Macy goes to camp

Tate went to sleep away Boy Scout camp the summer after he finished 3rd grade. So guess who wanted to do the same this year? Macy of course. But with Girl Scouts- Ha! Girl Scout camp fills up fast, and registration begins in January. So I had to wait until I knew whether or not we were moving this summer before I could register her. So when we got word that we were staying here in April, all the camps were already full. Macy's friend Ivy from school and Girl Scouts also wanted to go away to camp this summer, but her mom too didn't get her signed up on time. Ivy's mom knew of a church camp in Pennsylvania that a friend of a friend had gone to once before. Yikes I thought at first- Pennsylvania? For her first time at camp? But I checked it out, called and spoke with the staff and quickly realized this was a good option for the girls- so we signed them up! 

The camp brochure did look pretty inviting-

So off we went! This would be the first week of camp for the summer here- and it was a shortened week- only Monday thru Friday. This week was for kids in grades 2-4, most of whom have never been to sleep away camp before. We left our house at 5:30am and Macy was on fire- eyes glued out the window the entire 2.5 hour drive! We pulled in right behind Ivy and her parents- and the girls were giddy with excitement for this week to be kicking off!

 The vibe at camp felt great. The counselors were welcoming and confident. The camp itself was no frills- simple and rustic.  The girls were in a cabin that had 8 bunks- two sets of 4 bunks, one of which was occupied by their counselor- Izzy (all summer long.....).

 I couldn't capture the 4th bunk at the bottom. The room was like a tiny dorm room- just enough room for the girls bags and a smaller dresser for Izzy to have (all summer longggggg...)

The game room was huge and had tons and tons of options. Macy quickly joined in with a new pal for some ping pong-

The drive to camp was beautiful. It sits right across the Maryland state line, so most of our drive was across Maryland- which I never knew was so gorgeous! The camp sits in a pretty little valley- look at the hills behind Macy-

I snapped a picture of the weekly schedule Izzy had posted on their door before I left so I could know what Macy was up to all week!

This is the kind of camp where they have quiet/nap time and daily chores too! LOVE IT!

Macy and Izzy-

 Notice the moose head above? We told Izzy that Macy's nickname at home is Moose. The theme for the week was God At Work. Even the decorations were sweet and simple, all hand made. Even the moose had a construction hat on!

And then I had to leave. I didn't want to. Not because I wanted to stay with Macy, but just because I wanted to stay. I never went to summer camp as a kid. And this camp felt good to me. So I left feeling excited for Macy to have this experience. And she was excited too! As I was leaving I heard a counselor (whom I later learned was Nathan and he would become Macy's favorite male counselor there) ask Izzy "Is this one yours?" and pointed to Macy. Izzy said she was. Nathan then said "Wow you are lucky, she hasn't stopped smiling since she walked in!"

Late Monday afternoon the camp posted this picture on their website and I was thrilled to see Macy in the crowd!

Then no more pictures until Thursday when this one was posted-

The weather that week was terrible! They had lots of storms roll through and one evening when we were watching the national news at home, the county the camp was in was featured on the evening news for flash flooding! The camp made the best of it and the "only" thing they missed out on was horseback riding. 

While I was the only one to make the trek to drop off Macy, Tate and Brian came along to pick her up. They too wanted to see her camp and watch the parent show that they close the week with. It was WONDERFUL to have her back-

Macy couldn't stop telling us all her camp stories on the drive home- it was wonderful to listen to her for hours! She even filled us in on which counselors were dating.... She absolutely loved her week away, all her new experiences and friends she made there. She definitely wants to go back next year. YES YES YES sweet girl!