"If dreaming made things happen, if wishes could come true, camp would last forever, a summer all year through"

Uhhh how I wish the above quote was true, but alas, all good things come to an end...I guess that's what makes them so special.  This weekend (as many of you know since I've been posting about how excited I've been) I attended the 85th camp reunion at the summer camp I went to for 10 years.  It was absolutely fabulous, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.  We slept in the cabins, swam in the river, sang camp songs, stargazed (I saw 2 shooting stars!), and so much more.  It was so neat to be back with friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in years, and just fit right back in, right where we left off.  

I think I had a smile on my face just about the whole weekend.  I barely slept because I was so excited to be in such a special place.  Waking up to the cool air in the mornings makes you feel so rejuvenated and glad to be alive.  Something that was really inspiring for me (since this was my first reunion) was to see all of the generations coming back to camp and how the love never changes.  As a camper and counselor as you grow older and understood the true meaning of camp your love grows deeper.  But by the time your one of the oldest at camp your love is stronger then many of the younger campers because you've been there longer and are just more mature.  Coming back this weekend was different though, we'd all been there about the same amount of time and everyone, though in some cases generations between, had the same love for camp.  A beautiful legacy.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Friday night dinner  

Dance party...got a little wild!

Team comp, the Buffs cheering!

Green Team snake 

During the deck tennis team comp (learn more about deck tennis here),
all three of us were green team captain as JCs :)

Crimson Sunset on Carrington Deck :)

My JC group, love them

Camp for 2 days or 2 months?

Anyway, it was a wonderful weekend and I could probably go on for hours with all of the special moments and rekindled relationships.  My mom (who was also there for the weekend and went to camp as a little girl) and I talked about the weekend the whole way home, such a sacred and unique bond that we get to share.  After the weekend, although very camp sick, I'm feeling rejuvenated and re-centered on what's truly important.  Weekends like these help you remember what life's all about, so happy I was able to be a part of it.

Do you have places that help you remember your childhood and bring you back to what is truly important?  

Happy Tuesday, glad to be back...and still catching up on many of your blogs!!

Is it a sign?

Happy Monday dear blogger buddies!  It has been so dreary here the past few days, not fun - although the weather did hold out for the Oriole's game Saturday night...sadly they lost by one :(

This week I'm headed to Virginia to visit family and hang out on the farm and then on Friday my mom and I head over to Bath County for the 85th camp reunion!  I know I know, I've been talking about it for weeks but I am EVER so excited to see all of these people I haven't seen in ages!  Oh gosh that reminds me, I have got to get packing!  Anyway, that said I am not sure how much I am going to be able to blog this week but I do have a lovely guest blogger who is going to be blogging for me at some point in the week.  She writes the blog for Rudi's Gluten-Free Bread and she just happens to be my amazing sister!

So today I thought with all of this dreary weather I would share one of my favorite signs in the world.  I have loved this sign for years and every time we go down to the beach it makes me smile.  I don't know what it is about it but it is just so simple and witty that I can't help but crack up every time!

The other side of the sign is kind of funny too:

...and yes I did make my mom practically stop the car in the middle of the road on our way back from the beach to take these shots (thus why they're not the best).

And a few more funny/witty signs to brighten your Monday via Pinterest:

Source: therabbitrun.com via Peyton on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Peyton on Pinterest

Source: forum.girlscene.nl via Peyton on Pinterest

Source: blog.travellerspoint.com via Peyton on Pinterest

Do you have any signs that you just adore?  Or something on the way somewhere that always makes you giggle?  Here's to a great week!

Inspiration Monday: Camp Sunrise

Happy Monday to all of my lovely readers, I've missed you this past week!  I had an absolutely marvelous week out in Crownsville, MD at Camp Sunrise.  As I mentioned before I left Camp Sunrise is a camp put on by the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center for kids that are either currently in treatment for cancer or who have been in the past.  The camp is free for campers and is entirely run by volunteers.  Also on site is an entire volunteer medical staff with doctors and nurses from Hopkins around the clock - kids can even have chemo done at the camp.

Ropes Course activity (sorry can't put any pics of campers)

This was my first year as a counselor at the camp and it was just such an inspiring and special week.  I can't talk or show pictures of any of the kids because of HIPPA but in general all of the kids were just amazing.  It gave me an entirely new perspective on what it's like to have cancer, especially childhood cancer.  I think I sometimes have put cancer in a place so far away and tried to never think about it because such terrible things can be associated with it.  Being at Camp Sunrise helped me understand that while cancer can be a deadly disease these kids do not let it take over their lives, at least not at camp.  The whole week you didn't really hear a whole lot about cancer, the kids just enjoyed themselves and tried to be kids.

