HIATUS

HIATUS

Monday, July 4, 2016

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Good Morning loves. I'm currently writing to you from a remote coffee shop in the middle of the woods, in a place that to most people would be the middle of nowhere, but to me is the center of the universe. With a million things happening in my life, this little trip was in the spur of the moment, yet very highly needed. It went a little something like this: Saturday morning, I was walking around the lake at University of Richmond, taking in all the nice smells of the lake and the trees, admiring the quite, noticing how pleasant it is when no one else is there. And that's when it hit me. I needed to be with the real lakes, in the place where the trees grow tall and never stop growing, where the mountains tower above you, watching as you come out of your shell and your spirit unfolds. I needed to go to camp. Immediately. So, just like that, I hopped into my car for a somehow speedy seven hour drive. I drove with my windows down, allowing the crisp mountain hair to whip in and out of my car blowing my hair in all directions. And even though I didn't return to Sapphire Valley this summer, the mountains treated me like I never left.

So, yes, I realize these photos are obviously not from camp, but I've had them up for a while, waiting for something to say. Sometimes you run out of things when the same thing happens everyday at home. I plan to stay here today here for the Fourth and then head back tomorrow. It was a sporadic hiatus from the real world, but a highly necessary one. xo

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Take Me Back

Take Me Back

Monday, August 3, 2015

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HELLO! For the past month I have been at my home away from home, having the time of my life. Did you even know I was gone? Hehehe I'm so sneaky, scheduling posts and all ;) This year I went to camp, not as a camper, but as a Junior Counselor. It was such an amazing experience. We had all sorts of jobs; from making pizza on Thursdays to sorting mail and having buddy cabins, we were always busy with fun dutys as we learned to be future counselors.

(From left to right: me, Hailey, Carolyn, Taylor, Courtney, Juliet, Alida and Virginia)

I couldn't have asked for a better group. We had a small JC group this year of just eight. I kid you not though, after the first day, we were all best friends.

I've never missed camp so much as I do right now. This was by far the best summer yet :)

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The Month of July In The Mountains of Sapphire, North Carolina (aka camp!)

The Month of July In The Mountains of Sapphire, North Carolina (aka camp!)

Thursday, July 31, 2014

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 This year was by far the best summer I have ever had! Which is great because it is sadly, my last summer as a camper..... and possibly at camp... 

but! it was full of making new friends, memories, laughing until my sides hurt, just being crazy, awesome oldest camper privileges (Go Bums!!)

I was in the cabin of Bums Rest, which is the oldest cabin in camp, therefor, we got tons of special privileges and got to do cool stuff that I have never been able to do before! For example, Indian Campfire, Bums Back Rub, Wompus Cat, Vespers, Bums Prank... and many many more. It was such a stellar year. I had the best cabin and will always remember it as my Bums Fam. 

So I realize many of you readers wont exactly know what I mean when I say some camp references, so I will just show some pictures and have little captions :)

The photo above is from when the cast of Little Shop of Horrors (the musical I was in this summer) went to the playground and got ice cream after.

 (from right to left) 

Kate, Courtney, Grace, Claudia and I chillin out on the swim docks watching the Swim and Boat Meet.

Gracie, Juliet, Eden, Frances, Katie, Edith and I were in Follow The Gleam, a pageant our camp puts on, on the last Sunday of every session. I was the Holy Man, go me! haha 

 This is Courtney, Courtney (or Curt as I call her...) is my absolute best friend ever to ever surface the Camp Merrie-Woode grounds. She is my soulmate, camp wouldn't be camp without Curt.

 Helen!

 This year we did a Color Run which was super cool and fun!

Snailing

 The cast of Little Shop on opening night!

 Kickball, Harry Potter style with Curt

 This is Anna, similar to Curt but different in so many ways, I have no idea how I could survive camp with out her......... okay lets be real here, I couldn't survive camp without her.

 Slip and Slide on the Fourth of July with Curt and Ellie :)

 In Little Shop of Horrors, I played Ronnette, the lead Urchin/DooWop Girl, it was the perfect part. Such a fun show.

Here we are on the morning of our prank, it was so fun we did "Camping out with Bumsalot" and we hung our eno hammocks everywhere in the rafters, and put tents in the dining hall. It was so SO fun!

 This is Kitty, Kitty's like my camp little sister, love her to pieces <3

 Indians

 Shellfies with Anna

 This is my camp family, (from right to left) Chandler is the great great grandmother, Alex is the great grandmother, Anna is the grandmother, I am the mother, and Margaret is my daughter.... it's a long story. All I can say is I love these girls so much and I am so SO unbelievably proud of Margaret. I love you MaggsShuff

And that's that from camp this summer. 

above are the photos that I took on my disposable camera, I love them all. 

there is so much love for camp in my heart. I couldn't imagine spending my summers any other way. 

xoxolivia.

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It's (not) Merrie-Woode Monday (but I'm still going to post this)

It's (not) Merrie-Woode Monday (but I'm still going to post this)

Saturday, February 1, 2014

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Hi. Let me tell you my friends, I am camp sick. SO camp sick!! A lot of my friends aren't going back this year and it's going to be my last camper summer, time has flown by and these have been the best eight years of my life, I don't know what I would do without the Sapphire mountains and rainy days spent in Chacos, green and greys, dressing up, being weirder than ever. And just flourishing in the environment of which I feel the most alive, loved, and at home. It's taken me forever to download these photos from my camera onto my computer just because I miss it so much and these photos bring me mixed emotions of extreme happiness and some sadness, but here are some of my favorites.....

this is Kitty, she is my camp little sister. She is actually one of my role models, even though she is younger than I am, she is always so optimistic and joyful, being around her makes me all the more happy. 

Last year I was in a cabin on the "upper hill" (big kids) called "Buckingham Palace" these nine girls were my sisters and best friends. I had never known any of them before and when I got smushed in a cramped cabin with them I'll admit, at first I was really nervous to not be with any of my friends from past years, but I fell in love with my cabin, and we were all perfect friends within days. 

you know Sophie.....

The ultimate trio! Meet, Courtney (on the right)

This year I tried something so insanely out of the blue and courageous at camp... I did the play. Typically at camp I am the mountaineering mountaineering mountaineering all around chic, but this year I didn't quite dip my toe into the pool of new things, I kinda fell in, creating a huge splash... that is a splash of amazingness! I am so glad I did too... being in 110 In The Shade that summer, was the greatest choice I may have ever made....

Yes, we went skinny dipping in the "Do Not Swim!" part of the waterfall in the middle of the night.

No, there aren't/will not be any photos of us actually skinny dipping...

This is Alexis/Lexi... She is also one of my best friends, I could talk to her about anything and let me tell you all of our conversations would result in us rolling on the floor laughing, she's hilarious. 

On the left is Waverley, another one of my best friends... She, Courtney and I were all in the play together. 

Here's the 110 In The Shade gang just before show time! Next to me on my right is Rachel, she played the lead of Lizzie, love her omg, so glad I got to get to know her. Just think if I hadn't done the play I wouldn't have ever met some of my best friends! Also, in the play I played File! Woohoo!

As of this moment, there are only 141 days, 3405 hours, 204319 minutes and 12259148 seconds until I leave for camp. Come on time HURRYYYY UPPP!! xoxolivia. 

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