Summer is a great time in the life of a kid. I mean, come on, no school, nice weather with which to do fun things with friends, an a chance to live what some would call the epitome of childhood!
So, how do you help your kids stay busy all summer? Social Moms and Alamo asked that question recently, and it got me thinking. There are some great opportunities available to kids, and these are the ones I think are the most worth looking into.
1. Send your kid to summer camp. There are so many things to be learned at summer camp, whether it's a day program or an overnight camp! Many town recreation departments offer camps at affordable rates to town citizens. Or, maybe your child is a Girl Scout and could go to Girl Scout Camp. Children learn so much about themselves when they have chances to do things that are out of the realm of "normal" for them. Outdoor activities such as hiking, rock climbing or swimming can teach new skills and a sense of accomplishment. When I was young, I looked forward to summer camp every year. Now, as a mom, I can't wait for my daughter to be old enough to start going to the same camp I spent so many summers at!
2. Take a family vacation. Now, now, before your kids start groaning, there are some fun trips that can be done with kids that are also educational. Some great ideas are: Washington, DC, campgrounds, dude ranches, and adventure trips. The thing I like best about visiting DC (aside from the fact that DC is our family destination this year) is that there is so much to do that is FREE to get into, like the Smithsonian museums or the National Zoo. But a dude ranch can be a lot of fun too, and many of these offer things other than just horseback riding, such as spas and pools.
3. Visit Niagara Falls. Whether you spend time on the US or Canadian side, there is so much to see there, besides just looking at some giant waterfalls. You can check out the Maid of the Mist, or Journey Behind the Falls if you really want to get wet! You can also check out the Butterfly Conservatory, or follow the Heratige Trail, where you can explore the historic sites of Niagara, learn about the War of 1812 and more!
4. Spend a day at the ocean, at least. This one can be hard, especially for people who live in the mid west, in the totally landlocked states, like Oklahoma. But the trip to the ocean is so worth it. My personal favorite is Ogunquit, Maine, if you like something touristy, or York, Maine if you want something a little more low key. You just can't relax at the beach like you can anywhere else, and it's such a unique place for kids to play and explore. It's amazing the things one can find in a tidepool!
5. Spend time with extended family. Give your kids the chance to spend some quality downtime with relatives they don't see on a regular basis. It's a wonderful chance for them to bond with their family, and learn a little more about their legacy. It gives your family a chance to know more about your kids, what they like and don't like, what their favorite subject in school is, and who their best friends are. Kids can form strong relationships with their families in such a short amount of time, so even if they protest, it's well worth the time.
These are just a few of the thoughts I had about great getaways for kids in the summer. I'd love to hear what some of your thoughts are! Leave me a comment and let me know!
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Make Your Own Snow Cone Syrup
Snow cones are a great treat when the summer gets too hot. This recipe comes from 24/7 Moms. It’s easy to make, and kids love them! Plus, it’s something they can help with! Keep the syrups in squeeze bottles (think ketchup and mustard squirt bottles) in your fridge, and they’ll be ready for instant snacking.
Ingredients Needed:
1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid your choice of flavor
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water water
1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid your choice of flavor
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water water
Instructions:
Place sugar and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat, pour in the Kool-Aid and stir until dissolved. Cool to room temperature and pour mixture into squirt bottle then place in the refrigerator until chilled.
Place sugar and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat, pour in the Kool-Aid and stir until dissolved. Cool to room temperature and pour mixture into squirt bottle then place in the refrigerator until chilled.
ORIGINAL POST DATE: August 1, 2010
Another option is to make your own fruit syrup – a more natural approach, and only a few more steps. A popular flavor is raspberry, and the following recipe can be modified to create any other fruit or berry syrup. The general rule of thumb for making fruit syrup is equal measures of sugar and water, and roughly four cups of any puréed fruit of your choice.
1 pound (roughly 4 cups) raspberries (or another fruit of your choice)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Bring berries, water and sugar to a boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to prevent mixture from boiling over. Add lemon juice. (This prevents browning.) Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids. Let it cool: Once chilled, cover and store, refrigerated.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Week 10, Pictures from the beach
The embryo reaches a developmental milestone at the end of this week--it has achieved its basic structural form, and will be known as a fetus (Latin for "offspring") from now until it reaches full term. Because the fetus is still curled up in a snug position in the uterus, it's hard to measure an exact length including the legs. For this reason, health professionals use the crown-to-rump measurement, or the distance from the top of the head to the buttocks. Your baby's crown-to-rump length is now about 1 1/4 inches, and she weighs less than half an ounce.
So that's where I'm at now. I'll be glad to get out of the 1st trimester in a couple weeks, I'm tired of being tired and not feeling well all the time!
John, Kane and I went to Long Sands beach in York last night, and we had so much fun! Kane hadn't ever been to the beach (at least, not in the year that we've had him), and he was just all over the place! Checking stuff out, digging stuff up. We found a 3 pound clam (yes, it was still alive!), and Kane picked it up in his mouth and tried to walk away with it! It was SOOO funny. I wished I had my camera at that point, but by then I had already put it away in the car. I got to try out my new kite, which was fun. Here are the photos:
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Life as a married college graduate
Well, first off, the wedding went so smoothly! I couldn't believe we didn't have a single problem the whole day! Everything went fine, everyone showed up when they were suposed to, we ended up with really good food at the reception, and we got rave reviews about our DJ! All of the pictures are up on http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/mcardin81/my_photos and just follow the one that says wedding. As soon as we get some back from the photograper and can get them scanned in, I'll upload some of the great professional ones too.
