Picture everyone sitting around the campfire with marshmallow and roasting stick in hand. The sun is gently setting over the lake and a light evening breeze just started to swirl. All around the circle are your closest friends and favorite counselors. A chord is strummed on the acoustic guitar followed by a choir of gleeful signing. Yes we are at camp, our home away from home. Does being at camp feel like your second home? Are you having a hard time waiting more than six months for camp to begin? What are we supposed to do during this time of the year? Well, let's start with the basics of enjoying your holiday time with your friends and family. Make sure you give thanks and count all your blessings. Enjoy some down time from school or work. Maybe attend a party or two and of course catch some type of holiday movie. (The last Grapevine Herald had a powerful top ten list) But at some point over the next few weeks we have a secret camp mission for all of you. Put down your cell phones, close your laptop and turn off the game console. Take a few deep breaths and relax for a few minutes. Then, think about some of your favorite memories and friends from camp. We know these thoughts and special people mean the world to you. They do for us as well. In fact, we wanted to tell everyone how much we love having you as part of our CKM family. As we close our eyes we can hear you laugh and sing and this warms the holiday campfire in our heart.
Wherever this holiday season brings you, we wish you bounties of joy and cheers. Have a safe holiday and a wonderful new year. We hope that 2011 brings our second family back to our campfire for more summer camp fun.
Brad,Tricia and Jani
Monday, December 20, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Busy Week
The last few days have been extremely busy ones for the Minisink crew. We attended a great workshop in the city on Wednesday. Brad and Tricia survived as commuters on the early morning trains. We don't know how people do it everyday. We went through a small container of hand sanitizer, stayed far away from a guy that we labeled "MR. Phlem and Germ" and managed to enjoy the scenery through Westchester which we renamed the "Croton Exit" area. The workshop dealt with growing up in a fast paced marketing world. The day was very informative and we will be including what we learned as part of our staff training week. Saturday we by passed the trains and drove to camp for tours. We met a bunch of really nice families and future campers. It was a great day for tours as the temperature was 65 degrees. We almost went for a dip in the lake, but we needed Melissa and Simon to lifeguard. Then we switched cars and went back to the city on Sunday for our first camp fair of the season. We really love attending these camp fairs because we get to talk about camp for hours. (They sometimes serve really great bagels, but they didn't have them on Sunday) We were on the Upper West Side near Central Park. The day was a success and hopefully the nice new people we talked to will join us for all the Minisink fun. We might have stopped at Levain bakery and picked up a treat for the ride home. Oprah loves the place and who are we to not listen to her wisdom. The cookies were super yummy.
We just mailed out our 2010 CKM reunion invitations. We hope you will be able to join us for all the festivities. The reunion is a great time to hang out with all your camp friends and staff. The party is from 10 AM to 12:30 PM, but it always feels like it is over in a matter of minutes. Everyone looks so different at the reunion in their winter clothing. Maybe everyone doesn't really look so different, but during the summer we are used to seeing everyone in shorts, all tanned, and with big camp smiles. So free up some time on December 4th, and join us for the big bash.
One of the tours asked how we market camp. We really do not place a lot of ads or buy many advertising spaces. We attend a few camp fairs and try to spread the word about our program. Mostly people hear about camp from their friends. So we basically use word of mouth advertising. So make sure you tell all your friends about Campus Kids. CKM is the place to be and we want to have all the bunks filled with great campers. If you do know of any friends that are interested in visiting camp, have them call the office soon. Some groups are already filling up and we want to make sure that people get their favorite weeks.
We are getting closer and closer to Turkey day and then the really big family holidays. Does anyone have a guess when we will see the first big snow storm? There was a little snow in Connecticut last week. It didn't stick to the ground so we are not really going to count it. No snow up at camp yet, but a usual Port Jervis winter brings 60 inches of snow or more. We will keep you posted. Have a great week and keep thinking camp.
Brad and Tricia
We just mailed out our 2010 CKM reunion invitations. We hope you will be able to join us for all the festivities. The reunion is a great time to hang out with all your camp friends and staff. The party is from 10 AM to 12:30 PM, but it always feels like it is over in a matter of minutes. Everyone looks so different at the reunion in their winter clothing. Maybe everyone doesn't really look so different, but during the summer we are used to seeing everyone in shorts, all tanned, and with big camp smiles. So free up some time on December 4th, and join us for the big bash.
One of the tours asked how we market camp. We really do not place a lot of ads or buy many advertising spaces. We attend a few camp fairs and try to spread the word about our program. Mostly people hear about camp from their friends. So we basically use word of mouth advertising. So make sure you tell all your friends about Campus Kids. CKM is the place to be and we want to have all the bunks filled with great campers. If you do know of any friends that are interested in visiting camp, have them call the office soon. Some groups are already filling up and we want to make sure that people get their favorite weeks.
We are getting closer and closer to Turkey day and then the really big family holidays. Does anyone have a guess when we will see the first big snow storm? There was a little snow in Connecticut last week. It didn't stick to the ground so we are not really going to count it. No snow up at camp yet, but a usual Port Jervis winter brings 60 inches of snow or more. We will keep you posted. Have a great week and keep thinking camp.
Brad and Tricia
Friday, November 5, 2010
No political party at camp.
Tuesday was a wild election day in the US. Did you vote? Are you old enough to vote? We seem to be living in a very tumultuous time. The political ads were enough to drive anyone to a complete lack of knowing who to vote for. Sometimes the negative ads made us dislike the person sponsoring the commercial. So what does this have to do with the camp world? Well, every time we watched one of these political ads, it felt like the opposite of camp. At camp we choose to support each other and not attack those in our environment. We embrace different ideas and use disagreements as a springboard for learning and growing. We live at camp in an honest state of mind, where we trust our neighbors. And of course, Campus Kids has never been about winning or losing. It has always been about trying your best and being the person you are. Seems to contradict everything involved with the whole political process.
Winter is rapidly approaching. Don't forgot to adjust your clocks this weekend. We get an extra hour of sleep over the weekend. Of course the downside is a shorter afternoon. Nobody likes to drive home from work or after school practice in the dark. Less time to run around outside, and less time to get things done during the day. But as we move through the calendar week, we do get closer to some exciting times. The Campus Kids Minisink Reunion is happening on December 4th from 10:00 AM until 12:30 PM. The event takes place at Sportstime USA in Elmsford, New York. We would love to see everyone on that date for a morning of food, friends, laughs, and memories. We rent out the entire facility and play video games, laser tag, batting cages, and some fun indoor rides. This will be our third year using this place and each reunion has been very successful. Some years we have had staff members fly in from overseas. We are not sure if anyone is flying over this year, but we will keep our fingers crossed.
