So It's Not Summer Yet

But I've decided to bring this blog back into life again. (mostly cause of Rachelle- http://universitygirlliving.blogspot.com/ check her out!)

It's the beginning of April now and school is coming to an end, just 4 weeks left and then my summer will begin.

Not really sure what this summer has in store for me. I wasn't meant to have it, I was supposed to be graduating in May and moving on to a real, big kid job (but that's a story for another time.) So, now with one last summer on my hands, here I go.

I'll be letting you know what's happening as these next few weeks lead up to my summer and what's gonna go down!

Fair is done. Arts-In went as well as could be expected. By sunday though, it was pretty good. We didn't have our piano player until thursday so that was difficult but the kids tried hard, and like I said, overall, it was a success.

I spent nearly 13 hours helping with the horse shows too. I never showed in highschool/4H just did judging and all that fun stuff, so it was cool to be around all day, plus it was the games show (barrel racing, keyhole, etc.) so that's exciting to watch.

just two more weeks of summer. I have lots of people to see (Brownton street dance too :]) and stuff to do. Gotta cram in alot of fun for the last bit of summer. then the state fair on the 23rd. Pretty excited for another year at the fair. Hanging out with Betsy tonight :)

spent the weekend in Brookings. It was great to see my favorite kids, Baby Mercy is getting so big and such a happy smiley baby. and the other kids were thrilled to see me. Gave Mercy and Purity their new hair bows too. Did the nursery thing Sunday at church, got to see Miss Quinn, I think I'm her favorite, she never wants me to put her down!

Took the girls lunch at the Dairy Bar on monday and hung out with everyone for a bit, was good to see them too.

I'm definitely ready to be back in Btown permanently, I miss too much being in MN!

Working 3 nights this week and last minute County Arts-In stuff. Hopefully having Bets and the boys over for grilling and swim time friday. Friday night, Aunt J and JR's Engagement party and artsin overnight sat-sun. Then sleepover at Bets newww place!. Such a busy week, will post some pictures of the festivities soon. :)

forgot to add, I went camping for the 2nd time ever! We were supposed to go Sat-Mon but Mother nature decided to throw a unholy fit saturday night, we're talking baseball to grapefruit sized hail, tornados, downpours and straightline winds. Good thing we weren't sleeping in a popup camper that night! We went sunday afternoon and have a blast. Mir, Calvin and I laid on the beach/drank/made 4 trips to the gas station all day. then had random visitors all night to come hang out by our expertly made fire. Stayed up all night just goofing around. We also decided sundays are the best night for camping, cause everyone else leaves and we're there alone! Deff gonna try to go a few more times before the summer is over!

sweet summertime

Whew, it's been a while since I've posted. been crazy busy enjoying my summer and catching up with everyone.

I'm working two nights a week and picking up babysitting gigs here and there, which is really nice for a little extra cash! Spending lots of time with Betsy which is awesome for sure but is gonna suck when I go back to Brookings because I'm gonna miss her!

Got to Chaperone 4H camp last week, that was a great expereience, even if it made me feel a little old (chaperone, yikes right?) It wasn't my county but I had a blast at a new camp and meeting all their counselors and seeing ones that I did winter camp with when I was in high school.

Went out last night with Nikki and Autumn and oh boy, do we know how to have a good time. 2.99 long islands? Yes please. Met a cute boy too who asked for my number, so we'll see how that goes :]

Work tonight and heading back to Brookings for the weekend to pay rent and air out my room and visit my very favorite kids ever, missing them WAY too much!

It's Official! I've moved home, actually on thursday and already have one friday night of work under my belt!

The weekend of the fourth was great. We had horses running both saturday and sunday, did HUGE fireworks at Canterbury saturday night, had two BBQ's and ran around with the Hardy kids (which sounds like we should have been in a book, just our trainers 4 year old Jordan and almost 2 year old Austin) and generally merriment.

Spent today and will be spending tomorrow and wednesday Morning with Betsy, my best friend. We aren't up to anything too excited, just hanging out and having adventures. Lots of fun.

Back to work on Wednesday and it's off from there.

It's my last Monday in Btown for a while. Enjoyed it by going to the Chiro in the AM and then getting xrays done of my back. I have inflamed joints in my back and have been trying to get my range of motion back (as in currently I walk like an85 year old man, lovely little shuffle). Hopefully I can be functioning back to normal by thursday when I head back to MN.

So excited for my first weekend back, already have big plans! But I'm gonna wait until they happen to share!

This is my last week in Brookings. I'll be heading home in a week from yesterday. I'm excited to be going back to MN but nervous to be living with the parents again.

In one week from today I will be working my first shift of the summer at the buffalo bar and grill. Oh how exciting for friday and Wednesday nights with Dan-O. haha. Then Saturday is the padre's birthday, so we'll be celebrating that at the racetrack (with lots of fireworks!)

