The Friday playist: Mo

As soon as I turned 10 my parents started sending me to camps.
Church camp, sports camps, orchestra camp (yes, get your jokes out of the way), girlscout camp and your classic summer camp. You know the kind with girls on one side of the river boys on the other, the kind where you are assigned a tribe on your first night (go mohawks) and compete the rest of the summer. The winner to be announced at the very end of closing ceremonies and the place erupts in crazy cheers. (very Harry Potter now that I think of it).

I spend the majority of my summers until I was 21 going to or working at a camp in Hunt, TX. I skipped a few here and there, but during the summer months (and especially July since I was a session 2 girl), I often find myself remembering camp. Where I learned a few things. Like………..

How to share a bathroom with 30+ girls.
How to sleep on top of your already made bunk so you won’t have to make it in the morning.
The importance of mail.
That you will get caught when you sneak out.
How to convince the director of the boys camp to buy you beer on your night off (ok, so maybe this wasn’t a good thing to learn ….)
That when you jump off of a pretty high bridge into the Guadalupe that the force is so great it can cause a wedgie that actually cuts into your skin. (I bet if they posted that on the no jumping sign that more people would listen).
How to fall asleep on top of your already made bunk so that you won’t have to make it before inspection in the morning.
That I really suck at painting ceramics.
I suck even more at archery.
I am a suberb kickball player.
There are only so many marshmallows you can stuff in your mouth chubby bunny style before someone pukes.
How to french kiss.
That if you hide candy in your trunk, raccoons will find it.
How to get a fish hook out of a camper’s hand.
That if you put your friends underwear up the flagpole, you are likely to find your bed in the middle of the tennis courts.
How many hair dryers and curling irons it takes to blow an outlet the night of the Camp Stewart dance.
That sometimes letting them go back home really sucks.
That the freezer in the cafeteria is really easy to break into. And they always have ice cream.
How to get some serious height off the blob.
That devotionals will almost always end in tears. The good kind.
How to make banana boats.
How essential nap time is.
Where to find a hot tub in town.
How to flip a canoe.
That SunIn (and lemon juice) do not provide my hair with pretty blond highlights, but really just turn it bright orange.
That eventually I am always going to end up in the river and might as well jump in before I get thrown in.

And more importantly,
That it only takes 3 weeks to make friends that you will keep and that will change you forever.
And that a few dozen 16 year old campers will always be able to teach me more than I could, as their counselor, teach them.
And that some of the best conversations can be had lying on a tennis court at midnight or crammed three deep in a teeny tiny bunk while sticking to the plastic mattress long after lights out.

So this week’s playlist goes out to Mo Ranch...and summer campers everywhere.

1. Friends are Friends Forever – Micheal W. Smith. The obligatory song for the last night that is guaranteed to break out the waterworks.
2. When I Needed You Most – Erasure. The inevitable senior vespers song. Every year it was the same song and the same skit.
3. The Distance – Cake. For the dreaded mile, and running the damn hill when we got busted for doing something we weren’t supposed to do ( which in my particular case might have been often).
4. I Think We’re Alone Now – Tiffany. There just might be a dance routine to this one ….that I still remember. I’m so glad there was no such thing as you tube back then.
5. You’re the Inspiration–Chicago. I think this particular tape was in heavy rotation in the intermediate dorm. I’m also pretty sure that a counselor broke it(intentionally) somewhere around week2. I still have a soft spot for Chicago though.
6. Piece of Glass – Caedman’s Call. A particularly weepy and good devotional.
7. I Got A Man – Positive K. Yep, I knew every word and was happy to sing every single one of them all the way into town for Senior Day Out.
8. Mother, Mother – Tracy Bonham. Never underestimate how loud a van full of teenage girls can scream.
9. Red Neck Girl – Oakridge Boys, How Bizarre – OMC, Song2-Blur, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cindy Lauper. The wake up track summer ’98.
10. Just Remember – Sister Hazel. The Mo theme song.
And of course this list wouldn’t be complete without a few campfire songs: Linger (my personal favorite), Lord of the Dance, and One Tin Soldier.

(and I am going to try scan and upload some old camp pics so check back later ....but don't hold your breath....i mean refer to the bad video i posted the other day if you need proof of my tech skills)