About Me

Thursday, June 30, 2011

What is Love?

Like my older sister, Becky, I receive joy from the things children say. They are full of life and learning, and yet, some can say the wisest things. Becky found a website where professionals asked children ages 4-8 years old “What does love mean?” and it made both of our hearts melt (greatdad.com- no, she doesn’t read random websites like this. She found it off of msn.com. Just wanted to insert that disclaimer.). She posted it on her blog, but I found it so sweet that I wanted to share it with you to brighten your day a little.

The answers were deeper and broader than they could have imagined. Here are some of the answers they got:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
- Rebecca - age 8


"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
- Billy - age 4


"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
- Karl - age 5


"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
- Chrissy - age 6


"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
- Terri - age 4


"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
- Danny - age 7


"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
- Emily - age 8


"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
- Bobby - age 7


"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."
- Nikka - age 6


"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
- Noelle - age 7


"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
- Tommy - age 6


"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
- Cindy - age 8


"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
- Clare - age 6


"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
- Elaine-age 5


"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
- Chris - age 7


"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
- Mary Ann - age 4


"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
- Lauren - age 4


"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
- Karen - age 7


"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
- Mark - age 6


"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
- Jessica - age 8


Happy Thursday!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Monday's Memorable Moments


Yes everyone, I KNOW it’s Saturday. But hear me out. I knew I wanted to start a consistent post because with the schedule I have and the little time I spend on my computer, I don’t have that much time to really plan out my posts. I apologize for my negligence of updating this blog frequently. That being said, I thought I would give you snippets of my weeks every Monday (Because the aliteration of “memorable moments” is baller with “Monday”). Don’t worry, The rest of these Monday posts will be published on the correct day of the week. So here are just three things I will tell you about this past week. Some are memorable for good reasons. Others…not so much.

1) Zumba with the girls of Zeitfuss II every Tuesday and Thursday with the awesome instruction of our very own Puerto Rican/New Yorker, Leonexy. This is our chance to shake what our mommas gave us in the privacy of our building. It’s a great de-stresser and a whole mess of fun with the ladies. Although, I think I just released some information that the opposite sex should’ve plugged their ears to. Oh well, at least they can’t participate in our weekly assembly. By the way, new favorite song to shake the booty to: Danza Kuduro by Don Omar. Look it up.

2) Watching Lance Nitahara fillet a fish. Not gonna lie, I think Lance is a celebrity and I’m so grateful to be in his presence this summer, even if I am washing his pots. He’d hate me for saying I think he’s a celebrity because he is one of the humblest men I know. He glorifies God in everything he does. Tonight I witnessed him in action in the kitchen. Me, being the nerd that I am, pulled out my phone to record him removing the bones from the salmon while I casted him questions about when he knew he wanted to be a chef and his favorite type of fish. His technique was like a dance. Graceful, methodical, and beautiful.

3) Dropping my camera in the lake. Yes, this is the memory I wish I could forget. But alas, it is forever engraved in my mind, hence, making it menacingly memorable. Some of my friends and I decided to take a kayak trip around the lake last week. I felt like there would be some great photo ops, so I cautiously put the camera in a zip lock bag and guarded it with my dear life. I placed it in the waterproof canister attached to my kayak. The longer we were in the boats, the more I became comfortable with pulling my camera out for a few quick photos. My stomach is turning as I type because I hate thinking back to this moment. My friend asked if we could take a picture together. Hesitant, I entrusted my other friend to take a quick snapshot. All was well until she was passing it back to me. It was no one's fault, I blame no one. The world felt like it was in slow motion as I saw it slip into the water. It felt like a nightmare. I wished it were unreal. Thoughts raced through my head as I practically dove into the water, screaming. I don’t want to think about the idiot I must have looked like. Thankfully, where we were, the water wasn’t that deep. I felt the strap in the sludge and quickly pulled it out, immediately turning it off. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. All I could do was pray for my poor camera and paddle back to shore to put it in some rice. My friend Brandon was so nice to walk with me to find some rice, trying to consol me by talking about other things. It helped.
I was shaken up for about a day, not knowing if my camera was dead or not. But honestly, it was a great lesson for me. I had treated this inanimate object like a person. I was invested in this worldly possession. A comforting verse for me during this time of frustration, anger, and doubt was Colossians 3:2-4, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” I don’t know if my camera is okay, but I know these things happen, and I am forgiven. My family still loves me and my Father still loves me. This camera means nothing compared to the gift I have in Him. Even if it was the worst incident at camp so far, I still really enjoyed the kayaking trip, and God taught me a lesson through my mistake.

