The Sari Diaries- Monday 7/23/18

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

Today was a good day, and while I am sure you are not shocked to hear it, I have to say it…because it’s true. It is unbelievable to me how many amazing things can happen in one day. All across camp, and from morning til night, small miracles were happening. And here is just a bit of info about all of that awesomeness:

This morning, one of my very good camp friends, Fisher, came to visit camp with her husband and daughter. As we went to each activity, campers were so excited to see a baby…and a baby wearing a Chippewa shirt, of course! Going from activity to activity, it was cool to see camp through Fisher’s eyes. She hasn’t been here in almost a decade so while so many important traditions have remained the same, so much has also progressed. She loved seeing one of our newest activities, Random House, where they were making board games. Their games were creative and thoughtful, and handbooks were even being made to explain the rules. I got some pictures and also did a video interview with Maddie W, Olivia S, Cameron H, Gracie G, Payton G and Ava S. Their games were super-impressive!

After lunch, there were a number of activity announcements with one VERY exciting achievement from skiing. Two Lakeview campers, Skylar S and Jane C, are officially Chippy Bats! They have been working very hard towards this goal and we are so proud that they accomplished this in their last session as campers!

Tonight we had cabin lip sync, which was awesome to watch. Cabins put a lot of time and effort into their entire performances. From costumes to song choice, and of course choreography, these cabins thought of every detail. As always, I love seeing campers up on stage having the times of their lives…some of them I truly believe never thought they would get up on that stage…but there is something around here that draws you up there. It might be the security that campers feel in this safe environment. And it might be that there is an understanding among this community that everyone is celebrated when they take a risk, and so why not. I am not totally sure how to explain it, but those smiles up on that stage tonight said it all for me- this is a place where our campers are comfortable to let loose and have a good time! While all of the performances were excellent, the Colt Village winner was Wagon Ridge and the Wrangler Village winner was Lakeview. Those cabins enjoyed some delicious Cathy’s ice cream to celebrate their big win!

After lip sync we had Realm Selections and they were intense…one of the most spirited, loud and exciting parts of the summer to date. Everybody found out what their role is for this multi-day Tan & White game, and as it was announced, campers screamed in elation for themselves, their friends and their teammates. Some campers are in houses, others in the castles and others are spies. The selections are done completely randomly which gives campers of all ages leadership opportunities, and a chance to work with others they may or may not know. This intricate game literally has something for everybody and campers are super-excited for tomorrow when the big event begins. I will definitely be providing updates throughout the day and tomorrow night in TSD. Stay tuned for what is sure to be the best year of Realm yet.

Thanks for reading this evening- have a good night!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari