you be the principal, i'll be the teacher...

ava and blake: hey, brenden, come sit over here with us!

brenden: what are we doing?

blake: we're having a meeting.

ava: no. we're just sitting here because its so hot. you know, girls dont like to run around and get all hot and sweaty.


[kindergarten.]

the things my camera has seen

well, the last few weeks have been crazybusy. moving is a stressful undertaking. i'm still battling the boxes in the extra room. but i have managed to make the other rooms entirely my own. i like that every single thing i put in the place is of my choosing. so its exactly me. nothing more. nothing less. [i have been going through some of the boxes and unpacking and such, i promise.]

also. i got a job. i'm not sure there was doubt that i would, but anyway i did. i'll be working at an elementary school as an aide for a little boy in kindergarten. i'm pretty excited about it. [but really, i could use a second one from about 20 hours a week. because 3 w2s are not going to be enough for me.]

and on completely happy notes, i've spent the last two weekends in peoria with some of my favorite people. one of my roommates from college [julieface] got married this weekend. last weekend, jes and i [and julie's sister janna] went to peoria to surprise julie with a fun bachelorette weekend! it was superfun.



first we went to a shower of sorts.









and then we got the whole wedding party [well, almost] together for some fun times bowling!

















julie's sister, janna








molly, another sister













and another sister- madison










after bowling, we did fun bachelorette party-type things. i dont have any pictures of this time. but even if i did, i would never want to post any evidence or anything.

i went home on sunday. i got to see leslie and jamin, mom and daddy, kim and andy, and several members of the youth group. it was a quick visit, but well worth it.

so this weekend was the actual wedding. i left jackson at 4:45 friday morning to get to peoria in time for the bridesmaid luncheon. friday was a busy day, as most pre-wedding friday's are. and then saturday started really early....




getting our hair done at 6:30 in the morning.







but it was a beautiful wedding. absolutely wonderful. congratulations and best wishes, jed and julie!




jes and i in what were arguably the least obnoxious bridesmaid dresses in the history of bridesmaid dresses.









then after the wedding it was time for some fun with old union friends plus one groomsman and the maid of honor. we went to eat at a little pizza place and then we walked by the riverfront.




me on some train tracks.











fred was there!









and dustin!








and kendal!








and then i began my long journey home. this was the first time i had ever been the one to travel the furthest for a group event. anyway. my legs and backside started to get tired a few hours in, so i planned to stop in st. louis and walk around to visit the arch for a while [since we're old friends, you know]. but alas, there was some kind of parkpalooza thing happening so the only parking i could find was several blocks away and i didnt feel ok with the whole walking that far by myself thing. so here are some drive-bys.


























well, there you have it. a brief update on the last few weeks. i'm incredibly talkative, i know.

right

so, a lot of things have happened in the last few weeks.
after a week at home, jes came to town and we went to myrtle beach with my grandmother and her friend mary [aunt mary]. we had so much fun. we did some pretty great things. it was nice to spend time with her.









then i got to spend some time with this sweet boy. he came and spent the night with me and the whole next day. it was wonderful.













and then i moved. to jackson. to start my masters. i meant to take some pictures of the whole moving process, but i really did not have a chance to. [sorry kim.] so here are some pictures of my new apartment. sorry things look messy. i'm still in that unpacking/living out of boxes faze.


living room.











bathroom.















cool shelf thing in the hall.














kitchen.













second bedroom. which i currently call the crap room.










my bedroom. this is my bed. isnt it pretty? soon there will be pictures on the wall.









across from my bed. i love that those two pieces of furniture sit side by side.








i had my first class tonight. i really enjoyed it. i think i'm going to really love getting my masters.

i dont know much else to tell right now. but i will try to come up with something deeply interesting later.

oh! i have an address here now. just in case you wanted it.

UU 431
Emily Orten
1050 Union University Dr.
Jackson, TN 38305


love.

i'm home.

and that is enough.

just in case you didnt know.....

i'll be home in less than a week!!!!!


[and this is what happens when you let people pick your accessories at target. i blame the long day at waterworld.]

thats all for now. love.

and i didnt even have to stay up all night!

