Hello Canadensis…
So, things have certainly been busy around here these days. If you didn’t know, my BIG Day (aka my wedding) was last weekend up at camp. Jaime and I then escaped to Lake George for a mini honeymoon. We just got back the other day. We want to thank all of those camp family and staff for the congratulatory e-mails and letters we have received. It has meant so much to us that you took time out to wish us well.
As for the wedding weekend, itself, Jaime and I had a blast. I am so happy that Jaime decided to have it at camp. It was the perfect venue for our friends and family. To give a little re-cap of all the festivities…on Friday afternoon, everyone arrived for the weekend. That night, we had a BBQ dinner. This was followed by an hour of live music from our band, The Grift. The theme for the night was cheesy 80s songs set to bluegrass. It was an absolute blast to hear tunes like Sweet Child Of Mine and Living on a Prayer set to a different melody. Very cool and everyone that showed up seemed to have a good time. We then moved over to the Health Center fire pit for (what else) S’Mores. About 30-45 minutes into the campfire, it started to drizzle, but that didn’t mean the fun stopped as everyone made their way over to my house for a porch party.
On Saturday, the weather was a bit iffy, but that didn’t stop us from having a good time. In fact, just like at camp, we had a rainy day schedule. We played basketball game in the pavilion and had gymnastics / foam pit open in the morning. In the afternoon, we got a few innings of a softball game in and still had a guided hike around Lake Lenape. Guests also joined us for breakfast and lunch. A few hours before the ceremony, the sun made its way out and the weather completely cleared up. Our ceremony was officiated by my brother and Jaime’s sister and it was held in the senior boys dining hall. From there, the cocktail hour was both inside and outside. The reception was held in both the boys dining room and in the senior boys dining room. We were completely amazed at how our caterer made over the venue for the event. Just beautiful. Our band rocked the night away! As you may know, Jaime and I love our music and attend a ton of concerts throughout the year. With that, our band played tunes from our favorite bands all night long…Phish, The Black Crowes, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Grateful Dead just to name a few. For the last hour of the night, hundreds of glow sticks filled the room (a Phish tradition). A lot of fun!
On Sunday, our guests had an amazing brunch put together for one final hurrah. We want to thank all of the Canadensis staff that helped with the weekend. Your help was awesome!
Here are some pictures…
Me and Jaime posing for the camera. My bride is beautiful (as always)!
Me and Jaime caught in the moment!
Me with my parents at the ceremony.
Jaime and her parents ready to give her away.
Me and Jaime exchanging our own vows. Our siblings, Michael and Harlee, officiating the wedding.
Me and my best man, Mark.
Some of our Ring Bearers (Mitchell and Scotty) and Flower Girls (Lily and Ella).
Me and Jaime with Jaime’s sister Harlee, Ring Bearers Dylan and Harry and Jaime’s brother-in-law Jeff.
Me and Jaime share a group dance with my parents.
So, after such a BIG day, there is another BIG event coming up and that is my BIG move up to camp. That’s right! We all move up to camp next week. That means my weekend will be spent packing. Since this will be my 32nd summer at sleep away camp, I think I have it down in terms of what to pack. However, it is usually a ritual that I wish just took care of itself. Ha Ha! Whereas I love moving up to camp for the summer, it is always a chore to pack. Does anyone want to volunteer to pack for me? Probably the hardest thing about being in the camp business is having to say goodbye to all of my family and friends for 3+ months. As has become a tradition, my friends will be throwing me an Annual Bar-B-Krug on Saturday. This way, I can say goodbye all at once.
So much going on up at camp these days. During the wedding weekend, it was awesome to see the new water slides installed. If you haven’t checked out the sneak peak video on Facebook, you should. The water slides are massive! So cool! The new tennis courts and volleyball courts look amazing as well. When we get up to camp, we will also be looking into ways of making the new Senior Canteen backyard come to life! We are thinking about adding some cool lighting, seating and a fire pit to that area. Should be an awesome space for our Senior and CIT campers!
We hope that many of you are planning to attend our Annual Open House on Sunday, June 2. This is always a great day for camp families, new and returning, to spend a day up at camp and enjoy the facilities. New campers will have an opportunity to meet other campers as well. June 1-2 will also be our CIT Weekend! Can’t wait to see all of you!
There is also one last home visit to tell you about. A few weeks back, in Livingston, NJ, I got to hang out with Justin Nikpour, who is currently in 3rd grade and will be in our Upper Junior division in Summer 2013. Justin plays lacrosse in the Livingston Lacrosse League. In the Winter, he plays in a street hockey league. In the Fall, he plays tackle football. He is a huge fan of WWE wrestling and his favorite wrestlers are the Undertaker and John Cena. He is also a big Yankees fan. When he comes to camp this year, he is looking forward to wrestling, lacrosse, tubing and banana boating at the lake and the ropes course. Here is a photo…
Me with Upper Junior Boy Justin Nikpour.
A few weeks ago, I was invited by the Rhodes Family to attend a sleepover hosted by Samara Rhodes for the Girls of Bunk 8 from Summer 2012. It was great to see most of this gang together. According to the girls and parents, they stayed up well into the wee hours of the night having a blast! Here is a photo…
Me with most of the Girls from Bunk 8 from 2012 (from left to right): Tes Goldman, Emma Zuckerman, Jessie Leib, Samara Rhodes, Ashley Weitz, Melissa Schultz, Jamie Ambos, Elana Abrams and Sarah Abrams.
So, this is my last blog from my desk in New Jersey. The next blog will be from camp! Can’t wait to get there. Have a great day!
-Brian
