There is a place in Oregon that sits on the edge of a lake, land covered in thousands of green trees, trails, dirt roads, and rustic buildings. When you breathe, you're inhaling the smell of dry pine needles and fresh, country air. It's one of the few places in my life where I can go and as soon as I turn off the main road onto the property, I am completely at peace. I am home. I grew up going to this summer camp from third grade all the way through high school, began working on dish crew as soon as I was old enough, graduated to cabin leader the summer of my ninth grade year (for the younger kiddos, of course) and spent the rest of my high school summers ditching paid jobs to volunteer as many weeks as I could cabin leading out at camp. I lived though the school year counting the days until summer came and I could go back out to camp. I just loved it.

It's the kind of camp that is pretty small-town, so there were a lot of the same staffers there every year, and we just became family. I started with little girls as my campers in 4th or 5th grade, and got to see them grow up and mature and become cabin leaders themselves. Some of them are even on staff currently! There's a large part of my soul that will always belong there.

And now I finally get to go back. I've been away for several years, after I went off to college as staying up here in the summers meant I needed to be working, which meant less opportunities to make the trek back to camp for a couple of weeks, and I just kind of moved on with my life. But a couple weeks ago the calling back to camp was stronger than I've experienced yet in all the years I've been gone, so I started researching possibilities that I might return once again this summer, and the (very) short story of it is that it all miraculously worked out! I'm going back to cabin lead for a high school camp this summer! I actually had a dream about it last night, I've been so incredibly excited.

Ah, camp. Where I've french braided endless amount of girlies' hair. Where hundreds of geese fly every summer just to poop on the playing field. Where Jo, Kayla, and Amanda were once my little campers. Where I taught volleyball for two years, even though it was never one of my sports in high school...ha! Where I started my first (and only) forest fire. Where I almost beat Alex in a fuse ball tournament...almost. Where counselors hide in trash bags inside the already-full dumpster regularly for counselor-hunt. So gross. Where Jack imparted years of wisdom to us all and showed us how to love well. Where the cup game is definitely not allowed to be part of FOB time, but my cabin does it anyway. Where some of my best memories, times, and people are.

I'm finally going back home.