Life is beautiful :)

Hello! After a 3 month blogging silence, I feel an update is well in order. I'm not exactly sure what order to go in, so I will start with a couple of months ago and work my way til now. I will tell the Boy Story, the Graduation Story, the Missouri Story, and the Elmcrest Story.

So, the first story starts actually last semester. I was taking a class called Spiritual Formation, and it was an 8 am to 10 am twice a week kind of class. Now, I'm not really a morning person, but I'm more of a morning person than I am a night owl, so getting up for an 8am and staying awake through it wasn't much of a problem. Most of the other individuals in that class would stagger in and face plant into the desk until the professor walked in, so if I wanted to talk to anyone before class (rather than sitting in the dull silence), I would have to turn to my neighbor on my right. However, for about half of the semester, I didn't do that, because my neighbor was a) a boy b) kinda weird and c) he had stolen my chair the third day of class, which is a no-no in Erika's world. Eventually, I caved and discovered that his name was Aaron, he liked to talk, he was a farm boy, and his artistic abilities were from middling to piddling. For the rest of that semester, he would pop up all over the place, and if I was in the midst of studying for something important, he was liable to walk up and steal a book or start talking. At the beginning of the spring semester, we came to an agreement over lunch at Sprague's in which we told each other we certainly didn't like each other romantically, but that we seemed to be heading the same direction in life, so why didn't we try to get to know each other, casually, and see what happened. A week later, while we were watching a movie, he pulled the move where he stretched and then dropped his arm over my shoulders. I was quite shocked at his audacity, and as soon as we were alone in the parking lot, informed him that perhaps we ought to re-evaluate our relationship, because he clearly was interested in me. He pretended not to know what I was talking about. But then, a couple weeks later, we finally did talk and decided that we would like to date after he had met the rest of my family and friends over February break. So on March 1st, we started dating officially. So that's the boy story. Of course there's way more to it, but the whole story is a tale for a different day.



 

Here's the college-ending story: On May 5th, I submitted my final assignment for college, and on Saturday, I walked across a stage wearing something that resembled a giant black garbage bag (freedom and all that... ;) ) Aaron and I both graduated, me with a bachelor of science in theology with a concentration in youth ministries (cum laude), and him with a bachelor of science in outdoor recreation and a minor in theology. Our families came and watched, and then met each other at a picnic lunch at Letchworth State Park. Jessica and Kevin even came up from Maryland :)



Six days after graduating, on May 15th, Aaron and I drove out to Missouri by way of Michigan. He had accepted a year long paid internship at Shelterwood Academy, and I went along to keep him company. We stopped at Elizabeth, Reuben, and Katrina's house and had a lot of fun catching up with them. As an added bonus, we also saw the places where Reuben and Elizabeth work, and met some of their friends as well. Saturday night was spent with some of his relatives in St. Louis, and then Sunday morning we were planning to drive the rest of the way to Independence in time for my flight out of Kansas City. Unfortunately, the alternator in Aaron's car decided to be obstinate, so we spent Sunday in St. Louis still, waiting for it to be fixed. I got another flight out of St. Louis and got home Monday night. And Aaron drove to Shelterwood and started training that day. He's been there about a week now. It's definitely a tough and stressful job, and the amount of transition (different state, completely new people, roommates, and the way things are run) has also made it tough for him. But, the more familiar he is with it, the better it becomes, so I'm excited to see how it goes. At this point, he's pretty much chomping at the bit to finish training and get in there and do it, and I know that he'll learn a lot and be really good for the kids there.







 

 

As far as a job for me, I applied for and was accepted to work at Elmcrest Children's Center in Syracuse. Training starts on June 1st, but I'm moving to Syracuse this Friday, the 29th. The For the first month, I'll be living with Aaron's family, but as soon as I get a couple of paychecks, I'll get a car and Heidi (Aaron's sister) and I will get an apartment. I don't know a whole lot about the job I'll have. I already do have my schedule (both my training schedule and then my real one). Once I finish a month of on-the-job training, my schedule will involve 2 overnights and 3 second shifts, and I'll be working with boys within the ages of 8 and 15. I know that it will be very interesting and challenging, but I'm looking forward to it.

So that pretty much brings us up to speed. I'm living at home right now, enjoying seeing friends, making food, cleaning, and doing normal stuff. I'll be going shopping tonight for some more clothes, and then watching Age of Ultron for the second time, and then I'll be busy packing. If anyone wants my address for the time I'll be with Aaron's family, let me know and I'll email it to you. Once I move into an apartment I'll have a more permanent address which can be used for letters, cards, boxes of fun things, visits, etc. 

life snapshot

three days before break

sunshine through the windows

breakfast and morning prayer

studying, talking, laughing

next to Aaron

a teddy graham snack

comfortable, happy heart

growth

love

Christmas 2014: (standing left to right: Hosanna, Lydia, Annetta, Joshua. Seated left to right: Erika, Katrina, David, Kay, Joanna)

Hello to one and all! If you're reading this, congratulations--you are one of the lucky people selected to receive our Christmas newsletter! This competition is tough, so you are one of the top people that our family appreciates. Probably, you are either related to us, close friends, acquaintances, the mail lady, our neighbor, one of our favorite Walmart cashiers, a random lonely stranger we happened to see on the way to the post office, or a combination of any or all of the above. As you can see, our selection process for our mailing list is tough and rigorous, so kudos--you are some kind of special.We'll not specify exactly what kind of special, but I think that word should cover all of our bases.

Although our past year has been very busy, I have personally been gone for about 10 months of it: between college, working all summer at Camp of the Woods, and then going back to college, I've spent much less time in Chautauqua County than I would wish. In light of that, I have decided to interview each member of the family to have them give you an overview of our year.

Me: Hello! So you are named Mom, and you are sort of between the ages of 40 and 50, right?
Mom: Yes.
Me: So what were some of your favorite activities from last year?
Mom: I liked the ropes course (Holiday Valley Arial Adventure Course), and the mountain coaster. We went there with my parents and Julia, and I climbed trees and I flew through the air like a squirrel. We were all like squirrels, except for Katrina who got off before the first zip line. I also worked hard on planning and running an exciting new Bible School idea with our church this summer. It went really well.
Me: How do you keep yourself busy?
Mom: If I want to do something relaxing, I've been doing quilling...I'm currently making flowers to go with my bird. I've also been playing with my new laptop.
Me: What are you looking forward to this next year?
Mom: Only homeschooling 4 kids--half of them will be done!

Me: Hello, Dad, So you are like between 50 and 60, right?
Dad. yeah, yep!
Me: So what did you enjoy from the past year?
Dad: Hmm. Keeping in touch with Jess and Kevin, seeing Jess at Jenn's wedding, helping with Bible school and the new family ministry at church, skyping to keep in touch with the college kids, watching the kids doing the English/Scottish country dancing and even joining in at the Summer Frolic, brownies on the counter when coming home from work at night, listening to piano players and music practices by my children, and camping adventures out back being made exciting with rainfall, muddy fields, and stuck vans!
Me: Cool. So what are some things that you like to do?
Dad: I've been reading more; including reading The Scarlet Pimpernel, and I've also enjoyed singing in the church choir with my brother Bill and some of my children. I also like working enough overtime as a batcher at Cott Enterprises to keep the checkbook functional.
Me: And what are you looking forward to this coming year?
Dad: Spring, and finding all the tools that Josh and I left laying around before the snow (we run a pretty tight ship around here) Looking forward to seeing what God's grace at work in our family will do this year. God is a God that is near to us, and we are thankful for his presence!

Me: Hi! What is your name, and how old are you?
Katrina: Katrina, and 8 years old.
Me: What did you enjoy doing this past year?
Katrina: I'm not really sure...I don't really remember. Oh yeah, Bible School! My favorite thing about Bible School was probably going out to play in the park for lunch break.
Me: What do you like to do?
Katrina: I like to make up songs in the bathroom, read, and I like to make jokes and make everyone happy, and give gifts, and stuff like that.
Me: Okay, so what are you looking forward to doing this year?
Katrina: the church retreat!

Me: What is your name, and how old are you?
Josh: You already know my name and age!
Katrina: Josh, and 10
Me: So uh Josh, what did you enjoy doing this past year?
Josh: Getting nerf guns. And Camp LiLoLi. At camp, some people came and they could do magic tricks, and one could juggle while he talked, and one made funny jokes. Fishing at camp was fun too!
Me: Did you go to Maryland and play Airsoft with Kevin?
Josh: Mhm, and a lot of other people. I thought it was just going to be the family. I shot people. We were out there for three or four hours.
Me; Are you looking forward to doing anything this year?
Josh: Jessica and Kevin coming (...with my presents!)
 Mom: Josh reads a lot too. He has been enjoying reading for school (Sonlight this year). Johnny Tremain was one of the main ones we read recently.

Me: Hi Hosanna! What is your name, grade, and age?
Hosanna: *sound of eggbeater creating a din in the kitchen*
Hosanna: Um, you know my name, my grade is 10th and 11th because I'm doing highschool in 3 years, and I'm 15.
Me: So what were some of the highlights from last year for you?
Hosanna: Encampment [this would be the Civil Air Patrol New York wing encampment], camp, the Florida relatives coming up, and going to Holiday Valley. At encampment, I was the administrative officer in charge, so I did all of the paperwork for the inprocessing, outprocessing, and graduation, and so forth. At camp,  one of my favorite things was Heavenbound, which is a giant swing attached to a tree, and you get pulled up really far, and then they let go of the release rope and you swung really high and feel like you were going die--hence the name!
Me: So what are you looking forward to doing this year?
Hosanna: seeing Jessica and Kevin, and going to the church retreat.
Me: So what do you enjoy doing?
Hosanna: I've been crocheting, and I still take piano lessons. I also like reading and playing with cats.