I SAW A BEAR YESTERDAY!!!!

it was so exciting. little fella was just chilling in a tree down by bennett [another day camp building- for 2,3,4 year olds- about 500 yards from my building]. he was probably about a year old and he had climbed the tree to get away from the stupid buildings and grounds [b&g] people that had been chasing it. poor guy. well, i guess they cant have bears breaking into cabins or whatever, but still. he was so cute with his black body and his little brown snout. we had to leave eventually because they wanted the bear to come down so they could chase it off. apparently the new department of wildlife [dow] rule [which used to involve three strikes] says that if they have to trap a bear, they kill it. so our director of outdoor ed convinced b&g not to call the dow and let her chase it off when it came down. that way it wouldnt have to be killed. then when it finally did come down, several of my friends got to go help chase it across the river.

so here's the lesson to be learned, friends. bears are wild animals. they cause a lot of ruckus when they come around camps like ours and leaving food out where they can get to it only causes them to come back. this one happened to be little and scared and easily taken care of, but it easily could have worked out differently. this could have been a mama bear protecting her cubs. she could have hurt the 10 five year olds she ran past on her way around bennett and up a tree. and she could have been killed. so dont feed the bears, people.

[p.s. i sadly do not have pictures. he was way up in a tree. it had to be seen, not photographed. i guess i still might have to camp out at leggett anyway.]

i know. i'm sorry. can we just blame the altitude?

me at emerald lake.






















dream lake.


















nymph lake. see the lilypads?













sprague lake.






ok, so i realize that its been almost a month since i posted on this thing, and i'm terribly sorry about that. but anyway. i'll try to catch you up.

these are some pictures from the last month. these four are from hikes i've done with campers. there are tons more pictures from hikes with campers and from the days my parents came to visit here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021561&l=932c4&id=181100553
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021569&l=97e71&id=181100553

so lets see. what else might be interesting? i celebrated the 4th of july differently than i ever have. we hiked up part of a trail and watched fireworks over lake estes from the mountains. it was so beautiful up there. and so different. but i had fun. here are some pictures from that.





you could see all of estes from up there. its kind of in the middle of the picture.












there were some gorgeous rock formations.









my friends becca and jane out on this big ridge. they had to climb some massive boulders to get there. i didnt go. cause i'm a chicken.












rainbow.








i guess the best part of the last month was having mom and daddy come visit. it was so good to see them. plus, we did a lot of normal colorado tourist things that i havent really gotten to do this summer since i'm supposed to be a local or whatever. we drove trail ridge road and fall river road. trail ridge road is a 48 mile road that goes straight through rocky mountain national park. it was so beautiful. fall river road is its predecessor, is significantly shorter, and offers completely different views. both were amazing and i am so glad that we went on them. we ate at sprague lake one day and then walked around it too. i love sprague. i went there with my 5th and 6th graders and then took mama and daddy back there. its just so pretty. we went to boulder. and we spent some time in loveland- where we ate at my very favorite restaurant: chili's! boulder is interesting. we went to pearl street mall, where there were lots of fun things to watch and lots of people playing music. there were these boys there playing buckets. it was so neat. we also drove through historic boulder and toured the celestial seasons factory. it really was a great trip. i was sad for them to leave. [and mama did my laundry- i dont think she can even know how much i appreciated that.]

apparently there have been bears all over the place here. people have seen them and trash cans and dumpsters have shown the evidence in the mornings. but i still havent seen one. sad. but i'll keep you posted on that. i might have to go sit on the porch of my day camp building and wait for the one thats been getting in our trash cans. i really want to see one.

ok. thats relatively short for a month of information. i've been doing a lot, but its mostly just camp as usual and then hanging out on nights and weekends. nothing really report-worthy.

so. i miss you. and i love you. and i hope you are well.

as previously promised

here are a few pictures from the last month or so. the first three are from the snow we had on JUNE 5th! and the last one is from my trip to denver. you should go here and see more pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020793&l=0d75c&id=181100553

things have been going ok here. i've been really busy and having fun at camp.

