Part Five: In Which I Supervise Unintentional Trampling and Unconventional Methods of Stopping Nosebleeds
You might think counseling week after week would be repetitive, and in a way it is. Every Sunday night we met in the barn for Staff Meeting at 7:30, got our camper lists and hung out until we went to bed. Monday morning we dressed up in ridiculous costumes according to the theme of the week, introduced the rules and the staff with ridiculous songs, and met our girls. Every week we did the Brownie Hike, the regular hike, the Sunrise hike (if the weather was good), walking to Silver Lake (if you were in my unit because somehow I always got to go to Silver Lake), Legend Ceremony, rappelling, ziplining, ropes courses, devotionals, testimony meetings, and get to know you games. And yet, every week was not the same.
Week 3 I had Liza, Ivy, Tess, Abby, Holly, Brynlee, Lydia, and Alexa and I loved them all. That morning we got all the girls up the hill to the rock, and then a hiker collapsed on the trail and Ivy (our first aid specialist) spent the morning assisting him until he could be life-flighted. Because they were blocking the road we couldn't get the girls' luggage up the hill until after lunch, so we spent the morning playing games. My girls had an affinity for Mafia and I was convinced within two hours of knowing them that I would go crazy before the day was through.
Well, I didn't go crazy. In fact, I learned to love those Beehives as much as I loved my first unit. I remember that week in a little series of snapshots. I remember Brynlee talking my ear off on our walk to Silver Lake on Monday. Then at flag I wrote in my journal about how sweet Alexa was, and I just knew she wouldn't be any trouble, and then she cried from homesickness all through dinner. But then the next morning she woke up and participated in everything throughout the rest of the week and went out of her way to get along with all the girls in our unit and she was just incredible and I wish I was more like her.
Tuesday was the 4th of July and instead of hiking we joined the Brighton community parade. We walked around Brighton Loop at the top of the canyon and sang camp songs and patriotic songs and waved streamers. I had silver stars spangled across my face, courtesy of Smalls and her patriotic temporary tattoos.
That week's skit was one of my very favorites of the summer, probably because my girls wrote it to the tune of "Dancing Queen", only instead of Dancing Queens they were my little Honeybees. Scribbles was my buddy unit that week, and that was when I came to love her so so much. She will forever be one of the people I look up to the very most.
One afternoon we played a game called Noodle Tag in which I blindfolded half of the girls and gave one of them a pool noodle to tag people with. The girls that weren't blind directed the ones who were. There was one time when Brynlee was "it" and her partner told her to run forward. Most people are hesitant when they're blind, but not Brynlee. She ran and barreled right over poor Alexa and it was so funny. You know, once I'd made sure Alexa wasn't dead.
Wednesday's SOS skit at breakfast was fantastic. One of the counselors asked Pigeon (who was pretending to be a game show contestant) her name, and Pigeon blurted out "Paig--Pigeon" but all the girls heard her and called her Paige all week.
Friday morning was our first attempt at the Sunrise Hike of the year and we didn't make it to the top because it was starting to rain, but there's something surreal about hiking in the mountains in the middle of the night while all the civilized people are still sleeping. Also Abby did the entire hike with a tampon shoved up her nose--apparently they're good for stopping nosebleeds.
That week wasn't as spiritual as my first week. There was more spontaneous fun. I didn't bond as much with those girls, but I did love them. I loved watching the way they loved each other, watching them help each other do things they were scared of, watching them include one another and learn to be aware of the other girls around them. So Week 3 was different, but it was its own kind of special.
Most Memorable Quote of the Week:
Brynlee: Queen Bee! Did you know Abby talks in her sleep?
Me: No, what does she say?
Brynlee: I was going to sleep last night, and then Abby just sat up and yelled "No! Don't eat my yogurt, Satan!"
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| Not this kind of Mafia. |
Week 3 I had Liza, Ivy, Tess, Abby, Holly, Brynlee, Lydia, and Alexa and I loved them all. That morning we got all the girls up the hill to the rock, and then a hiker collapsed on the trail and Ivy (our first aid specialist) spent the morning assisting him until he could be life-flighted. Because they were blocking the road we couldn't get the girls' luggage up the hill until after lunch, so we spent the morning playing games. My girls had an affinity for Mafia and I was convinced within two hours of knowing them that I would go crazy before the day was through.
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| Left to Right: Liza, Lydia, Brynlee, Queen Bee, Holly, Abby, Alexa, Ivy, Tess (on Ivy's back). |
Tuesday was the 4th of July and instead of hiking we joined the Brighton community parade. We walked around Brighton Loop at the top of the canyon and sang camp songs and patriotic songs and waved streamers. I had silver stars spangled across my face, courtesy of Smalls and her patriotic temporary tattoos.
 |
| Keep calm and don't get annoyed by the peace signs blocking your view. |
That week's skit was one of my very favorites of the summer, probably because my girls wrote it to the tune of "Dancing Queen", only instead of Dancing Queens they were my little Honeybees. Scribbles was my buddy unit that week, and that was when I came to love her so so much. She will forever be one of the people I look up to the very most.
One afternoon we played a game called Noodle Tag in which I blindfolded half of the girls and gave one of them a pool noodle to tag people with. The girls that weren't blind directed the ones who were. There was one time when Brynlee was "it" and her partner told her to run forward. Most people are hesitant when they're blind, but not Brynlee. She ran and barreled right over poor Alexa and it was so funny. You know, once I'd made sure Alexa wasn't dead.
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| This was the most patriotic day of my life. |
Friday morning was our first attempt at the Sunrise Hike of the year and we didn't make it to the top because it was starting to rain, but there's something surreal about hiking in the mountains in the middle of the night while all the civilized people are still sleeping. Also Abby did the entire hike with a tampon shoved up her nose--apparently they're good for stopping nosebleeds.
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| I didn't know yogurt stealing was a common enough occurrence to warrant a niche on the Internet. But since it is, all I can say is that if you end up in hell, keep your yogurt locked up! |
Most Memorable Quote of the Week:
Brynlee: Queen Bee! Did you know Abby talks in her sleep?
Me: No, what does she say?
Brynlee: I was going to sleep last night, and then Abby just sat up and yelled "No! Don't eat my yogurt, Satan!"
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