The Sari Diaries- Friday 6/22/18

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

I am happy to be reporting back after another fabulous day at #TheRanch2018. We had the first camper birthday of the summer, a regular day of activities and our first Friday Night Campfire. Here are the details…

This morning I was lucky enough to join the morning wake-up in Tom’s Office. It was filled with campers who were lined up to wish Annie S a happy birthday. As they each got on the microphone, it was very cute to see their enthusiasm towards celebrating their friend.

Throughout the day, campers were in and out of the office sharing stories from their activities. At pottery, they were busy making mugs, and at climbing, they had campers soaring up the wall. Ella R and Annabelle K made up a song on the playground that they kindly performed for all of us in the office. All day long, there was laughter from the stables to Dam Lake and it felt like campers, both new and returning, were really settling into camp life.

Tonight’s campfire was heart-warming…legit. The theme was Women’s Empowerment and it was led by Skylar S. Campers shared quotes, poems and stories surrounding this important theme and Zoe Patinkin wrote and read a sermonette that was quite powerful. The campfire ended with our first Keylog Ceremony of the summer and I was almost brought to tears of joy multiple times. Campers thanked those who had helped them throughout the week, expressed their gratitude for new connections they have formed with their cabinmates and counselors, and articulated how much they are looking forward to an amazing summer ahead. My favorite keylog though, had to be from Laney K who said, “I want to thank my big sister for helping me when I missed home. Because now this place feels like home.” It was one of many keylogs thrown in that reminded me just how important our Friday Night Campfires are. The subjects that we delve into are so important for girls (or anyone for that matter) today, and ending with a Keylog Ceremony is really just the icing on the cake!

As we head into the weekend, I am feeling good about all that has been accomplished in the past few days. My one complaint is that we are already at the end of the first week and time is flying by way too quickly! I think that’s all for now, but I look forward to writing to you all tomorrow…thanks for reading!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari