On Saturday, Nate and I loaded Nate’s car with bags and boxes and groceries. Xander was adamant that he would help, so we gave him all the lightweight things to carry. I hope he always thinks helping is fun. He kept saying, “I need to go with you!” But that wasn’t the plan.
Our summer has officially begun!
When I imagined working at a sleepaway camp, I always imagined the movie the Parent Trap (the original one from the 1960s). CYC is a 71 year old, rustic, traditional camp. I wasn’t too far off thinking it was like the movies, and much of camp hasn’t been updated, so we are still living in another decade.
Check out CYC here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC30XuLb0r0
Here’s what the summer calendar looks like-
Pre-Camp
Camp Overview
June 24-August 18 are the 8 weeks of camper sessions.
Campers arrive Sundays at 3pm. Some kids are dropped off by their parents, some ride a bus that we charter from Roseville. On Sundays, kids arrive, get divided into cabins, tour camp, sign up for activities, have dinner, and then we have an opening pepfest before they all go to bed.
Monday-Thursday, they are in activities all day (see below). Activities include archery, slingshots, throwing tomahawks, canoeing, paddle boarding, paddle boating, kayaking, arts and crafts, fishing, swimming, drama, sports, outdoor skills, as well as all-camp activities like group games, scavenger hunts, relay races, etc. There are also all camp activities in the evening like a dance party, campfire, talent show, and all camp games.
Friday- after breakfast, there is a closing ceremony in our chapel, lunch and then a short program for parents. Kids leave camp by 1pm.
Friday afternoon-Sunday morning is free time for staff.
Daily Camper Schedule
Everyone at camp follows the same schedule-
Hello and welcome to our summer blog- the best way to keep you updated on our adventures at camp. I’m Natalie- wife to Nate, mom to Xander and Augustus, camp director, and the crazywoman who is taking 2 toddlers to the woods to live in a 400 square foot camper.
Nate is the patient man behind the scenes, holding down the homefront in St. Paul.
Xander will be a little over 2.5 years old when we get to camp in June. He’s obsessed with all things Paw Patrol, cars, swimming, Grandma and puppies.
Augustus will be almost 10 months when we start the summer. He is the happiest baby on the planet and loves kisses, hugs, giggling, watching his brother and chewing on things.
Olivia is a 10 year old english bulldog. She is the most wonderfully patient dog when it comes to kids and this will be her 10th summer at camp. She is the only dog I’ve ever seen roll her eyes in annoyance and yes, she is judging you.
Catholic Youth Camp is celebrating it’s 71st summer of camping. It is a resident camp for kids in 1st-9th grade. Kids come to camp for one week- Sunday-Friday and live in cabins with 12 boys or girls and 2 counselors. CYC has 8 sessions of camp this summer.
A brief personal history in case you need some background-
I have been the executive director of CYC since 2008. I was hired as the program director and then promoted the first week when the director unexpectedly left at the beginning of the summer. The board asked if I could run camp and I responded with, “how hard could it be?” and the universe has been proving just how hard it can be since that day.
When I started at CYC, I was 26, single and this was the DREAM job. That first summer, I threw a few tee shirts and a few pairs of size 4 shorts into a duffle bag and headed off to the woods. I had 2 roommates who took care of my house and I spent three months running around, singing camp songs, eating s’mores and having the time of my life. But CYC was also a failing, rundown mess and I spent a lot of that summer googling plumbing how-to videos and crying, but I survived and I’m still here 11 years later.
In 2009, I added a fat bulldog puppy into the mix, but life was still relatively simple.
In 2010, I had been dating Nate for about 5 months when I headed off to camp for the summer. He was surprisingly easy going about it and made the 2.5 hour drive many weekends to visit. As our relationship got more serious, it got harder to leave each summer, but we managed.
At the beginning of camp 2010 (at the last minute, without any planning), I adopted a special needs bulldog and spent that summer (and then the next 6 years) fighting fate to keep that dog alive. He was the happiest, most trainwreck of a living thing, who stole my heart and prepared me for motherhood.
October 4, 2014, Nate and I got married at camp. Nate was VERY unsure about dragging all of our friends and family to the woods, but I’d wanted a camp wedding longer than I’d known Nate and he went along with my dream (just one of the many reasons why I married him). So on a beautiful 37 degree day, we got married in the CYC chapel and partied the night away in the dining hall, and then collapsed in exhaustion in the camper turned honeymoon suite.
2015- I spent that summer driving home every 2 weeks so my doctor could monitor my high risk pregnancy. The campers guessed if it would be a boy or girl and we did a gender reveal at the campfire.
In 2016 Xander was 8 months old when we arrived to camp that June. We squeezed a crib into the camper and put a highchair at the staff table in the dining hall. That summer was a challenge as I had to adjust my roles, my expectations and mourned the loss of my days spent running around carefree. That summer was definitely the hardest yet.
2017- I thought being pregnant at camp was hard the first time. I thought having a baby at camp was difficult. But then I rolled into camp 7 months into another high risk pregnancy, toddler and bulldog in tow. I’d gained about 50 pounds with baby #2 and it was approximately one million degrees and humid every day. I was hot, uncomfortable and because Xander had surprised us 6 weeks early, my doctor, the camp staff, my family, and I spent a lot of time staring at my bulging stomach, willing it not to explode. My doctor told me I had to come home the first week of July in case a baby came shooting out without warning. I taught lifeguard certification, staff training and then made it through 2 weeks of campers. And then I went home to wait for a baby. I called Program Director Meghan 10 times a day to check in and I cried every day as I looked through the daily photos and videos of my beloved camp.
Which brings us to this summer.
2018 is here. The camper seems a little smaller each year and everyone I know keeps giving me the same skeptical, surprised, confused look that suggests perhaps taking 2 toddlers into the woods for the summer isn’t as normal as I thought.
Summer #11 will certainly be the most interesting yet. Thanks for joining us on our adventure.