Our honeymoon was fantastic also! We drove to Searsport, ME, and stayed for two nights, then on to Port Elgin, New Brunswick for two nights, then on to Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. While in Searsport, we ventured up to Bar Harbor, took a trolley tour of Acadia, which was really nice, and got a lot of great pictures. We did a small amount of shopping while we were there, too. Neither of us had ever been to Bar Harbor, so it was nice to visit. The next day we drove up to New Brunswick to stay in this REALLY nice place in Port Elgin, which is about 1/2 an hour north of Moncton, and maybe 45 minutes from Fundy National Park. This inn was AMAZING. They had the best food and the suite we stayed in was so nice! There are some pictures of it in the Honeymoon part one photo album at the same website. While we were in NB, we went to Magnetic Hill, which is a hill that you drive down, get into the left lane, put the car in reverse and then get "pulled" back up the hill! Want to know how it works? You won't hear it from me! =) It is an optical illusion though, but still cool none the less. Then we went to Fundy National Park for the afternoon, which was also great. The weather was nice while we were there, for the most part (we got some rain just as we were getting ready to head back out of the park), and we did a lot of hiking around in the woods. We went to see a waterfall and got some nice views while we were there. The park is about 80 miles, give or take, so there was a TON we didn't get to see, which was kind of sad. It would be very easy to spend a couple of days or a week exploring it. John and I both got tee-shirts at the visitors center, so that was a fun way to commemorate our trip there.
After Fundy, we went to see the Hopewell Rocks, which are these rocks that, when the tide is out, you can go explore the caves and crevices of them, but when the tide comes in, look out! It rises about 20-30 feet, and you can go kayaking around the rocks instead! There are some great pictures of them on in our photos. We made it back to the inn an hour late for dinner, but the innkeepers were great about it.
The last phase of our trip included Prince Edward Island. So, when we left Port Elgin, we stopped at Cape Jourimain, which had a lighthouse we could hike out too, plus some really nice pictures of the Confederation bridge, which is the 8 mile bridge that crosses into P.E.I. We hiked around there for a bit, then hopped back in the car and crossed over the bridge into P.E.I. Our first stop there was at Gateway Village, which has a tourist center for people coming into P.E.I., plus lots of little shops. We picked up some brochures, then drove around that part of the island to Charlottetown. After lunch and exploring Charlottetown for a bit, we headed up to the place we stayed in Cavendish. That place was really nice too. The suite we had was great and had this HUGE whirlpool tub in it. We went out to dinner in New Glasgow that night, to a really fancy restaurant. I tried muscles for the first time, and John had salmon that was cooked on a piece of cedar wood. The dinner was good. The next day we saw the Green Gables house, from the Anne of Green Gables books (NOT the one from the movie - not to be confused, this was not that house) and hiked through the "haunted" forest. That was cool. Then we moved on to Avonlea. This was the town from the Anne of Green Gables books and they have people that dress up like all of the characters and play the roles of them there. Every 15 minutes or so they do another skit somewhere around the town, so that was kind of neat. Next we went to the Cavendish Boardwalk. There are a bunch of little shops there, and John got a "Red Dirt Shirt" there, and I got a PEI Dirt Visor. They're dyed with the red dirt and mud in PEI. Then it was lunch time for us, and then we headed to the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum. There was some really cool stuff there! After that, we drove to Kensington to go to Woodleigh Replicas, a place that has all scale replicas of medieval castles and chapels and houses and such. Some were large enough to go into, some were only like up to our waists, but they were all really cool. After that we went back to Cavendish and went to the beach. We have some beautiful pictures of Cavendish beach up on the photo site, so check those out. All of the dirt, more or less, is red, so a lot of the beach is red. The sand was brown, like normal beach sand, but the beach itself was just gorgeous. After that, it was dinner at Rachel's Restaurante, and then we went out to the Boardwalk again so I could get a visor for my sister and some chocolates for my parents.
When we went home the next day, we made a couple of stops so that the drive didn't feel as long. We went to the reversing falls in St. John New Brunswick, then we stopped in St. Andrews for lunch, then it was on to Bangor, ME to get gas, then on to Dover to swing by John's parents house to pick up our wedding gifts, and finally home by 10:30 that night. It was such a great trip though, we got to see and do so much by driving! I'm so glad we did it that way. Maybe next year we'll take the Scotia Prince up to Nova Scotia to get to see that part of the Maritime Provinces.
So this week I've just been dealing with name change stuff and let me tell you: that has been the biggest hassle! Since I wanted my name to be Melissa Streeter Cardin, I figured I would just go to the social security office to change it. Well, apparently I can't just change my middle name, I have to go to probate court to do that. Not to mention, we (me and the woman that works at social security) discovered that social security and the IRS had my date of birth as September 19 instead of August 19, so that alone has caused enough problems. So for two days I was walking around with a legal name of Melissa Marion Cardin, and since my date of birth was wrong, they have to verify from the state (even though I had my birth certificate there) that I was really born Aug. 19. So it's going to take like a month to get the new card. So today I went to probate court and had my name legally changed from Melissa Marion Cardin to Melissa Streeter Cardin, and then I went back to the social security office, and waited two hours to have it changed again. Then she told me that they would put it in the computer, but since they still had to wait for D.O.B. verification, I probably won't get my new card for like a month. SOOOOO if I get hired on by the state, I'm going to have to bring like... my old SS card, my form from them stating my name was change to Melissa M. Cardin, my marriage certificate, and the court order that my name was changed to Melissa S. Cardin. But most of the major stuff is done anyway... not much more I can change. I just need to mail the stuff to the bank for my car loan and UNH and my student loan company. Then when I register my car, I'll have to take care of the name change there.