We are doing tours up at camp this weekend. There might be a staff member or two with a video camera up there. Although camp looks different this time of the year, it is still picturesque. Do you know what that means? More video and photo games yeah! If you are not sure what this means, well we had some fun last week with a new game on our facebook page. We had a great time posting obscure videos and having people guess where they taken at camp. So keep checking our facebook page to see if any more games appear. There might be some rule changes, but don't expect the challenges to be any easier.
We hope everyone in our extended CK family has a great weekend. Stay warm and we will chat again with you next week.
This is Brad and Tricia And We Approve This Blog.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Breath of Fresh Air
Last week we gave tours to a couple of really nice families. The people were from New York City and seemed to be really excited being out in the country. We sat for a few minutes on the deck of the canteen building. A deer went by which was very exciting to see. One of the dads went over to the corner of the deck near the large outdoor fire pit. He was taking deep gulps of air. We went over to check on him and asked what he was doing. He mentioned that the air tasted so fresh and clean. He joked that he was storing up some extra oxygen for when he heads back to the city. While we all had a little chuckle it did remind us to slow down once in a while and take a deep breath of fresh air.
We wanted to tell you how much we miss being at our camp facility. The beautiful scenery at assembly with the lake in the foreground is amazing. Assembly always has that "we are family" feel to it. It is one of those special areas of camp where you never know what will happen. It is fun to stand off to the side and watch everyone separate into activity area choices. Leaving home base to have fun for an hour and then back to reconnect with your friends. Next summer we will need to have more campers stand on the stage and help run assembly. Bring your voice as you practice---"campers to your activitrees."
One of the best parts of Campus Kids is getting to know so many great people and making life long friendships. Waking up in the morning is like getting up from a big sleepover party. Our cabins sleep either 8 or 10 campers. At camp you bond so quickly with your bunk mates. The camping world is a great place to share more about yourself and learn about others. We love that at Campus Kids we have so many wonderful people from so many different backgrounds. So you can be who you are and feel great about that. It does not matter if you are tall or short, have light hair or dark hair or like sports or the arts. Being at camp is just all out fun and making friends is part of the package.
So Sunday is Trick or Treat day. This will be a busy weekend with the World Series still happening and a lot of fall football taking place. It feels like "shorts weather" will be gone from a few months. Bring on the winter because that just brings us that much closer to camp time.
Happy Halloween,
Brad and Tricia
We wanted to tell you how much we miss being at our camp facility. The beautiful scenery at assembly with the lake in the foreground is amazing. Assembly always has that "we are family" feel to it. It is one of those special areas of camp where you never know what will happen. It is fun to stand off to the side and watch everyone separate into activity area choices. Leaving home base to have fun for an hour and then back to reconnect with your friends. Next summer we will need to have more campers stand on the stage and help run assembly. Bring your voice as you practice---"campers to your activitrees."
One of the best parts of Campus Kids is getting to know so many great people and making life long friendships. Waking up in the morning is like getting up from a big sleepover party. Our cabins sleep either 8 or 10 campers. At camp you bond so quickly with your bunk mates. The camping world is a great place to share more about yourself and learn about others. We love that at Campus Kids we have so many wonderful people from so many different backgrounds. So you can be who you are and feel great about that. It does not matter if you are tall or short, have light hair or dark hair or like sports or the arts. Being at camp is just all out fun and making friends is part of the package.
So Sunday is Trick or Treat day. This will be a busy weekend with the World Series still happening and a lot of fall football taking place. It feels like "shorts weather" will be gone from a few months. Bring on the winter because that just brings us that much closer to camp time.
Happy Halloween,
Brad and Tricia
Monday, October 18, 2010
Photo of the Week
The chill is in the air. We were at camp on Saturday showing some nice new families around the facility. It was a little breezy, especially around the ropes course. One of the "toureys," (Is that a word? I don't think so, but lets not worry about that right now) so lets just say that toureys equals a person taking the tour. Anyway, this younger girl was almost swept into Root Beer Lake by a huge gust of wind. So we found some rocks and weighed down her pockets. Besides the windy day it was a beautiful time to waltz around camp. There were some neat happenings at camp. First, the beam gym has a nice fresh coat of paint. The gym is no longer red and now is more of a blueish gray color. It looks great. Also, the bathrooms near the office are finally finished. They are ready to use and will be very helpful during the summer. We took some pictures with our cell phone, but they came out too blurry. We will try to take better photos next week. Only at camp would photos of bathrooms make so many people happy. (That is how we roll)
Speaking of photos we were thinking of trying something new and fun. So with every blog we are going to post a Photo or two of the week. It feels like we need some theme music. We need some type of I-Carly gadget where "Sam" pushes a button and the crowd roars. How do we get one of those? So introducing the new and fun-filled "PHOTO OF THE WEEK" section to our blog. Yeah! Feel free to email us if you have any pictures that you think will make the cut.
So what's happening this week. Is everyone getting ready for Halloween? Do you have your costumes yet? BOO! Did you buy candy? We have a rule that candy needs to be purchased on 10/31. Candy that is purchased earlier tends to disappear. If you find yourself in this situation it is plausible to blame ghosts, or any other scary Halloween creatures. Ghosts have a sweet tooth and love candy corn.
Now for our weekly sports moment. The Jets and Giants continue to roll. Both baseball playoff series are tied at 1-1. We might be heading towards a seven game series. The baseball season seems to end later and later each year. Hopefully we will not see snow during any of the games. Also the season is starting for all you basketball and hockey fans. (We do have a few hockey fans at camp. Last count there were three of you) Both those seasons are very long, but the nice part is that when the playoffs end camp is just about ready to begin.
So have a great week everyone and keep thinking about camp.
Brad and Tricia
Speaking of photos we were thinking of trying something new and fun. So with every blog we are going to post a Photo or two of the week. It feels like we need some theme music. We need some type of I-Carly gadget where "Sam" pushes a button and the crowd roars. How do we get one of those? So introducing the new and fun-filled "PHOTO OF THE WEEK" section to our blog. Yeah! Feel free to email us if you have any pictures that you think will make the cut.