i've had some challenging kids, but i've learned a lot and i am still really glad that i am doing what i'm doing. sometimes i really doubt myself, though. i'm not always sure that i'm cut out for this or any good at this. but i still feel called and i guess that means i will be equipped.

denver was really fun. we ate at a great restuarant, went to a huge bookstore [3 floors!], went to what has to be the biggest rei in the world, and shopped at the 16th street mall. it was a nice time. i had a fun trip.

i've watched a lot of movies and a lot of episodes of the office recently. that has been fun too. i'm really enjoying my time for the most part and i'm having fun with my new friends. last weekend i made a long sleeve tie-dye shirt at the craft shop. i really like it. i may have to quit my day job and tie-dye all the time. ok, maybe not.

i guess thats all there is to tell right now. if i havent talked to you in recent days, i want to. call anytime.

love and hugs.

you'd be jealous of my tan line

its gorgeous here these days! it has finally warmed up and i am able to wear something other than my jeans and fleece jacket. 

i got my first sunburn on saturday. it was pretty funny. just my shins- basically just a rectangle on them. the redness is gone, but i still have the lines. now that i'm not wearing long pants, i'm beginning to get a bit of a sock line and i'm sure the shorts line is not far behind. my hands are the darkest part on my body right now. and my arms are not far behind. the t-shirt line is beginning, too. i'm just a bunch of tan lines. it should be pretty funny by the end of the summer.

i can only hope the beach helps even out the lines before julie's wedding. otherwise i'm going to make friends with the sunless tan stuff.

i'm working with the same kid as last week. he's wearing me out. but i am learning and enjoying it. next week i am working with a 6 year old. i'm pretty excited about that, especially since i think i want to do elementary special education. 

saturday was pretty fun. i volunteered at the kids fun run. estes has a marathon every year and they have kids races the day before. we cheered the kids on during the races and then ran a carnival for them. we were supposed to do parachute games, but there was a blow-up obstacle course and the kids were so excited about that that they didnt want to do anything else. the races were really cute. the youngest ones were about 4 or 5. they were so funny to watch. i had a good time.

it was sad to not be with my daddy on father's day. i really missed him and home. i think it was the first time i wasnt with him on father's day. it was just really hard. [i hope all the fathers out there had excellent father's days.]

i'm going to denver on friday. several of us are taking someone to the train station and then spending the night downtown. then we are going to shop and have fun on saturday and come back saturday evening. i'm pretty excited about it. i'm going to get some tennis shoes and sunglasses. and it will be fun just to be away from here for a little bit. i think i went 2 weeks without even leaving the y grounds. that was insane. its like a separate little world up here. so it will be nice to get away from the y and estes. [and just in case you were wondering, estes is like gatlinburg, except maybe a little smaller.]

i guess thats about all for now. hope you are well. love and hugs.

so little, so much

very little has really changed since the last time i posted on here. i'm still enjoying the beautiful setting, its still cold, and its snowing again.

but on the other hard, i guess some big things have happened. 

1. i worked with my first special needs kids starting monday. he's a sweet kid. he's extremely high-functioning, so most of what he needs me for are the social aspects of camp. he doesnt like to participate in most activities. for the most part, he would be perfectly content to sit on the sidelines and watch what is going on. so i usually have to encourage him to participate and then he ends up having a good time. and sometimes he wanders off. its like he just gets distracted. but i'm really enjoying working with him. he gives me something to do and he seems to really respond to me. and i am grateful for him because he is giving me a chance to do what i feel so completely called to do. now that i know what God created me for, i ache to do it. so its nice. i will work with him the rest of this week and next week.

2. i participated in the completion of a 1000 piece puzzle and bonded a little with some girls in the process. they are really great and it was nice to make some friends who enjoy the same things i do. we laughed and had fun and, maybe for the first time [when i wasnt with kids], i really enjoyed being here without feeling homesick. [i have had fun and i have loved the view and i have loved being here, but i've also carried that deep want to not be here too]. it was nice. and i felt so accomplished.

3. they reduced the price of washing clothes from $2.00 to $1.75. this sounds rather minor as i type it, but its a pretty big deal around here. 