Me: Hello Lydia. What is your age and grade?
Lydia: I am 17, and I'm in 12th grade.
Me: Ooh, so you're graduating this year!
Lydia: Yeah. [Reference: Mom's favorite thing for this year, apparently.]
Me: Okay, so what were some of the highlights from last year for you?
Lydia: Camp. It was a lot of fun, even though I had a cold during it. Holiday Valley--cause that was just incredible. I didn't do anything last year. Oooo oooo ooh, I enjoyed teaching the smoothie class for Living Word Fellowship at our church. And I enjoyed starting a new literature curriculum (Sonlight). I also enjoyed running the stand at Billerio's Fruit Farm over the summer.
Me: So what are you looking forward to?
Lydia: I am looking forward to leading a book discussion on the book Eternity in Their Hearts at church. I'm looking forward to seeing the third Hobbit movie, to graduating, getting my license, and that's about it.

Me: Oh hi, who are you?
Joanna: I am Megan.
Me: You realize this is going to our whole mailing list, etc, right?
Joanna: Yes. I can be the joker. Are you typing what I'm saying?
Me: Yes. I am like a stenographer. I write everything you say.
Joanna: Like in a court thing?
Me: Yes. This will help give you practice if you ever have to go to court for crime. Then you will be comfortable a little bit.
Katrina: So what's your name? What's your age, and grade?
Joanna: I am in 12th grade...
Katrina: She is in 8th grade!
Joanna: I am a 13 year old genius.
Me: Well then. What did you enjoy from last year?
Joanna: Camp! And the rope climbing place...Holiday Valley. And it's my favorite more than all the others. I got to fall and a rope caught me on purpose. I was thirty feet up. Seeing Jessica and Kevin and going to Washington DC in October was pretty fun. 
Me: So what do you enjoy doing?
Joanna: Gymnastics! I have a competition coming up in March, and I'm hoping I get my floor routine before that. I am happy for the ball, and Jessica coming up for my birthday!
Katrina: Finally!
Joanna: Yeah.

Katrina: How about you do you?
Me: Would you like to interview me?
Katrina: Sure!
Me: Okay, I'll type, and you ask me the questions.
Katrina: Ok! What is your name and grade?
Me: I am 22, and I am a senior at Houghton College.
Katrina: *claps* What has been most highlighted in the past year or days?
Me: Well, I had a lot of fun working at Camp of the Woods for the summer. I also enjoyed helping out with Bible School when I was home, and seeing various friends and family when I was home.
Katrina: Oh yeah. What are you looking forward to in the future?
Me: Definitely graduating, and hopefully getting a good job. I always look forward to seeing people, and Jess and Kevin will be coming up in February, so that'll be good.
Katrina: Ooh I think I zoned out...

Me: Hello. What is your name, age, and grade?
Annetta: My name's Annetta Snell, my age is 19, and I am a freshman in Houghton College.
Me: What were some of the highlights from last year?
Annetta: What happened last year? Um, working at Camp of the Woods, where I worked as a cook in the main dining center. We prepared meals for roughly 700-900 people per meal. Jennifer got married in October, so attending my friend's wedding was fun. Starting college at Houghton in September has wonderful, thrilling, etc. Yes. I think that's it...I mean, what else has happened?
Me: What do you enjoy doing?
Annetta: I enjoy working, and studying...that's all I do. [Please note that our parents were nearby.] I also enjoy reading, going for walks, and drawing/painting.
Me: And what are you looking forward to next year?
Annetta: I am looking forward to my second semester of college, and umm...what else are we doing next year? Yeah.

So as you can see, apparently my family went to the ropes course at Holiday Valley, which was a blast. Lydia, Hosanna, Joanna, and Josh attended a week of camp at Camp LiLoLi, which is in Randolph. Annetta and I stayed pretty busy working at Camp of the Woods from June through August, and then heading to Houghton for her first year and my last year.  Jessica and Kevin are still...hmm, well, I guess we're not entirely sure what they're doing, but we know they're alive and well down in Mt. Airy, MD. And, my family has been able to gain another member for a time--my friend Nancy needed a place to stay after a difficult family situation. She has brought a wonderful sense of humor, excellent baking and cooking skills, and impressive crocheting and crafting skills to our family, and has been blessing our church by singing in the choir. We're not sure how long she'll be with us, but we sure enjoy having her here!
As seasons change for our family, we are increasingly aware of how blessed we are to know so many wonderful people. We've celebrated weddings with some of you, and gone through tough seasons with others of you. But through it all, we're constantly reminded that although many things will change and may even crumble, faith, hope and love will remain, and the greatest of these is love. We look forward to sharing another year with you, and hope that you will walk with us in the light as He is in the light. Let's share the love of a Savior who became a baby with the world.