The fourth means fireworks and it's smooth sailing from there :]

side note, moving back to Minnesota in 11 days. for the rest of the summahhh.

so excited for a summer filled with the best things.

• pool parties and milk shake parties with the baker kids
• pool parties in general/laying out and swimming everyday
• working at the Buffalo Bar again, love that place
• babysitting Jaiden and Jacie Mae, cutest kids
• hanging out at home with the parents
• going out
• spending as much time as possible with miss betsy
• State Fair 2010
• Camping

It's been a while since I last wrote and not much has happened!

Grant's open house was the 13th, which meant yet another trip home. It was a stressful weekend for everyone except Grant (and boy, do my mom and I butt heads). The day itself went well and we had a pretty good turn out. I got to spend the day watching Jacie Mae so Jodi could help my mom with the food and everything. She has to be one of the happiest babies, the only time she cries is when she's hungry. We had a good day with lots of smiles and cuddles (she fell asleep on me 3 times, so sweet). I'm glad she loves me because I'm gonna be watching them probably about once a week when I move home.

This weekend I did alot of babysitting here in Brookings. I watched the Bariteau kids friday, saturday AND sunday night. So much fun. Saturday we all went to Katy and Andy's wedding reception, which was lovely (3rd of the season!). Below are some pictures from our night in friday. So much fun with these kids :)

Funny Faces with the Kids. Love them all

This is Christopher's Scary Face!

First Adventure of the Summer. My baby brother graduated High School last weekend. He's all done! Next fall he's going off to UND so many many many miles away from me, I'll miss him!

This weekend is his open house, to celebrate the graduation. Should be a good party. and adventure number two that's for sure :]

So it's official. I'm moving back to Minnesota in 22 days. For the rest of the summer. I'm finishing up my run here at the Dairy Bar as summer secretary next week when the semi-permanent secretary starts and then tying up some projects for a few weeks and then head back to the parents.

I'm going to be working at the Buffalo Bar and Grill again and babysitting Jaiden and Jaicie 1-2 times a week. Thru the beginning of August at least. The Minnesota state fair is calling me again so I'll be back there for hopefully prep week and the whole state fair.

Moving home is a little bittersweet. On one hand, thrilled to be back in Minnesota, close to my friends and everyone and it's cheaper (Mom buys the groceries!) but on the other hand, I like being on my own out here in Brookings.

Like I said last time though, it's destined to be a summer of epic proportions. I'm gonna make the most of the time I have off and spend as much with family and friends!

start of summer 2010

It's been almost a whole year since I last posted. At that time I was ending a summer at Timber Lake Camp in Shandaken, New York. It was a great summer, crazy and full of learning and excitement. They offered me a spot this summer but, I decided to stay a little closer to home. I'm working at the SDSU Dairy Bar, which is my job during the school year too. It's a great job for summer, I scoop Ice Cream, get to hang out with great coworkers, and get free ice cream!

This summer marks something epic. I'm going to be graduating in a year. This is my last summer as a child (more or less) who can make mistakes and stay out late and be naughty. Soon enough I will need to be a real grown up in the real grown up world. But until then I'm going to enjoy myself.

This summer is dedicated to friends, fun, watching sunsets and sunrises all in one night, staying out far too late, being far too loud, taking too many pictures and loving every minute.

It will be an adventure, hopefully the best adventure of my life so far. I'll keep you posted :)

Softball, V-day and The End!

Visiting day was mostly a success. The parents brought WAY to much food and we had seven sick campers and unfortunately 4 sick counselors. 6 cookie cakes for one buck is too much, let me tell you. The parents where crazy but great and it was fun to meet them. A few stuck out in the day due to different reasons both because they were cool and laid back, crazy and overly nice and way to over the top. I'm sure these kids got about 800 dollars worth of stuff each.

On thursday I got to take a softball team to a tourney at another camp. It was alot of fun and we even won! I met a few cool people from Timber Lake West and they are coming tomorrow to our huge softball tourney. It should be fun.

Finally nice today and I got to go swiming with the girls. They love the water and its fun to have happy kids!

Only 2 1/2 weeks left, I can't believe the summer has gone by so fast!

visiting day......

So It happened. I've been moved. I now work with Freshman bunk one. We are also currently experiencing World War Three.

None of our girls get along ever and all 7 of them want to go home tomorrow which is Visiting Day (let me get there later). I have 7 girls ages 6 thru 7. They are crazy little girls, cute and cuddley sometimes but other times they are just pure evil. The older ones pick on the little one and then on each other. I really have no idea what to do...