Cabin 4 counselors before the big dance!

There were moments when I would step back and think wow, all of these children that I am around have had or currently have cancer, they are inspirational.  I would look up and half the little girls had no hair and you could see their ports on their chests, but it didn't matter.  They didn't care, they were just happy to be enjoying themselves and running around carefree.  There was one event during the week called Celebration of Life where whoever wanted to took a moment to remember those who had died of cancer or who had won their fight.  That was the only moment in the week where I saw what a toll cancer had taken on these children.  It was a good kind of sad because it is important for all of us to remember those who we've lost or who've won the battle.  I was so amazed though, right after the ceremony a few of my campers were upset and we talked about it a bit, and then 20 minutes later they bounced right back and were ready for the next thing.  I guess that's kids for you.

Matching tie dye t-shirts - love camp tie dye

Anyway, just wanted to share my special week with you all.  If you ever have a chance to do something like this you won't regret it, I promise.  Has anyone done something like this?  What did you think?

Lovely nails done by campers - mine were done by a 5 year old :)

Headed to the beach today, looking forward to some relaxing in the sun :)

Being an outdoor kid for the next week...

...see ya later!

Just kidding, well kinda - as I mentioned on Wednesday I'll be a cabin counselor at a camp for kids with cancer until next Saturday.  I am SO excited (and a little nervous)!  If you've been a follower of mine for awhile you'll know that I am a HUGE camp girl.  I went to summer camp for 6 years and then was a counselor for another 4 at a sleepaway camp in the Shenandoah mountains in Virginia.  It was heaven (and on a side note I can't WAIT to go back for the 85th reunion later this summer!).  My mom, aunt and sister (as well as a bunch of cousins) went to the same camp so it's a bit of a family tradition (as well as my uncle and brothers went to the "brother" camp).

Good ole' cowpasture river at camp (I've probably shared this pic before)

Anyway, this camp will for sure be a bit different as it's for kids with or recovering from cancer but I have a feeling that it will still have that same "camp" vibe about it.  I am a counselor for 6 girls ages 9-11, one of my favorite ages.  I'm a bit nervous because I only know one person and I just met her on Monday but I'm hopeful that I will fit in and get to know everyone quickly (I'm trying to train myself to not be so shy).  So as I'll be out in the wilderness I will not have access to my blog and so won't have any postings next week.  I think it will be good for me to disconnect for the week and just help others, it's my first experience in my new career path!!

Have you disconnected from everything lately?  How did you feel?  Have a great week everyone and can't wait to catch up on all of your great blogs when I'm back!

Source: scoutshonorco.com via Peyton on Pinterest

Source: None via Peyton on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Peyton on Pinterest

Source: stylemepretty.com via Peyton on Pinterest

...and of course I had to add a few Pinterest pics :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday

So today I've decided to link up to Jamie at This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving the new board I created on Pinterest, Fairy Worthy:

Source: sundayinbed.tumblr.com via Peyton on Pinterest

Source: fancypantsy.wordpress.com via Peyton on Pinterest

Source: chanelwouldlovethis.tumblr.com via Peyton on Pinterest

I'm loving that I'm going to camp on Saturday (although not my former camp) to be a counselor for 6 9-11 year olds battling or recovered from cancer, it should be such an amazing experience!

Source: greenweddingshoes.com via Peyton</a> on Pinterest

I'm loving the pool in my backyard, I can just never seem to get enough of it!!

I'm loving that I got some of my books for school yesterday and already started reading some of them!

I'm loving all of my new followers and comments, thanks so much for reading my blog, it means so much to me - I love reading all of your blogs too!!

Source: etsy.com via Peyton on Pinterest

What're you loving today?  Happy Wednesday!

Attitude of gratitude

How do you like the new layout?  Still playing with it but would love to know what you think...there's so much out there but I figured I should start somewhere at least!

Anyway, today I wanted to write about having an attitude of gratitude.  This phrase specifically reminds me of one summer as a counselor at summer camp.  That summer before camp I was in a bad car accident and had to come to camp two weeks late.  I was put in a smaller cabin with one of my closest friends and we only had six campers.  It was the same cabin that I had been in when I was 15 and it was by far my favorite.  That summer we made our theme "attitude of gratitude" and tried to carry that theme through everything we did.  Those campers constantly reminded me to be grateful for what I had.  It would have been easy to sulk down and feel sorry for yourself after being hurt but thanks to that cabin in The End, I never did.  They took our cabin theme and ran with it.  To this day we still talk about how special that summer was (now those campers are sophomores and juniors in college) and how we carry attitude of gratitude with us.