Love, the Snells

Well hello there

So I thought I'd write a blog post to update you on my exciting life, and also to tell you that I'm pregnant.



Haha. Just kidding. My life really isn't exciting. I go to class, I do homework, I work, I eat, I sleep, etc. I get up, make myself breakfast, and head off to class, where I doodle things like moose and worms and contemplate the meaning of life. I analyze my professors' outfits, make snide remarks to my classmates...you know, the usual.

I work primarily in the dishroom, but I still have my custodial job cleaning the good ol' library stair case. Related: There is a mummifying frog under the stairwell in the library, and I am quite flummoxed as to what to do with it. I think I will leave it there just in case this winter there arises a need for a dead frog somewhere on campus. Then when I hear someone talking about their need for a dead frog, I will be all like "I GOTCHA COVERED [AS LONG AS YOU MOVE IT YOURSELF]!!!" and life will be good. Also related: I don't like the thought of, like, touching dead frogs, because what if a leg falls off?

So how about this snow thing and cold thing? If I could go back in time to October break, I would totally have brought my winter coat and boots and hats and gloves and scarves back with me. Unfortunately, the time machine doesn't like me, and so I'm stuck in the middle of a very cold Houghton with some rather insufficient outerwear. Keeps life interesting :) Last night we got a little dribble of snow...only about a foot or so, nbd :P

This semester has been pretty busy. Between taking 18.5 credits and working in the neighborhood of 15 hours a week (yeah, it's not really allowed, and yeah, I really don't care), it's been a struggle to keep up with all my work and then keep up with friends. But we've gotten to do some pretty cool things! A certain friend of mine got married over October break ( :D ) and our whole family attended, minus a Kevin. We made boutonnieres, enjoyed the lovely ceremony and reception, mingled with others who also attended, and tried to capture it on camera. I got tons of pictures that I'm editing my way through.

I'm trying to think of any awkward and entertaining stories to tell you all, but most of mine involve other people and I'd rather not post incriminating stories about random folks without their permission. Actually, let's be real here...I'd post the stories, but what if these random folks find my blog, read the stories about themselves, and then send me hate mail? So, just picture me having accidental conversations with dudes about pole dancing, bathtubs, and accidental creepiness, and throw in several instances of awkward eye contact per day, and there you have it. Ok! I need to do homework...so there ya go, random paragraphs in the life of me!

The Saga of Erika in Class

The Saga of Erika in Bible Study and Teaching Methods: An Exciting Book by Erika

Will Erika get bored enough in class to actually do the homework? OR...will the professor change her teaching style to accommodate the 80% of students who, like Erika, don't do the homework? Read this book to find the exciting conclusion to this action packed college thriller! You'll be enraptured as Erika draws water buffalo in the margins of her notebook, bored while the professor lectures on and on, intrigued as Chad chews his pen (is this week's pen a new brand? Will he get ink on his face this time? The drama is real.). You'll be shocked when Kyle pipes up with a relevant comment, demonstrating that behind that steadfast expression is the mental capacity of a steel trap that allows him to pay attention in the face of great and adverse boredom. You'll watch with awe as Jessica focuses on work in the midst of chaotic in-class projects. You'll hold your breath in horror as Erika nearly falls asleep, and sigh with relief when she manages to wake up. You'll laugh and cry...this book will move you. Buy now! This book available on amazon.com on December 20th.

Acclaim for The Saga of Erika in Bible Study and Teaching Methods: An Exciting Book
"This book is totally the new Napoleon Dynamite, only from the female perspective we've all been anxiously awaiting!" -anonymous reviewer.


Can I graduate now? The end.

Camp Captions: August

I had this nagging feeling lurking within me, telling me: "Erika...bloooooogggggggg..." and so yes, here I am. So hi, readers of my blog! How's it going? How are the wife and kids? (Most of you are unmarried, so should anyone care to comment and respond to those questions, feel free to pick any random wife/kids to tell me about.)

Camp life has been going fine...not too abnormal, etc. The end...see you next time!! Bye!

Haha, just kidding. Ahem, I feel like my brain has had too much sugar recently. Oh wait, I just ate cookies, so that explains it. Well anyhow. So today was a bit of a sad day--it was Caleb's last day here, meaning that for the rest of the week, I'll be teaching, and then for the following week, we're combining 5th and 6th grade and Ethan and I are somehow collaborating on that. It actually sounds like it'll be a lot of fun, but it will be considerably different. So I could use prayers as I adjust to new responsibilities (as could the rest of camp--a lot of staffers will be leaving over the next few days, so many people are stepping in, filling slots, or just working a heck of a lot more to cover empty places). It feels like it was just a few weeks ago that I hung up a beautiful space mural in the classroom and decorated it with aliens...and now in a couple days, I have to tear it all down. Don't worry, I have photographed it in all its artistic beauty, and may actually post said photos online. I'm totally bringing home the sign that says "Caution: Falling Children" and putting it somewhere.