So, that's how I've been spending my time as a college graduate... still looking for my DCYF job, but I called the Rochester office and they said there should be two openings waived next week. That means that everyone HAS to start praying really hard about that =)
Okay, I'm going to wrap this up, my fingers are sore, and I've been working on this entry for about 40 minutes now. I'll catch up with everyone in due time! Oh, and in case you didn't know - mcardin81 on AIM!
Our honeymoon was fantastic also! We drove to Searsport, ME, and stayed for two nights, then on to Port Elgin, New Brunswick for two nights, then on to Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. While in Searsport, we ventured up to Bar Harbor, took a trolley tour of Acadia, which was really nice, and got a lot of great pictures. We did a small amount of shopping while we were there, too. Neither of us had ever been to Bar Harbor, so it was nice to visit. The next day we drove up to New Brunswick to stay in this REALLY nice place in Port Elgin, which is about 1/2 an hour north of Moncton, and maybe 45 minutes from Fundy National Park. This inn was AMAZING. They had the best food and the suite we stayed in was so nice! There are some pictures of it in the Honeymoon part one photo album at the same website. While we were in NB, we went to Magnetic Hill, which is a hill that you drive down, get into the left lane, put the car in reverse and then get "pulled" back up the hill! Want to know how it works? You won't hear it from me! =) It is an optical illusion though, but still cool none the less. Then we went to Fundy National Park for the afternoon, which was also great. The weather was nice while we were there, for the most part (we got some rain just as we were getting ready to head back out of the park), and we did a lot of hiking around in the woods. We went to see a waterfall and got some nice views while we were there. The park is about 80 miles, give or take, so there was a TON we didn't get to see, which was kind of sad. It would be very easy to spend a couple of days or a week exploring it. John and I both got tee-shirts at the visitors center, so that was a fun way to commemorate our trip there.
After Fundy, we went to see the Hopewell Rocks, which are these rocks that, when the tide is out, you can go explore the caves and crevices of them, but when the tide comes in, look out! It rises about 20-30 feet, and you can go kayaking around the rocks instead! There are some great pictures of them on in our photos. We made it back to the inn an hour late for dinner, but the innkeepers were great about it.
The last phase of our trip included Prince Edward Island. So, when we left Port Elgin, we stopped at Cape Jourimain, which had a lighthouse we could hike out too, plus some really nice pictures of the Confederation bridge, which is the 8 mile bridge that crosses into P.E.I. We hiked around there for a bit, then hopped back in the car and crossed over the bridge into P.E.I. Our first stop there was at Gateway Village, which has a tourist center for people coming into P.E.I., plus lots of little shops. We picked up some brochures, then drove around that part of the island to Charlottetown. After lunch and exploring Charlottetown for a bit, we headed up to the place we stayed in Cavendish. That place was really nice too. The suite we had was great and had this HUGE whirlpool tub in it. We went out to dinner in New Glasgow that night, to a really fancy restaurant. I tried muscles for the first time, and John had salmon that was cooked on a piece of cedar wood. The dinner was good. The next day we saw the Green Gables house, from the Anne of Green Gables books (NOT the one from the movie - not to be confused, this was not that house) and hiked through the "haunted" forest. That was cool. Then we moved on to Avonlea. This was the town from the Anne of Green Gables books and they have people that dress up like all of the characters and play the roles of them there. Every 15 minutes or so they do another skit somewhere around the town, so that was kind of neat. Next we went to the Cavendish Boardwalk. There are a bunch of little shops there, and John got a "Red Dirt Shirt" there, and I got a PEI Dirt Visor. They're dyed with the red dirt and mud in PEI. Then it was lunch time for us, and then we headed to the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum. There was some really cool stuff there! After that, we drove to Kensington to go to Woodleigh Replicas, a place that has all scale replicas of medieval castles and chapels and houses and such. Some were large enough to go into, some were only like up to our waists, but they were all really cool. After that we went back to Cavendish and went to the beach. We have some beautiful pictures of Cavendish beach up on the photo site, so check those out. All of the dirt, more or less, is red, so a lot of the beach is red. The sand was brown, like normal beach sand, but the beach itself was just gorgeous. After that, it was dinner at Rachel's Restaurante, and then we went out to the Boardwalk again so I could get a visor for my sister and some chocolates for my parents.
When we went home the next day, we made a couple of stops so that the drive didn't feel as long. We went to the reversing falls in St. John New Brunswick, then we stopped in St. Andrews for lunch, then it was on to Bangor, ME to get gas, then on to Dover to swing by John's parents house to pick up our wedding gifts, and finally home by 10:30 that night. It was such a great trip though, we got to see and do so much by driving! I'm so glad we did it that way. Maybe next year we'll take the Scotia Prince up to Nova Scotia to get to see that part of the Maritime Provinces.
So this week I've just been dealing with name change stuff and let me tell you: that has been the biggest hassle! Since I wanted my name to be Melissa Streeter Cardin, I figured I would just go to the social security office to change it. Well, apparently I can't just change my middle name, I have to go to probate court to do that. Not to mention, we (me and the woman that works at social security) discovered that social security and the IRS had my date of birth as September 19 instead of August 19, so that alone has caused enough problems. So for two days I was walking around with a legal name of Melissa Marion Cardin, and since my date of birth was wrong, they have to verify from the state (even though I had my birth certificate there) that I was really born Aug. 19. So it's going to take like a month to get the new card. So today I went to probate court and had my name legally changed from Melissa Marion Cardin to Melissa Streeter Cardin, and then I went back to the social security office, and waited two hours to have it changed again. Then she told me that they would put it in the computer, but since they still had to wait for D.O.B. verification, I probably won't get my new card for like a month. SOOOOO if I get hired on by the state, I'm going to have to bring like... my old SS card, my form from them stating my name was change to Melissa M. Cardin, my marriage certificate, and the court order that my name was changed to Melissa S. Cardin. But most of the major stuff is done anyway... not much more I can change. I just need to mail the stuff to the bank for my car loan and UNH and my student loan company. Then when I register my car, I'll have to take care of the name change there.
So, that's how I've been spending my time as a college graduate... still looking for my DCYF job, but I called the Rochester office and they said there should be two openings waived next week. That means that everyone HAS to start praying really hard about that =)
Okay, I'm going to wrap this up, my fingers are sore, and I've been working on this entry for about 40 minutes now. I'll catch up with everyone in due time! Oh, and in case you didn't know - mcardin81 on AIM!
Monday, June 27, 2005
Stuff 'n' stuff
I got an e-mail today from the district office supervisor at the DCYF in Manchester. I was so looking forward to getting to interview for an one of the three open positions I had heard they had there. In her e-mail, though, she said that they had one open position. "Okay," I think to myself, "that's fine. I'm a IV-E intern, they have to place me somewhere..." So I continue reading. "We need to have this position filled ASAP, so I cannot offer you an interview as you have not completed your degree. We are hoping to hire someone by the end of the week." Crap. So I sent back a very polite "screw you" e-mail, using the southern tradition of killing them with kindness.
Anyway, thats where I'm at with that right now. Wedding plans are coming along well, so that's good. John and I are going to get our marriage license tomorrow, which is good. That will make it feel somewhat official. For some reason I keep feeling like I'm overlooking something major, but there's not much else I can do at this point, other than go to the appointments with the reception hall, florist and then on the 23rd, the hairdresser. I still need to pick up my dress from the seamstress - it will be ready on the 15th.
If anyone out there in LiveJournal land has gotten married and can think of anything I might be missing, please e-mail me and let me know what you think. It would be much appreciated!
Tomorrow my seminar is at the Browne Center. I am so glad that I am almost done with this, and that I really only have about 4 weeks left of my seminar! As much as I usually enjoy ropes courses, I don't really want to do that tomorrow. Because now I'm going to do that, get all hot, sweaty and gross, then not be able to shower because I have to go get the marriage license and then go to work!
Anyway, it's really hot over in the corner with my computer, so I think I'm going to wrap this post up, and head into the bedroom, call my mom and try to cool down. John's playing Jedi Knight tonight, so I don't have much to do other than either sit outside or sit in the bedroom...
Anyway, thats where I'm at with that right now. Wedding plans are coming along well, so that's good. John and I are going to get our marriage license tomorrow, which is good. That will make it feel somewhat official. For some reason I keep feeling like I'm overlooking something major, but there's not much else I can do at this point, other than go to the appointments with the reception hall, florist and then on the 23rd, the hairdresser. I still need to pick up my dress from the seamstress - it will be ready on the 15th.
If anyone out there in LiveJournal land has gotten married and can think of anything I might be missing, please e-mail me and let me know what you think. It would be much appreciated!
Tomorrow my seminar is at the Browne Center. I am so glad that I am almost done with this, and that I really only have about 4 weeks left of my seminar! As much as I usually enjoy ropes courses, I don't really want to do that tomorrow. Because now I'm going to do that, get all hot, sweaty and gross, then not be able to shower because I have to go get the marriage license and then go to work!
Anyway, it's really hot over in the corner with my computer, so I think I'm going to wrap this post up, and head into the bedroom, call my mom and try to cool down. John's playing Jedi Knight tonight, so I don't have much to do other than either sit outside or sit in the bedroom...
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Happy Birthday To Me!
Today is my birthday, and I've hit the ripe old age of 23. Yay! I celebrated with my parents and grandparents last night, they both gave me money for my birthday (well, seeing as how all I asked for was money for textbooks - kind of sad, huh?). But now I'm at home with just Katie. John should be getting here in a few hours, so I'm busy doing a bunch of stuff around the house. Actually, I'm packing to go back to my apartment on Monday. Then, if I have time, I'll mow the back yard, or at least part of it. We're having a ginormous family reunion this weekend, so my parents want the place to look all spiffy (woah - I used a Kerry word!). Tonight, John and I are going over to my friend Theresas house to see her and her fiancé Chris and their dogs and stuff. Tomorrow John and I may go kayaking on Willard Pond, and Saturday is Old Home Days. I can't wait! That afternoon we have our family reunion/clam/lobster bake in the back yard. Then Saturday night it's off to the Jaffrey fireworks! YAY! I can't wait for those, it's been so long since I've been to them.
I'm still having a little bit of a hard time getting used to being back in the real world after living at Horton Center all summer. It's just strange to walk into a room and have the TV on, or to not have to worry about making sure everyone is quiet when the bell rings in the lodge and all that good stuff. Although, a very welcome change is not having to either walk to a different building or pee in the woods when you wake up in the middle of the night because you have do to such.
Anyway, that's about all I have time for now. I'll be back in Somersworth on Monday the 23rd, so look me up after that. I want to hang out with people!
Shalom!
I'm still having a little bit of a hard time getting used to being back in the real world after living at Horton Center all summer. It's just strange to walk into a room and have the TV on, or to not have to worry about making sure everyone is quiet when the bell rings in the lodge and all that good stuff. Although, a very welcome change is not having to either walk to a different building or pee in the woods when you wake up in the middle of the night because you have do to such.
Anyway, that's about all I have time for now. I'll be back in Somersworth on Monday the 23rd, so look me up after that. I want to hang out with people!
Shalom!
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Off the mountain
Well gang, it's been a long and highly eventful summer, but I am now officially off Pine Mountain! I came to the realization this morning that it's been a good summer, even though I did pretty much nothing but complain about it for most of it. I got to go up to Chapel Rock today before I left, and that's when I really decided that it was a good summer... like, I wouldn't have traded it for anything type of summer. I mean, come on, how many of you can say you dressed up like a ringwraith and got to scare the crap out of little kids?! I also went on 7 hikes, which is more than I've done in the last... umm.... yeah. I got to have water spit at me by about 8 different people, I got hosed down playing kickball, I did a junkload of arts and crafts stuff and I am now the queen of tie dye!
So, hindsight being 20/20, it was definitely a good summer. I hope everyone else had a good summer as well. I'll talk to MOST of you soon!
So, hindsight being 20/20, it was definitely a good summer. I hope everyone else had a good summer as well. I'll talk to MOST of you soon!
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Last Week!
Well, here it is, Wednesday night, 10:04pm of my last week on the mountain, and the week ends on Friday, and I might be out of here as early as Saturday afternoon! It's been a very trying week and I am ready for the summer to be over. I'm just overtired and everything is getting to me. I got into a huge fight with John today about stupid stuff that I shouldn't have even panicked over, and I feel like I've done nothing but yell at kids all week.
Tomorrow I am hiking with my cabin (Cabin Bethany, again) up the Rattle River trail. Supposedly it's very easy, but neither Lynda or I have done it before. Fortunately, it is only a half day hike and we should be back during siesta. Then during the second activity block I'm doing the "HC Hair Salon" for an activity - basically doing kids hair for the Agape meal. It should be fun, and if we have time, I'm going to see if I can get one of the other staffers to do something to my hair. I got yelled at today by someone who told me they wouldn't put braids in my hair because I washed it to much so they wouldn't stay in. Whatever. I am too tired to deal with stupid stuff like that.
Today I lead a pet rock activity with Alissa, we let kids paint rocks they found today, so it was pretty cool. Yesterday I did prayer flags and Monday I did Kickball. That was the best activity I've done all week. I found out a girl here knows John, and will actually be one of his band kids in the fall. It's pretty funny. Of course, now she's become my cling-on, so that's been interesting to deal with.
Anyway, now I'm just trying to kill time between now and the time I can call John, probably in another 1/2 an hour. He sent me an e-mail this afternoon talking about how he figured something out that I didn't really want to work on today because I just couldn't deal with it today, but of course, now I need to know what he came up with, so I have to find out. Anyway... I'm just glad I'll get to talk to him tonight. I feel bad for jumping down his throat about everything today, but I was just in one of those moods where I needed to be mad... Oh well...
Okay, I'm going to go update my ACTUAL journal and work on my present for Johns birthday for a little bit...
Shalom all.
Tomorrow I am hiking with my cabin (Cabin Bethany, again) up the Rattle River trail. Supposedly it's very easy, but neither Lynda or I have done it before. Fortunately, it is only a half day hike and we should be back during siesta. Then during the second activity block I'm doing the "HC Hair Salon" for an activity - basically doing kids hair for the Agape meal. It should be fun, and if we have time, I'm going to see if I can get one of the other staffers to do something to my hair. I got yelled at today by someone who told me they wouldn't put braids in my hair because I washed it to much so they wouldn't stay in. Whatever. I am too tired to deal with stupid stuff like that.
Today I lead a pet rock activity with Alissa, we let kids paint rocks they found today, so it was pretty cool. Yesterday I did prayer flags and Monday I did Kickball. That was the best activity I've done all week. I found out a girl here knows John, and will actually be one of his band kids in the fall. It's pretty funny. Of course, now she's become my cling-on, so that's been interesting to deal with.
Anyway, now I'm just trying to kill time between now and the time I can call John, probably in another 1/2 an hour. He sent me an e-mail this afternoon talking about how he figured something out that I didn't really want to work on today because I just couldn't deal with it today, but of course, now I need to know what he came up with, so I have to find out. Anyway... I'm just glad I'll get to talk to him tonight. I feel bad for jumping down his throat about everything today, but I was just in one of those moods where I needed to be mad... Oh well...
Okay, I'm going to go update my ACTUAL journal and work on my present for Johns birthday for a little bit...
Shalom all.
Saturday, July 17, 2004
Awesome summer!
Anywho, it's been a blast working up there. It's amazing how fast the summer is going by, especially since I function on "mountain time" and have no idea what's happening in the surrounding world. We don't have TV there, so my only link is the internet, which I never think to check for news, so I've been getting all caught up this weekend. The junior high kids we had the week before this one that just ended were really awesome, but these little kids absolutely take the cake! They were soooooo adorable! Monday I lead an activity with them making spirit sticks. That was in the afternoon block. Monday morning, Joel, Ashley and I worked with them on unit challenges, name games and stuff like that. That was fun. Tuesday we did a 1/2 day hike on a trail called Lost Pond trail, which was only a little over a mile, something like 1.1 miles or close to that. That afternoon, Nick and I lead a game called Golden Child, which is a kickball variation, but you can score like 80 runs in a single "inning." It's craziness I tell you. I also did some tie dying with Ashley, and made a couple of shirts while in the process of helping out. Wednesday we did some more unit challenges with the cabin we worked with, and they went really, really well. That afternoon I lead decorating for the Agape meal (our last dinner together), which was great, because half way through, Nick and all the kids that were playing with the parachutes for an activity came running into the Spirit Lodge and started "making jello" with the parachutes, trapping myself and all 10 of my kids under the parachutes with them... it was hysterically fun!!!