So what's happening this week. Is everyone getting ready for Halloween? Do you have your costumes yet? BOO! Did you buy candy? We have a rule that candy needs to be purchased on 10/31. Candy that is purchased earlier tends to disappear. If you find yourself in this situation it is plausible to blame ghosts, or any other scary Halloween creatures. Ghosts have a sweet tooth and love candy corn.
Now for our weekly sports moment. The Jets and Giants continue to roll. Both baseball playoff series are tied at 1-1. We might be heading towards a seven game series. The baseball season seems to end later and later each year. Hopefully we will not see snow during any of the games. Also the season is starting for all you basketball and hockey fans. (We do have a few hockey fans at camp. Last count there were three of you) Both those seasons are very long, but the nice part is that when the playoffs end camp is just about ready to begin.
So have a great week everyone and keep thinking about camp.
Brad and Tricia
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Avenues
There were two roads diverged in a yellow wood. (Bonus points for the first person who knows what poem that is from) Well its fall and the roads are now blanketed by shades of reds, yellows, and browns. At least it is that way in Connecticut. Hopefully everyone had a great holiday weekend. Maybe in honor of Mr. Columbus we should have Monday and Tuesday off. Then we can have Wednesday off for Americo Vespucci. (Lots of students all over are cheering this plan) It is weird that weekends go by so quickly. Maybe we should switch to a four day week and a three day weekend. Everyone would agree to lengthen the work day to cover things that need to be done. Now this concept is only value for non-camp time. Of course Campus Kids needs to continue to be the Monday through Friday sleep away camp and home on the weekends. (Unless you go on a weekend adventure trip)
Boo! Halloween is not far away. It is always fun to see everyone in their costumes. It reminds us of some of the wild camp dances when everyone gets so into the theme. Over the years we have seen some really crazy stuff. One year there was an outer space dance. There were some creepy aliens out that night. Another fun night was a country and western dance. There were lots of pigtails, freckles, boots and one Hannah Montana hoedown throw down. Last summer we had the seven wonders dance, which you might wonder what that might be. Well, many people used their creative talents and had some very interesting costumes. Here are some other themes we have seen over the years: the 5th element, pj party, Hollywood, black and white, deck of cards, superheros, goodies vs. baddies, and so many more. If you have any ideas and thoughts for camp dance themes then send them along to the office. We love hearing your suggestions.
Sports moment of the week. Round one of the baseball playoffs is now complete. We saw some great games and even a no-hitter. It is now down to four teams. (The Yankees, The Rangers, The Giants, The Phillies) All four teams are very strong with great pitching staffs. The baseball season is very long at 162 games. Every team fights hard to be the last one standing. Winning the World Series is certainly not an easy task. Even if you are not a baseball fan, it is easy to enjoy the intensity of baseball moments. Unlike any other sport, baseball can "stay in the moment" for very long periods of time. There is no play clock or timers in baseball. A single at bat can last for many minutes. While this can be boring for some, it can also make those magic baseball moments priceless. Keep cheering for your favorite team and enjoy these great battles.
Well time to close down for this week. Have a safe and wonderful journey on whatever avenues you travel.
We will chat with you soon.
Brad and Tricia
Boo! Halloween is not far away. It is always fun to see everyone in their costumes. It reminds us of some of the wild camp dances when everyone gets so into the theme. Over the years we have seen some really crazy stuff. One year there was an outer space dance. There were some creepy aliens out that night. Another fun night was a country and western dance. There were lots of pigtails, freckles, boots and one Hannah Montana hoedown throw down. Last summer we had the seven wonders dance, which you might wonder what that might be. Well, many people used their creative talents and had some very interesting costumes. Here are some other themes we have seen over the years: the 5th element, pj party, Hollywood, black and white, deck of cards, superheros, goodies vs. baddies, and so many more. If you have any ideas and thoughts for camp dance themes then send them along to the office. We love hearing your suggestions.
Sports moment of the week. Round one of the baseball playoffs is now complete. We saw some great games and even a no-hitter. It is now down to four teams. (The Yankees, The Rangers, The Giants, The Phillies) All four teams are very strong with great pitching staffs. The baseball season is very long at 162 games. Every team fights hard to be the last one standing. Winning the World Series is certainly not an easy task. Even if you are not a baseball fan, it is easy to enjoy the intensity of baseball moments. Unlike any other sport, baseball can "stay in the moment" for very long periods of time. There is no play clock or timers in baseball. A single at bat can last for many minutes. While this can be boring for some, it can also make those magic baseball moments priceless. Keep cheering for your favorite team and enjoy these great battles.
Well time to close down for this week. Have a safe and wonderful journey on whatever avenues you travel.
We will chat with you soon.
Brad and Tricia
Monday, October 4, 2010
October Happenings
Hello everyone in CK land,
Happy fall to all! There are so many great things to do this time of the year. Remember the really cold weather is not too far away, so we should enjoy as much of the outdoors as possible. Maybe you can find some time to go on a hayride or go pumpkin picking. Some places have haunted hayrides if you like that type of scare. There are some farms that have amazing corn mazes. Have you ever tried one of them? They can be really wild and not as easy as you might think. Of course the fall has lots of sporting events happening. There are lots of games happening all over the area. Of course the fall is a great time to go for a hike, ride a bike, go fishing or head out to your local park to throw a football around. You don't have to be a nature lover to enjoy all the beautiful fall colors. It really is one of the treats that we get to enjoy in the northeast. (Florida does have nice palm trees to stare at)
We were at camp this weekend doing tours. We always tell you how beautiful camp gets this time of the year. It really does and walking around the lake is breathtaking. There has been some neat things done at camp over the last few weeks. The beam gym has been painted and it is now a blueish gray color. The maintenance staff has also done a lot of tree trimming so the villages look great. When we do tours we always decorate a cabin to show how it is used during the summer. This year we picked cabin two in Kalagesi. It is a fun village to show and it is a nice place to chat before heading to Lookout Point. Many times during the tours people will comment about how nice the village is arranged. Well we know how the village setting becomes part of your summer experience. Do you think there are any campers that have lived in every village? Probably not. Maybe there are some staff members that have accomplished this rare feat.
Hopefully everyone who is reading this blog is also a facebook fan of Campus Kids Minisink. (www.facebook.com/pages/Port-Jervis-NY/Campus-Kids-Minisink) We have over 600 friends so join in on the party. You can also follow us on twitter. (www.twitter.com/ckminisink)
Have a great week and we will catch up soon.
Brad and Tricia
Happy fall to all! There are so many great things to do this time of the year. Remember the really cold weather is not too far away, so we should enjoy as much of the outdoors as possible. Maybe you can find some time to go on a hayride or go pumpkin picking. Some places have haunted hayrides if you like that type of scare. There are some farms that have amazing corn mazes. Have you ever tried one of them? They can be really wild and not as easy as you might think. Of course the fall has lots of sporting events happening. There are lots of games happening all over the area. Of course the fall is a great time to go for a hike, ride a bike, go fishing or head out to your local park to throw a football around. You don't have to be a nature lover to enjoy all the beautiful fall colors. It really is one of the treats that we get to enjoy in the northeast. (Florida does have nice palm trees to stare at)
We were at camp this weekend doing tours. We always tell you how beautiful camp gets this time of the year. It really does and walking around the lake is breathtaking. There has been some neat things done at camp over the last few weeks. The beam gym has been painted and it is now a blueish gray color. The maintenance staff has also done a lot of tree trimming so the villages look great. When we do tours we always decorate a cabin to show how it is used during the summer. This year we picked cabin two in Kalagesi. It is a fun village to show and it is a nice place to chat before heading to Lookout Point. Many times during the tours people will comment about how nice the village is arranged. Well we know how the village setting becomes part of your summer experience. Do you think there are any campers that have lived in every village? Probably not. Maybe there are some staff members that have accomplished this rare feat.
Hopefully everyone who is reading this blog is also a facebook fan of Campus Kids Minisink. (www.facebook.com/pages/Port-Jervis-NY/Campus-Kids-Minisink) We have over 600 friends so join in on the party. You can also follow us on twitter. (www.twitter.com/ckminisink)
Have a great week and we will catch up soon.
Brad and Tricia
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
New York State of Mind
Hello Campus Kids Friends,
One of the best parts of working for camp is we get to think about camp everyday. So while many of you are in school or at work, we are in the camp office working on programs for next summer. Another fun part of the job is giving tours to new families. So here is another opportunity to walk on the grounds of camp and dream about the summer. Minisink is amazingly beautiful during the fall season. The colors have already started to change around the lake. Following the trail from behind the blob towards the aqua zip and up past Wolfjaw is a great hike. Of course, you can continue up that trail all the way to High Point State Park. That would be some walk to take a prospective family. We always show our new campers the beautiful view from lookout point. That view into the dairy and farming region of New York is awe inspiring. Don't forgot that our camp reunion is in December and it will be a great time to relive the summer of 2010 and get fired up for 2011. Invitations for the reunion will be mailed out in November.
In October we have a few big projects that we will be starting. Our new CIT program was a huge success. We will be working on information, and applications for those who are eligible to apply for 2011. We know there is a great group of people that are interested and hopefully Mark will be able to return to oversee the program again. We will also be working on the first step of organizing the staff for 2011. We need to establish our staff charts and numbers for the new season. We will also be working on putting together our Weekend Adventure Trips. The excursions in 2010 went so well. One of the highlights was the day at Six Flags in New Jersey. The weather was very overcast that day and it kept the crowds away. So everyone was able to ride their favorite coasters as many times as they wanted. We can now claim to have tackled the tallest and fastest coaster in the world. (Just to go on record we were not scared before going on the ride---the scared look in our eyes was just an act) So please let us know if you have any thoughts about WEA 2011. We were thinking of planning a bang out trip to Boston. We will keep you updated.
Speaking of Boston, we would be rude not to mention that the baseball playoffs will be starting next week. It should be vary intense matches for all the teams. The baseball playoffs usually showcases better pitching and each inning carries so much pressure. Unfortunately the Red Sox and the Mets did not make the playoffs this year. (When is the last time the Mets made the playoffs?) So the Yankees will be the only local team to represent our area. Hopefully Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera can find the magic and bring home championship number 28. It should be fun!
Well it is time to stop day dreaming and get back to work. Enjoy all the nice weather we are having even the few days of rain. Have a great week and we will visit more next time.
Adios,
Brad and Tricia
One of the best parts of working for camp is we get to think about camp everyday. So while many of you are in school or at work, we are in the camp office working on programs for next summer. Another fun part of the job is giving tours to new families. So here is another opportunity to walk on the grounds of camp and dream about the summer. Minisink is amazingly beautiful during the fall season. The colors have already started to change around the lake. Following the trail from behind the blob towards the aqua zip and up past Wolfjaw is a great hike. Of course, you can continue up that trail all the way to High Point State Park. That would be some walk to take a prospective family. We always show our new campers the beautiful view from lookout point. That view into the dairy and farming region of New York is awe inspiring. Don't forgot that our camp reunion is in December and it will be a great time to relive the summer of 2010 and get fired up for 2011. Invitations for the reunion will be mailed out in November.
In October we have a few big projects that we will be starting. Our new CIT program was a huge success. We will be working on information, and applications for those who are eligible to apply for 2011. We know there is a great group of people that are interested and hopefully Mark will be able to return to oversee the program again. We will also be working on the first step of organizing the staff for 2011. We need to establish our staff charts and numbers for the new season. We will also be working on putting together our Weekend Adventure Trips. The excursions in 2010 went so well. One of the highlights was the day at Six Flags in New Jersey. The weather was very overcast that day and it kept the crowds away. So everyone was able to ride their favorite coasters as many times as they wanted. We can now claim to have tackled the tallest and fastest coaster in the world. (Just to go on record we were not scared before going on the ride---the scared look in our eyes was just an act) So please let us know if you have any thoughts about WEA 2011. We were thinking of planning a bang out trip to Boston. We will keep you updated.
Speaking of Boston, we would be rude not to mention that the baseball playoffs will be starting next week. It should be vary intense matches for all the teams. The baseball playoffs usually showcases better pitching and each inning carries so much pressure. Unfortunately the Red Sox and the Mets did not make the playoffs this year. (When is the last time the Mets made the playoffs?) So the Yankees will be the only local team to represent our area. Hopefully Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera can find the magic and bring home championship number 28. It should be fun!
