Embrace the End

Today was camper’s choice day, which was the best way to end the session. The campers love the freedom of choosing their activities and going exactly where they want to go. Today we had some special activities like the Arts Fest where campers made stickers, tie-dyed, decorated cookies, sang karaoke and more. We had a new activity, Tetherball with Toddlers, where Mia and Catherine got to hang out with campers at the tetherball court. (A highlight for the toddlers for sure!)

While the activities dictated the schedule, it was the friendships that ruled the day. I love that as we wind down our session, our summer, campers are embracing every moment they have with the people they have grown to love over the past three weeks. This is so precious to me. I feel incredibly grateful that because of Camp Highlander your children have built friendships and made memories that will last a lifetime.

Favorite Details of the Day

• Reflect at the Rock: Evan talked about friendship and cherishing the friendships we have made at camp over the past three weeks.
• Meals: Breakfast was waffles, bacon,eggs, fruit bar,oatmeal and grits. Lunch was chicken fingers, french fries and salad bar. Dinner was pot roast with carrots, celery and onions, rice, green salad and homemade rolls. We had cupcakes for dessert to celebrate my birthday!
• EP: Dancing with the Activity Counselors! This was a fantastic EP, and all of our campers were stars tonight.
• Weather: We had beautiful weather all day, and it started to rain just as the EP began. I am amazed at the unbelievable weather we have had for the past three weeks. We have been so blessed.

As I write this blog tonight, I am overwhelmed with the sadness of good-byes. This will be my last blog for the summer of 2019, and I just can’t believe how quickly the summer has flown by. Tomorrow, I will share my last day with your children and our staff. I will soak up every conversation, cherish every hug, appreciate every smile, take pleasure in every laugh and treasure every tear.

Tomorrow will be difficult. Saying good-bye is never easy, but for our camp family it feels almost impossible. We have grown so close over the past 3, 5, 7 and even 9 weeks (for staff), and it is just so hard to wait another 9 months for camp to come back again. Somebody please tell us why camp can’t last all year!

So for now, I will choose to embrace the end, appreciate the gift and give thanks for what has been!

Thank you to our campers for giving your best to Camp Highlander – for your laughter and your joy that brings life to Old Forge mountain. Without you, there is no Camp Highlander. We love you!

Thank you to our staff for the incredible kindness you have shown to us, to each other and to our campers. Thank you for embracing our mission each day, as you loved others more than yourselves. Thank you for your sense of humor, your flexibility, your laughter, hard work, sacrifice of time, space and sleep. You amaze me each and every day, and it is an honor and privilege to work alongside you. You have changed me, and I am forever grateful for your impact on Highlander and my heart. We love you!

Thank you to our amazing camp parents. Thank you for sharing your beautiful children with us this summer and trusting us to love and care for them. We are so incredibly honored that you chose Camp Highlander to be a part of your summer. Thank you for partnering with us to raise happy campers that will grow into happy adults that create a happier world for all of us. Thank you for checking in each day here at the blog. It has been a joy and a pleasure to share our world with you. We love you!

We look forward to the summer of 2020 and all the fun that it will hold. We hope to see you and your children again next summer.

One love, Melissa and Bryan