Actually, I need to vent publicly about that sign: So I made it, and hung it outside the classroom. And you would not believe the number of people who have asked me the following question: "what does it mean?" Folks, I'm telling you that I've been trying to keep my sarcasm to a level where it's nice and not mean, but I struggle with staying nice when people ask me that. I usually turn into a jerk and say something like, "haha yeah, I understand...that sign is pretty ambiguous and subtle; I'd have trouble understanding it too. Basically though, what it means is that...CHILDREN MAY BE FALLING. DUH." Ahem. Is it really that hard to understand? Okay, I feel better now.

Today, I found a balloon and I got excited, so I picked it up, and I started drawing an eye on it to turn it into a whale. Then Caleb walked up behind me and popped it. So I yelled at him. He said he felt bad for about 5 seconds, which is about how long I felt bad after I put salt in Zach's water yesterday. Then I put sugar in his new cup of water and didn't feel bad at all, even when he had to get up again to get more water. I feel like a hardened criminal or something. Also, every time I'm walking around in the teepee with ice cubes, I just have an urge to run around and dump ice down people's shirts. So far I've restrained myself. I feel like the headlines would be horrific: "Camp of the Woods Staffer Goes Crazy After Picking Up Too Many Falling Children And Runs Around Putting Ice Down Guests' Shirts." Yeah, that'd be bad. Whew. Did I ever have too many cookies or what :P

So yeah. Looking forward to seeing a bunch of you in a week and a half! That is, if I survive...much less if the kids survive. I think I need to go do something productive now. I'm going to go make a sign that says "Warning: Contents May be Hot" to post on my college dorm door...provided my roommate doesn't mind. So, farewell!

Camp Captions: July

A Couple Days in the Life of Erika

Saturday:
Here at camp, Saturdays are our changeover days. The previous week's guests [are supposed to] leave at 9 am, and the next week's guests [are supposed to] arrive sometime around lunchtime. Between those times of moving our and moving in, almost the entire camp staff shifts into high gear full throttle, cleaning like craaazy. This week, it's a sold out week, which means that every room is occupied. Thus, tomorrow morning, every room will need to be cleaned. And we have about 800 guests here. However, last Saturday we got done in [literally] record time, finishing around noon. That's right--we finished in about 3 hours. I'm hoping we're able to repeat that tomorrow.

Sunday:
Sundays are interesting days because it's the first day of Kids' Klub for the newly-arrived guests. Going off of last week's schedule, I had staff devotions from 8:20 to 9 am, and then Kids' Klub from then until 11:30. I greet the kids as they come in, direct them to set up chairs, and frantically write the memory verse on the board. (One of these weeks Caleb and I will be organized enough to set up and write out the memory very ahead of time. I feel in my very bones that that time has not yet arrived and may not for some time, but when it does, I will hail it with open arms). Once all the kids have checked in and come upstairs, Caleb wanders in and we do name games with the kids (that's name games spelled "Do You Love Your Neighbor" and Whomp'em. Most of you know whomp'em as Zookeeper--real names instead of animal names. Also a pool noodle instead of random magazines, dowels, etc). We introduce the memory verse and create hand motions if it's a difficult passage. Caleb does the lesson while I attempt to maintain law and order. That's a standard Kids' Klub morning up to this point. However, on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the 5th graders come join us for songs or games for the last 20 minutes or so.

So that's Kids' Klub. It happens every morning,and then in the afternoon, I either work in the Purdy dishpit, doing dishes, or in the TeePee, scooping ice cream and filling orders and cleaning. It's always a fun time. This week, we had a full house in Purdy, meaning we fed about 300 people per meal. Most people use two or three plates, plus silverware, plus baking and cooking dishes...yeah, you do the math. I hear next week we're feeding around 80...yes, I'm excited :)

Random other things:
-I bought a camera, tripod, and 3 year warranty from Amazon, and they have both arrived :D
-Zivana and I went kayaking last week. It was fun, but I got a little seasick.
-I officially have Saturday off work to go watch Hosanna graduate from NYWG encampment.
-Poppyseeds are the spawn of evil. Related: did you know that Purdy has this super annoying poppyseed salad dressing that essentially remains in the dishwasher, infecting multiple loads of clean dishes until sprayed out?
-I should become a dishwasher repair person. And COTW should hire me to fix their dishwashers.
-I think I might accidentally be growing popcorn in with my avacado tree. There is some sort of green sprout emerging...
-We had a tornado watch thingy a week or two ago. We watched, but we didn't see it. Apparently it was nearby and some people died.
-I've gone to the beach several times. Usually I remember sunscreen, but not always.
 -Goodnight!

Camp Captions: staff training week...and the beginning of summer!

Here is a picture of some aliens to start this blog post off right.

