Trails End Camp 2011

Many people have asked about Adam's summer job and why we have come up to PA for the whole summer. And yes, this is the 4th summer that we have spent in PA! It does sound like quite the crazy idea especially w/ 2 littles in our family! But since the camp is only 2 hrs from where I grew up and where Adam worked for 3 yrs, it makes a little more sense as to "why PA?"
Let me back up...
In order for me to be a full-time stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) and only have a part-time job, Adam needs a substantial summer job. While browsing thru the NCAA websites looking for coaching job, he came across Trails End Camp hiring a basketball director. The only reason he looked into it a little further was b/c of the proximity to my old hometown.
It's a huge camp located up near Lake Wallenpaupack, in Wayne County, PA. It's a summer-LONG (8 weeks) camp. And that's for the campers!! They stay ALL SUMMER. It's not an option to just go for 1 week. Something that neither of us had ever heard of or experienced.
Most of the campers live in Long Island, NY. They get to enjoy so many awesome experiences at camp...with 11 tennis courts, 4 basketball courts, 3 ball fields, a golf course, gymnastics arena, hockey pavilion, gym, arts & crafts building, climbing wall, mountain bikes, lacrosse field, soccer field, sand volleyball court, pool and lake. Oh, and at the lake, they have sail boating, wake boarding, water skiing, paddle boats, water trampoline, water slide, and water blob! C-R-A-Z-Y!!!
The camp has 6 periods per day (similar to a school-day schedule complete w/ "bells" to signal the end of a period and the start of the next. except at camp, they use "trumpets" over the loud speaker as my kids called it--like the Reveille and Taps type bugle calls)
The camp is 7 days a week, 24 hours a day for 8 weeks straight!! Adam gets 5 days off the whole summer, but they cannot be sequential. He usually is able to request a Sunday off and come down to my parents' house and spend the day at our "old" home church with us.
Adam is only "working" about 12 hours/day as he does not have to stay in the cabin w/ the campers as a counselor since he is one of the sports area directors (and this year was also the overall Athletic Director of all the sports in addition to his area of bball).
When we go up to visit him at camp, we stay in his cabin which has 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and screened in porch. We are able to eat all meals w/ him in the cafeteria, which btw, has GREAT food--at least I think so, but then again, I don't have to eat it all summer like Adam does. So besides meal time, Adam can also spend "rest hour" w/ us when the campers are in their cabins and after dinner when there is "free play" for the campers, he can also be with us. And then he is done w/ his responsibilities for the day by 10pm. Days of the week mean nothing up at camp. Saturday and Sunday have the same type of schedule as Mon - Fri.
So, yes, it is quite hard on our family unit being away from Adam so much...but every year we have been able to spend more and more time up at camp "with" him even if he's working most of the time. The first summer, Levi was only 2 months old, so we lived at my parents house and only got to see Adam when he came to visit us on his 5 days off. This 4th summer, we were at camp for a total of 20 days (broken up into 3 different visits (one in June, July and August).
The pictures below give an idea of all the fun the kids have at camp!

The main reason for going to camp!! We love Daddy!

This is actually a pic from last year...at the lake, water trampoline and slide in the background.

The uneven bars in the gymnastics arena! one of their favorite places!

Homemade waterslide!


Both of the boys learned how to dribble, and Wyatt can also dribble while running.


Shooting at a 6 ft. basket!

He actually made quite a few!

Special Tradition at Camp is the "Breakout" of Olympics...always a surprise and always a different theme. This year the theme was Circus. Complete w/ a REAL elephant!!