Photo Update

Sometimes, there's just nothing better than roasting hotdogs...

...being the cornhole champions...

...eewy-gooey marshmallows...

...the first bite of s'mores...

...curly blonde hair...

...being in love for 50+ years...

...and never getting too old to sit on your mama's lap.

Amidst all the craziness of this summer, I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to spend Memorial Day weekend with my family. As for now, I'm officially on my way back to camp, where I will be until the beginning of August (insert shameless plug for mail---328 Bethel Road, Fincastle, Virginia 24090). Summer staff training starts in less than 24 hours (eek!), so updates will probably be few and far between for the next couple of weeks.

While I'm on the shameless self-promotion train, let's all remember that as of this time next year, I will be a college graduate. Meaning... I'll need a full-time job. Although I've still got a year, it's never too early to start looking, right? With that being said, does anyone have any millionaire friends who would be interested in hiring someone to move in with them and document their children's lives via photographs? Because I'm thinking I would be really good at that...

Just a thought. All other job ideas are welcome :)

Deployment: Week 2

This week, I played a fun little game called "How Many Missed Calls From Afghanistan Can I Receive Before I Finally Get To Talk To My Boyfriend For The First Time?"

The answer: 11. I'm aware that my Marine Corps Girlfriend of the Year status is rapidly declining.

It was almost too funny to be upsetting---the ONE time I put my phone on silent simply because I didn't want to disturb the other seven girls that I share a room with just so happens to be the first time Zach gets to call me on deployment. Eh, at least I got four voicemails out of the deal---one of which excitedly said, "I finally got to read your blog again!"

Needless to say, I didn't get to talk to him on Tuesday night, but he was able to call back on Wednesday afternoon (after waiting in line for 2+ hours) and we got to talk for about an hour :)

(the last "half a heart" pix message Zach sent me before he deployed---I think he actually just wanted to show off the scar he got from a knife wound while training out in California last month...)

We talked briefly again on Saturday morning, after he finally arrived where he'll be stationed for the rest of the year. All things considered, I think boyfriend's got it made. I mean, yeah, it did get up to 130 degrees there one day this week, but he has AC in his tent/house and claims that he actually gets cold at night. Let's be honest---that's more than I can say about my life in Whippoorwill. And after spending two summers at camp, he claims that the mattress he's sleeping on over there is better than what I'll be sleeping on all summer. His work day is from 8AM-10PM, while mine is 7:30AM-11PM. Also, he's already experienced some sandstorms, and they've got nothing on our freak thunderstorms during Home-in-the-Woods. Psh. We go all out hardcore at Camp Bethel.

[Note: I'm being sarcastic. I do not think my life at Camp Bethel is tougher than the Marine Corps in any way, shape, or form. Obviously. Well, maybe a little. But I wouldn't want to trade...]

He sounds great---just like the Zacharie I fell in love with :) All he really asked for was any kind of water-flavoring packets, since that's all he gets to drink. I bought a tub of lemon-lime Gatorade powder that weighs more than a small child, and I also got these:

I'm not sure if they're any good. But the designer in me makes 95% of purchasing decisions based off of packaging design, and these things were cute. He'll know that when he opens the package---"she bought these because she thought they looked cute." What can I say; it's kind of my job :)

Speaking of cute, he asked me if I was still wearing my half of the Mizpah necklace. Um, of course!

He said good, because he was too :)

While I was out shopping for Gatorade powder & all other kinds of first package goodies, I picked up a little roll of yellow ribbon.

"Around her hair she wore a yellow ribbon.

She wore it in the spring time, in the merry month of May.

And if you asked her why she wore that ribbon,

She wore it for her young Marine so far, far away."

- a military song turned cadence from the early 1900s

I don't even pretend to tolerate the miserably-whiny "half of my heart is in Afghanistan" car magnets, but I figured I could go for a little yellow ribbon on my antenna :) Because I am proud of him, you know. He works so hard and I am so grateful for his sacrifice.