4. i was asked to be a bridesmaid. i felt so honored. and this was a highlight of the week.

5. i have submitted a form for my parents to be able to use my comp nights to come visit in july. i really hope they get to come. it will be a nice break in the middle of the summer to have them here. to have a taste of home. to have family and comfort here in this place that i am growing to love. and i am really excited for them to experience this place too.

the more i start to think that i understand time, the more i realize that it is really hard for my little mind to understand. i have been here 3 weeks. it seems like an eternity and a second all at once. the days go quickly, especially when i am with campers all day. but i look back over the last 3 weeks and feel like i have been here forever. the past 2 weeks have passed like a flash, and yet i look at the next 9 and a half weeks and feel like they will last forever. it seems like the end of the summer is approaching too quickly and too slowly all at once. its weird, this simultaneous turtle and hare speed. and i'm not even sure how i feel about it all.

there are so many things that happen here. i know i am forgetting them. but i didnt want to go too long without writing. if i think of other things, i will post them later. 

i hope you are well. know that my love is with you.

since sunday [and including sunday]

well, here's a recap of whats happened since my last post.

just so you know, its been interesting.

june 1- benji called me at 7:00 this morning to let me know that the youth group was on its way to new orleans. i babbled incoherently for a few minutes and then he let me go back to sleep. i called later to check in and it sounded like they were having a fun and safe trip. i really miss those people. i wish i was on that trip.

i called julie today to wish her a happy birthday and found out some excellent news. julie is engaged! i'm very excited for her. i also told her that she could not get married before september or otherwise i would not be able to be there. and that would be sad. i think shes ok with waiting until then. [but i guess its really not up to me. i just want to be there.]

june 2- today was fun. it was the first day of camp! we only had three kids in our group. they were all siblings. so, of course, they bickered a lot but it wasnt too bad and we still had a good time. they were cute and it was nice to be around little ones again. we played games, face painted, and made up stories. after they left at 11:45, i got to be on support staff. i made a bajillion copies of some "leave no trace" games. that was insane. but now i can tell you a lot about leave no trace. or at least some. 

today was a good day. it was beautiful outside. i also got a message from benji, morgan, rebecca, anna, and jenny. benji screamed something about seeing a live armadillo for the first time and then described how he got them lost going to walmart. it was pretty funny and the whole thing really brightened my day. 

i'm exhausted. but happy.

june 3- we made ice cream today. this involved mixing ingredients and then shaking them in baggies of ice. it was interesting. the kids really enjoyed it. we played putt-putt too. we had our staff meeting today and i found out that i'm going to be working with the rangers next week [third graders]. that should be interesting. i'm a little nervous about it. 

june 4- we swam today. the littlest of my campers stayed attached to me the entire time. if i wasnt holding him, he had his legs wrapped around me knee. it was kind of cute. i did a lot of busy work this afternoon. my co-counselor for next week and i planned our activities for our little rangers next week. i think it is going to be fun. 

i talked to leslie today! i was so excited. i miss her so much. sometimes i dont even know what to do without her.

it rained and hailed earlier tonight. there was some thunder too. i think its supposed to be cold tomorrow. even if it is, i'm just happy to be experiencing it all. 

well. it was cold today.

in fact, it SNOWED!!!! on june 5th! seriously. it was snowing when i left my room this morning and it snowed until well after noon. there was some accumulation but it all melted once the snow turned to rain. it was amazing. we dont get much snow in nashville, so i was like a little kid. i took lots of pictures of it. as soon as i get my camera cord or find someone who's camera is compatible with my memory card, i will try to post them on here and facebook. it was beautiful. i cant even describe it.

today was a good day still. we covered out kids up in trash bag ponchos and took them outside anyway. we walked to one of the trailheads and my co-counselor taught them how to build an emergency shelter. it was pretty neat. we just used logs and pine needles that were already on the ground and built a small little shelter that no water could get through. i was really proud of the kids. they worked really hard. the littlest one kept trying to carry these huge logs to where we were building the shelter and the oldest was focused on finding pine needles. it was nice to see them be so invested in it and having so much fun. 

this afternoon was kind of boring because we couldnt do too much in the building because a lot of kids were in there. but i still had fun and enjoyed my day. its still pretty cold but hopefully it will warm up soon. 

we have horseback riding tomorrow! i'm excited. i hope i get to ride, but i may have to take the five year old campers on a pony ride instead of going on the horseback ride. we'll see, i guess.

love to you. 

now, you tell me something interesting.

the last few weeks

i wanted to create a place that would make it easy for people to know whats going on in my life- especially over the next few months.

i am currently sitting on my bed in my dorm room in estes park, colorado at the ymca of the rockes where i will be a special needs counselor at day camp. needless to say, there is a lot going on and many things that i want to be able to tell everyone about. this will make it easier for me. my time is full, but i will post here as much as possible so that i can keep everyone up to date all at once.

and this will be pretty much a "what happened when" kind of blog for a while. but thats all i've got time for right now.

i've been writing in a personal journal nightly. here are some pieces of the last week and a half.


may 21- today i flew to denver, took a shuttle [2 hours!] from denver to camp, checked in, got my id, and lugged my bags across the world to my room.
i went to a campfire tonight with all the day camp staff. it was exciting- except that i think the smoke had it in for me. i couldnt escape it. and now i smell like smoke. my hair still smells like smoke even after i washed it twice in the shower.
i talked to mom and dad several times today. they are so supportive and love me so much. and i got messages from benji and andy. they are good to me. i'm really lucky to have such great parents and such a strong support system. and its really nice to know that they all think i can do this. i'm so unsure. but knowing that they believe in me is helpful.

may 22- i am slightly less homesick today, and i met more people. i havent felt great physically, though. my legs ached- which made it hard to sit through 8 hours of mind-numbing orientation. i think this gross feeling is a combination of the altitude change, dragging things around yesterday, homesickness, and exhaustion.
i did learn a few interesting things today- how to avoid getting struck my lightening, what to do around wild animals [make myself look bigger, make noise, dont get between moms and babies- pretty general stuff], and that guests will ask when the deer turn into elk [ha! september 3, duh!]. it was really neat last night at the bonfire that there were elk about 100 yrds from us. i'm in such a beautiful place. God's creation is so amazing.
apparently there were tornados in co today. we had no idea here. it rained a little and there was thunder and lightening- but apparently thats pretty normal around here. there was also this crazy hailstorm. it looked like it was pouring down rain but it was really hail- about the size of a pen cap. it lasted maybe 10 minutes and then it was over.

may 23- today was fun. breakfast, i have discovered, is the best meal of the day. i went to the legett building [where i'll be working] for the first time today. it was lots of fun getting to meet people and get to know them a little. we went on an "on the grounds hike" this afternoon. it will be nice when i adjust to the elevation a little and dont have so much trouble breathing. i also went to see the indiana jones movie. interesting. way past normal indiana jones weirdness. but i had a good time. and on the way back, i was so amazed at the stars. i havent seen them that clearly in so long.

may 24- i am glad that God has put me in this place so that i can be surrounded by sheer beauty and constant reminders of who He is. i woke up a little blue this morning- i dont know why but i just felt unsure and lonesome and unprepared. but after reading my Bible and prayer, i started to feel better. this morning was so much fun- team building games, nature exploring and games, parachute games. i got to know some of the other legett couselors better which made me more comfortable. we were supposed to check out the high ropes and climbing wall but the people werent there to tell us about them so we got off a little early. i went into town after dinner to look for tennis shoes. didnt find any but i got some cute shirts for jamin.
all in all, today was a good day. and tomorrow is my first day off!

may 25- today was my first sunday in the mountains. i went to the chapel service. it was great. the people were super nice. i sat next to this older couple. the lady's name was dot, and much like my own grandmother dot, she talked to me a lot and made me feel really welcome. i will definitely be making this a part of my sundays.
i did a lot of reading today. i also talked to morgan. she really lifted my spirits. then i played skipbo and went to the admin building after dinner. i got to check my email and facebook for the first time. that was nice.

