my royal family

I guess it didn't hit me until I read the excel document with all the counselors names and campers names: this Sunday I will once again be leaving for Royal Family Kids Camp.

I knew it on Monday when I thought about the fact that the following week we'd be cheering in the yellow buses, getting all teary and excited as the kids pulled up with their huge excited eyes looking out the windows for their names on our carefully decorated posterboards.

I knew it Monday night when I thought about how it'd be our first night reading them poems, singing them songs, saying goodnight and I love you as we made them feel safe in their bunks for the first night of sleep.

I thought about it today when I realized tomorrow would be their birthday parties, with cakes and gifts, boat rides and Jack Johnson playing as they soaked it all in.  

Tomorrow will already be half way through the week when the kids start to think about going home- and react accordingly.  Ditto for me (just ask Charlie- Wednesday of last week I was already bawling about the fact that Friday was coming and we'd all have to return home).

As I read the names on the excel document just a moment ago, I got teary.  The tears will start now, they'll end about 5 weeks from now.

I have five campers returning from my (and Cook County's) very first year's cabin.  Five others returning from my cabin last year.  I have one camper the same from last year.  

The two from my first year have aged out and can't return to camp.  One from last year they couldn't contact her foster mother :(.  But I am so excited to have my one returner, and my newby.

Be praying for us.

reachable goals

Almost all year I have been working at least once a week for 3 hours with kids in an afterschool program. Today was my last day of that because THURSDAY IS MY LAST DAY OF THE INTERNSHIP. Anyway, here is my last 5 minutes of conversation with some of the kids.

Me: Ok guys. I won't see you again ever.  Keep working hard, I want to read your names in the paper someday for doing something great. Then I can say "WOW! I know this kid, I used to make him do his homework."

Kid one: I'm going to be a hobo. You can read that in the paper someday.

Me: They don't write about hobos in the paper.

Kid one: I'll be a hobo that robs a bank, then you can read my name.

Kid two: I'm going to be a sports announcer.

Me: Great! I won't have to read your name- I'll just hear your voice on the radio.

Kid two: You'll be really old by then.

Kid three: I'm going to be a scientist.

Me: See! That's great! You'll rid the world from...

Kid three: Charlie (the name of his friend he was teasing).

Me: I was going to say unclean water and disease, but sure.

Clearly, that is not exactly the conversation I was going for. But funny, none the less.  Maybe I taught them to be funny, at least.

questionable goodies

I found a peanut M & M in my purse.  Although I have no clue how it got there, I ate it.

So, if it was placed there by someone whom covered it in anthrax or some other poison that could kill me, and I die after I write this blog: this is your clue that it was someone that knew me pretty well.

Someone that knew that if I found a random peanut M & M in my purse- even though the way that it got there was very questionable- I'd eat it.

also

In the city people speed up if they see you are about to cross the road.  They also don't wait till you have crossed the street to drive.

When crossing a four way stop light area I am presented with two "press here to cross" buttons, and I don't know which "press here to cross" button to press.

Dilemma.  

country vs. city

I grew up in the country.

I now live in the suburbs.

There are some differences.

Country: In the woods, there are animals. There are trees. There are few people.  It is peaceful at night.

City: In the woods, there are blacktopped paths. There are also sketchy things happening and it is not a place you want to be at night.

Country: I could go on a walk right now and it would be absolutely wonderful.

City: I could go on a walk right now and the outcomes might be dire.

Country: You greet everyone.

City: You walk fast and look important, with your ipod's earphones in. (Recently I felt the need to revert to country learnings and greet everyone.  A guy made a kissy noise at me. I decided I would not do that again.)

Country: Dead animals are a way of life, and usually put on the walls as decoration.

City: Dead animals are lamented over.

Country: People microwave coffee for several days.

City: People yell at you if there are 5 bubbles and they asked for "no foam."

Country: You can see the stars.

City: You can see the stars. Look really hard.

Country: Teenagers hang out in their parents basements or in the woods.

City: Starbucks or the downtown area.

(One time one of my roommates asked me why the parents just dropped their kids off in the downtown.  I explained to her that they WALK there.  She is also from the country.)

Country: 30 minutes is a normal drive to get anywhere.

City: 30 minutes is a long commute.

Country: Ask your neighbors if they need anything from town if you go.

City: Go back to Target (the same day!) if you need to.

Country: Grow up and graduate with the same 76 people.

City: Graduate with 760 people in your class (I may have exaggerated, I don't know).

Country: Gravel roads.

City: Four lane highways.

I do love them both, though, so I guess that is the same.

stress life

In my child welfare class we were talking about the system, how it is broken, how much work is placed on the social worker, how some of the families don't think they need help, how to help them anyway, etc.

At which point, a person from another graduate student program said something to the effect of "I applaud you guys, this is your goal.. to have a really stressful job."

I laughed out loud. No one else really responded.

two months?

I was going to blog about something else but I see that today marks exactly TWO MONTHS since I have blogged.  

Actually, I only know it is the 4th today because some friends told me while I was in the grocery store. I didn't believe them but the cashier said it was true.

That was right before the guy behind me told me that my grocery store selection was healthier than his.  DO note that I DID have things on the belt that normally would make me want to gag. Such as vegetables and wheat items- although compared to his selection (Vodka)- I could have gotten my normal array of Tostino's pizza rolls, etc. and still had a healthier selection.

Anyway- my response? "Nothing like some Vodka for lunch, though. Yum!"  (I didn't know that Vodka came in huge jugs- but now I do.)

Back to it being the fourth, today. My notes from today say that it is the 3rd.  That will be confusing six years from now when I go back to read them.  Or maybe I'll probably never go back to read the notes nor will I notice they have the wrong day.

That makes tomorrow "Cinco de Mayo."  Tengan un buen fiesta, todos!