And this weekend, I am especially grateful for the countless individuals who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our freedom.

"I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day. I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it. We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did." --- Benjamin Harrison

Happy Memorial Day!

Is This Real Life?

When I attended day camp at Camp Bethel in 1998 with my younger sister, Katherine (who is infinitely cuter than me in this picture, I'm aware), I had no idea that I would be the Summer Program Coordinator thirteen years later. All I knew was that Julie Sink was the coolest girl I had ever met, and I spent my elementary school years convinced that the most perfect outfit in the world was a solid red shirt with a pair of jean shorts. No lie.

I spent every summer of my childhood at Camp Bethel, a Brethren camp just outside of Roanoke, Virginia. To this day, I can tell you the names of every counselor I ever had --- counselors who I looked up to and wanted to be like more than anything. Counselors who impacted my life more than they'll ever know.

(My first Tenderfoot camp in 1997. Can we all please notice that I am wearing a skort? Awesome.)

As I grew older, I got the opportunity to be a counselor. I taught countless of girls how to make friendship bracelets and made them believe that the shaky bridge was the coolest place on camp property---the same way Julie Ann Harmon taught me. I rocked the all girls' units and showed them that we don't need boys to build a fire or survive a night in the woods---the same way Emily Webb showed me. I sang more than I spoke and let campers tag along on my morning run around camp---the same way Chelsea Goss let me. And at the end of the week, I looked my campers in the eye and told them that they were amazing---the same way Megan Forbes told me.

And now, that little blonde-headed girl who grew up at Camp Bethel and spent many summers as a CIT / junior counselor / senior counselor is about to be the summer program coordinator.

Is this real life?

Junior High Camp with Stephanie (2004) and Hannah (2002). We've come a longgg way!

I don't think I'm the only one who has asked myself this question repeatedly throughout the past week. During this time, I've been at leadership training with two of my dearest friends, Stephanie and Hannah. We've all grown up at camp. We've all had counselors and units and summer experiences that have undoubtedly changed our lives. We've all worked as CITs and counselors over the years. And to be honest, we all thought we were done with camp, as did many other individuals on the leadership staff. We were "grown up." It was time to be big girls and get "real" jobs and internships.

Or was it?

As it turns out, we all have one more summer in us after all. And by being on leadership team, we not only have the chance to positively impact hundreds of kids---but also the chance to positively impact dozens of counselors. Counselors who teach campers how to make friendship bracelets and build fires. Counselors who give kids the confidence to be ridiculous and sing silly songs and perform crazy skits. Counselors who look children in the eye and make them believe that they truly are amazing. And counselors who will have the opportunity to reflect God's love to every camper they encounter over the course of the summer.

Staff training begins on Tuesday. And as life would have it, some of these counselors and CITs who we'll be leading in training were some of my elementary campers back in the day! I still can't wrap my head around that. It's so cyclical, so perfect---and I'm so humbled to be in this position. I'm excited for one more opportunity to make a difference with the realization that it's possible for my impact to transcend far beyond this summer. Because, trust me, there are still many former summer staff members who are influencing my life and the lives of countless others... even a dozen years after their carefree summers at Camp Bethel.

"Get around people who have something of value to share with you.

Their impact will continue to have a significant effect on your life long after they have departed."

- Jim Rohn

Ask Me Anything

How is it already almost time for the end of the month Q&A post? Better yet, why am I always so shocked when the end of the month rolls around again? You'd think I'd get used to it... but it always seems to sneak up on me!

If you're a new follower, I randomly select ten anonymous questions to answer at the end of every month concerning whatever your little heart desires :) You can submit questions (and see questions that have already been answered) on my Formspring page, or you can anonymously post a question in the box below.

