Side-by-side Sunday

We arrived just a few minutes after 4:00pm.  We left church an hour early to come home to change our clothes, eat lunch, and get out on the road-- camp was four hours door to entrance.  As we drew nearer each mile, our excitement grew and grew.  I believe that each of the kids' most looked forward to aspect of the camp was meeting their Buddies.  We got all checked-in and immediately met with the six people that would share our lives for five days; one Buddy for each kid, and one head Buddy for us all.  We were overjoyed that Caden and Brennon got their same Buddies from February: Nick and Pedro, respectively.  To see Brennon light up so much from the very second he heard the news was a testament to how much these Buddies mean to our kids, how amazing they make the experience, and how much we come to love them by the end.  Tyson was the only one that we knew for certain would not have the same Buddy.  He was disappointed in February when everyone else got the same gender Buddy, but him.  He had a good time, but he really wanted a male-- so we specifically asked, they delivered.  For the record: Caden and Nick, Keilie and Tatum, Shelby and Christine, Brennon and Pedro, and Tyson and Matt, with Colleen Ritchie as our head Buddy.

We were immediately shown to our sleeping quarters to unpack and get ready for the actual kick-off time of 6:00pm.  We were the only family to get two rooms in February, since we were the largest, so once again we figured we'd have the largest sleeping space.  Little did we know that we'd get one entire side of a new cabin, complete with three sinks, three toilet cubicles, three showers, and TWENTY TWO Twin beds.  That's right, our family of seven had eleven bunk beds to choose from.

 The side our Yukon is parked on was our "Wing" of the "Castle."  It added to the fun as our kids saw that we were the only family to stay in the new cabins.

And then they ran around, raucously claiming the bed of their choice.  Wow, that was fun!  And surprising that not one of them argued over a bed-- I swear on my life, there was no arguing!  This camp produces miracles, I tell you.  My heart swelled as we unpacked in such nice, new accommodations, and kept filling more and more as the minutes raced by.

At 6:00pm, we met in the dining hall for dinner.

Sunday night was the only meal that we weren't together at one table.  Once they realized that one family alone could take up an entire table, the work crew made sure to fit 13 place settings, instead of the normal 10, on one table the rest of the week.

After our meal, we were excited for the act they put together, a story they come up with which is a theme for our camp.  We were royal subjects in Arnoldia (staying at Camp Arnold) under Queen Beatrice, with her rhyming Knight, Sir Tinley A. Goodnight (say his name out loud) and his apprentice Wes.  Dragons had not been seen in the fair Kingdom for many centuries, thanks to Sir Tinley's family, so when Wes comes along with news that dragons are not as bad as everyone believes, we must make a choice between Knights that slay or if we want dragons to stay.  So, they had us "forge" our own armor in preparation for our Knighthood.  Brennon took this very seriously.  Until that armor was complete, no other activity could hold his attention.

 Beginning at 7:00pm each night, we all gathered together for fun that they call "Club."  They always have fun skits and shows that make us laugh, cheer, and sing together.  Our first skit was one where they had three volunteers that were told to describe something, only it wasn't what we were told they'd be describing.  First it was Caden's buddy, Nick, telling us all about going "Number Two."  However, he was told to describe roller coaster rides.  Tears were rolling down my face as he described "going Number Two" as a "group event that happens at least once a year, with two people sitting in front of you, one next to, and two people behind."  When he gave us a demonstration of how {this} looks, I could barely stay on my chair.

Next it was Sue telling us about "kissing her 'camp sparkle.'"  Only she was told to describe the experience of eating ice cream.  Her first time "kissing" was when she was three years old, with her mother and brother there to witness it.  She now does {this} once a week with her son, Jonah.  I didn't see it, but when Jonah told her what she was really describing, her face was the perfect mask of horror and disgust.  It was SO MUCH FUN seeing Sue in this funny, lighthearted setting.  And, let's be honest, knowing more about the subject than she did.  {wink, wink}

That night as we went to bed thinking on all the fun we'd had with our Buddies, I couldn't help but cry myself to sleep.  How grateful I am for this amazing organization.  And it got better and better by the second.

Some fun facts about the camp:

The volunteers arrived the day before we did to set up and decorate the entire camp.  Nothing was done bare minimum-- everything was over-the-top, amazingly creative, beautifully executed work.  Every single thing looked as if it was done by Hollywood professionals for a movie set, even if it was just a place holder card.  The work that was done for this camp was spectacular.

There were 147 volunteers present/staying at the camp.  This number does not include those that were brought in for other activities that happened throughout the week, like the hairdressers that came to cut the Mother's hair during Spa time on Monday, just to give one example.  147 people volunteered to make this week as amazing, as stress-free, as "forget reality as much as humanly possible while you are here" for us.  My heart is so full.

Camp Arnold is owned and operated by The Salvation Army.  The grounds we stayed and played on are a small portion of the 670 acres owned by the camp.

Not everyone that puts in an application is accepted as a Buddy.  There is a process that they follow to get us the best of the best.  Buddies have to be 18+, or have been on the work crew for many years, like Sue's family-- they have been attending camp Side-by-side for 10 years, both Summer and Winter.  I believe her middle child, Sam, is 15 or 16, and this was his first camp as a buddy.

It was told to Randy that Buddies have to pay to attend the camp.  Pedro was within ear shot, and you could tell this was not supposed to really be known.  It just endears me to them even more.  They pay to come and do the bidding of my children for an entire week, most times even using vacation time from jobs.  I could not love them any more if they were my own family.

Supplies for camp are purchased through Amazon, like a wedding registry.  Once they have things planned (can you imagine the hours spent around tables, discussing and planning something so huge, for so many?!) they put the list out and people can buy things for them.  Once I get that link, I'm gonna share it with the world.  You may not think buying a case of duct tape or tin foil is huge, but for those kids that worked hours and hours making their armor, like my Brennon, it was the best thing in the world.

**Disclaimer: Dispersed within pictures that I took myself are pictures taken by a professional that was hired by Side-by-side for the week.  I have been given permission to use them, but I wanted to always remember that the ones that look professional actually are.  Just one more thing they did right-- perfect memories captured forever!