So, now I'm at Johns house, I got a long weekend, which was much needed, and I think, well deserved for the whole staff. I got off the mountain at 1 on Thursday afternoon and was in Laconia to meet John at 3:30. We went from there to my parents house, so it was great to spend time with all of them. I was feeling really homesick, so I'm glad I got to be home for a couple of days. Now I am getting some quality "me and John time," which was also much needed, and also well deserved. I'll be kind of sad to go back to the mountain tomorrow, but at the same time, I do kind of miss it when I'm not there. Plus, we'll have campers coming up tomorrow, so I won't have time to breath, let alone think about other places I could be or would want to be.
Okay, I'm done now... Hopefully I'll see a bunch of you next weekend at the big wedding (finally!!! We've only been watching this evolve for HOW long?!?!?) and if not then, then hopefully when I come off the mountain at the end of the summer. If you want to see some photos of what I've been up to this summer, drop me an e-mail and I'll send you the link to my online photo album!
Peace!!!
Thursday, July 8, 2004
Yep, still a crazy summer
So this is the first time I've had to update in forever, and I've been crazy busy!!! It's been a lot of fun working up here, and I've learned a lot. We have a group of campers up here this week (they leave on Saturday, actually), all 7th through 9th graders. It's made for an interesting mix of campers, but it's been pretty cool seeing them interact. I'd forgotten how mean this age group of kids can be, especially since last week we had high school kids. Monday, Nick and I lead an 8 mile hike which covered part of the trail up Mt. Washington, and part of the A.T. which is kinda fun to say. We took the campers down to Gorham, which made for a long for John and his cabin, since they had just gone hiking that day... Oh well! We had fun, it was a good night.
This past weekend, between groups of campers, John and I drove down to see my parents and surprise them. We got to see the fireworks and stuff in Hancock, so that was really nice. We left early Sunday morning, so that was kind of a sucky morning, but it was still nice to see them. It was great to get away from the mountain for a night too, because it's been very stressful. I don't feel like I've been getting the opportunity to live up to my full potential, but I haven't really found my stride yet either.
I'm going to post some photos of camp online, so if you would like to see them, please send me an e-mail, and I'll e-mail you the link! Hope all is well with everyone, drop me a line!
This past weekend, between groups of campers, John and I drove down to see my parents and surprise them. We got to see the fireworks and stuff in Hancock, so that was really nice. We left early Sunday morning, so that was kind of a sucky morning, but it was still nice to see them. It was great to get away from the mountain for a night too, because it's been very stressful. I don't feel like I've been getting the opportunity to live up to my full potential, but I haven't really found my stride yet either.
I'm going to post some photos of camp online, so if you would like to see them, please send me an e-mail, and I'll e-mail you the link! Hope all is well with everyone, drop me a line!
Thursday, July 1, 2004
Busy, busy summer
Wow, I've totally not had the time to even think about updating this journal, let alone actually do it! I've been crazy busy up here at the mountain. Our first bunch of campers arrived on Sunday, and so I've been spending the past week playing with them... Okay, not really playing, seeing as how they're high school kids, but you get the general idea. John came up to the mountain on Saturday, which was great, because it gave us an opportunity to hang out before the campers actually arrived. The campers started arriving around 2 or and I handed out teeshirts. John hung out with me doing that for a while until his campers in his unit arrived, then he went back to meet them... he's in a unit it with 8 female campers and 1 other female unit leader!!! Poor guy... But at least they're all good kids. That night I helped lead the campfire, which was a lot of fun. I think I needed that to help get comfortable around the campfire. Monday I lead a beadmaking activity on Monday, Tuesday I lead a hike through Great Gulf with Rob and Kate B. Yesterday I did dreamcatcher making and today I lead a prayer flag activity where we made new flags for the spirit lodge. Tomorrow I'm decorating the sploge for the Agape meal (I know, all this terminology that most people don't know, confusing as all heck, huh?!) and then Saturday the week is over and, lucky for me, John is staying here another week!
I feel kinda bad for him though, because I've been acting like a complete jerk this week... Well, I am overtired, which doesn't help, and so I have to be all happy all the time in front of the campers that as soon as I get two seconds with him I take his head off... I really don't mean too, I just finally feel like I can let out the feelings I've had to bottle up all day and it comes out in one big, rather mean pile of words that I have often regretted as soon as I said it... I'm sorry honey!
Anyway, I'm going to go work on some stuff for the SOSW now, since I've got another 30 minutes to myself... yay!
Peace all!
I feel kinda bad for him though, because I've been acting like a complete jerk this week... Well, I am overtired, which doesn't help, and so I have to be all happy all the time in front of the campers that as soon as I get two seconds with him I take his head off... I really don't mean too, I just finally feel like I can let out the feelings I've had to bottle up all day and it comes out in one big, rather mean pile of words that I have often regretted as soon as I said it... I'm sorry honey!
Anyway, I'm going to go work on some stuff for the SOSW now, since I've got another 30 minutes to myself... yay!
Peace all!
Monday, June 21, 2004
Camp and Stuff
I'm now living on top of a mountain for about the next 63 days. We're on day 2 of staff orientation, and it's going pretty well. I'm kind of home sick and I miss John and my family a lot.