may 26- we did some policy and procedure skits today in training. they were pretty funny. then we went down to the low ropes course. out team did several activities but i remember the spider web and the rope swing the best. the spider web involved lifting people through a web without touching the ropes. they lifted me through one of the low ones. it felt really weird to have all those people pushing and pulling and holding me through. we had to swing on a rope to get to hula hoops. and we went to the livery this afternoon. i really hope i get to ride horses some this summer.
i got to see the calendar of kids with special needs coming this summer. it looks like most of the ones who come will be here for several weeks. i think that i will get to know them, so thats exciting.
today was kind of yucky outside. it was cloudy and rainy most of the day. i am ready for the beautiful, sunny, comfortably warm co weather i have heard about. plus i want to take some pictures, and all these clouds need to go away so i can do that.

may 27- another day of training. we went to the pool for orientation and did our swim tests today. we got to play for a little while too. i got some postcards at the general store today. i will be sending a lot of mail soon- 10 postcards and 3 cards. it was fun to sit and write them all. it made me feel connected to those people. i also checked my mail for the first time and i got a letter for morgan! it made me so happy.
today it was a little nicer outside than yesterday. it didnt get really cold until 7 or so.

may 28- today was interesting. i was really excited because a girl from a special needs camp came and talked about inclusion. it was really interesting for me. and this afternoon we got our assignments for next week. we dont have a ton of kids so a lot of people got to take days off next week. that means i get to work with a group- they are called the sundancers: ages 5 to 10 and only come for half day.
the clouds finally cleared and i got to take some pictures. that was good.

may 29- i was tired this morning. we had song and flag time and then hike training. then we set out on our "all-day" hike. we hiked to moraine park which is in rocky mountain national park [how cool is it that we can hike from y grounds right into the park?]. it wasnt too bad. somebody decided we should go to the moraine park museum and we ended up on this little nature walk and got to learn all about the area. it was pretty interesting. i really love park rangers. they always seem to be really smart and nice.
we met this afternoon to ride the vans up to gail's cabin. shes the director of programs. we went for a cookout. it was great. she basically lives out on a ridge in a mountain. we could climb out on some rocks and see everything- the whole y and more mountains than i could count. it was surreal. i think i got some good pictures. but i'm pretty sure the photos can never capture the true beauty of this place. i still cant believe i'm spending the summer here.
i got a package today from home. it was full of goodies and essentials i forgot. i'm glad to have my robe and blankets from my bed. they make me feel more comfortable. i really have amazing parents. i'm so blessed to be so loved and cared for by so many people.
i realized today how much i miss my susan gray kids. i hope i was able to give them just a little of the immeasurable good they gave me. i also remembered the passion i have for speical education. natasha was asking about it and i got fired up just thinking about it. i'm glad to be working toward making a difference. its nice to finally know my passion and what i was made to do.

may 30- being here is so strange. the days blend together. i had no idea it was friday for most of the day. it was nothing like a typical friday at home. i tried to sleep late today but i was couldnt sleep past 8. i put some pictures on facebook today [http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020041&l=f2b4f&id=181100553 ]. then i had cpr at 1. i watched the first half of the season finale of gray's after dinner. oh my goodness. i also talked to jes, which was nice. i miss her. and the weather was gorgeous again. yay!

may 31- well, i think i am definitely coming down with something. i just feel it in the back of my throat. i'm going to rest tomorrow.
we had basic wilderness first aid today. all day. i learned a lot and got to practice a buch of fun stuff. but it was a long day. and now i'm freaked out about ticks. of all the things i saw, i am most nervous about that. i enjoyed another beautiful sunset today. i really doubt that the view here will ever get old.


ok. so there you have it.

i hope all is well where you are. if i havent talked to you, call me. i love getting phone calls. if i dont answer, leave a message. my phone isnt telling me who is calling, so its important that you leave a message or i wont be able to call you back.

and i also like mail. so i would probably like you if you sent me some.

Estes Park Center, YMCA of the Rockies
Emily Orten- Staff
P.O. Box 20700
Estes Park, Colorado 80511

love, hugs, and happy wishes from colorado.

p.s. we get our first kids tomorrow. this counselor is super excited!