Signs You Went to Camp Mystic

Inspired by Helene's 25 Signs You Went to Ursuline and camp starting tomorrow, I've decided to compile a list of signs you may have gone to Camp Mystic. I've posted about Mystic before - it's one of my all time favorite places. I might be old now, in camp terms anyway, but I'll always be a camper at heart.

1. Tribe Drawings is still one of the most nerve-wracking nights of your life.

2. You crave Blue Bell ice cream every day after lunch during the summer.

3. You've seen the sun rise from Sky High (pictured above).

4. You love the sight of the Mystic sign when driving down Highway 39.

5. You can recite camp cheers and songs in your sleep.

6. You crave Mystic birthday cake and consider refrigerating your birthday cake every year.

7. You dream about getting married on the banks of the Guadalupe River.

8. You can correctly spell and pronounce Guadalupe thanks to KT Info.

9. You know that a walking or running a mile at camp is from the Office to the Gate to Bug House and back to the Office.

10. Climbing Senior Hill is both the most exhausting and fun thing in the world.

11. Same applies to Tribe Hill.

12. You've taken Tribe Hill for granted and miss it dearly when you don't go up there twice a week.

13. You've tried to predict CC Day (so well, in fact, that the Big 3 have had to move it no less than three times).

14. You know that CC might actually stand for Camper-Counselor, but it could also be Crazy Chaos or Coke and Candy.

15. You've eaten at the Hunt Store (yum).

16. You've gone to James Avery Headquarters in Kerrville and reveled in the freezing cold A/C.

17. You look forward to living without air conditioning in the middle of the Texas heat.

18. Coffee Cake is on Saturday mornings.

19. You've memorized the term schedule down to the food you'll eat on the last night: Messy Face Cake for dessert!

20. You know what a Messy Face Cake is and what it's for.

21. You ended up going to college with at least one of your cabin mates even if you didn't intend on doing so.

22. It doesn't take you very long to turn any TNM song on the radio into a camp acceptable song.

23. You know what TNM stands for.

24. At one time you feared the phrase "U for You," but learned to laugh at it with your counselors.

25. You keep in touch with your counselors as much as you keep in touch with your cabin mates.

26. You're convinced that your age group's memories of camp are better than any other age group's.

27. You've held your breath during War Canoe Races.

28. You know that War Canoe bruises are intense and take all summer to fully heal.

29. At a certain point, you've memorized the other tribe's cheers and songs, but you're not totally sure when that happened.

30. You've looked for your family member's name on the ceiling of Idiot's Delight and Memory Trail.

31. You've left your mark on camp grounds somewhere... possibly against Tribe Training Rules.

32. Ten years later, you still have and remember inside jokes with your cabin.

33. You've tried to skip Tribe Period. And failed.

34. You're upset that you miss at least one major movie opening weekend every year.

35. Giving up your cell phone for a month sounds terrible, but it's really not so bad being unplugged and in the Mystic Bubble.

36. Blood makes the grass grow and Bombardment is not a joke. Not even CC Bombardment.

37. You've had to promise your non-camp friends that it's not really a cult.

38. You're always on the look out for cute whites for Sunday.

39. Wearing your charm bracelet on Sundays is like carrying a small child with one hand.

40. This list was entirely too long but you can still think of at least 15 more things to add to it.

Anything I should add? Anything pertain to your camp from my list?

Day Off #3

Here we are. My last day off from camp (ever, might I add - woah). We're bumming around good ol' Kerrville today. Earlier, Katye and I had lunch at Spirit Wind Java, a cute local coffee shop that reminded me of Eurotazza in the Fort (may the Tazz rest in peace). I had a great panini there. And there's something about a really cold Coke after being in the summer heat that is just phenomenal. I can't describe it, but if you're sweating profusely after dropping your laundry off at the Hunt Store and spending several days without a/c, drink an ice cold coke (or diet coke if you like) - it's Heaven.

Then we made the drive over to the James Avery Headquarters to get my rings shined and my Mystic year charm. My rings look new again! And I officially feel old because I technically have three decades of charms: two from the 90's, 00-08, and now '10. Also, another thing that makes me feel old is playing the "where were you Frances' first year of camp" game with the campers at my table. Last week, one of my campers was actually born while I was at camp my first year. Three campers this week were definitely not born my first few years at camp. It's a fun game.

Currently, Laine, Annie, McBride, Katye, and I are relaxing at Inn of the Hills watching SpiderMan 3. I do not remember the graphics being so bad when I saw this movie in theaters(three years ago?). I mean, obvs, Peter Parker flying through the air is totally fake, but dang, some of the graphics are just BAD. Topher Grace is so NOT Eric Foreman in this either, which is so weird since I've been watching a lot of That 70's Show late at night (before camp, that is since I have no cable). I think I'll end this before I start to ramble too much. I'll be home in 11 days and then I will resume a more normal posting schedule. I don't know whether to be happy or sad about this though since these are probably my last 11 days at camp ever since I have to be a real person soon. I'm excited about going home and seeing everyone, but camp is so fun! Here's to living up the next 11 days of camp!

Day Off #2

It's been 48 hours since my second day off but man oh man was it a good one! Despite being more tired Wednesday than I was Tuesday, I fully enjoyed my second day off, destination: Austin, Texas.

I left camp for a taco stand right by the famous Hunt Store and ate lunch with several of the other counselors. Being my picky self, I had a hamburger. Strange I know, but I get overwhelmed by new places/menus and I like to cling to what I know. Then I left for Austin to visit my camp bestie, Emily, who(m?) I hadn't seen in THREE years!

We met at the Domain and window shopped for a bit before sitting in Starbucks for an hour or so just talking. I love that with really good friends you can pick up right where you left off. It's one of the most comforting things in life. Then we walked on down to the Lilly Pulitzer store there and visited our cabin mate, Caitlin! We had a mini reunion - no seriously, there were 17 people in our cabin our last year so 3 people constitutes a mini reunion - haha. It was so nice to see Caitlin and catch up with her too.

After we visited Caitlin, Em and I called Halei and Katye and met them for dinner at Magnolia Cafe. Let me tell you, Magnolia Cafe would be an amazing place to people watch at 3 am. It would be like IHOP at 3 am. But on steroids. Or something more hippie-esque. After dinner, Em and I said a quick goodbye and took a photo, I gassed up and hit the road back to Kerrville. I'll definitely be making another trip to Austin this summer to visit Em and finally celebrate our 21sts (and now our 22nds)!

In the past week at camp we've had a lot of fun stuff happen: Tonk Kidnap Breakfast and CC Day last Thursday, Capture the Flag and Kiowa Serenade on Saturday, and my cabin's age group's cabin campfire. Tonight we have a dance with one of the boys' camps down the road. The girls are all really excited.

That's all I have for now. I think once I get the chance (which may be when I get home in July) I'll add pictures to my posts, but for now all you get is the text.