Week 8 & Week 9

Hey all! Sorry for the lack of updates! I have been busy finishing up my summer. I spent last week (week 8) on middle school. It was a fun week and my last week on middle school. It was a smaller week which was nice so there were 3 counselors in my cabin. Me, and my lovely friends Meg and Marge. We had a lot of fun! Friday night we had a glow stick dance party:) It was a great way to end the week! Overall I had a blast on my last week with middle school. I found out that I would be spending week 9 on high school camp. And that's where I am right now. It's the last full day with campers for the entire summer. I can't believe it! The summer flew by so fast! I had such an amazing summer and I'm so sad to leave. This week has been a lot of fun. There are a lot of high schoolers and they are crazy but I'm trying to enjoy every last minute of it. I'm pretty tired so I will be glad to get home and rest a lot before I go to school. I have 2 weeks to relax and spend time with my family and friends. My papa turned 80 yesterday so I'm going to Largo to have a party with my family. I can't wait to see them! :) I love you all and hope you're enjoying your summer. See you all very soon! Love you!!!

Love, Shannon

Week 7: High School

Hey all:) Week 7 has come and gone and was a good week! I got to hang out with some really cool high schoolers. It was a good week and I had a great cabin. I spent some time sailing and I also got to teach interpretive dance which is my favorite:) The kids did really well and it was so much fun! I love the high school activites we get to do. Our big activity that we do involves this band we made up called Root Canal and it's so funny. The band is hardcore metal and we do really silly activities involving the band all week. We play this one game called Dirty Dirty Messy game. The kids have to roll around in the dirt trying to find guitar picks and we all get so nasty! haha It's so funny! Then at the end of the week "Root Canal" performs and then we have an 80s dance party which is always so fun. I love Friday night when we just have fun with the kids and dance around all crazy! Overall it was a great week. I have to run but I will update more soon:)

Love, SK

Week 6: Work Crew

Hey! Sorry for the lack of updates! I have been so busy here. I spent week 6 on work crew. It was an exhausting week but I survived. We spent a lot of our time in the kitchen preparing meals and doing dishes which got really boring and annoying after awhile. I had the dinner dishes shift and spent from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. doing dishes. It was really hard to not go crazy even when I had my IPOD to help entertain me. I think the hardest part was that our bodies were so sore from standing all day. My feet hurt SO bad by the end of the night. It was really really tough but it made me appreciate the full time kitchen staff so much. They work so so hard and don't get enough praise for what they do. They are wonderful and amazing people!

Other things that we did on work crew included setting up games, delivering mail and laundry and outside jobs with the maintenance staff. They are also very very wonderful. Overall it was a tough week but it was rewarding to be able to serve the campers in a different way. I had fun hanging with the other team members too. I miss you all very much and will see you soon!

Love, Shannon

Randoms of Week 5 & Starting Week 6: Work Crew

Hi all. Sorry I haven't finished updating on week 5 so I figured I would now. I had a great week with my middle schoolers (my babies!) and I can't believe there were 211 of them! They were actually really good and pretty well behaved for all 211 of them! We had a lot of rain this week and one day got a 3 hour rest hour because of a severe thunder storm. It was pretty awesome. Nurse Robbyn went out on the sailboat with me and some campers one day. She is awesome and so much fun and did all the work for me! haha. We had this one gator in the lake that day that was quite brave with us. He swam right up to all the boats and was at least 7 ft long. The boats guards would scare him away and then he would just resurface after 5 minutes. It was pretty crazy. Overall it was an awesome week and we have almost got rid of all the sickness. Yay! Oh I wanted to share a typical day in the life for me at camp with you all so I though I would write down the schedule so you could get an idea. Some of it might not make sense but I figured it would be cool to share:

Typical Tuesday:

7:00 wake up

7:20 breakfast

8:00 Morning devotions

8:20 Cabin Cleanup

8:50 Praise Time

9:30 Ropes Course

11:15 Small Group

12:00 Lunch

12:45 Rest Hour

1:45 Pool and Pool Game

3:15 Change

3:30 Free time in Lodge

4:00 Skill 1 (canoe, sail, frisbee, ext.)

5:15 Dinner

6:00 Change

6:15 Skill 2

7:45 Snack Shack

8:30 Worship

9:30 Cabin Party

10:45 Bed

This is our shortest day! haha 10:45 bedtime is early so don't think I get to go to bed that early every night:) It's usually 11:30-12:00ish.

Ok so now on to the weekend:

This weekend was mid summer and it was SO much fun! We didn't have saturday morning jobs and we got to move into the big cabins to be together for the weekend. We had town time until 3 and I went to Panera with my friend Lianne. We also got pedicures which was AMAZING!! haha Then we had free time at camp and we had our 7th annual 9 square tournament. Then at 5:00 we went just down the road to one of our team member's summer house and had a huge pool party. We had catering, pool time, a huge slip and slide, volleyball and a chocolate fountain! It was just the relaxing evening we all needed. We then spent a wonderful chill evening at camp. They set up hammocks all over camp for us which was so great! Sunday we got to sleep in until 10! I hadn't slept in that lake in 8 weeks! haha We got more town time and I went with my small group to olive garden which was awesome:) Overall the weekend was fabulous and we had some great relaxing fun!

This week:

I found out that I will be spending my week on work crew. I had work crew week 6 last summer too so I'm pretty excited. We were in the kitchen at 6 a.m. this morning! oh joy! haha But then I actually had to drive back home for a regular doctor's appt and ended up also going to quick care because I have had this horrible cough and chest pain for about a week now. Looks like I have a little chest cold and lots of congestion so I got some good meds to help me:) I'm staying home tonight to rest up and heading back to camp tomorrow morning to join my work crew. I miss everyone so much and I've only been out for a day! Shows you how much we love each other there! Well I'm going to go rest up and I will talk to you all soon:)

Love, Shannon

Week 5: Middle School

I'm so happy to say that I'm back on middle school this week! I missed them so much! We are still working on getting rid of the camp plague here. We have never had anything like this happen before. Our directors have been super cautious so anyone who had a temp of 100 or more had to be quaritined away from camp. It has been really crazy but we are finally starting to get rid of it. This weekend was kinda crazy because we had to clean like we've never cleaned before. It was intense. I'm thankful for not getting sick with the flu but I am dealing with a little bit of a chest cold/sinus problem. Day Quil is my best friend today! I'm actually feeling wonderful since I took it a few hours ago! haha I'm just loving this week. I taught sailing today and we had the best time! There was so much wind we were flying!! The kids loved it too! I miss everyone back at home but I am so thankful to be here and I'm having so much fun. Things are going great! I will keep updating as much as I can:) I love you all!

Love, Shannon

Week 4 Continued...

Hi all:) I'd be lying if I said this week was great, haha. It's been kind of a crazy week to say the least. The flu has officially taken over camp this week...gross I know! We have so many team members that got sick and a ton of campers as well. Our health center can't hold anymore people! I'm proud to say though that I'm the minority and I have stayed healthy:) Yay! It stinks though because I feel like I have to keep myself in a bubble and wash my hands every 5 minutes. I do have some nasty allergies going on though. Last night I woke up and coughed up some really gross stuff, yuck! Not to mention I could hear all my girls coughing all night too! Oh the joys of camp:) But no worries the weekend is tomorrow and we are gonna get all the germs out of here!!! I'm excited for the 4th of July tomorrow. I'm not sure what we're doing yet but I will update you on that later. My buddy is doing really well this week. She really doesn't need me which is good because I have been having to fill in for other sick team members. Well, time to go get the munchkins and probably time to go wash my hands yet again! Miss you all:)

Love, Shannon

Week 4 Elementary

So now that I have some time I can tell you about being on elementary camp with a buddy! A buddy is a camper that needs a little extra help at camp. I have a buddy named Dianna who was actually my buddy last year too so I already knew her. She is really great and doesn't need too much help. There are actually a ton of buddies at camp this week which is really awesome. When you have a buddy you don't have to teach skills or anything you basically stick with them all week and take breaks when you want to. Dianna does well by herself in small group so that's when I get to take a little break. This morning I went with Dianna to skating skill but it ended up raining so we had to move to a cabin and hang out. I love rainy days on elementary camp. I spent time coloring with the girls and painting their nails. It's such a chill fun time to spend time with the kids. It's still raining too and I hear it's going to be a pretty stormy week which I'm kinda excited about. I like a good thunderstorm! haha Well I hope everyone is doing well. I will keep trying to update as often as I can. Love you all!

Love, Shannon

The rest of Week 3 & Week 4

Hey all! So the rest of week 3 was pretty great. Some wonderful days of sailing, lots of fun playing games and my friend Kristi that used to be on team came to visit and even taught folk dancing with me. I got a little bit more sleep since the previous week I was on high school. My girls were wonderful at night and at rest hour and we all had a lot of fun together! This weekend the whole team went to the Children's home on saturday. We rode in 2 charter buses and then went to worship at their chapel and eat lunch with them. Then after lunch, we got a chance to see some of their cottages that the kids live in. It was great to see some of our campers! After that we went to Daytona Beach and spent the day at ocean walk which was so relaxing:) And we went to Buca de Beppo. It was a great weekend! This week I'm on elementary camp and I have a buddy named Diana that I had last year! I can't wait to see the fun we will have this week:)

Love, Shannon

Weekend & Week 3: Middle School

Hey all! Sorry it has been a little while since I updated. I have been very busy playing and resting. This weekend was really nice and relaxing. Saturday was filled with Moe's for lunch, a short trip to target and a long nap! It was awesome. On Sunday we went out into town for church and then my parents came for Father's Day! We had a great day:) We went to Panera, target and then saw Angels and Demons which was AWESOME! Go see it! Then back to camp for me and time to get ready for the next week. I have middle schoolers again this week and they are really good. My cabin girls are amazing at nightime and they are very quiet at rest hour which is so nice. So I think I have bad luck with my left foot this summer. Last week I stepped on a thistle in our lake and got needles in my foot and yesterday I sprained my ankle at the pool when I went down the slide and hit the bottom. Yea craziness but I'll be fine:) Never a dull moment here! Talk to you all soon! :)

Love, Shannon

Week 2 Continued...

Hi! Sorry for the small update yesterday but I actually have some time today! It's 10 a.m. and my kids are at the pool field playing some games and swimming. I have a break this morning so I'm just chillin with some other team catching up on facebook, youtube and email. Good times! I slept like a baby last night. Well I usually sleep like a baby every night! You never get better sleep then when you're at camp. My girls have been really great about sleeping and rest hour. They usually pass out before I even get a chance to turn off the lights which is so nice. The food has continued to be incredible! Last night dinner was chicken fingers, mashed potatoes and green beans! OH YEA! haha The campers love their chicken fingers! I think one girl at my table seriously ate like 10 pieces. It was insane. Anyway, we also had a HUGE thunderstorm last night. It was intense! Some of us got trapped in our break room for a little extra time because the lightening and storm was so bad. I have to say I like a good thunderstorm though. It's very relaxing to me for some weird reason. Well, things have been good here. Not much more to tell about now but I'm excited for this weekend because Mom & Dad are coming sunday for Father's Day! Yay! Oh and Mom I know you're reading this so please bring food! haha Love you!!

LoveLoveLove,
Shannon

Weekend & Week 2: High school!

Hey all:) So this weekend my big sister in Zeta got married! What a beautiful wedding:) I got to spend the night at home and then I came back to camp on sunday to catch up on much needed sleep. This week I have high school campers and I LOVE them! My cabin girls are so fabulous and wonderful in everyway! And I have a small group this week and they are also wonderful which is so amazing. Today I taught nature and the snake got out AGAIN. However, after I searched the room I managed to find Monty the snake curled up in a bag. haha Good times. I also found the turtle wondering around on the floor. Yea, crazy day in the nature center. Anyway, I have to run but I will update tomorrow! Love you all!

xoxo,
Shannon

Week 1

It's thursday and we're busy busy at the WWW camp:) I've been teaching skating, nature, crafts and outdoor games. Yesterday I taught outdoor games with all middle school boys! They were insane and hyper and it was crazy! It has been soooo hott here too of course! But it's been fun because we've gotten to go swimming a lot and play lots of fun games. Our team member Ryan is doing a lot better. He was up walking around for a little bit yesterday but his back is still a little sore. Keep praying for him please:) We want him back in program! I'm having a good week and my girls in my cabin have been pretty good for the most part. They all slept at rest hour yesterday which was amazing because it was so quiet and I got a nap too! I love rest hour:) Well, sorry this is short but I gotta run to lunch and then off to more activities. Talk to you later!

LoveLoveLove,
Shannon

Week 1: Mid-High

Hi everyone:) Sorry for the lack of updates but we have been SO busy. We finished up orientation week last night and it was a lot of fun. We went bowling in our crazy costumes of course and one night we got to have a giant slip and slide which was awesome but I'm paying for it now with my sore muscles! Then we had this huge blow up bobo tube where we went in and had a day glow party. There were black lights and we basically threw paint at each other! haha Crazy I know but it was SO fun. I was caked in paint though and it took me forever to wash it off! It was a fun night until one of the team members and my good friend Ryan hurt his back and he actually had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. It was scary but he is doing a lot better and resting up in our health center. Please pray for him though because he is so bummed to be of program and he is still in pain. Anyway, campers came TODAY! They are here right now!!! I'm taking a short break because I don't have a small group but I'm heading off to dinner really soon. I'm really excited for the week and I get to hang out with awesome middle schoolers this week! :) Talk to you all soon!

LoveLoveLove, SKR

Orientation Week aka "O Week"

Hey guys:) So I am FINALLY here. Yay!! It is so great to be "home" as we all call it:) We are going to be in orientation until June 8th I think so we have a lot of time to prepare and hang out with the rest of the team. We have been hard at work getting ready for campers but we've also been having fun too! There is a new cook at camp so the food has been AMAZING! We're all getting a little nervous though that we're gonna put on some weight! haha Good thing we have to be so active all summer because we will need it.

They have all the team spread out in different cabins for O week. I'm in a cabin with 7 other girls and it's been nice getting to know the new girls! We have all been so tired though that we go to sleep right away and wake up at the last possible minute. Our days start early and we usually have morning devotions at 8 am:) And when the campers are here it's usually 7:30! haha Yayyy camp! But it's all good because you come to appreciate every part of the day and it's nice to see the world at such an early time since normally I'm sleeping wayyyy past that time! But anyway, we are all really excited to be here. Tomorrow morning we're going out into town to go to church which is always fun. We get to meet some really great people and it's also nice to get off camp grounds for a little bit and into civilization!

Well, we have a little bit of free time left and then we're going to bed! We need lots of rest because we still have a lot to get ready! Please keep the whole team in your prayers:) Love you all!!!!

LoveLoveLove,
Shannon

Tomorrow!!

Hello:) So I leave for camp TOMORROW! Crazy, I know! I'm so excited but I wish I could have seen more people while I was at home for a few weeks. I wanted to let you all know that you can send me letters and packages at the following addresses:

LETTERS:

Summer Leadership Team 

Warren Willis UM Camp 

5050 Picciola Rd. 

Fruitland Park, FL  34731

PACKAGES:

Summer Leadership Team 

Warren Willis UM Camp 

4990 Picciola Rd. 

Fruitland Park, FL 34731 

I love and miss you all!! I will try and update as much as I can this summer:) Thanks for reading!!!!

xoxo, Shannon

May 2009

Hi all:) I can't believe I'm quickly approaching my third summer on team working for the one and only Warren W Willis summer camp! I'm really excited about all the new adventures I will be having. I can't wait to see all the other counselors and all my campers again! I head out to good old Fruitland Park on May 28th. We will be having team orientation until June 8th I think so the we will be having a lot of fun getting ready for all the kids to come. Orientation week is always such a blast. We have to get a lot of work done but we also get to play a lot too!! I just can't wait to see everyone. They are truly some of my favorite people and like another family to me. I don't get to see a lot of the team members much throughout the year so I always miss them and get so excited to see them:) Well I will keep you posted as I get closer to leaving. I'm excited to tell you all my stories throughout the summer. Please keep in touch and tell me about your summer too!! 

Love, Shannon