Well it is time to stop day dreaming and get back to work. Enjoy all the nice weather we are having even the few days of rain. Have a great week and we will visit more next time.
Adios,
Brad and Tricia
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Summer days drifting away
Today is the last official day of summer. At least it is still warm enough to wear shorts. There has always been a simple rule in our camp office. (Ok--it is not really a rule but something we just stated out loud) The rule is that shorts have to be worn until summer ends. That does mean some chilly September nights of shorts and a sweat shirt, but rules are made to be followed. Now it is time to dig out some warmer clothing and maybe the ugly long-johns that your grandparents sent you for Christmas. (I like the ones with the footies) Of course if you need to warm your insides, just think back to all of our great memories from camp. It is hard to imagine that camp ended four weeks ago. It feels like we were just at Minisink enjoying the outdoors. If you close your eyes can you picture some of our great camp adventures? Can you see intense games of Ga-ga and Newcomb? Can you remember Simon teaching Fencing or the Lady Gaga shuffle? Are you getting excited because Luke just hooked you up on the ropes course and your next journey is 25 feet off the ground? Are you heading towards the arts complex to work with Tom and his crew on some creative project? How about some canoeing action or taking a spin on a sailboat? Maybe you need to get your heart pumping with a game of basketball, soccer, tennis, golf, or softball? So as the weather turns cooler, just take your mind's eye back to those warm fun filled moments.
So the title of this blog comes from a song from the musical Grease. We are guessing the music influence came from watching "Glee" last night. Do you watch it? Of course you do--even if you don't want to admit it. The show is really well done and has such an interesting cast of characters. Have you seen those recent facebook surveys where you can figure out which Glee cast member you are most similar to. Tricia was Quinn, Kathryn was Rachel, Brad was Finn, Jani was Tina. Of course this survey was not done during normal business hours. Anyway, do you think we should offer more Glee type activities at camp? We have so many talented campers and staff that love to sing. I am sure that Emily, LaToya, and Cory could create something fabulous! (have you ever heard Cory sing Les Mis?)
Speaking of TV, do you watch the show Modern Family? It was new last season and it was amazing. Check it out if you get a chance. It is on Wednesday night at 9:00 PM on ABC. (We do not receive any money for recommending this show--we just really love it) Well blog fans, time to get back to some real work. It was nice touching base with you and we will see you next week.
Happy camp memories to all and welcome to the fall season.
Brad and Tricia
So the title of this blog comes from a song from the musical Grease. We are guessing the music influence came from watching "Glee" last night. Do you watch it? Of course you do--even if you don't want to admit it. The show is really well done and has such an interesting cast of characters. Have you seen those recent facebook surveys where you can figure out which Glee cast member you are most similar to. Tricia was Quinn, Kathryn was Rachel, Brad was Finn, Jani was Tina. Of course this survey was not done during normal business hours. Anyway, do you think we should offer more Glee type activities at camp? We have so many talented campers and staff that love to sing. I am sure that Emily, LaToya, and Cory could create something fabulous! (have you ever heard Cory sing Les Mis?)
Speaking of TV, do you watch the show Modern Family? It was new last season and it was amazing. Check it out if you get a chance. It is on Wednesday night at 9:00 PM on ABC. (We do not receive any money for recommending this show--we just really love it) Well blog fans, time to get back to some real work. It was nice touching base with you and we will see you next week.
Happy camp memories to all and welcome to the fall season.
Brad and Tricia
Monday, September 13, 2010
Back to the Future
Happy Monday! We are back full time to the camp office as most of you are back to school and work. So back to the desk and thus begins the planning for the future, CKM 2011. We will rock it. (Sorry for that reference but we watched the VMA last night--just a thought, but what was Lady Gaga wearing? Do you think that Lady Gaga likes to play Ga-ga? Let's get her to camp to try it. Plus she needs to meet Simon!)
So the preparation for next summer is in full swing. This Sunday will be our first fall tour day. We love showing new families around camp. Once the fall fully arrives the colors on the trees are absolutely amazing. The lake is still warm enough for a few more zips down the aqua zip line. Maybe Luke can fly back from the UK to set it up for us. (He won't mind)
So the next few weeks are busy ones in the CK office. Although it feels like we just ended camp yesterday, it is time to start thinking about dance themes, bunk group names, special events, and new crazy events for the apache relay. During the year we will send you some fun surveys to get your input. We love hearing your feedback so don't be shy.
This past weekend we met someone who was not familiar with the concept of summer camp. We spent an hour sharing stories from the summer. It felt great to relive so many amazing memories. We directed this person to our website to see some of the zany photos from 2010. I know that pictures and words will not capture all the magic of camp, but we think he will get the idea. Speaking of photos, if you have any camp pictures that you want to share---please send them along. We love adding camper and staff pictures to the CK site.
So we are all back to school and back to work. Baseball season is winding down as the Yankees head towards the playoffs again. (Sorry Mets and Red Sox fans) Football season has just started and the Giants and the Patriots had good week one wins. Hopefully, the Jets will win their game on Monday night. (I wonder if any of our campers and staff will be there)
So have a great week and we will chat with you soon.
Brad and Tricia
PS. If you have not seen the movie "Back to the Future", you have to put that on your must see list. Download it today or move it up on your netflix priority list. It was made more than 25 years ago and the Flux Capacator still works!
So the preparation for next summer is in full swing. This Sunday will be our first fall tour day. We love showing new families around camp. Once the fall fully arrives the colors on the trees are absolutely amazing. The lake is still warm enough for a few more zips down the aqua zip line. Maybe Luke can fly back from the UK to set it up for us. (He won't mind)
So the next few weeks are busy ones in the CK office. Although it feels like we just ended camp yesterday, it is time to start thinking about dance themes, bunk group names, special events, and new crazy events for the apache relay. During the year we will send you some fun surveys to get your input. We love hearing your feedback so don't be shy.
This past weekend we met someone who was not familiar with the concept of summer camp. We spent an hour sharing stories from the summer. It felt great to relive so many amazing memories. We directed this person to our website to see some of the zany photos from 2010. I know that pictures and words will not capture all the magic of camp, but we think he will get the idea. Speaking of photos, if you have any camp pictures that you want to share---please send them along. We love adding camper and staff pictures to the CK site.