I guess I'll back track a little bit: Thursday night John came down to stay until Saturday, which is when I left to come up to Horton Center. Friday morning we had to get up early and chaperone a trip to Canobie Lake Park with some of his sixth graders. Two of them walked around with us for most of the day, and they were hysterical. They were convinced my name is Sally, and that John and I were married. Well... he and I TOTALLY missed something if we are! Anyway, that night we got home, Janelle came over for a little bit, then my parents left to go to my aunts cottage in Alstead and John and I took my grandparents back to their apartment, and we visited with them there for a little bit. Saturday we spent the day getting me ready for camp. I was going to try and leave between 3 and 4 and I got out the door at about 5:30 or so. I got here Saturday night, unpacked and crashed, pretty much. Sunday I called my dad to wish him a happy fathers day, then we had a bunch of orientation stuff and what not. Today it's been pretty much the same. I'm on duty for Vespers tonight, I get to help plan the 1/2 hour worship service for the evening. That should be good. I'm working on that with Sadie and Kate. I'm hoping that will help me with my homesickness and the feeling of needing to cry every 10 minutes.
Anyway, that's about it for the day. I've got to get off the computer so the next person can use it. Everyone drop me LOTS of e-mails!!!
Peace!
I guess I'll back track a little bit: Thursday night John came down to stay until Saturday, which is when I left to come up to Horton Center. Friday morning we had to get up early and chaperone a trip to Canobie Lake Park with some of his sixth graders. Two of them walked around with us for most of the day, and they were hysterical. They were convinced my name is Sally, and that John and I were married. Well... he and I TOTALLY missed something if we are! Anyway, that night we got home, Janelle came over for a little bit, then my parents left to go to my aunts cottage in Alstead and John and I took my grandparents back to their apartment, and we visited with them there for a little bit. Saturday we spent the day getting me ready for camp. I was going to try and leave between 3 and 4 and I got out the door at about 5:30 or so. I got here Saturday night, unpacked and crashed, pretty much. Sunday I called my dad to wish him a happy fathers day, then we had a bunch of orientation stuff and what not. Today it's been pretty much the same. I'm on duty for Vespers tonight, I get to help plan the 1/2 hour worship service for the evening. That should be good. I'm working on that with Sadie and Kate. I'm hoping that will help me with my homesickness and the feeling of needing to cry every 10 minutes.
Anyway, that's about it for the day. I've got to get off the computer so the next person can use it. Everyone drop me LOTS of e-mails!!!
Peace!
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Okay, I'm FINALLY getting around to updating this thing now! :-) Sorry to those who have been waiting DAYS for this ;-)
So this past weekend was great - John came down on Friday and stayed until Monday morning. We played my dad in tennis on Friday evening, and I STILL got my butt kicked! We played Canadian Doubles, and my dad still managed to beat us both, even though he is older than John and my ages combined! Oh well... one of these days I'll get a winning set under my belt. Saturday I took John over to Keene and we just bopped around the city for a little while, then had a late lunch at Margaritas. Then Sunday we went to church that morning - Katie got confirmed, YAY! That afternoon we played tennis again (yes, I STILL lost!) and then got together with Theresa and Chris to go to Kimballs for ice cream! YUM! :-) It was so fun! We sat on the hill across the street from Kimballs while we ate our ice creams. Then Chris kept stealing Theresas shoes and she kept chasing him all over the hill to get them back - it was so funny! They are so cute together. Monday morning John had to leave to go to work, and then he went home from there. It was sad to have him leave, but I get to see him again tomorrow! Yay! I can't believe he and I have been dating for 2 months already... It's gone by so fast! Not that I'm complaining ;-) It's been a great 2 months!
So I've spent most of today getting ready for heading up to Horton Center on Saturday. If I didn't give you my summer info and you want it, drop me an e-mail or an IM or something. If you don't have either of those... oh well, you don't get to talk to me until the fall! :-) I had to get some stuff in Keene today, but I think I'm just about set. I just need to dig out my duffle bags so I can start packing... I should be able to get everything that's going into two large duffle bags, and a small one, or maybe a backpack. I just can't seem to get myself motivated to pack though... I started packing today, but I just can't seem to get myself going. I'm kinda nervous about being up there for the summer, I'm just afraid I'm going to be a sucky staff member. And I will be if I don't go and re-read the curriculum, so I should be heading out. Happy trails all!
So this past weekend was great - John came down on Friday and stayed until Monday morning. We played my dad in tennis on Friday evening, and I STILL got my butt kicked! We played Canadian Doubles, and my dad still managed to beat us both, even though he is older than John and my ages combined! Oh well... one of these days I'll get a winning set under my belt. Saturday I took John over to Keene and we just bopped around the city for a little while, then had a late lunch at Margaritas. Then Sunday we went to church that morning - Katie got confirmed, YAY! That afternoon we played tennis again (yes, I STILL lost!) and then got together with Theresa and Chris to go to Kimballs for ice cream! YUM! :-) It was so fun! We sat on the hill across the street from Kimballs while we ate our ice creams. Then Chris kept stealing Theresas shoes and she kept chasing him all over the hill to get them back - it was so funny! They are so cute together. Monday morning John had to leave to go to work, and then he went home from there. It was sad to have him leave, but I get to see him again tomorrow! Yay! I can't believe he and I have been dating for 2 months already... It's gone by so fast! Not that I'm complaining ;-) It's been a great 2 months!
