don't remember that.

Oh man, two months... I have precamp and all the sessions marked on my calendar! I'll be calling and sending packages and such!

When I was in Thailand over the weekend, I put some of my camp skills to the test. I rode a horse on the beach, English (which I completely suck at, but I help teach the AWITs every year so I do know some theory of it), and it was fun until I realized the horse's mouth was so hard that she wouldn't respond when I asked her to slow down. And I paddled a mean kayak after practicing on the lake at camp!

Smudge, tell us about Willo the Wisp...

Wow! That really is very close to what I look like... I am heading to bed now, but tomorrow I will be sure to account for our differences (right after I call Council again!).

-Willow Woodrow Wilma the Wisp Wilson THE FIRST! (once removed)

Indigo, I best get letters from you. I have Catwoman stationery that is just waiting to host legends of ridiculous campers for you.

I will for sure write to you at camp, don't you worry! I'll tell you about my ridiculous students, too. They were really good today... but last week a bee flew in the window, and we had some excitement!

Willo the wisp lived in a wood/forest and his enemy was evil edna:



And it is all about how evil edna tries to foil willo the wisp and his friends plans and always fails!

You can down load a trailer here: http://www.willothewisp.co.uk/menu.html

and here is another good site:
http://www.willo-the-wisp.co.uk/

have fun learning all about him!

Makes sense. Edna is an awful name.

I just got some Marilyn Monroe stationary! It will be a disaster if I don't get hired, because I have a lot of fancy letters to write!

You could go to a different camp! Then you would be able to use your stationary to write to cederledge!

I tried going to a different camp once, it was awful.

I had on bad experience at a different camp - the 3 GS camps I worked at for the most part I enjoyed - one had 1 major incident which was the reason I didnt go back - I loved the camp and to this day say that camp is the reason I am as good a counsellor as I am (not being vain - but we had very little budget and very few specialists or equipment so you had to be a good counsellor to make sure that the girls had a great camp experience!)

I tried a new camp up in Connecticut when I was 17, and it was rough. I didn't make any friends, got super-homesick (and very for-real sick), and my campers hated me and made fun of me for being from Missouri.

How do I post a picture on here?

click reply in the peoples post and that will take you to a more advance option - then there is a little icon that is a picture - click on it. The a box will pop up asking you to enter your web link and and pop it in and post! If you want to post your own photos you need to put them into something like photobucket first so that you can get a web address!

What camp were you at in con?

If you had come to Hoffman or Chenoa you would have been made fun of!

Camp Mohawk. It wasn't good natured, it was a cabin of 13 yr old girls deciding I was lame and ganging up on me. They would all literally ignore me, and I wasn't old enough to stop it from bothering me. IT was even worse when I went to my boss about it, because she had the girls talk to me about what I was doing wrong, which included the way I dressed, being annoying (by being enthusiastic and trying to talk to them), and I had acne.

Sounds aweful! Camp Mohawk is the posh camp from meatballs?

I feel sorry for you having such an aweful experience!

As promised, an accurate picture of me.

Awesome! I see you have been having fun in paint!

That is Willow the wisp - willo the wisp camp counsellor cousin!

I've never seen Meatballs, so I don't know. The poshness of the camp was definitely much higher than Cedarledge, but I think there are fancier camps out there.

Nope. That is an actual picture of me from two years ago at camp. Eerily similar to that Wisp though, eh?

yeap - very similar!

haha, that's an excellent picture Willow!

That's horrible that you had such a bad experience at a new camp. I am glad that you have a camp that you do like though!

It wasn't all bad, I did learn a bunch of new things and try things I couldn't have done at Cedarledge (like teach horseback riding, lol).

I just looked it up - it looks like a very pretty camp - but I guess it would have been strange being at a camp that wasnt a GS camp - did you grew up at GS camps? And learning new stuff is always good! The way I look at it is that is that if you learnt something from it is wasnt a wasted summer (delevoped that attitude after the summer I worked at a camp I didnt enjoy working at!)

I'd been to some day camps, but Cedarledge was the only resident summer camp I've attended.

Yeah, I try to stay positive about that stuff too. Plus I wasn't getting on too well with my parents in high school, and it was a complete 180 after that summer. I guess I'd had all the independence I wanted, lol.

On another note, I've left a message at council twice now about my application, and haven't heard back. I've tried calling a few other times and no one ever answers. I don't want to over-do it on the calls, but I'm getting very impatient here. I'm going to be jobless and homeless in two months, so I really need to figure out my plan.

hm, i've heard brooke is out of town, so perhaps that is why

that stinks though, good luck!

If you want to stay in missouri and work at a girl scout camp we have three camp over in the kc area well ones in ks we have a camp for 1-4 grade in kc, mo a hors camp for 5th and up in north kc,mo and a lake front camp for 5th up in topeka ks it a great coucil

I had fun last year waiting for my call (not). My CD was out sick, out of town at ACA and some traveling, and i tihnk she was also busy with everything else she had to do. I think that, while they don't keep me waiting until May or anything like that, I am a little low on their priority list since they know that I know I am hired and going to come back. I think it works that way with a lot of the returners, at least ones who have been there for more than 1 summer since my roommate still hasn't gotten the offical call, though she has gotten an email. Of course, her interviewer is also the OE director, so that makes a little more sense.

Thanks c-dog. I was looking at the site for those camps yesterday. How is the CIT program? I saw the CIT director job is still open, and that would be fun.

Its a good program the girls have training for a week or so at on the the camps very simalar to staff training then they do shadowing at all three camps were they just spend a few hours with a counselor and a group of girls then they get assined a couselor and they spend a session at one of the camps as kind of a co counselor. we have a lot of cit come back as couselors and they are alway awesome. good luck

My friend Whitney applied around the same time as you, Willow, and she hasn't heard back either. She applied for health aide, and I know they're still looking for one. So they could just be behind the game at council right now. That's the one thing that bugs me about council; they can be pretty disorganized sometimes.

I think thats across the board. Any council is disorganized.

there was a aca confernce last week so they could be busy with that

Ok, I'll try to be more patient. Everything is just getting weird right now with the end of the semester and graduation looming. I really just want to be able to say I have *something* organized and planned out.

Brooke went to the ACA conference with Happy and Smiles last weekend. They got a big group of aplications at once and J Mo gets them first and then they go to Brooke. So they're busy...but still hiring!! So don't worry yet!

I know how you feel I was spazing about getting rehired everything will work out in the end we have had ul postions open up untill the end of staff training

A big group of applications?! *swoon* (that's right, I SWOONED!)
That's a big group of competition! And I have a whole list of ideas for when I'm UL, so I will just feel silly if I don't get hired!

...That does make me feel less anxious though. Thanks Magoo!

It looks like we might have pretty close to a full staff this year! Sounds like it'll be good!

plus volunteers!

Oh Willow - don't swoon! They're getting apps for Cedarledge, Fiddlecreek, and Tuckaho -- and since Tuckaho is like Cedarledge this year...well they need our staff x 2 plus Fiddlecreek. So it's all good! Don't worry. And Brooke responds much better to e-mail than phone calls - so try that!

And we should have full staff this year - I am so pumped!

Shwat? Full staff? *faints with joy*

I know - it's crazy! But it's only April and we already have a lot of staff...just look at our Facebook group! And I think some of my friends down here are applying to be counselors. It would be so cool to actually have extra staff at the beginning of the summer to account for any people that leave during the summer.

What if we actually have like 50 staff during 4th session!?! WOAH!

Rosethorn, has Bunny discovered you are coming back to camp yet? Weird, because I was planning on not telling her that I got hired and surprising her at pre-camp too, lol. Lets all gang up on Bunny!

*ok, assuming I get hired.

I am sure you will get rehired!

Yeah, I told her at Speckles' wedding. She pretty much squealed.

Thanks. I calmed down for a few days, but thanks to my parents I am back to stressing out about my post-graduation plans...or lack thereof. They want me to find some place in town that I can rent on a month-by-month basis and stay at my part time job since it's in my field....But I'd make twice as much working at camp, and I would be happier. Its really no contest.

Ok, if I get hired I'm not telling her. I guess you guys will be the only ones to find out, so hush hush! I think I can keep a quasi-secret for two months (probably one by the time I'm hired?).

I think they are still looking for counselors, so at least there's that.

Oh man, it's getting so nice and warm here, and I looked at my calendar and saw that precamp starts next month!!!

I go to camp in like 48 days for Ad Staff Week!! I'm SOOO pumped!! Yay camp!


And Cedarledge for sure needs more counselors - we just got an e-mail update!

Captain Hook (my little sister) is trying to persuade my brother's girlfriend to work there this summer. She's a troop camper... I think she's working on her application right now.

And Whitney's got an interview either this week or next week. She'll be a good nurse or UL or whatever she gets hired as lol.

I still haven't heard anything. I'm starting to work on making other plans for the summer.

Willow last year my friends GS camp in CT was desperate for good staff I am sure it will be the same this year!

What camp is it? I researched camps a bit the other day, and they all seemed weird in one way or another... Maybe it's because I was looking in California though? I'm considering just moving back with my parents and taking a class at the community college to help supplement my resume. Not nearly as exciting as if I were hired for Cedarledge though...very depressing.

Camp Candlewood! It had some issues in previous years but they made some major changes and improvements last year and are still working on them - last year they had no returning staff and I dont think many are returning this year either! So they would def benefit from experienced staff!

I'm trying to get ahold of Bunny to see if maybe she forgot to mail my reference. That's the only excuse I can come up with for me not hearing from Council yet. In other news, it turns out I am quite afraid of severe storms when I am alone. To be fair, this is a doozie.

Awe poor you! Sending you hugs! Hope that the Storm isnt too bad!

Willow...maybe you should try e-mailing Brooke. She responds to e-mails faster in my experience. But I wouldn't be nervous - they still need counselors for sure.

Gah! A tornado formed minutes after it passed by my apartment, and the storms only got worse when they cleared my area. Literally 4! tornados all lined up just east of me! Luckily I work at a news station a few blocks away, so I just watched that channel and made sure they were not seeking shelter. If they are OK so am I.

Magoo...I got a letter last week saying they recieved my app and would call me if they want to interview me. I am afraid it may have been one of those "don't call us, we'll call you" things. Plus, I really really really want to be a unit leader! Ideally, RIT unit leader! I have lists of ideas!! LISTS!

That sounds scarey - I have always wanted to see a tornado but from a distance!

They might get back to you soon! But if not then another camp would snap you and your lists!

Ad Staff week starts in like 45 days! And the other day it smelled like summer outside (please tell me you all understand that -- the guys in the apartment next to mine did not get that concept).

But anyway --- I am SO excited for camp! It's SOO close!!

I totally get you magoo! And so far we have only managed it to smell like spring - but it is odd when it is 5pm and it feels like/smells like a spring morning!

I'm so glad someone understands what I mean when I say it "smelled like summer" - I can't explain that because to me summer just has a distinct smell. It's amazing to smell it when I wake up in the morning and drive to work. It makes me so excited!! When it stays light out longer, smells like summer, and I can smell people bbqing and such - it just makes me so happy that summer is almost here!

I love the smell of BBQs it makes me think of camp - one of the camps I worked at had an all camp BBQ on incoming day. And one of the best things about the approach of summer is that I get to go to and from Brownies in the light!

I know what you mean too Magoo! It makes me happy too!!! I love it!

I love BBQ's ... we used to have one every day at my last camp I voluntered at

I love smelling like a campfire at night... Mmm! And the smell of the leaves and grass in the hot sun, or the smell of a sudden rainfall! Yum.

There is only one thing better than smelling of camp fire and that is smelling of chocolate based cooking - unless you manage to merge the 2 and cook chocolate over a camp fire!

I agree 100% Smudge!

I miss the smell of camp. The other day campus smelled like Cedarledge, and I was like, "YES! It's almost time..."

Your lucky nowhere here smells like Chenoa - but I guess I could (if I hadnt wrecked my ankle) go for a walk up round the glen and at least I would be surrounded by woods and water.

yeah I don't often get the camp smell when I am at school, but occasionally I will have a cookout in my backyard at home and it will smell like camp!

I have a lovely BBQ but we cant set it up here cos if we didn the neighbors would find someway to ruin it for us!

The smell of warm-ish rainy days reminds me of camp.

Instead of doing the usual all easter dinner meal we had a bbq. it was the best idea my family ever had. The kids aka those of us ages 15-26 made smores over the flames from the grill.

Oh that sounds fun! I am not setting my BBQ up until we move!

Jeepers! Someone just told me that graduation is in five weeks. I'm rather terrified.

That is really soon!

You're telling me!

I went craft supply shopping with Brooke yesterday. It was super fun! We got tons of goodies, and we also planned some stuff for the Harry Potter camp.

And did you ask her why I have not been hired?

Oh that sounds fun - I have some HP ideas that I could send you if you would like - if you PM me your email address I could email them to you!

Just clicked on the first page instead of the last believe it or not last year we reached 62! So still have way to go but it is conceivable that it will pass the 62 page mark!

It was good times. LOL Willow I didn't say anything because I thought that might be inappropriate. She did say she really likes my friend Whitney, though! Yay!

Dang - we need to up the writing...make sure we hit at least 63 before camp! Haha!

Rosethorn...are you going to handle the Harry Potter camp stuff? That would be awesome!

Brooke knows I'm a huge fan, so she's been asking me for ideas, but that's all the hand I've really had in it. *crosses fingers and hopes for a live-in if I'm not with the CITs* Haha *winkwink*!

Oh you and Bunny living together with the CITs - that would be hilarious/amazing. Good luck!

I think it'd be cool if you got to work with that group a bit. Although I know you love the A&C - it might be fun for you to have other projects to work on too. Plus then we know they're actually doing HP stuff!

Oh man, we for sure need to get on this more posting thing.

Rosethorn, you could have a spell-writing session! And potions! And care of 'magical' creatures! And making magical creatures! And astrology! And divination! And... wow, it sounds like lots of fun!

Rose I discovered I have a load of HP ideas on mums lappy - do you want them?

Oh, I've got astrology projects lined up fo sho. And I found an earthworm farm project that could easily be a flobberworm farm...teehee!

Oh and you could do some star gazing!

Quidditch - have seen it played very effectively with 4 frisbees and not so effectively with balls.

Potions - they could make up toileteries or even cook something like soup!

Yeah, I've got a book with rules for Quidditch; Brooke is forwarding them to Tex so they can play it in sports.
For potions I think we are going to do rock candy or some kind of juice as like a siesta snacktime thing or something.

Oh fun!

I so want to be counsellor a HP unit!

Nature Director could do a herbology thing...

They should totally get to make brooms the first day!!!

And can we put wings on a horse and have it be the unit pet?

Yeah, I totally told her to do an herbology thing! Maybe with venus flytraps or something exotic like that.
I don't think there are pegasi in Harry Potter... That's gonna bother me now, trying to remember...

There are flying horses - two kinds!

The gaint ones that pull the baubatons carriage in The Goblet of Fire and the scalely ones that only Harry and Luna can see in Order of the Pheonix or The Half Blood prince - I cant remember which!

You do a triwizard tournament - a swim race (the 2nd challenge was in the lake), a fire building race (the first challenge involved fire breathing dragons) and geocaching or orientering race (the third involved finding their way around a maze)

Oh and you need to have a yule ball!

Was the stuff I emailed you any good Rose?

I haven't had a chance to look at it yet. My day has been a brazen mess. I'll have a gander tomorrow while I'm in work study. Thanks so much! I'll forward all these rockin' ideas to Brooke.
Oh, yeah, I forgot about the thestrals! They're not exactly cuddly winged horses lol...

Thats what they are called! I couldnt remember - but then again it is 3.45 am and I have to wake mum at 7am and I am not really tired!

They are all the ideas I had for doing if I had got wizarding at chenoa - might as well share them!

Chenoas yule balls were both disappointing cos they werent dances - they had some music playing but the girls did various crafts or games - so not really a ball!

Aw, I liked the thestrals...

the idea of thestrals scares me. I know we have a harry potter potter program but I don't to do it! I'm a vat of all things HP.

Aww, this HP unit sounds like lots of fun. I bet you guys will have a blast this summer *sigh*.

So I've been talking WITs with Chudds... I think she'll be good! (I say that every time, but it's true) And I e-mailed Brooke to ask for the AWIT list, because I saw one jumping for joy on Facebook.

So I plan on bringing to camp the most random personal project ever: I will be painting a fire hose this summer.
My friend Devin and I were out walking one day, and we came across this random fire hose chilling in the middle of a field on campus. We joked about filching it, but decided against it. It turned into this running joke for a few weeks.
Today I pulled into my driveway to find it sitting coiled up on my lawn. He had stolen it and left it for me lol. So I'm going to make it pretty, cuz I have no idea what else to do with it.

That sounds so cool!

Rosethorn, you're definitely getting a package from me this summer. I keep thinking of things you'd like. If you have any (light) requests, let me know.

I'm jealous. i want to paint a fire hose.

I need to find a way to clean it. Right now it's got grass and mud and the like on it. Indigo, I will be sending you smut. I'm still in search of the perfect book, but when I find it...watch out!

Yessss!
I have a Korean friend who likes English smut to relieve her stress. Unfortunately, to get any selection at all, you have to order it from another country. I don't think they sell it in the book stores.

hose off your hose. then dump a bleach and water solution on it. 1/4 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water!

Sounds like your korean friend would like some of the "camp" songs I was exposed to on saturday night! I dont think I will ever be able to sing yogi bear again!

Oh man. I'm almost afraid to ask...

Haha, what about how I can never see/hear "baby shark" again in my life without snickering to myself?

It's raining hard here, for the first time in all my 6 months living here. I love it! I could go for a big summer thunder storm right now.

Lets see the yogi bear song was taken alot further and then were was one about being initmate with animals - fortunately that wasnt a corruptions of a camp song I knew!

AH! lol that's actually kind of funny tho.

Heheh...

I mean adult humor is good at camp - sometimes we all need it!

not queit all of use lots of my friends and me could live perfectly well with out - but someway to release we definately need!

One of my favorite adult humor moments was when that kid inadvertently made a "That's What She Said" joke. I told Superman to pass the meat, and he couldn't hear me, so this kids shouted, "Pass the meat!" and to be a jerk he yelled, "WHAT?" and the kid just pointed at me and said, "That's what SHE said."

I would have cracked up. Probably to the point of completely losing it. And laughing with my ridiculously unattractive squeaky laugh.

oh man, that's hilarious! I love that they didn't realize what they were saying and that it was funny!

adult humor is hilarious in behind the scenes camp stuff and a good way to release the stress and constant talk of little kid stuff. However, I do agree with Smudge that it is not for everyone and that there are other ways to get that release of stress without going into adult humor! Although, some adult humor isn't bad, just something that the little kids wouldn't understand!

Sometimes just laughing at the funny things your kids say and do works well! like one of my campers a few years ago said, "I know Jesus' birthday. Easter!" My fellow counselor and I just started laughing and saying how ironic that is! I mean, I suppose it's better than the kid saying Good Friday, and He rose on Easter, so it's a different kind of birth I suppose! But Easter is still connected with His death considering He died 3 days prior to the first one!

Anyway, I am sure I told you that funny moment before, but it does prove the point that kids are hliarious! Like in the That's what she said joke!

For example
Camper - "we're a three-some."
Staffer - "no you're too young."

Oh Truddy..... please please Truddies!

Now listen, Cedarledge friends. It's been a few days! So let's bring up a new topic... What are you doing right now to prepare for camp? Have you started packing yet? Any hopes and dreams of where you'll live?

(and wow, do I really have 800-900 posts? I never post that much on any message board! I guess that shows how important camp is to me!)

camp is important isnt it - even though we are not going we still are in here posting and advising!

Well Indigo I know you would be completely packed by now...seeing as I'll be at camp in 30 days! However being at school and all I haven't done a single thing to prepare. I'm a last minute buyer and packer - always have been! I'm getting super excited though!

And I'm hoping to live in Guest House...well not really. I'd rather live in a tent in a unit with some kids. I'm sure I'll be in G House though.

What am i doing now? um, waiting till my b-day so i won't double buy anything
packed? um-kind of- I have everything back into my rubbermaid drawers and under-bed boxes
dreams- A HORSE UNIT! but at least new side.

Haha... You know I'd have been packed long ago, Magoo! That's how I roll.

Every year I ask for Border Village, little kids, or a sports unit! And every year I get put in Gail's Place, with the WITs. Why would that be? But seriously, if not for the G. Place, Tanda is my favorite place to live.

Sounds like my first summer at camp every session I was with the drama kids - even when I wanted to do other stuff!

Indigo...I don't know how many times you have to be told...but, as the WIT Director you are obligated to live in Gail's Place with the WITs. Hope that clears it up.

That being said...how about you come back in 2010 and are the UL in BV for a sports unit full of homesick 8 yr olds!!! I think that would be a great welcome home present!

back t funy things kids/ leaders say
we sing a song and put in the kids name and a object
the leader ans there was jake jake jake kissinfg a hiary snake in the store room.

with 3 of us creasing ourselfs he realised and the kids just carried on singing and wanted to know what was so funny

that is rather funny!

Hi! I'm Rosethorn's friend Megan. I'm a UL this summer with you guys.

Thought I drop by and introduce myself.

Hello I am Smudge I wont be cedarledge but welcome to boards!

I welcomed you on FB as we were strangers. I enjoyed being a butthead. Cheap thrill...

Hi! Have a blast at camp this year!

I also don't go to Cedarledge, but I, like Smudge, crash the cedarledge thread occasionally! Welcome!

that certainly is funny!

I also get put into random units that I don't ask for, probably because the directors know I'll take it! Although apparently I am good with the little boys. This was news to me! I now don't mind them so much, but so far in the 2 years I have been on staff I have been given a unit I did not want! Luckily I think they have realized that I do not work well with the 5th and 6th grade boys! Thank goodness! Give me 8 1st-4th grade boys over 5th and 6th grade boys any day!

Haha... Well my job dictates a specific group that stays in one specific unit, I like to ask for units and groups I wouldn't actually want, because I feel pretty secure that I won't get them!