So we are all back to school and back to work. Baseball season is winding down as the Yankees head towards the playoffs again. (Sorry Mets and Red Sox fans) Football season has just started and the Giants and the Patriots had good week one wins. Hopefully, the Jets will win their game on Monday night. (I wonder if any of our campers and staff will be there)
So have a great week and we will chat with you soon.
Brad and Tricia
PS. If you have not seen the movie "Back to the Future", you have to put that on your must see list. Download it today or move it up on your netflix priority list. It was made more than 25 years ago and the Flux Capacator still works!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
News from Emma and Mike
Hey, it’s Emma and Mike writing the second CIT blog. Emma has been here for 10 years (whoa, that’s a long time!), and it’s Mike’s 5th. It’s been pretty hectic here since we last posted with all of the special events going on. The CITs were busy planning a special event for this past Friday. The event we ran was called Star Warz, a series of tournaments of different activities, and even though it was a rainy day, all of the campers seemed to have a lot of fun!
Week 3 was Ms. Campus Kids, where Simon’s “Lady Gaga” performance blew the crowd away. The CITs performed “Jersey Shore” and came in 6th. During week 4 the highly anticipated Apache Relay took place and Atlantis took the title for the second year in a row. This was the first year Apache was held at the Minisink campus, so everyone was really excited to see who would win this year. The week 4 dance theme was space, it was interesting to see some of the creative costumes from both campers and staff. Although many campers finished their stay here last week, we know that they went home with some great memories from Campus Kids! Now, it's week 5, new campers have arrived and there is more fun happening as we speak...
Week 3 was Ms. Campus Kids, where Simon’s “Lady Gaga” performance blew the crowd away. The CITs performed “Jersey Shore” and came in 6th. During week 4 the highly anticipated Apache Relay took place and Atlantis took the title for the second year in a row. This was the first year Apache was held at the Minisink campus, so everyone was really excited to see who would win this year. The week 4 dance theme was space, it was interesting to see some of the creative costumes from both campers and staff. Although many campers finished their stay here last week, we know that they went home with some great memories from Campus Kids! Now, it's week 5, new campers have arrived and there is more fun happening as we speak...
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Special Event Planning
Hi, my name is Effi. I have been going to CKM for seven years. Hi, my name is Ducky(yes it's my nickname, not my real name) and I went to CKCT for seven years and this is my first summer at CKM. We're both CITs!! For those who don't know what a CIT is, we are Counselors in Training. There are 14 of us, 12 guys and 2 girls. We are having a great time and are loving the program. Everyday we have meetings, prep work, do community service and help out the staff where we are needed.
The CIT program is a brand new program that is helping us to become better staff for the future and teach us leadership skills.
So every week we get assigned to different areas for third period and this first week of camp we got to spend Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thurday with our favorite people, Kathryn and Tricia!! Our job was to plan things for our first session dance: the International Dance. We made a list of things to do and, if we may say so, it's going to be an awesome dance. A few things that we have done to prepare is translate some fun words and some camp songs in different languages. Another thing we have done is to make a sign up sheet for people to request certain songs that are popular in different places and play them at the dance. We can't give all our COOL ideas away, though, and we have to go and do more CIT things.
So this is Effi and Ducky signing out!
Adios amigos!!!
The CIT program is a brand new program that is helping us to become better staff for the future and teach us leadership skills.
So every week we get assigned to different areas for third period and this first week of camp we got to spend Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thurday with our favorite people, Kathryn and Tricia!! Our job was to plan things for our first session dance: the International Dance. We made a list of things to do and, if we may say so, it's going to be an awesome dance. A few things that we have done to prepare is translate some fun words and some camp songs in different languages. Another thing we have done is to make a sign up sheet for people to request certain songs that are popular in different places and play them at the dance. We can't give all our COOL ideas away, though, and we have to go and do more CIT things.
So this is Effi and Ducky signing out!
Adios amigos!!!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tricia Jensen You Are The Winner...
Hey Everyone!
So, in our last newsletter I told you all that I won an awesome prize when we went to the Tri-State Camping Conference. Kathryn and I were in the exhibit hall and over the loud speaker we heard Tricia Jensen from Campus Kids Minisink you are the winner of the 5lb Hershey Bar. Say What? That was very exciting (not only for me but for Sophie and Liam too)!! It made me think about our amazing Sweet Escape WEA last summer. Going to Chocolate World is always my favorite part of the day. It never disappoints. I also love the Reese's Cup Challenge and spending time with all of the CK weekend adventurers! This summer the Sweet Escape WEA is our 1st trip, followed by The Brotherly Love Tour (NEW TRIP!!!) and rounding out the summer is our Adirondack Adventures trip. What an AWESOME program. If you are a CKM camper entering grades 7-11 or are one of our lucky CITs, you can sign up for this optional program. All forms have been mailed out however, if you need a form or details they are all available on our website www.campuskids.com . Trips are starting to fill up so be sure to sign up today.
Well, I better get back to working on our next newsletter. Before we know it we will all be in good old Port Jervis, NY at Campus Kids Minisink for an incredible summer together.
Tricia
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Perfect Camp Day
The other day we were driving up to camp for tours. Kathryn and Tricia were my co-pilot and back seat driver. They were trying to imagine what I was like as a child. So as we logged miles along I-84, I started to daydream about being a camper at Minisink. Thus, I designed in my mind's eye, The Perfect Camp Day.
Up at 7:30 AM because I am truly a morning person. I am the first one in to brush my teeth because I like the second sink from the end. I am dressed and ready to attack the day. Breakfast of champions is not really my calling, so I grab a quick bowl of cereal and some eggs. I am going to need the protein to power through this day. At the first assembly of the day, Ashley allows me to run through the schedule for everyone. In fact, I sing the schedule for all to hear. I am sure this caused some birds to cringe in their nests. Period one is a quick walk over to the baseball diamond for a spirited match. As some of you know I am a huge fan of the sport and a dead pull hitter to left field. I hit one ball to deep left and Mark Hill almost made a spectacular diving catch. Luckily he couldn't catch my line drive as I staggered into third with a triple. Back to assembly after our fun filled game. Period two is a close call between some adventure activities, mountain biking, or something I have never tried before. So period 2 I am off to fencing. I wish I had a puffy shirt and an eye patch. At fencing I realized that I love this activity and will 100% be signing up for fencing club.