I wouldn’t exactly call those snippets, which is why I’ll leave it at three. More Monday’s Memorable Moments to come in the future. The guests arrive tomorrow, meaning the children will arrive! I’m guessing a majority of the Memorable Moments will be coming from the classroom with the things the kids say. Kids say the funniest things. That’s one of the main reasons I love being around them. I can’t wait to meet them and learn about Christ’s awesomeness together!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Consider It All Joy


It’s been a week here at camp and I’m trying to figure out if it seems like I’ve been here for a while or feels like I just got here. If I think about the amount of work I’ve done in a day, it feels like forrrr-ehh-ver *insert Squint’s voice. * If I think about the week as a whole, it feels like it was just yesterday that I arrived at camp. This will most likely be a recurring feeling throughout the summer as I am beginning to realize the amount of work that goes into each day here. The entire faculty here works (at least) 55-hour weeks. They are insane. The only way staff gets through the day with a positive attitude is through the Lord’s strength. forreal. It’s been a challenge for me to keep a positive outlook while pulling a “Cinderella” on every staircase in the camp. House keeping is not my permanent job for the summer, but it will be my job every Saturday, and heaven knows I’ll have to whistle while I work in order to keep a cheerful demeanor

We have devotionals every day. With devotionals, usually one of the full-time shares a short devotional/message before breakfast. Despite the groggy appearances of the “morning loathers” on this specific morning, one of the staff, Tim Trezise, shared something that caused my baggy eyes to open from their half awake state.

This summer, I knew I wanted a job. And I thought camp would be the ideal job. I would get to meet awesome people, have memorable experiences, make some moolah, and serve the Lord in a beautiful place. Although serving the Lord was in the equation, it was not at the top of the list, because I was thinking of this as a job. But Tim shared something this morning that may seem elementary, but nonetheless it impacted me. What we’re doing here at camp is not a job, but a ministry. Everyone has been called to serve the Lord, whether it’s scrubbing the stairs of Zeitfuss Lodge or going overseas. And serving the Lord should be done with a joyful heart that is glorifying to Him.

This summer is going to be a challenge. The Lord is going to test and push me in ways I never thought I could be pushed. I’m going to be physically and emotionally tired. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trails, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” But the amazing thing is that I want to be challenged. I need to be challenged. In order to grow in your walk with Christ, it’s important to be pushed to further the walk. I’m not going to lie, I’m tired and worn. It’s my nature. But the Lord is my strength, and I’m eager to learn what He is going to teach me.

On another note, we had our End-of-Pre-season party tonight and it was a blast. The staff enjoyed good conversations with each other and volleyball on the beach. And I must say, we clean up nicely. After a week of wearing stinky, sweaty t-shirts, it was nice to see people in some decent clothing ha. I’m enjoying so much getting to know each and every one of these people and they make my life a little richer.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Whistle While You Work



Here I am at camp, finally! Tim picked me up, along with my new camp friends Hannah and Rachel from the airport and we headed off to camp. New York is beautiful, full of quaint little towns and elegant lakes. Camp is, as I imagined, beautiful. You know how you come up with the way things look in your head only to be contradicted when the real thing comes along? Well, that happened to me. I think the reason this happened was because I spent hours (okay, maybe not hours) looking at the pictures online and piecing the places together in my head. Then I came to camp and everything looked a little bit different than I thought, which isn’t a bad thing at all! The camp is better than expected! But now I have to rearrange everything in my head so I don’t end up in the wrong places. The camp is great in size, but most of the buildings are smooshed close-ish together. The lake is beautiful and the lake front accommodations line the beach.

We arrived at camp and scarffed (I was that hungry) down some turkey, rice, and mixed veggies so we could catch the last bit of staff fellowship. Now before you think to yourself, turkey and rice? That sounds like cafeteria food to me, keep in mind that the head chef, Lance Nitahara, of one of the dining halls is a celebrity. At least, in my eyes. He was a competitor on the Food Network show, Chopped, and came in second! If you’d like to check out the episode, click here.

The first day we got our preseason schedules. The Episcopalians have a weekend retreat here every year so we spent yesterday preparing for their arrival. I was doing house keeping the whole day, which consisted of dusting Wigwam (one of the buildings here with a cute little library), washing the windows of some of the rooms, and swabbing the deck of some of the porches. Let me tell you, house keeping is not for the faint of heart. They do work! By the time five o’clock rolled around, I was about ready to drop. But thanks to God’s perpetual strength, I was able to end the day with a smile on my face. But let’s just say, I slept very well that night. The rest of this weekend, I shall be on dish duty in Hill dining, and I’m ready to get down and dirty with some unwashed pots and pans.

The staff here is, for lack of a better word, awesome. I’ve already met so many wonderful people, and not all of the staff has even arrived yet! Every single one of them have hearts that desire to serve the Lord and I’ve never been around so many people as genuine as them. They’re fun, lively, sweet, and full of God’s love.

