1. It will rain every Wednesday. Wednesdays we take the campers to the water park, 7 Peaks. Wednesday mornings always begin with me looking up at the sky and telling my good friend and other head counselor, Derek, "Today looks like a great day for 7 Peaks!" Then we head over to our office, and on the way I realize I was a fool for wearing pants instead of shorts, because it's definitely going to be a toasty day. The morning goes on, and the weather just gets hotter and hotter. By the time we go to lunch, I am convinced that I will die of heat stroke if there's not a parking spot close enough. As I get in the car to go to 7 Peaks, I begin to believe that BYU Campus is actually a gigantic sauna instead. Now, I'm not sure what happens in between my commute to the water park, but as soon as I step my feet out of the roasting hot car and onto the pavement, a skyfull of clouds appear. And then it gets windy. Real windy. And I just walk over to the people setting things up at the pavilion as if I am NOT WALKING THROUGH A GIGANTIC TORNADO. Then people usually think it starts raining, but that's because I usually want to cry whenever I see a perfectly innocent pizza blown onto the cement. No, no, the rain does not start until all the campers have arrived and just as they are about to enjoy the park, lightening strikes. The rain pours, and all of a sudden Provo is having their own TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. Hundreds of kids try to huddle under the pavilion, and counselors start asking what we should do. I usually take a clipboard and start pacing back in forth around the grass so it looks like I'm "taking care of the problem", but in reality I just really like walking in the rain. I'd love to say this only happened one week at Sports Camps, but I am beginning to lose count of the times it has happened.
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| These four are some of my most favorite people in the world, hands down. |
2. Pay attention when you're talking with the operator. One evening the gate I needed open was locked, so I called the operator to connect me with someone who could unlock the gates. They connected me with someone else, to whom I explained the problem and she informed that someone would be right over to help me. No more than 15 minutes later, A POLICEMAN SHOWED UP. LOOKING FOR ME. Apparently when I informed the operator that I needed to be connected with the master gate keeper at BYU, they instead heard, "I want to be connected with someone who can open up a gate with a gun the size of my head." All while I am trying to explain this to the policeman, the actual person that is in charge of the gates came to open them.
3. Ordering food for large groups of people rocks. It's not possible to have a bad day when you hear yourself saying, "Hi, I would like to order 1,000 ice cream bars and 20 dozen cookies."
4. Moms can help with anything. Often I am faced with problems I don't have the answer to. One particular late night, one of the campers had a really bad rash, and medicine wasn't helping. It was already past 11, and I didn't know what to do. The girl's counselor was my friend Philippa, and I told her, "Let me make some calls and I'll figure out what to do." (Usually when I say this, I use a tone of voice like I'm getting ready to call Barack Obama) I hung up and called the one person who I knew wouldn't judge me for calling so late: my mom. Barack may be able to sign legislation, but my mom is the best sounding board that this nation has.
Along with the other great stuff I get to do for my job, I got to be part of some videos for the campers to watch. Just when I thought the only person to watch these videos was my great aunt, I had a camper come up to me and recite all of Derek's and my lines from memory! Coming at you soon, Hollywood. #BYUSportsCamps