After some quality bunk time with my co-campers and counselors it is off to lunch. The mid-day meal could only be one thing. A truly special camp lunch. A weird combination of food but a personal favorite. Taco Tuesday and Wings of Fire. Sure there is a great salad bar for some of you, but have plenty of hot sauce and napkins ready for me. After lunch we have a quick game of Frisbee football and then Ga-ga. Now it is off to period three.
The afternoon of fun begins with the aqua zip. I don't think that anything can match soaring out of the mountain and making a perfect landing into the lake. I hope the water is warm, but I do not think it will matter much. The thrill of the ride is worth the price of admission. Period four is another difficult choice. Should I sign up for radio, music, or rocketry? I really want to learn how to play the guitar. I think with some practice I could play somewhat like Clapton, Hendrix, or the Boss. Plus with my strong singing voice I might be ready to try out for American Idol. Not really! So music is the choice and learning some chords will be my goal. After some rocking and rolling it is off to snack. It is a beautiful day so I will drink some extra water to stay hydrated. Period five is really an easy choice. Having the lake in the middle of camp is perfect. I could go sailing or fishing or sign up for a nature activity and search for frogs. I will skip those choices for today and sign-up for free swim. An afternoon dip in the lake is invigorating. However, there is a bonus with this activity selection. The mighty Blob is available during free swim and this guy was born to blob. Hitting the blob in the direct center and sending a pal soaring into the water is silly joy. I think I made a wise choice to end my program day.
As the daylight begins to phase out, there is still plenty of action left in a camp day. Dinner was a delicious bar-b-q that included a small helping of yummy baked beans. The evening program in my perfect camp day would either be our carnival, the apache relay or gold rush. If I have to pick one then Gold Rush wins by a tiny nugget. I have participated in 25 gold rushes and every year it brings a big smile to my face. I am still anxiously waiting to win one of the shoot-outs. I have been practicing my aiming all winter. After the hunt for all the precious gold, my cabin group grabs our evening snacks. We head back to our village for some jokes, bonding time, and even some sleep.
It was really fun planning this perfect day. Sign me up to be 12 years old again.
Brad
Up at 7:30 AM because I am truly a morning person. I am the first one in to brush my teeth because I like the second sink from the end. I am dressed and ready to attack the day. Breakfast of champions is not really my calling, so I grab a quick bowl of cereal and some eggs. I am going to need the protein to power through this day. At the first assembly of the day, Ashley allows me to run through the schedule for everyone. In fact, I sing the schedule for all to hear. I am sure this caused some birds to cringe in their nests. Period one is a quick walk over to the baseball diamond for a spirited match. As some of you know I am a huge fan of the sport and a dead pull hitter to left field. I hit one ball to deep left and Mark Hill almost made a spectacular diving catch. Luckily he couldn't catch my line drive as I staggered into third with a triple. Back to assembly after our fun filled game. Period two is a close call between some adventure activities, mountain biking, or something I have never tried before. So period 2 I am off to fencing. I wish I had a puffy shirt and an eye patch. At fencing I realized that I love this activity and will 100% be signing up for fencing club.
After some quality bunk time with my co-campers and counselors it is off to lunch. The mid-day meal could only be one thing. A truly special camp lunch. A weird combination of food but a personal favorite. Taco Tuesday and Wings of Fire. Sure there is a great salad bar for some of you, but have plenty of hot sauce and napkins ready for me. After lunch we have a quick game of Frisbee football and then Ga-ga. Now it is off to period three.
The afternoon of fun begins with the aqua zip. I don't think that anything can match soaring out of the mountain and making a perfect landing into the lake. I hope the water is warm, but I do not think it will matter much. The thrill of the ride is worth the price of admission. Period four is another difficult choice. Should I sign up for radio, music, or rocketry? I really want to learn how to play the guitar. I think with some practice I could play somewhat like Clapton, Hendrix, or the Boss. Plus with my strong singing voice I might be ready to try out for American Idol. Not really! So music is the choice and learning some chords will be my goal. After some rocking and rolling it is off to snack. It is a beautiful day so I will drink some extra water to stay hydrated. Period five is really an easy choice. Having the lake in the middle of camp is perfect. I could go sailing or fishing or sign up for a nature activity and search for frogs. I will skip those choices for today and sign-up for free swim. An afternoon dip in the lake is invigorating. However, there is a bonus with this activity selection. The mighty Blob is available during free swim and this guy was born to blob. Hitting the blob in the direct center and sending a pal soaring into the water is silly joy. I think I made a wise choice to end my program day.
As the daylight begins to phase out, there is still plenty of action left in a camp day. Dinner was a delicious bar-b-q that included a small helping of yummy baked beans. The evening program in my perfect camp day would either be our carnival, the apache relay or gold rush. If I have to pick one then Gold Rush wins by a tiny nugget. I have participated in 25 gold rushes and every year it brings a big smile to my face. I am still anxiously waiting to win one of the shoot-outs. I have been practicing my aiming all winter. After the hunt for all the precious gold, my cabin group grabs our evening snacks. We head back to our village for some jokes, bonding time, and even some sleep.
It was really fun planning this perfect day. Sign me up to be 12 years old again.
Brad
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Dear Summer...
Dear Summer,
I am sitting here at my desk waiting patiently for you. I look out the window and I see snow on the ground and it makes me long for green grass, tulips, bluebirds and the beach! I want to be able to go outside in my shorts and flip flops and play with Sophie and Liam and most importantly I desperately want to head up to camp. While your brother Winter has lot of great things to offer such as sledding, building snowmen, throwing snowballs there is one thing that it cannot offer me...CAMP! I understand that you are a couple of months away and while we wait we will certainly enjoy the Spring and all that it has to offer us. I just wanted to let you know that you have a huge group of fans waiting for your arrival.
Your friend,
Tricia
I am sitting here at my desk waiting patiently for you. I look out the window and I see snow on the ground and it makes me long for green grass, tulips, bluebirds and the beach! I want to be able to go outside in my shorts and flip flops and play with Sophie and Liam and most importantly I desperately want to head up to camp. While your brother Winter has lot of great things to offer such as sledding, building snowmen, throwing snowballs there is one thing that it cannot offer me...CAMP! I understand that you are a couple of months away and while we wait we will certainly enjoy the Spring and all that it has to offer us. I just wanted to let you know that you have a huge group of fans waiting for your arrival.
