• Switchfoot's beginning "Awakening" with Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" music.
• Relient K singing a song from their NEW Christmas album and wearing reindeer headbands.
• Relient K singing "Pink Tux to the Prom" and "Sadie Hawkins Dance".
• Helping load-out after the concert and getting to meet some pretty cool crew members, who could work really fast AND give good directions to clueless girls on how to retract chains.
• Taking apart some pretty expensive lights ($18,000!!), which would have probably cost my life if I had broke them.
• Coiling some pretty massive cords (yea, my dad taught me well!)
• Carrying some pretty heavy guitars (that I would have come face to face with Matt Thiessen if I dropped). --since when are guitars SO heavy??
• Working with some pretty fun fellow UNI-ians.
• Some Switchfoot/Ruth guys attempting to throw a football around and that being pretty entertaining. (They should probably stick to their God-given talents )
• One band member (not really sure from which band) taking time to chat with a guy from UNI about music and when I went by with a load of equipment, he also took time to tell me thanks for volunteering.
• Thinking Switchfoot was just all-right until that concert and having them change my mind:
  ---Jon Foreman, lead singer of Switchfoot, earned my respect by being really genuine. I was standing off the side of the trailer ramp, waiting for my sweet piece of equipment to be loaded. My palms were black from coiling wires and I was a bit spaced out.
  Suddenly, Jon Foreman is right in front of me. He sticks out his hand and thanks me for helping load out and for coming to the concert. I was completely caught off guard and succeeded in making his hand dirty by shaking it . I told him that their music was great and he seemed so appreciative of my sentiment. Crazy...most of the other band members were just like, "obviously we make good music but thanks".  And, not only that, he thanked pretty much every volunteer in that area personally. Wow. I am blown away by his genuineness. Go Switchfoot is all I have to say!

So, the concert was stellar and I'm way glad I volunteered. Not gonna lie...getting to tell people that Jon Foreman shook my hand is pretty cool. Anyhow, I'm now getting excited for another concert in my upcoming life. Sunnyside Mennonite Church/SMBI: Be there or be square.

Okay, so this in response to a very long ago tag by my dear friend, BK. So, I've decided to spice it up a little and kill two birds with one stone. I've decided to make these 7 random facts all about new york and Camp Deerpark so that I can say that I've told the xanga world about cdp.  Lame, I know, all right, moving on:

1.  I miss everything that came with this summer family of mine. 
--This is mostly for Lindsay
*Getting mixed up with Lindsay: "Lindsay--Amy? Linds-AMY!!!!" & "You look like a Lindsay and Lindsay looks like an Amy!"
*"Good one, Winona!"
*"Santo!"
*"What date is it today???!!!!" 
*"Idaho? Iowa?"
*Jasmine, Janece, and Mariah stories
*Kevin, put that cup in the freezer!
*"What language do they speak in Iowa?"  Joyse!!
*What money do they use in Iowa?"  Isiah...awww
*"I want to be the last thing that touches you in New York." Ashley whispering.
*the Smith boys...my laughter tank has fallen to below 1/2 full because of their absence.
*Deborah and those conversations!! :) 
*"if we get a boat--With Jesus in the boat..."
Linz, feel free to add more in a comment! I know I'm forgetting something...
 

2.  I officially realized that I was being influenced by my NYC friends when I asked someone what "brand" of cow that I was looking at.

3. Trampolines are definitely way more fun when you're jumping with people who have never jumped before!

4. I had a 8 year old girl named Jasmine who talked to her clothes...and any other object that would lend an ear.

Short story: so, the first week she was there she had this delightful interest in God. She wanted to know if she could just talk to God and if He would talk back. This is a true overheard conversation from Jasmine's lips:
"God, will you play with me?"
She begins to run and jump around gleefully. "Yayyyyy!!"
Suddenly she comes running up to me with the most serious expression. "Did I hurt God?" (because she was swinging her arms wildly.)
I shake my head no and pinch my lips shut as to not laugh as her expression immediately changes into wild excitement and she once again runs off playing with God. "Yayyyyyyyyy!!!!!"

5. Pool time was the best with Gabi, Christian, Elaine, Dequisha, and Demetree. I definitely am the queen of screaming contests!

6. I took one of my girls to the emergency room during Teen Session. Turns out she had a throat infection. Yeah, Robyn, rockin that hospital gown!

7. I took two of my girls down Brandt Rd. By the way, Camp Deerpark is on the side of a mountain, so when I say down Brandt Rd, I mean DOWN the mountain a mile and of course...back up again!  (that's the closest tired face I could find) They were having a bit of an argument and had decided that their friendship suddenly was not nearly as important as being angry. So, they put on their sneakers (yea, that's definitely a East coast term!) and we headed down the mountain.
I've never been so rewarded for actually working out an argument rather than just telling them to be friends again. "Forgive and forget" was our walk's motto, and we decided we all struggle with different aspects of that phrase. Marleyna thought forgetting was hardest while Elena thought forgive was the hardest, but in the end Jesus is the only person who can help us with those struggles. Puffing, sweating bullets, yet once again friends, we made it back to Camp Deerpark.

So, that was my summer in a tiny tiny nutshell. There are so many more stories and jokes and random facts that I could talk about forever but really all that matters is that God knew what He was doing in sending me to NY. Linz, thanks for every moment: being your sister/twin/cousin and then really starting to act like sisters :). "Why are you yelling?" "Something smells terrible." :) Goodness, this summer was popping and dumb fun. Even though the pool was brick and there were mad ticks...God really worked in all of our lives. How's that for a landslide of ghetto talk? :) I love you sooo much! 
And for all of you who were praying...THANK YOU!!!!! God did sweet things in the lives of the staff and the campers and you had a hand in that. May God's richest blessings be on you!
With that, (sniff sniff) goodbye Summer 07 and hello UNI...