Even if your question isn't randomly selected to be answered during the end of the month Q&A, it may just spark a future blog post. (The "How Did You & Zach Start Dating" series resulted from multiple viewers' Formspring questions.)
I'm excited to see what you come up with --- I've gotten a lot of creative/interesting questions over the past few weeks! I basically have some of the best blog readers (stalkers) in the world ;)

High Ropes Belaying, First Aid-CPR-AED, Wilderness and Remote First Aid Training...

You see that comprehensive list that makes up the title of this post?

Yeah. That's what I've spent the past five days doing. Two more days to go. When I finish, I may possibly be certified in everything the Red Cross offers (including the official Red Cross Babysitting Course --- I took that when I was probably eleven years old. Don't be jealous.)

Basically, I can safely suspend you in the air while attached to a rope. But in the event that I drop you and you have bones protruding from your limbs and excessive bleeding, I can then save your life.

Or so we hope.

(Dragon's Tail: the newest element on our high ropes course---especially new to me since I didn't work at camp last summer! It swings back & forth as you try to climb to the top.)

belaying & making it to the top of Dragon's Tail

"We like tuh-tles!"

(see video below for reference...)

But seriously, we do like tuh-tles here at Camp Bethel. And certification. Lots and lots of Red Cross certification :)

Deployment: Week 1

Before deployment even began, I knew that the absolute worst part would be answering every unknown number on my cell phone. I hate talking on the phone, period. I'm sorry if that makes me a horrible person, but I do. I hate it. And while I love my friends, I pretty much only answer the phone if it's my parents or Zach calling.

However, with Zach being deployed for the rest of the year, I knew that if he got the chance to call me, it wouldn't be from a number I recognized. And I knew that I would be forced to answer every unknown number from now on. I suppose the worst part about him being deployed should be the whole "missing him" thing, but we've done this long distance thing for almost three years now. I don't get to see him that much anyway. And while it's never really something we get "used to," it is something we just accept as part of our life for the time being, so we are used to it, in a way. So far, it's really not much different than me being at school and him being at Camp Lejeune. We don't get to see each other either way.

But at least I know when he's calling me...

Anyway, I had my first unknown number call me this morning. I didn't really think it was Zach, but I knew I had to answer or forever be upset in the event that it was actually him.

Hello?

Hey!

It was a guy's voice, but definitely not Zach's.

Um, hey...?

You don't know who this is, do you?

Obviously not. That's one of the most awkward questions to ask somebody, in my opinion. Of course I don't have the slightest clue who is calling me from this random number with an area code that I don't recognize. Sometimes, I try to play it off. But not today.

No, I don't have any idea.

I'll give you a hint.

For the love of all that is good, don't make me play a guessing game. YOU called ME. Don't drag this out any longer than it needs to be. (I told you: I really hate talking on the phone.) Before I even had a chance to protest, the voice continued:

Howard... Jones...

HIPP?!?

All of a sudden, I didn't mind talking on the phone again :) Hipp is Zach's best friend in the Marine Corps who deployed to Afghanistan two months ago.

(us at Hipp's going away party at Fast Freddy's in Jacksonville-- view more here)

We chatted for a minute and he explained that he had also tried calling Zach, but Zach's cell was turned off.

(That is another story in and of itself. Since Zach left a few days earlier than planned, he wasn't able to temporarily suspend his cell phone account before he deployed. He gave me all of his account info & I went into the Verizon store in Clemmons, where an incredibly rude employee told me that I wasn't authorized to suspend the account, even considering the special circumstances, and needed to get Zach to call them once his plane landed in Afghanistan. Oh, okay. I'll get right on that, sir. He probably doesn't have anything else better to do... it shouldn't be a problem at all. I didn't actually say that. I just walked out of the store, called the customer service number, & suspended the account/payments via two minutes of my time on the phone. Take that, Verizon man.)

Anyway, back to Hipp.

Obviously his phone is turned off, I replied, because he's over there with YOU!

