Celebrate
We had quite a party at Greystone last night. The celebration began with a decorated dining room (the gold foil table cloths and party hats looked really great), gold candles on white cupcakes, lots of party music… it was a banquet worthy of the occasion. The girls loved the many elements of the EP: the foam pit, photo booth with Dr. Sevier big head, slip and slide, signature banner, ice cream truck, and decade contests were all big hits. Then we got glow sticks and got settled in by the lake to watch the fireworks show.
Rain was a part of it all. Light rain, heavy rain, no rain… we had it all. Nothing ever lasted long. It would be lovely for 15 minutes, then a light rain would fall, then become lovely again, then a heavy rain. The girls didn’t mind a bit! Just added to the sense of the night!
The fireworks were quite literally breath taking. They were set to music (“Firework”, “A Whole New World”, and “The Greatest Show”) and were way more sophistacated than what we usually do. Some of them quite literally “danced” on the water for 30 seconds. The show was delayed by a 5 minute rain shower (the girls all bunched together along the shore) and as the sky cleared the first notes rang out. It was so perfect! The perfect ending to a perfect celebration.
100 years deserves to be celebrated and we are doing all we can to make that point clear to the campers. This will be a record year of swag (another great shirt given away last night), a record year for friendships made, a record year for treats served, and a record year for joyful praise. We are turning the glory to God and rejoicing in His faithfulness over the generations. What a great year to be at camp.
Today we let the girls sleep in and have a quiet morning. This is what we call “Do Nothing Day” and the girls absolutely love it. They are tired (the youngest girls especially) and are ready to just “chill” for a morning. We are offering lots of activities, but few of the girls are taking advantage of them. Most are lounging in their cabins, reading in eno’s, or talking with friends by the lake. A jogging group just went by, but it was a group of 2 not 30. The very air of camp feels different… it is the quiet.
Days like this remind me of the day after camp closes. The air is peaceful and relaxing but also tinged with meloncholy. Somehow, the quiet encourages introspection… memories of moments now past and the people that made them special. This is when the girls recognize that time is begining to run out for this summer. It is good in every way. They need the rest and they need the perspective. This awareness is what will make these next two weeks great. DMC’s, Shop Dates, and Plane Letters will assume priority in our free time. Every minute counts… it’s the way life should be.
Tonight will be our Birthday Ball. Margaret and I are inviting all the birthday girls up to our house for a nice dinner (there are 54 of them, so we are going to empty our great room of all furniture and set it up as a banquet hall). This is the first time we have done Birthday Ball this way, and it is only because of the large number of campers that we even considered it. Normally we would have set up a banquet table in the dining hall, but this was much nicer for the girls. If all goes well, this might be the new tradition for birthday in the years to come!
- Weather: 80’s with scattered showers
- Breakfast: Buffet (eat when you want!)
- Lunch: Gyro’s
- Dinner: Chicken Tacos
Thank you for checking in. Have a great weekend.