So hi! I'm not working today until 2000 tonight which means I have like 12 hours today to do whatever I want. It also means that I'll be working til midnight, but that is okay. This past week was staff training week. Annetta basically followed the same schedule she's been on; since she's been working in the kitchen already, she just stayed there. On the other hand, I bid a fond farewell to the maintenance department and reported to the Kids' Klub building Monday morning. This past week was a mixture of informative sessions that pertain to kids' klub (like, what we do, where we go, what we wear, when we eat, classroom management techniques...and an unhealthy smattering of songs and a healthy smattering of activities and games), training on the other two jobs that we kids' klubbers do, and decorating our classrooms.

Speaking of decorating classrooms, check this little picture out. Bonus points if you can find Orion and the Big Dipper. 

I'm sure that some of you are still a little bit confused as to what exactly I'll be doing this summer. I am too. I'll try to post something like A Day in the Life Of Me later on once my schedule actually starts happening. 

Okay, another picture.

There are several people in this picture who I will be working with, but most specifically, see the dude 4th from right, holding some sort of gardening implement and trying to look like he knows how to use it? That's Caleb, the guy who I'm TA'ing for. So far, he and I have established the following, either directly or indirectly: 1) the other's name 2) apparent recognition of each other by sight 3) that I'm his TA 4) we both speak English words to communicate (well, usually. Ok fine...sometimes.) 5) he attends college somewhere, and has some major in something. So basically we are BFFs!

Let's see...what else can I tell you about... I know, I will give you a short tour of the town of Speculator. I just got back from walking there (had to return some library books and movies), so it is all fresh on my mind. Speculator is about 8 minutes away walking. But it takes another roughly 10 minutes to get into the center of town, and then about 8 minutes to get to the library. Yes, I timed it. Speculator boasts a public park/beach (it's on the same lake as COTW), several ice cream shops. several eating establishments such as Timberline and Logan's, a post office, the aforementioned library, Charlie John's (which is a store like Cassadaga's Shurfine, only possibly nicer),  a boat place, a car place, a real estate place, possibly a lawyer place, a Marine Corps office, a church, and some establishments for older people. It's really small, and the general population is old. During the winter, their population is under 400. In the summer, it's over 1,000.

Okay, I'm actually boring myself. But hopefully that gives you a brief update in the life of a COTW staffer. And I would reallly love to hear what's going on in your life! Seriously. Some of you I talk to and attempt to keep up with, and some of you I...don't. But that doesn't mean that I don't still think about you, pray for you, and wonder what's going on in your life :) And if that doesn't creep you out, I don't know what will. But I meant that in a non-creepy way, of course................................if you know what I mean ;)

Camp Captions: First Day

This morning around 1030, we pulled into the camp parking lot, and were immediately assailed with that first great question that has assailed travelers since Marco Polo, or perhaps even before him: where the heck do we go?? After cogitating on this perplexing issue for several seconds, we discovered that there were several strategic signs placed around the vicinity, directing our path to a certain building, and indeed, a certain door. We parked, emerged from our vehicle, and entered the building. Therein, we discovered Tim. Tim promptly and efficiently in-processed us, and released us to go unpack and wander the face of the camp until lunchtime. This is precisely what we did. After lunch, we were free until dinnertime, so Annetta and I (my mom and Hosanna left after lunch) found a friend and wandered around camp, trying to familiarize ourselves so that we wouldn't get lost (hopefully) in the future. During this time period, I managed to sunburn myself...hopefully not too badly.

Upon returning to our cabin (the early staffers are housed in several various cabins during the pre-season), I discovered that my roommate had arrived, and that my roommate was in fact Ellen. She is a friend of mine from college, and was one of two people who I knew that were working here at COTW. So rooming with her I think will be a great blessing. Ellen and I have shared some great times at Fillmore Wesleyan Church, most notably that one lunch in which I basically had back-to-back awkward moments for the entire lunch. It was hilarious. I have pre-warned her about my predilection to sneezing in the morning, so I think we are all set.

After dinner, we had a staff meeting, and then we came back to our cabin and are unwinding and preparing to go to bed. Tomorrow we start work. I will (apparently) be working on maintenance for tomorrow and Wednesday, barring inclement weather. Should be relatively entertaining. Thursday through Sunday may be different schedules, because we have a large group of campers coming in for an Episcopalian conference and we'll be actually staffing for that, not just getting ready. Yeah, should be interesting! Then I think (I could be wrong) we'll be doing more pre-season stuff, and then staff training week, and then it officially begins.

Let's see. The people that I've met so far are very friendly. Getting here early has had the benefit of getting to know the staff girls living in this cabin as they come in. Things you guys could pray about: just general smoothness of staff and getting along with everyone; pray that I don't get distracted or lose my focus on God; and pray for us physically, as I'm sure the work will be physically demanding for all involved. Okay, let's see about some pictures.

First one is at our campground form the past weekend.

 Second: Dibble and Willoughby send reetings from camp of the woods.

 Third: random caveman drawings at our campsite from the weekend. Don't know who would have drawn that (cough)...looks like a caveman chasing a scared yak.

