Make new friends, but keep the old....

We dropped our 9-year old daughter Mimi off at camp on Sunday. While she has gone on several overnight jaunts with friends, this is her first time away from home without a parent for such an extended period of time (six days). Of course I miss her, but I'm not crying at the sight of her empty bed...at least not yet. What I do wish is that we shared a five minute phone conversation everyday so I could hear about all of her adventures. As she looked through the camp booklet in early spring, she was having a hard time choosing which week/camp she wanted to attend. Pioneer Quest offered six glorious days sleeping in covered wagons, living like the pioneers did. Star Gazers had activities focused on astrology. Of course there were the standard crafting, canoeing and horseback riding choices as well. Following much consideration, Mimi chose the Outdoor Adventures camp. Its description was as follows:

“First time at camp? Don’t know what program to choose? Then why not try being an Outdoor Adventurer? This program gives a little taste of everything that Camp has to offer. Canoeing, one horseback ride, swimming (with swim lessons and skill practice), arts and crafts, nature hikes, archery, and cook-outs are just a few of the activities that you get to enjoy!”

Doesn’t that sound grand? I can’t wait to pick her up on Friday and listen to her talk non-stop for what I’m sure will be hours and hours. I have brilliant memories from attending the same Camp when I was a kid. To be honest, I’m a little jealous…I would love to have gone to camp with her. ~shhh~

Here is Mimi, far left, with her BFF Mags and the two new friends who they will be sharing a platform tent with. Just as we are saying goodbye, Mimi called her Dad into the tent to check out what she believed to be a "dead bat" hanging in the corner of the tent above her bunk. As soon as I heard her say it, I thought "how would a bat be hanging, if it were dead?"

Dad poked it and suddenly there were four screaming girls running from the tent.

What a way to begin, eh?