Your friend,
Tricia
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Past Week (and a half) in Review...
Hey Everyone!
I hope you all are having a wonderful week!! I wonder how many of you have been snowed in?? We had a decent amount of snow in CT though not as much as predicted. However we do have enough to make some good snow angels and snowballs...that's all that matters!
So, I'm sure many of you stayed up Sunday night watching the Super Bowl. I am not much of a football person but I do enjoy getting together with my family, watching the commercials and eating good food. The food did not disappoint, I think we could have fed all of camp with what we had. Haha!! We had wings, pigs in a blanket, shrimp cocktail, pulled pork, meatball sandwiches, pizza, cookies, cupcakes...oh my I better stop I am making myself hungry!! Now that I think of it, we should have a super bowl party at camp! That would be way too much fun! To make it even better for Brad and all of those Jets fans out there, we can have the Jets make it to our CKM Super Bowl. You're welcome Brad...I'm always looking out for you!
Ok, so I did title this blog the past week (and a half) in review so I better talk about what else I did this past week. Here I go, I'll work my way backwards. This past weekend we were up at camp for tours. We absolutely froze on Sunday. As we walked along the path past assembly towards the drama hall the wind that was coming off the lake was absolutely incredible. I think I got brain freeze!! YOUCH! But all in all it was a great weekend, we met a lot of new families who are really excited about CKM and look forward to being part of our camp family. This past week I have also been working on bunk groups. Many of you are saying to yourself, Bunk groups? Why on earth would Tricia be working on bunk groups in February? Well, I can answer that for you. I start early so we can really figure out which weeks we have spaces for. We also start early so we can make sure we do the best to honor the bunk mate requests that you send in. There's a lot of work that needs to be done early to make each summer a successful one. Part of that work is staffing, which we did...interviews, returning staff list, trainings, etc. At the start of the week, which for my blog will be the weekend (1/30-1/31) it was very busy. We had tours on the 30th and Brad and I ventured out to Brooklyn on the 31st for a camp fair. Whew! There you go, "the past week (and a half) in review". I hope this is a great week for everyone and I look forward to my next blog.
Tricia
I hope you all are having a wonderful week!! I wonder how many of you have been snowed in?? We had a decent amount of snow in CT though not as much as predicted. However we do have enough to make some good snow angels and snowballs...that's all that matters!
So, I'm sure many of you stayed up Sunday night watching the Super Bowl. I am not much of a football person but I do enjoy getting together with my family, watching the commercials and eating good food. The food did not disappoint, I think we could have fed all of camp with what we had. Haha!! We had wings, pigs in a blanket, shrimp cocktail, pulled pork, meatball sandwiches, pizza, cookies, cupcakes...oh my I better stop I am making myself hungry!! Now that I think of it, we should have a super bowl party at camp! That would be way too much fun! To make it even better for Brad and all of those Jets fans out there, we can have the Jets make it to our CKM Super Bowl. You're welcome Brad...I'm always looking out for you!
Ok, so I did title this blog the past week (and a half) in review so I better talk about what else I did this past week. Here I go, I'll work my way backwards. This past weekend we were up at camp for tours. We absolutely froze on Sunday. As we walked along the path past assembly towards the drama hall the wind that was coming off the lake was absolutely incredible. I think I got brain freeze!! YOUCH! But all in all it was a great weekend, we met a lot of new families who are really excited about CKM and look forward to being part of our camp family. This past week I have also been working on bunk groups. Many of you are saying to yourself, Bunk groups? Why on earth would Tricia be working on bunk groups in February? Well, I can answer that for you. I start early so we can really figure out which weeks we have spaces for. We also start early so we can make sure we do the best to honor the bunk mate requests that you send in. There's a lot of work that needs to be done early to make each summer a successful one. Part of that work is staffing, which we did...interviews, returning staff list, trainings, etc. At the start of the week, which for my blog will be the weekend (1/30-1/31) it was very busy. We had tours on the 30th and Brad and I ventured out to Brooklyn on the 31st for a camp fair. Whew! There you go, "the past week (and a half) in review". I hope this is a great week for everyone and I look forward to my next blog.
Tricia
Monday, January 18, 2010
Cupcakes and Cadbury Bars
Hey Everyone!
Happy New Year! I hope that the start of 2010 has been a good one for you all. In the Jensen household we have had a busy start. We returned from our Disney vacation and then came time to celebrate birthdays. Liam turned 2 on Jan. 10th and then Sophie turned 4 on Jan. 12th. We certainly have enjoyed lots of cupcakes and cookies!! Even our dog has a January birthday, Jack will be 9 on Jan. 22nd!!! January is our month...
When we were in Disney one of our favorite places to visit was Epcot. When we went to the different countries in the World Showcase it made us think of our camp friends. When we visited England we definitely had to pick up a couple of Cadbury bars- that's always a great treat! I also was super excited to see that they sold Charlie and Lola stuff (Hannah you know how much we love that show)!! We had such a great time!!
We are now just months away from the start of camp. We have been busy working on staffing, attending camp fairs and giving tours. We were just at camp this past weekend, it was absolutely beautiful up there. I can't wait for camp to begin- 5 months to go.
Until my next blog-
Tricia
Happy New Year! I hope that the start of 2010 has been a good one for you all. In the Jensen household we have had a busy start. We returned from our Disney vacation and then came time to celebrate birthdays. Liam turned 2 on Jan. 10th and then Sophie turned 4 on Jan. 12th. We certainly have enjoyed lots of cupcakes and cookies!! Even our dog has a January birthday, Jack will be 9 on Jan. 22nd!!! January is our month...
When we were in Disney one of our favorite places to visit was Epcot. When we went to the different countries in the World Showcase it made us think of our camp friends. When we visited England we definitely had to pick up a couple of Cadbury bars- that's always a great treat! I also was super excited to see that they sold Charlie and Lola stuff (Hannah you know how much we love that show)!! We had such a great time!!
We are now just months away from the start of camp. We have been busy working on staffing, attending camp fairs and giving tours. We were just at camp this past weekend, it was absolutely beautiful up there. I can't wait for camp to begin- 5 months to go.
Until my next blog-
Tricia
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