 Ok, it's bedtime folks :) see you next time!

Hill Happenings

On May 6th, my first year at Houghton was officially over, and I headed home for about three weeks before leaving for Camp of the Woods for 12 weeks.I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon, and probably won't be back til the end of August. I have about 10 minutes before I go throw my laundry in the dryer and start packing, so I'm going to attempt to type out a brief update! So first I will tell you about this weekend, because it might be a little complicated, and then I will summarize my break here at home for the past couple of weeks.

My mom, Annetta, Hosanna, and I will leave tomorrow afternoon, like I said. We'll drive to the Stratton Air National Guard Base, where we'll drop Hosanna off for an encampment training weekend. Because Stratton is about an hour and a half south of Camp of the Woods, we decided we'd combine trips, but since Annetta and I don't start work til Monday, we'll be actually camping at a state park for the weekend. Then we'll pick up Hosanna from the base on Sunday, stay at the state campground Sunday night, and then drive to COTW Monday morning! Confused? Hopefully not...but it is a bit involved.

The first two weeks Annetta and I are there will be the pre-season. Then we'll have a week of staff training, and then it starts for real. Annetta will be working regular hours in the kitchen. As far as I know, I will be the teacher's assistant for the 6th grade class, plus I believe I'm working in the dishroom and selling stuff in the snack shop.

So, for a summary of the highlights of break...in noparticular order:
-LOTR movie night with friends (and a sleepover with Hannah)
-hosting a restaurant (the likes of which we used to do in previous ages)
-shooting a shotgun and a rifle for the first time
-photoshoot with Kim
-dance classes...seriously, I'm going to miss those
-driving around with the windows down and the radio blasting
-baby kittens
-cookies and tea with Elizabeth
-adventures with Rachel
-reading...lots of books
-watching movies (and Lois and Clark and White Collar.)
-and so much more that I'm not remembering right now

well...I feel like this is a very short update, but it's something. I hope to have pictures next time (if I get my camera dried out from its dunk in the creek :P). Hope you all have good summers...keep me updated!

Houghton: Backpacking Edition

Lots of things have happened since last I wrote. I've done lots of things. Things like Easter break, homework, papers, tests, plus there were stairs to be cleaned and food to be eaten, and don't forget spending quality time with my bunk bed... But today's story is all about backpacking. I have posted a hodgepodge of pictures on various other social media sites, so I'll just post a few here for illustrative purposes.

So anyhow, let us begin this tale. My backpacking class has been planning and preparing to go on an overnight camping trip since the beginning of the semester. This past weekend was when it actually happened. About 24 of us converged on some point in PA for many hours. I can't do math and thus tell you how long we were there, but you will figure it out as I tell you this story. Saturday morning, Sam, Nancy, and I consumed breakfast, realizing that this would be our last prepared meal, eaten in a warm, sheltered environment, for a while. Then sun came out briefly, fooling us that it would be warm out. It wasn't. After eating, we strapped our backpacks on our backs and staggered up Shen Hill to the gym, from where we were leaving. A couple minutes after we arrived safely in the gym, it commenced pouring rain.

 Sam, Nancy, Dan, and I rode in one of the cars, driven by fellow student Austen. The drive was about an hour or an hour and a half, but it was pretty scenic. And no, saying that and following it up with a picture of our lovely faces wasn't some sort of hubristic joke, but it is kinda amusing :)

 Once we got there, we strapped on our backpacks (bonus points: I didn't fall over or hit anyone any of the times I put on my backpack). We all had some random personal gear, like clothes, and a sleeping bag, various tent parts, and lots of food and water. Before we plunged off into wild nature, our instructor Larissa gave us a last minute pep talk about something I can't even remotely begin to remember. I was basically at that point being all like "what if I have to pee while we're hiking???!!" It's an easy thing to freak out about.

Our group split into two groups for the hikes to and from our campsite, because there were two trails. One was the longer, harder trail, and one was the easier one. Saturday afternoon, Sam, Dan, Nancy, I, and several other people took the harder trail. It included many steep hills...and by hills, I think I mean baby mountains. They were pretty steep, and there were several. But it was super pretty, and the weather was good--not too hot for sure, and not too cold while we were hiking.

Funny story: So, I was hiking along, when I suddenly noticed that someone's shoe was untied. Since this person had recently sprained her ankle (cough cough :) ) I bent down to tie it for her. Now, we were at that point on the side of a hill, and I was squatting on the downhill side of the hill, if that makes sense. Anyhow, when I went to stand up, the weight of my backpack, and the gravity from the hill-ness pulled me onto my back, where I lay, helpless, like a turtle. I was totally stuck. Fortunately, there was a strong dude right behind me, and he hauled me to my feet. I was laughing pretty hard...cause that would happen to me :P

When we got to our campsite, we set up our tent and helped start a fire. Andrew was our resident pyromaniac, which was good because it was pretty cold and windy. I didn't stop shivering for a significant amount of time until about midnight that night, so it was good to have a campfire to keep some of the chill off. We also used little camp stoves to make supper, which was penne with spaghetti sauce.

Our campsite had a couple of picnic tables, several colonies of tents, a fire, an outhouse, and a pump for water. We used the water to rinse our dishes out, and to get water which we filtered and boiled and used for food/drinking. We colloquially called the pump the giardia pump, as we assumed all the water pouring forth from it was teaming wildly with giardia protazoa, and would promptly infect all of us and we'd die or something. 

 After hanging around the campfire relaxing for the evening, we headed to bed (and I use the word 'bed' here very loosely. Very loosely indeed). I shivered and shook for a little while, and then told Nancy to cuddle with me. She did, and so we were both warm. Very stiff and sore, but warm. After breakfast, we packed up and headed out.

 We took the easier trail heading out, but our joints were stiff, and our muscles achy. The sun beat down, heating the atmosphere up to a raging inferno of 50 degrees. Thus windburn. My backpack rubbed and rubbed, thus raw blister spot on my waist. My toes rubbed, thus multiple blisters. But we persevered. We struggled through. We straggled through. We supported each other, encouraged one another, and around noon, we reached the end of the trail, whereupon we collapsed and ate lots of food.

 Above is a lovely picture of most of us weary travelers. You can see the victorious smiles gracing everyone's faces (all but Nancy and Preston, that is) as we celebrate the feat of weary feet completing the trek. Clearly, Nancy and Preston are already in a daydreamy haze thinking about food, sleep, etc. You can see it in their eyes. Nancy's all: "If you step in the way between me and my Nancy Nest, you are so dead. I can't even articulate how dead you would be. Let me give you a slight demonstration of my eyes' laser capabilities." And Preston's totally like "That cloud...yes that one...looks just like a hamburger. It looks like that hamburger Grandma made me last summer. That was one good burger. Oh boy." The rest of them are more or less like "whooooooo we've almost made it! Keep that smile on!!"

So we ate lunch. Then we drove back to Houghton, which is an entertaining story in and of itself, unpacked our backpacks, and went and collapsed in our respective dorms. And that is the story of the backpacking trip. The end!

Houghton Happenings: Public School Edition

Guys, I have a fun story to tell you tonight! It involves Erika the Homeschooled actually going to public school! I know, right? Yeah, this one's a real thriller! It involves gym class! Hallways! Hordes of small children! Teachers unrelated to any of their students! Wow. Stay tuned for more after this short commercial break!

**************This is a commercial break*****************
This is an infomercial about a girl. It's about a girl and a professor. It's about a girl having an existential crisis three times a week. You see, this girl often passes a certain professor (we'll call him "Dr. Case") in the hallway and smiles and greets him. However, his response to her cheery greeting is a head nod, or perhaps an eyebrow twitch. This sends the girl into spirals of existential crises: "Does 'Dr. Case' hate me? Does 'Dr. Case' recognize me? Is 'Dr. Case' Eeyore as a human? Or is 'Dr. Case' just Eeyore? Why does 'Dr. Case' hate me? Does 'Dr. Case' get annoyed, walk down to his class, and announce to the students (while pounding his fist on the desk) that he's going to lecture about the wrath of God again?" And then one day the girl realized that this same story, told by "Dr. Case" would probably go like this: "So...I'm walking along, wearing one of my favorite monochromatic outfits (I can't actually tell them apart, of course), pondering the juxtaposition of Girard to Jungel in the matter of justification and atonement, when a blip crossed my line of vision. It appeared to wave, or otherwise indicate that it needed an indication of a response. I wiggled my eyebrows at it and it disappeared. Then I created a model theory of justification and atonement that incorporated Girard and Jungel, and continued on my Eeyore-like way to class, where I lectured on some topic I've already forgotten."
*******************This is the end of the infomercial. It actually wasn't an infomercial...I just wanted to tell you that story***************************

We return to our regularly scheduled programming. So, I'm taking a class here at college called Educating Exceptional Learners, and it's all about inclusive education, and incorporating general and special ed classes. One of the requirements of this class was that we students actually go to a real, live school and observe real, live kids and real, live teachers. I know, right? Wow, yes, the excitement never ceases here. This morning, our entire class descended upon several area schools. About 6 or 7 of us went to Delevan Elementary School. A classmate of mine named Heather and I hung out all day with a second grade class. It was a day filled with exciting events, just like in the books and movies! The kids learned how to do math, actually performed mathematical calculations on paper with pencils, at desks. Then they ate lunch, and went to gym class, where they ran around under the supervision of an actual gym teacher. Then they went to their classroom again (walking in a line down hallways, following their teacher) and learned more things and did more work. And then I left. So yeah. I was all like "ooh wow! a desk!" and "ooh wow! lockers!" and stuff.

I kind of probably should go back to doing homework now. Storytime over!