Okay, they're not actually together. And they won't be stationed together during the deployment or anything. But, there's a pretty good chance that Zach may have travelled through (or currently be at) the base where Hipp is stationed. Hipp knew that Zach was coming over soon, but didn't realize that he had already left. He got all of the 1/9 Marines information from me & said that he was going to see if he could track him down :)

And thus, I received my first phone call from Afghanistan. Granted, it wasn't from my boyfriend, but the Marine Corps really is like a huge (incredibly dysfunctional) family, and it's nice to know that his friends consider me one of their own and care about me enough to check in every once in a while. Hipp's not the only one. Baker texted me from Japan today to see how things were going. They're precious.

Speaking of precious, I've had some requests to put up the rest of Zach's deployment book since I posted a sneak peek a few weeks ago. To be honest, I'd actually forgotten about it, but I'd hate to be a tease, so here it is:

Lots and lots of pictures, with a bunch of little notes & Bible verses scattered throughout :) Can I put this in my portfolio for magazine layout design? Because that's seriously what I want to do with my life, and I designed this entire thing from scratch :)

Birthday Princess

Guess what? It's my best friend's 21st birthday (and her GOLDEN birthday)!

This is actually a short little video I made for her birthday LAST year, but let's be honest---it deserves to be brought back out of the archives and shown again. It's not every day you get serenaded by Beyonce ;)

My bonnet baby, I hope you are currently having the time of your life out in Vegas (who am I kidding---I know you are!) :) Enjoy being the birthday princess! I miss you lots, & I love you even more. Happy 21st birthday!

Home

I'm home :)

Well, at least my camp home.

Yep... my humble abode for the next 11 weeks.

I mostly took these pictures so Casey could freak out over my living conditions for the summer ;)

(view from the front porch)

There she is --- home sweet home :)

While I've spent the past couple of days making my home in Whippoorwill, Zach has been flying all over the world & has FINALLY arrived in Afghanistan... his home for the rest of the year:

Thanks so much for all your prayers for safe travels! I'm always so humbled by the love and support you continue to pour out :)

This post is pretty short... but all of my other friends are coming "home" & we've got some serious catching up to do!

Dear Hallmark...

Dear Hallmark,

I would like to remind you that I attempted applying for a creative design internship with your company this summer. I put together my resumé, cover letter, and portfolio specifically for you. However, when I went to your site to upload my application, there was a problem with your server and nothing would load.

I tried multiple times over the course of a week and finally emailed your customer service department, explaining the error message I was receiving and asking if there was another place I could send my application. In response, I received a standard form email, clearly automatically-generated, thanking me for my interest in the college internship program. Attached was a link to submit my application---the exact same link I informed you was not working in the first place. It still wasn't working. Go figure.

Anyway, no hard feelings when I open my own design studio one day, okay? I tried playing nicely.

tutorial on how to make the paper flowers on Laura's blog

my sweet Bridgewater College graduates :)

the Marine Corps motto: Semper Fidelis (always faithful). Wouldn't you know that it is way past time for me to purchase a new blade for my x-acto knife, so I had to cut the entire thing out with scissors!

For more card designs, check out some of my collection at http://pinterest.com/simplybeffie/cards/.

I suppose God knew what He was doing after all, because if the customer service department at Hallmark had actually READ my email and helped me submit my application and I had gotten the job, I would currently be on my way to Kansas City, Missouri instead of Fincastle, Virginia. And I have no doubts that I'm supposed to be spending my summer in Fincastle, Virginia.

Speaking of which, this post is actually my shameless plug to receive snail mail this summer ;) I'm leaving TODAY to spend nearly 12 weeks at Camp Bethel as the Summer Program Coordinator, and I couldn't be more excited! I will have internet access, but it will be incredibly limited, so snail mail is the way to go! (The address is also posted on my "Contact Me" page).

Beth Haynes

c/o Camp Bethel

328 Bethel Road

Fincastle, VA 24090

If you write me, you might just receive your very own pretty card designed by me :) I'm just sayin'...