Happy Monday, Chiquitas! Hoping everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable Father’s Day yesterday.
I have a cute (maybe not so cute) story to share. Our wonderful Bubby Sarah turns 95 next week and the whole family came in from Toronto to share in the festivities. You should know, Bubby is in better shape than me, and as sharp as a razor blade. The 95th birthday luncheon was all planned. The only issue? Bubby was a no-show. When we called her in the morning to confirm pickup time, she uttered, “I’m an old lady, and I just don’t feel like going today…”
So guess what? We figured, at 95, you definitely earn the right to skip your own party! So, we partied without her.
The camps bags also left yesterday morning (yay for mom– huge weight lifted, not so yay for boy). It’s my son’s second year at sleepaway, but what can I say? I was homesick as a child, my husband was homesick, and apples don’t always fall far from their trees. He is a camper through and through and loved sleepaway camp (and we feel grateful to be able to send him), it’s just that the beginning was kinda rough. Like ROUGH. And that’s totally normal. We’re hopeful for this year…
While some of you may be in the juice getting your kids ready for camp too, I came across some FANTASTIC letters of my own that my mother kept of my first summer at sleepaway camp. I was 8 years old. I had BEGGED my parents to send me to sleepaway camp with my friends, and after much persuasion, they sent me.
As a parent, how would you feel if you got these?
Letter #1 – Lovely
——————————————————————————————————————–
Letter #2 – I SCREEM.
——————————————————————————————————————–
Letter #3 – If I send MANY WISHES, maybe THAT will work! Maybe they’ll come pick me up.
——————————————————————————————————————–
Letter #4 – I cried 29 times, but PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO SEND GIFTS!
——————————————————————————————————————–
Letter #5 – Thank goodness, they sent the present! Zaddy means ‘Zaidy’ which means ‘grandfather.’ If in case you didn’t know, GOBIES means bowel movement. Hey I’ve always had the gift of the gab, no?! Also, you can see my psychology background kicked in… some self-talk to sooth myself. And again, with MANY WISHES, maybe they’ll come pick me up.
——————————————————————————————————————–
Letter #6 – THEY AREN’T BRINGING ME HOME. I CAN SEE IT NOW. SO, LET’S SEND THE THREAT MAIL. NO “LOVE, ERICA” ANYMORE.
Then I ran away. No joke.
——————————————————————————————————————–
Well, GUESS WHAT? My father, who has taught me everything I know about integrity, never quitting, and sticking to a commitment, let me come home ONLY on visiting day and not before.
Then, the good salesperson I was, begged them to let me go back again at 9 years old.
Here’s another nice memory of one year later. A little bit like Groundhog Day, no?
Letter #7 – I had “SOSHELS,” and apparently I thought that my wonderful parents SLAPPED ME! Also, as you can see, to be “rested” for my call, the camp owner kicked me out of the bunk to sleep in the kitchen… check it out. I hope I was never raped.
I also had “FEAVER,” another attempt to go home.
Wow. I was somethin’ else.
And still, there are lessons to be learned. My parents made me stick it out and see my commitment through, and I credit these letters for my endurance, my resilience, my toughness and my NEVER GIVE UP ATTITUDE.
So really, nothing has changed much since I’m 8 years old.
Happy Monday, and Happy National Fudge Day!
I would die if I got these letters but they definitely are adorable to read!
OMG your poor mom!!!!!!!! She must have been so worried. How cool that she kept them all these years later.
My daughter found a journal entry I’d written when I went to Girl Scout camp. It was hilarious, though, not sad. I wrote about getting the whole bus singing on the way to camp (I later became a music teacher, go figure) and how my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup melted. After the bus ride to camp, there are no other entries. I was too busy to write!
mouiller l’autre côté de la bande de pâte avec un pinc montres suisses tag heuer ; replier la bande en deux afin de recouvrir montre de luxe pas cher les petits boudins de pâte d’amandes et presser pour sceller les replique montres deux pâtes partout autour des boudins. On peut aussi arguer que la baisse de a ve apide Déclaration des devoirs de 1795 ne possède ni la fermeté de pensée ni la b Repliques Montre Tag heuer standing at 8 feet high. Sch comm
Hilarioous!
Music please …WE ARE THE C. A. M .P. E .R. S .the campers of camp Marion, in everything we do we are the best in swimming , hiking, were the leaders of the rest, so root root root for Marion the campers of camp Marion ! end music
I only wish I had my letter …I think I wrote one….having too much fun, on Sandy hill hike, swimming in the lake with running shoes because of musle shells, running in the morning for oatmeal , running when the canteen came
marshmellow roasts, and flashlights under the tee pee blankets, making craft braclets how lucky were we!
Thanks for the memories