Atlanta, Art, and New Kids on the Block

We're BACK! Did you miss us?

Atlanta was warm, busy, and very educational. The Hyatt Regency Hotel, which held the conference, was HUGE. Here are a few photos:

We met fun and interesting people, including some of Jalisa's Florida camp buddies. We learned ways to make staff training more effective, sat in on some inspiring keynote speeches, and played lots of crazy games. It was a great experience!

Today the lodge was filled with art students from around the county, led by our Cultural Specialist Brenda Huckins-Bonter. Their screenprints were pretty amazing. Hopefully the weather will cooperate tomorrow so we can get more students out here!

Jalisa, Sue and I are officially members of the New Kids on the Block! Seriously! Okay, so it's not the boy band. We're part of a group that are being trained in all things TrueNorth so that we can go out into the community prepared to talk up the wonderful things our organization does! I'm really excited to finally see what all the other departments do.

Happy camping!

ACA is Next Week!

Hello All!

What a fantastic week it's been! The comedy show was wonderful - Andy, Nate and Ryan were hilarious. In fact, Andy Beningo has been voted into the Top 12 for CMT's Next Big Comic contest. You can click on this link to vote for him. Go do it now! Go! I promise I will be here when you get back.

There, see how easy that was? So, next week Jalisa, Jane and I are heading to Atlanta for the American Camp Association Conference. We are all very excited to network and learn about ways to make camp even more awesome. The funny thing is we are all taking separate flights there and back. Jalisa and Jane will be heading to Florida for the weekend to see family and I will be coming back to Michigan for the Day of Dance on Saturday. It's going to be great!

Reason # 5 Camp Rocks:
What did do you today at work? Well, Jalisa and I had an impromptu photo shoot for the murder myster dinner coming up. We looked fabulous.

Sea Monsters, hearts, and comedy shows

Question:

Who thinks the Icelandic Sea Monster is legit?


Alright, so that's not really the point of this entry. (Although I am interested in hearing your thoughts). I just wanted remind everyone of our two great events coming up!



The Daddy Daughter Dance is going to be HUGE this year based on all the calls we've been getting. I've gotten down the decorations and will be putting up tons of hearts all over the place this afternoon.



On Valentine's Day is "Wanna Hear Somethin' Funny", a comedy show with local comics. I'm so excited for this one! I love to laugh.

OH, and Why Working at Camp Newaygo Rocks reason #4: The awesome vans! I feel like king of the road when I drive those things. And ah, the memories of driving Big Blue and Big Red each summer...

Reasons number 2 and 3

More Reasons Why Working at Camp Rocks:

2. The FOOD! Events are always lots of fun, but what makes them even better is the delicious food served. Volunteers usually get to eat afterwards - whether it's desserts, snacks or a big meal, it's all AMAZING.

3. The cool programs and events! Kathy Streng has been teaching a NIA class once a week in Lang Lodge that's an intense workout. Daddys and daughters will be out on Sunday to dance and get nails painted. A comedian is coming to make us laugh on Valentine's Day. And people from the community come in often to do their own fun events like weddings and concerts. It's always different and always exciting!

Winter Blahs, and the perks of working at camp

Where did the snow go?

I hope that snowshoeing at Camp Newaygo in Da Moonlight isn't cancelled! That would be a bummer!



Well, on a lighter note...

I'd like to start a list titled "Why Working at Camp Newaygo Rocks." I'll post one or two things a week, and see how many I can get!


So, here we go:


1. The relaxing places to take a break. At camp you can spend your lunch hour (or ten minute coffee break) laying in a hammock, visiting the waterfront, or just sitting in front of a roaring fire. Where else can you get that? I love this place!