So I've spent most of today getting ready for heading up to Horton Center on Saturday. If I didn't give you my summer info and you want it, drop me an e-mail or an IM or something. If you don't have either of those... oh well, you don't get to talk to me until the fall! :-) I had to get some stuff in Keene today, but I think I'm just about set. I just need to dig out my duffle bags so I can start packing... I should be able to get everything that's going into two large duffle bags, and a small one, or maybe a backpack. I just can't seem to get myself motivated to pack though... I started packing today, but I just can't seem to get myself going. I'm kinda nervous about being up there for the summer, I'm just afraid I'm going to be a sucky staff member. And I will be if I don't go and re-read the curriculum, so I should be heading out. Happy trails all!
Friday, May 21, 2004
Yay summer vacation!
Yay Summer Vacation!!! I finished up my finals on Tuesday, and I've just been vegging the last couple of days. Tomorrow John and I are headed to my parents house to see some family. My Aunt Donna and her husband Jeff are in town from Irving, Texas, and it should be a good time. My grandparents will be there too, and we're going to have a cook out with them tomorrow afternoon.
Other than that, I'm just chillin' today. My dad is in the area, so he'll be dropping by between 1 and 2 this afternoon. So I'm going to get some of my stuff packed, since I'll be going home for the next 2 weeks before I start up at Horton Center. I'll pop online while I'm at home, and check in with everyone, so that will be good. I'll be painting my parents house to make some extra money before the summer at H.C. starts, so if you want to call me or whatever, drop me a note via IM or e-mail and I'll give you my home number. So this is my last post from Somersworth until the fall... but I will definitely post while at the mountain!!!
Other than that, I'm just chillin' today. My dad is in the area, so he'll be dropping by between 1 and 2 this afternoon. So I'm going to get some of my stuff packed, since I'll be going home for the next 2 weeks before I start up at Horton Center. I'll pop online while I'm at home, and check in with everyone, so that will be good. I'll be painting my parents house to make some extra money before the summer at H.C. starts, so if you want to call me or whatever, drop me a note via IM or e-mail and I'll give you my home number. So this is my last post from Somersworth until the fall... but I will definitely post while at the mountain!!!
Monday, May 17, 2004
Stuff 'n' stuff
I had such an awesome weekend!!! First off, the weather was B-E-A-UTIFUL on Saturday, so that in and of itself was great. But like, Friday night John took me out for a very nice dinner (Chinese!!!), then came over and stayed like... all night. Then Saturday I studied for one of my finals, before being whisked away to the beach for a picnic. Okay, so I was the one doing the whisking away, as I was the one who actually drove to the beach, but John packed all the food so we could have a picnic lunch. Too bad the water was FREEZING!!!!!!!!!! Well, okay, I could stand in it, but if I had actually wanted to swim there, it would have taken me at least 45 minutes just to get completely submerged :-) Then that night, John took me out to see Troy. It was a pretty decent movie, though very long. Then Sunday, believe it or not, I went to a Catholic Mass - and SURVIVED :-) Nahh, there was nothing wrong with going at all, I was just nervous out of my mind... Actually (and don't tell John, although I know he's going to read this), after much thought, I think I may have actually enjoyed it ;-) Just a little toooooo structured for me... Then I went to Johns for lunch and to kick his butt at video games :-) Okay, not really, but he was playing Super Mario, the one that came with the SNES, and I had to show him all of the liddle hidden secrets, so that was fun. Then I came home to study some more for todays final (which is all over now!), and he came over last night to watch Harry Potter - can you believe he's NEVER seen HP before??? I think it was far to advanced for him :-)
I'm just still in a state of shock about the fact that he and I have now been dating for a month (yesterday!). I can't tell if it feels way longer or way shorter, but at any rate, it's going very well.
And today, I'm already done with my final for the day, so that's good... I'm going to start studying for History soon, but I'll have to run to Wal-Mart later to get some more printer paper... Tomorrow it's all over and I'm on summer break! YAY!!! Too bad it's a 6-8 pm final :-(
Okay, that's enough for today. Stay happy all!
I'm just still in a state of shock about the fact that he and I have now been dating for a month (yesterday!). I can't tell if it feels way longer or way shorter, but at any rate, it's going very well.
And today, I'm already done with my final for the day, so that's good... I'm going to start studying for History soon, but I'll have to run to Wal-Mart later to get some more printer paper... Tomorrow it's all over and I'm on summer break! YAY!!! Too bad it's a 6-8 pm final :-(
Okay, that's enough for today. Stay happy all!
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Yeah Summer!
Okay, I'm soooooo happy classes are over! Now I just have to stay alive for 4 finals, and I'll be golden. I should probably start studying for those at some point, huh? :-) Oh well.
Anyway, for people that want to get a hold of me this summer while I'm trekking around in the mountains this summer, you can reach me at this address:
Melissa Streeter
PO Box J
Gorham, NH 03581
Anyway, everyone needs to send me their contact information, so I can keep my address book updated and stay in touch with everyone this summer.
I am sooooo looking forward to being at Horton Center this summer! It will be great! And if anyone is interested in being a unit leader, let me know, I'll send you info, because we're super short on UL's this summer! It's only a week long commitment!
Okay, I need to go try and get rid of my headache and start studying for my first final! Peace!
Anyway, for people that want to get a hold of me this summer while I'm trekking around in the mountains this summer, you can reach me at this address:
Melissa Streeter
PO Box J
Gorham, NH 03581
Anyway, everyone needs to send me their contact information, so I can keep my address book updated and stay in touch with everyone this summer.
I am sooooo looking forward to being at Horton Center this summer! It will be great! And if anyone is interested in being a unit leader, let me know, I'll send you info, because we're super short on UL's this summer! It's only a week long commitment!
Okay, I need to go try and get rid of my headache and start studying for my first final! Peace!
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