I'm with the horse campers all summer...Imagine that a horse counselor with the horse campers. That's almost unheard of

Now you would be surprised at that! at my first camp the first session they put a girl who hated horses in the oldest girl horse unit and the lived away from main camp in cabins up at the horse barn - she hated it - it also turned out that she didnt praticularly like working the campers either so at the end of that session she became a UL (because they were short of 1) and she definately interacted better with the counsellors than the kids. Although some people felt that someone who was a good counsellor should have become UL (me or one of my friends who had also been suggested) I feel they made they made the right choice and they kept the people who were good with the campers with the campers rather than leaving someone who wasnt with them!

That happens at our camp sometimes! I remember my first year, they purposefully tried to do that. They didn't want any former WITs near the WITs, or any former CITs near the CITs. But they had me (a former WIT of a few years previously) and a former CIT from a couple years back, and they put me with the WITs and her with the CITs, because they didn't think I'd been to camp before, and they thought she'd been a WIT. It was just fine with us!

Personally I was glad they didnt make me a UL cos I had come to camp to work with children not adults!

It's a whole different skill set to lead adults and not kids. And those who can lead adults? Are not in management!

Also WELCOME to the boards from another thread hijacker!

hi, i'm torch; I also actually work at cedarledge!

I can't believe we have just one month left to go. I haven't done any packing at all. I haven't even done any planning. Maybe that's what I'll do to fill the seemingly endless two weeks between school and camp.

That's what I spend my week between school and camp doing! More packing than planning, since I am not a specialist, but in general I prepare for going to camp for the summer!

I haven't done anything yet. I'm such a slacker. It's been like... 9 years since I've been to camp, so all my campin' stuff has seemed to have disappeared over the years.

I was thinking of camp today... My vivid memories will sustain me!

Hey everyone. I was bored this morning and tried to figure out something to do, and I remembered this board. I'm not sure how often I'll be here since I'm not coming back (and it's JUST starting to get real hard, even with my wonderful hubby, so I'm kind of trying to distance myself). But I wanted to tell you all that I miss you and I'll be down there often!!

I loved it last year when Smiles teased that you all would live in BV and wee would live in Petite -- WHAT?!

Specks, are you still volunteering for a session? Cuz you're not allowed to bail on us. I would like a Crafty Kids assistant *winkwinknudgenudge*

Oh man, I really don't want to live in the Glen! Never have, and really have no desire to! Though it IS quite pretty.

It's not that bad. It was my first unit as a camper.

RT -- I'm still planning on it but haven't filled out paperwork as I have a nanny job that might not let me miss a week. I will be down frequently for campfires, though, as well as CPR/First Aid training during pre camp and for the CITs.

Me too!

me three- at least for cedarledge

Guys you are very close to making it to the number of pages you had last year so I bet you can beat it! Last year you (well we) managed 62 and at the moment you have 57 and nearly a month until you go to camp!

Yay! I know you can do it! Especially with help from Smudge, and a little from me!

On my computer it says that we are on page 22 (or 23, I forgot and I'm on the edit page so I can't just scroll up) and last year you got to page 25!

Yes! We can do it! Almost there!

My computer says 12... but I cram a lot of posts onto each page.

I didnt know you can change the number of posts on a page - so my number is just going by what I an getting!

Campkgurl - are you up stupidly early or ridiculously late?

ridiculously late! It's 4am! woohoo! and I need to get up at 7:45! haha, and I am not tired right now, so I am not gettin much sleep tonight!

I didn't know you could change it either!

I hate nigths like that - I think when it gets to that point I would give up on the notion of sleeping before church - and just go to bed when I get home!

I've been having a lot of those nights lately. They mostly consist of frantically trying to finish homework. Ick.

I totally need to knuckle down and get some study done - I have aload of reading and exercises to do - I just have other things I would rather be doing like sewing badges on my blanket!

Yeah, I should have been studying if I was going to be up that late, but I didn't. I did clean my room though and it needed it badly! I actually stayed up til 6 and then slept through my alarm and got woken up by the youth pastor's call to see if I was ok and where I was since I wasn't at work.

I should have just stayed up the extra 2 hours, and slept after, but I didn't which makes me sad since they had like 8 preschool kids and normally we have like 1 or 2.

Oh daer. If it makes you feel any better I missed church yesterday too - cos I was too sore from pushing mum about glasgow on saturday - there is a distinct lack of dropped curbs in that city!

well, I suppose we can both take comfort in that we weren't the only one missing!

But listen Cedarledge friends... Missing church is no excuse to let this thread slip down so low! Hmm...

Do you have any camp plans specific to this year? Or new goals?

I feel personally like I've gotten to the point where I'm totally there for the kids and not so much for myself. Which I'm sure is probably a good thing. It'll be interesting to see how this year goes for me.
I found some really cute new crafts I can't wait to try out. One is a springtime no-snow globe. Instead of snow it has flowers and little plastic bugs inside. And maybe some glitter lol. We always have an abundance of glitter.
Another one involves taking a small block of wood, hammering nails into it in a certain shape, and then connecting the nails with wire to make like a little sculpture. Kind of hard to explain, but the picture looked really neat.

The nail sculpture sounds like a really cool project!

I think I've seen things like the nail sculpture in the art museum's modern/abstract art wing!

Yes! My campers WILL make legit art lol. If you consider modern art legit...

I consider it legit!

Megan...er Serendipity and I are counting down the days. Not long now! I gotta get packin'!

Yes, that octagon thing!

I have not started packing for camp, but I probably will soon because my lease is up at the end of the month. Camp doesn't start until June 10 for me, though.

Ha! That's what you get for abandoning us to Tuckaho! :P

What will you do between the end of your lease and the start of camp?

Hm, yes, leases... I've pretty much resigned myself to going back with my parents once I get back in the country... But after camp, I intend to have a teaching job (or at least some sort of regular job) and an apartment. And perhaps a roommate? I don't know, every year I think I'll find someone to room with at camp, and every year it doesn't happen!

Ahh Leases I hate them when I was at school-- I had to get Univeristy Apartments since they were more friendly to me so if I wanted to not stay during the summer I didnt have to pay for time I wasnt down at school and be guarented the same apartment for the fall term for the most part

OMG can you believe it's just two weeks from tomorrow? Eek!
Now that it's finals week I've finally had some time to prepare, tho. Right now I'm going through my iTunes and making a camp appropriate playlist for Luckystone. Results: Enchanted soundtrack= yes, anything by Buckcherry= nooooooo.

I am soo jealous!

Rose I was at a chinese take away last week and they had disposable chop sticks and I picked up a couple of packets for you completely forgetting that if I posted them they will prob break - but Il can have a try if you would like!

i got 3 more pairs today Rosethorn! I know I am so excited!

Go for it, Smudge! Just mail them to me at camp:
Rosethorn
8501 Girl Scout Rd.
Pevely, MO 63070

All right - maybe if I wrap them in bubble wrap they wont break! hehe - got a load more today!

2 weeks, ladies! I'm excited. I'm alreayd mostly packed and ready to go.

<~ Is a dork.

Durn right you're a dork! :P PS, can't wait to get to work making those awesome shoes into goth shoes.

Nothing wrong with being a dork serendiptity! I totally admit to it!

Those boots are the best shoes I've ever seen. Best Goodwill find, EVER.


lol. I admit to it too. I have a Zelda tattoo. Ha.

I can't wait guys. I really can't. Open house tomorrow, tho! Woot!
So, jsyk, the boots of which Serendipity and I speak are a pair of gloriously 1980s Texas bride white leather and lace cowgirl high heeled boots. I bought them at Goodwill. I am making them black lol. And maybe red. I'm leaning toward black tho.

Yay Open House! I am so pumped! And then it's only like a week until I get to go to camp!

Those sound like excellent boots! Also, YAY for open house! My camp has 2, one at the beginning of May and one at the end of precamp. I was planning on going to open house since it was the same weekend as mom/youth but then I didn't do mom/youth, so that was sad. However, I will absolutely be doing the one at the end of precamp!! woohoo!!!!

Think of me at open house! I'll be creeping through the trees in spirit!

They sound like pretty awesome boots rose - look forward to seeing a photo of them! You could do them red as a base and then put the black on thinly so that the red shows through in places!

I think red and black would look cooler, but I'll honestly get more wear out of them if I make them just black. I don't know. I'll decide soon tho.

I'm biased towards the red and black, since I thought of it. lol


Open house day!

Rosethorn: if you need chopsticks let me know I work next to a chinese place and I'm really good friends with the people that work there and i can probably get a boatload of them for you!

Boatloads are good. LOL no biggie, but if you can get some, send them my way!
Open house was grand. Superman and I have some fun business planned already. I jokingly texted him over the winter asking if we could have a Most Dangerous Game themed all-camp involving setting some campers loose in the woods and then hunting them down, and he's actually trying to find a way to work it in a less violent manner lol.

Sounds fun!

We played a night game in the woods (when I was a youth on a church convention) that you might be able to adapt - I cant remember all of it but we tied string around our arm and then tucked 3 piece of fabric through - if you were tagged you had to give up a piece of fabric - that might work and when they have no fabric left then you would have killed them!

I am sad that i missed open house. I was at the barn yesterday but then wasnt working today and had to visit some family. I hope it was fun!

Oo! We played a game like that when I used to go to youth group at our church lock-ins. It was called Commando.

One person hid with a bunch of small items (usually paper clips, etc) The rest got put into groups. Every person had a popsicle stick that was their "life". They then turned out all the lights and the adults wandered around with flashlights.

The object of the game was for the teams/people to find the person who hid and collect the most of the item, one at a time. The object of the adults was to catch the searchers by shining their lights on them. The adults then made the people they caught do something silly (sing a song, do a dance, play leapfrog, etc) and took their "life" away. The people had to stop what they were doing and go back to the home base to get another life, wait for a certain amount of time and continue searching.

It was soo much fun. The adults would hide and pop out and the kids would sneak around like ninjas trying to search and not get caught. Me and my friends played it in a park at night once and it was crazy fun then too.

Tell Superman. He'll probably use it!

I wished i went to open house too. but i had to study since i worked saturday at the barn. UGH! Finals!

Open House was good times...only like 7 days for me. I'm getting pretty excited!

Have fun Magoo, if I don't see you on here before you leave! I'm sure you will have fun of course!

have fun! The departures have started!

Yeah, they have. I think Magoo is our second departure! Although Magoo is not gone yet!

Wow! It's starting!

Good luck Magoo!

Luke went to camp ages ago - then Magoo, and then it is the cederledgers and then mash and kati, then marty and campkgurl, and finally sarah (and I head off for my 1 week at about the same time as sarah).

So how sad is it that I know all that!

But by the time she leaves some of you will be nearly finished camp so hopefully I wont be lonely for too long.

I got really homesick/campsick today... over 5 months left! I don't know if I can make it that long!

In the meantime, I think I've been subconsciously trying to remake camp/a natural setting in my room. I've been buying lots of plants lately.

Aw, Indigo! That's both sad and a little funny at the same time. I just gotta write you a letter, and then the smut will be on the way!

Indigo could you not go camp with some friends from where you are the moment!

smudge it is kinda sad that you know when people are leaving but I will do my best so you aren't too lonely on here this summer. Although sleep might win out over the boards but i can try!

Yeah, I tried to get on the boards last summer but didn't do it much. I think a lot of that was because when I did, no one else really got on and posted so there wasn't much for me to do. Kind of like last fall, right up until January, we could go 3 or so days without any posts, and when we did have them, most of them were Smudge and me playing games, with the random contribution from someone else! So I actually forgot to check the boards some days, which is impressive because of how addicted I was last spring.

It is kind of sad, but also a bit funny and excellent. I think marty leaves the day before I do, but we both start camp the same day, which I find kind of weird since we are not going to the same camp, but if we were he would be starting 9 days after me! Oh and Sarah and Smudge, don't feel too bad. I remember last year we had the camper on here who left like half way through the summer for us because she went for a 4 week session or something like that! Wow, I just realized how that might make you sadder since she was a camper, not a staff member and I have campers that show up about a week before I leave at the end of the summer! oops! Sorry guys! I'll try to make it not so lonely on here, but I can't promise anything since last year that didn't work very well.

I don't like that you don't get to go to camp this summer, but I do like that you are subconsciously bringing camp to your room!

Camp kgurl, there is a good reason why I leave a day before you but start the same day as you... I am going to visit some of my friends from my camp in New Jeresy before I head out to my camp in PA on greyhound the next day.

Oh ok, I figured it was mostly travel time! That's cool that you get to visit friends first! Plus, I just think it's funny that we aren't going to the same camp but start the same day, but if we were going to the same camp we would start different days. It's not that I think it's weird that you leave first or anything like that.

No I didnt think it was weird that I left first... its just that I have a layover near Newark so I can visit some friends from camp a few years ago

record update:

Total number of posts:

Break 01 to Camp Cedarledge! (2008) - 614
Cedarledge! Let's Beat Last Year's Record! - 620

Congratulations fellow counsellors you have help Rosethorn reach her goal of having more posts in this years thread than last years thread.

Thats good and we are not even at camp yet

Woo! Now we'll have to do even better next year...

And I can't go to a camp here... They don't have summer camps like we do. Their "summer camps" are really just extra sessions of school! But I'm trying to keep busy as much as I can. I've got a bunch of progress reports to write right now. Bleh!

Good luck with the progress reports

aww indigo.you really need a full time job. how about fall/winter/spring barn contact and summer Wit director?

Good luck on the progress reports!

Congrats on the record breaking!

I meant just go camping - you, your friends and a pop up tent somewhere.

I understand what you mean about not having american style summer camps - we dont really have them - but we are starting to see them.

Now that's something I've been looking into a bit. I do take a hike now and then. There are some nice mountains and parks around!

Torch, I've been bugging Brooke and JMo about a full-time job for a while now! Full-time camp supervisor, spring/fall wrangler, summer WIT Director? I think so.

Progress reports: about 80% finished. Taking a 'break' to go to work, and will finish the last two classes when I get home or tomorrow morning.

But Indigo. What happened to me being your successor? I want the chance to be the WIT i never got to be lol!

Um... I can see myself not giving up WIT Director until I'm 90, and then having to be dragged out kicking and clawing.

I've been considering wrangling next summer, because I like it, and because my sister will be a WIT, but there's a very good chance that I'll change my mind by then!

No! Don't change your mind! Then I have nothing to strive for next summer. Maybe I'll switch to nature or something...

Haha... Nature would be fun! I've considered it before.

So I'm leaving for camp in like 4 days (YAY) but have nothing done. My room is in the destroyed state it's been in since I unloaded my room from school in it. I have done zero laundry. And I haven't bought anything yet.

I'm starting to freak out a little bit. Indigo - sorry to disappoint...I know you would have been done weeks ago!

It's alright Magoo! Never fear! I start packing way in advance, but that doesn't mean much. I gather a few things in a pile, and that's about it, until the day before! I'm a late packer! I usually pack starting around 8pm the night before I leave and get done around 1 or 2am! I take a long time to pack because I get distracted so easily!

Starting for me is easy- it's just the last couple things to do /get that are so hard for me! YOu'll be fine Magoo- you know it.

I just got done packing. Got the last few things I need from Walmart yesterday. Less than a week to go!

I finished yesterday. I got a few last-minute, crafty things for my units to do during free time... but I'm done. Totally ready to go!

hey! it's almost here! who's excited?

the chop sticks are a no go for me...my buddy at Lee Ann chin's quit.

Aw, sad day! It's alright. I'm sure I will find plenty.

I am going to get the ones I have for you in the post this week or the being of next week so they will be there for the campers - I am sure there will be some odd looks when I put chop sticks on the customs label!

Ah but it is a gift at least!
How would it be if that was a purchase!

That is true! I wish I could be there when they go through customs - it would be nearly as funny to see as travelling through airport security with a rubber chicken in your hand luggage!

lol. why would anyone laugh at a rubber chicken?

Cos they arent exactly things you see passing through air ports - and it is even funnier when they make a bid for freedom as your bag goes through the x-ray machine!

haha- i was joking above. of course the chicken wanted a bid for freedom- it is America!:)

That was in London!

Another funny thing was that it squeaked everytime i got something from my bag.

And last year there were about 30 Camp America participant traveling through Heathrow airport over a 6 week period with rubber chickens in our bags! Mine is called Fred and if I ever meet you all you will meet him!

Ah the American Dream! Freedom for all rubber chickens!
"All we want to do is bring them democracy and white bread. Transplant the American dream. Freedom. Achievement. Hyperacidity. Affluence. Flatulence. Technology. Tension. The inalienable right to an early coronary sitting at your desk while plotting to stab your boss in the back." - Hawkeye

Fre has been to america and has the freedom bug in him- even in london. hope we do meet you and fred. perhaps next yer at cedarledge?

There should be some sort of boards meet-up! Shame we couldn't all staff a single camp for a summer. Imagine that!

That would be so much fun - maybe we all need to get to gether and start our own camp!

Perhaps 2011 - next year is guides centenary year! But def going to work at GS in 2012 for GS centenary year!

Ah...I leave tomorrow!! I'm super excited - however I still haven't done anything. Haha! In fact I'm not even done unpacking from school. Oh well...I'm a last minute type of girl. But I am SO excited!

That's so exciting Magoo!!! If I don't come on before you leave, have a great summer, as we all know you will! And of course, catch you on the flip side! hehe, I think I'm going to say that every time someone leaves for camp because it sounds so cool! hehe

I noticed that you said that to beetle too!

Have fun at camp magoo!

Bye Magoo! See you after summer!
There goes another one!

Bye Magoo!

bye magoo- see you soon.

Hey guys! I just wanted to stop by and wish all of you a great summer. I don't really stop by here a lot anymore since it makes me so camp-sick. It's pretty heart breaking that there's still open UL positions (according to the website), but I didn't even get an interview. I'm looking for a nanny job now so I can still do all the fun stuff for the kids that I had on my list. I'll try and write though, and hopefully see some of you this summer! In case you guys get really desperate for staff, I'll be around! (hopefully I'd still get to be a last resort?)


And what's this about volunteers? If they wouldn't hire me do you think they'd even let me volunteer? Gosh, I know we shouldn't have played that prank, but you think I'd lit the place on fire....

What prank was that then?

Willow I actually find the boards ease my camp sickness cos I can talk to people who "get" the whole camp thing.

Actually, it is my understanding that there aren't any open UL positions. They probably just forgot to update the website.

I worked as a nanny for a year and a half, it's fun. I worked through TLC for Kids. They're really good.

Yeah, Magoo said they've got tons of people over 21 already. :S

Yeah, they're pretty slow at updating the positions...

Almost as bad as me!

Phew! Okay, that makes me feel better then. Maybe I just applied too late. This was my last summer that I could have been able to work there, but oh well. Everything happens for a reason.


As for what prank we pulled? On the last night of camp a few counselors were feeling a bit too antsy and we were looking for trouble, and settled on the pool. We climbed the fence (well, two of us did, one just watched b/c she couldn't climb it) and threw everything from the pool deck into the pool. All three of us were fired.

An incredibly stupid (and lame) thing to do in hindsight, but that was years ago and I think I've matured just a bit since then, lol.

Ah! And here was me thinking it was going to be something truely specatular for them not to want to rehire you!

The question is - was it worth it - did you have fun doing it cos if so then even if you got fired it was worth it!

It's tomorrow! Tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow! *does happy dance*

YAY! wOOt! wOOt! Cedarledge, one way or another, i am coming! It's been too long! I am so pumped!

So are you all going up tomorrow? If so, have a great summer and catch you all on the flip side! If not, Rosethorn, have a great summer and catch you on the flip side! Cedar got a "catch you on the flip side" on the countdown thread!

Good luck guys! Enjoy camp! See ya in the Autumn.

Have an incredible summer! Tell us lots of fun stories on session breaks!

thanks indigo- will miss you this summer! who will be the cedarledge creeper? who will teach all of the campers your methods of creeping? who will be there to laugh at me- wait. there will be plenty who wil laugh at silly things i do like getting shoe strings in my bike but it's not you so continuing on- and begin the WIT wobble then yell at silly wits who keep wobbling? hmmmm. better be you next year!

Rosethorn, cedar trees and any other cedarledgers have a wonderful summer and have fun at camp - see you all in the Autumn.

Hahaha, well I've been working on training future creepers for the past four years. Keep wobbling (but not forever, that's lame!). And really, do you think I could stay away from camp for ANOTHER year? I'd go crazy!

cederledgers-can't wait til fall for stories!

Into the woods it's time to go. I hate to leave, I have to though. Into the woods-- it's time and so I must begin my journey.

Take care everyone! Rosethorn out.

See ya in the Autumn Rosethorn! Good luck!

Yay! I'm headed out today as well!

Have a great summer, everyone.

have a fab summer serendipity!

I'm outta here next thursday and you guys are making me feel like it's so far away!

Yay! That's so exciting for you guys! For us, though it means the boards will be a little less busy, which is sad, but ok because I know you all are having a great time!

I am sure you, me sarah and marty will keep things lively enough!

True, we do have more non-cedarledgers on the boards regularly this spring, so that's good! Plus it means I will have more time this week with a tiny drop in posting (maybe) to do all my homework that needs to finally get done!

Don't forget that Kati will be on here for about a week too! And of course other people if they decide they have time for the boards! That's the difference between us and them. They get on the boards when they have some time. We get on the boards and figure we will find time for our other things after we are done on the boards!

haha so true. I have to make time to do things like make cookies and go to work, rather how fast I can run to work. At least I'll be able to keep up with the campers

i love how there is like 9 posts from non cedarledgers. it makes me smile. :D`

Bye! Have an awesome summer! Write to me!

Haha, Cedarledge will suck them all in soon! Next year, Smudge... The year after that, the entire population of this thread!!!

Hehe - indigo - you have to keep me company over the summer!

Wouldn't mind experiencing the magic... if I could still spend a week or 2 at Lak.

session 2 is about to begin!

Hope it goes well!

Woo! Good luck, and have a great time!

YAY!! Wow, we are in session 1 and then we have a week and a half of precamp so I won't have session 2 until July 7th! wow!

As I am on camp computers and can't be bothered to fix all my typos you will see a definite decline in my typing! Sorry! But I only get so much tome on the computers, so I want to get everything in! Woot! yay camp@!