Visiting Day is tomorrow. I'm totally frightened. If my kids are nuts, imagine what the parents are going to be like. PLUS they bring so much food and presents for the kids, if only we were aloud to accept tips, I totally think that we deserve them.

oh man. bed time.

'Arry Potter :]

Another week going by.

On tuesday night I got to see HP 6 at the midnight premire. It was definately alot of fun and we were the only group in the crowd that had people with real British accents. We thought about dressing up in unconventional HP characters such as the Whomping Willow and Broomstick but it just never happened. The movie was good, I think that I may have to see it again. The best part was the British accents and discussing the movie afterwards! The next day was our day off and we enjoyed a relaxing day just hanging out at some falls and climbing on the rocks. It was good to get away from camp and just chill for the day. Plus the falls were sick. Too bad my camera is broken. :[

My girls have been gone since yesterday and I have been enjoying the solitude in the Lodge. Theres only about 6 of us left and we all slept very well last night.

I have about 4 weeks left here, which is something that is both a blessing and sad. I truely enjoy the people I've been meeting-they are from all over the World (London, South Africia, Ireland, Spain, Colombia and the US too). But some days I'm totally ready to be back in South Dakota and in my own room with my own stuff. I miss all my friends from home even though I won't be back for more than a day until class starts. I still have the state fair job and then I'll be back in B-town more permantently. Also-I found a third roommate and now our place is full!

I'm changing jobs and bunks again soon (sometime after saturday). I can't say I'm very happy about it but what can I say, I'm a nice person and I'll move where they put me. I'm pretty sure I'll be with the youngest group so I'm excited about that, they are cute and they all still love us unconditionally, they want someone to be their mom. And you all know how I love kids!

I'm also coaching a softball tourney on the 30th. I'm a little nervous but I think that it will be a good experience. It's up to 8th grade girls at Timber Lake West which is the sister camp of mine. It's the first chance I've had to coach softball at all here and I've very excited.

More soon-off to work on little mermaid costumes.

brief

oh my. I just got hipmotized. It was crazy crazy. I have no idea what happened but apparently I danced like crazy, laughed, cried, and like hooked up with a boy. Who knows. It was an experience, aparently. I'll have to check the videos out. hmmm.

Other than that, camp has been going well. I'm on my 4th job. I'm now directing/co-directing the play and designing costumes. It's so much fun.

short and sweet, but fun fun.

Woodstock

Today was my first day off. Me and three of the art shack girls that I work with decided to spend our day there. We shopped and ate awesome Chinese at a place called Wok n Roll. How cute right? We also got to lay out for a few hours by the river-the only thing missing was an acoustic guitar.

Woodstock was everything I had imagined. Old bearded men with guitars, Crazy ladies in floral skirts and tons of tie dye, Beatles and Bob Dylan posters, and lots of people enjoying the farmers market.

I think I'm in love, I want to spend every day I have off there just soaking up the culture, It was so great. I think everyone should go. Also today we found out the Dave Mathews band is playing on the field where Woodstock the concert was held later this summer. It's pretty much a must do and it's definitely on the agenda!

I'm going to bed early tonight and am refreshed and ready to take on another week of loud children, annoying children and my crazy teen girls (who actually seem to like me!)

I've been re posted in the art shack and am now just a floater and no LONGER IN CHARGE OF ROCKETS. way too exciting! I really love it in there and now get to do tons of fun stuff like make jewelery.

More updates when more fun things happen. :)

So. 5 Days in I get sick. What a surprise. Basically I'm miserable but it's just a sinus infection so I get to stay.

I've been given a new title, I'm no longer a general counselor, I'm a specialty in the Art Shack. I'm the new Rocket Girl. I get to teach kids to make rocket-good thing they come with instructions! I've also been moved from Freshman (8 and 9) girls to Teen (15 and 16) girls. I'm okay with it, I just didn't want any middle schoolers-they are so awkward!

We have three days until the kids come and thats when camp really begins. I can tell you all, this has already been a HUGE learning experience but a good one. I'm really enjoying my self-minus the illness.


More updates when the kids come!

Timber Lake Camp-I HAVE arrived!

I've arrived at camp atlast!

After 3 hours in the air, 4 hours at the Newark airport and 3.5 hours on a bus, it was a LONG day yesterday.

So here I am, out in the middle of no where with no cell phone service and a ton of people who I've never met and already, I'm having a blast. Everyone is so friendly and so cool and pretty much, it's great.

The campers arrive saturday (less than a week!) and I'm pretty excited for that. I'm 95% sure that i'll be with the 8 and 9 year olds but it could potentially be the 15 and 16 year olds. I think either way it's going to be a good time.

So far so good. Not much has happened. but if you want personal updates, check out my facebook for my camp address and you can send me letters!

Expect better stories in just a few short days when Kids arrive and I meet my Family for the next 8 weeks!