And thus where this blog post and todays slogan come from.  It's so easy to get wrapped up in things and forget to step back and see the bigger picture, I know I forget to do that often.  During the Lenten season I always try to be more reverent and inner-looking but I admit I have not done the best at it this year.  My challenge to myself and to you is during this last week of lent to take a little more time to appreciate and be thankful for what's around you.  Be grateful for your family, friends, pets, neighbors, co-workers, and anyone else in your life.  Tell them that you're grateful for them.  Practice appreciating people.  Even when the little things start to build up and you begin to feel as if the world is closing in around you, step back, take a deep breath, and think attitude of gratitude.

I'm really going to try to do this.  I know it will be hard because work right now is super stressful and busy but it is so important not to get lost or caught up in that.  I will take a few minutes each day and express my attitude of gratitude.

Music

As you can probably tell, I've added a playlist to my blog, I hope you like it!  It reminds me of my love of music.  If you know me, you know that I'm the type a person that has a song for just about everything, I have a constant playlist in my head.  Songs, like smells, elicit memories from different times in my life that make me nostalgic and happy.  I guess my love of music began as a child, I can remember a kayak ride with my cousin where my mom was teaching us camp songs, we loved it.  Or my dad putting on Elvis and all of us dancing around the family room, jumping on couches and playing the air guitar.  Music was an important part of my life growing up.

My love of music is grounded in many areas but the place where I truly embraced music and singing is camp.  Music was a huge part of the camp traditions.  We sang after every meal, during team meetings, to say hello, to say goodbye, and just about everywhere in between.  We made up songs, brought back old songs and continued with the new songs.  Music brought us together at camp.  Today, when I hear a song that is a camp song I am immediately transported back to the summer memories.

My teammates and I wrote a song for our annual
camp song competition under this tree.

My love of music continued on and as I grew up I learned more about songs and artists that I enjoyed.  My freshman year roommate was a huge music fan (also an old camp friend) and she turned me on to bands like Talking Heads and Belle and Sebastian.  From there my love of music has only grown, I listen to Joni Mitchell and think of a trip to the lake in college, or Bruce Springsteen and think of all of my cousins rocking out at the beach when we were about five.  James Taylor will always remind me of my mom and TAPS will be something I sing to my children as they drift off to sleep.  A good song or artist can inspire you, reinvigorate you, and energize you.  Music can make you laugh, make you cry, make you dance until your feet hurt.  There's a song for just about everything.  

How did you come to your love of music?  What songs or artists evoke precious memories?  What does music mean to you?  Take a moment today and listen to a song you love, I can assure you by the end of the song you'll have a smile on your face and your mind will be racing back to a musical memory.

Rain, rain, go away

It's a rainy day here in DC and that got me thinking, what about rain makes me happy?  Of course the first thing that popped into my head was CAMP!  I went/was a counselor at Camp Mont Shenandoah for ten years and absolutely adored it.  One memory that pops into my head when I think about rain is two hour rest hour, don't you wish you still had that at work?  The best was when you went to rest hour and it started raining and you fell asleep to the rain beating down on the tin roof.  You'd wake up at about the time the bell should be going off for afternoon activities but nothing rings...TWO HOUR REST HOUR!

I think I enjoyed this much more as an older camper and counselor but the opportunity to sleep for two hours in the middle of the day, it doesn't get much better than that.  It was always so cozy in the cabins when it rained, there'd be a bit of a breeze and all you'd want to do was cuddle under your covers and go to sleep to the pitter patter of rain on the tin roof.

Other rainy day activities were fun too.  If it rained for awhile they would cancel activities and we would all go to west lodge and do things all together.  One of my favorite games we'd play was the bunkmate game.  In this game what you do is split into two groups and each bunkmate gets separated.  Both groups are asked questions about themselves but the other group does not know the answer.  The two groups come together and the counselor then asks the bunkmate to answer the question for what her bunkmate would say.  There is then one winner per cabin and then one group of bunkmates per cabin compete in front of the camp.  It is tons of fun and very entertaining on a rainy day!

Although rain is definitely not my favorite, it's nice to think about fun memories that allow you to enjoy the rain.  What are your favorite rainy day memories?

Here are a few camp photos, enjoy!

the river after a big storm

hanging out in the cabin

lip sync in west lodge

Final Banquet