I’m sure I could say more about my first day, but I know how tedious it can get reading a long blog. So to sum up my first couple of days here at camp in a few words: Camp is great!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Thank You, Wright Brothers


No specific reason compels me to write this post except to take up time while sitting in the Philadelphia International Airport waiting for my flight to Albany. I'm sitting on the sunny side of the terminal because the air on the plane from Charlottesville to Philly practically froze my little tosies off. I have my coffee in hand (much needed after the four o'clock wake-up call) and a $3 muffin sitting next to me while I write. This post is completely random and has no connection to my experience at camp (Obvi, since I'm not there yet), but these are my thoughts on my standpoint of flying. I thought I would take this time to convey to you my deepest affections for flying. no sarcasm. Consider this my love letter to the invention of aviation. Hats off to you, Wright Brothers.

As I was flying to Philadelphia, my forehead glued to the undersized window, I couldn't help but think, I could go there. I could go there. I could go anywhere. My thoughts began sounding like a Dr. Seuss book. Of course the plane couldn't land anywhere, but the concept that I could travel anywhere lingered in my head. If I could go anywhere, I wonder where I'd go? To Las Vegas, or Monaco? At this point, my thoughts transferred from Dr. Seuss poems to ABBA lyrics. That's the way this brain works. Anyways, it got me thinking about how big this world is. Duh Kate! This world is so vast and explorable (yes, that is not a real word). And creation is just so beautiful. I've said before one of God's biggest visible gift to us is creation, and I stand by that. The Creator of the Universe is so darn creative, it blows me away!! Holy Cow. Okay, settle down, Kate. I can't wait to expand my understanding of this world and travel to the places I've only dreamt about my whole life. Studying abroad couldn't come soon enough!

I know everyone has their own opinions about flying. Flyers can fall into three categories: One category of flyers falls into the people who absolutely despise flying and avoid it at all costs to the point of rather dying. That's the extreme case, and I've only heard this reasoning once. Another category are the people that are indifferent. Almost every business man, I'm assuming, falls into this category. The other category are the ones who try to come up with excuses to fly. I fall into the latter. I'm the person who says, "We're going to Maryland?
Why not fly??"
My parents were very forbearing with me growing up in their house because I would ask this question for just about every one of our family trips. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE road trips. If you know me at all, you know I love travelling by just about any mode of transportation. Sketchy public buses, rickety old bicycles, a mall cop's segway. Give me a window with a view, and I'm set. But there's something about the view from an airplane, the feel of the plane lifting its wheels off the ground as if I myself am Wilbur the albatros from The Rescuers Down Under. It's exhilarating. If I had the patience (and the money), I would totally get a pilot's license. Only one request I ask when I fly:
"Can I have a window seat, please??"


Even the airports fascinate me. I actually enjoy sitting in the airport, It's only pleasant, though, when your flight isn't cancelled or you're dashing to the appropriate gate only to find your plane just left. When those are not the sorrowful scenarios, I greatly enjoy observing late comers hurdling over small children and dodging old women and their dog carriers to get to their gate on time. It's quite comical. People watching is the best past time when you're sitting in an airport.

Welp, I've rambled on about that long enough. I've still got about an hour and a half in the airport until my flight leaves. So I think I'll go scoff at the overpriced trinkets as if they are to blame for their considerable expense. Can't wait to get to camp and meet everyone!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Write Me!

If you ever feel like you would want to write me, I am giving you my address for your convenience. I LOVE getting snail mail, and I love hearing about what's going on in your life! Plus, I will guarantee that if you send me a letter, I most certainly will write you back! It's a win win situation here, folks.

For Letters:
Kate Scheel
Staff, CAMP-of-the-WOODS
P.O. Box 250
Speculator, NY 12164-0250

For Packages (If you feel so called!):
Kate Scheel
Staff, CAMP-of-the-WOODS
106 Downey Ave.
Speculator, NY 12164

I leave around 4 a.m. tomorrow to catch my flight from Charlottesville to Philly, and then from Philly to New York. I would appreciate your prayers as this is my first solo flight and I'm worried I may board the wrong flight or miss it completely ha! I absolutely love flying, but doing it by myself? Now that's another story.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Camp-of-the-Woods: Promo

I leave for camp Wednesday. I feel like there’s still so much to do here before I leave and I feel like I should begin packing up or something. After all, four days doesn’t give a girl much time to pack! It’s a multiple day drudgery! And yet, I haven’t started yet. In my head I’m getting super excited but I’m not excited about packing up. Time for team motivation to kick in! While I’m letting that kick in, I thought I might tell you a little bit about Camp-of-the-Woods so you can see why I’m so excited.


Camp-of-the-Woods (Camp-of-Woods.org) is in Speculator, New York in the Adirondack Mountains. It’s a 100 year old, 90 acre Christian family camp surrounded by beautiful landscapes and beautiful people. Amazing speakers from all over the country come and speak at the camp with featured speakers every week. Because it’s a family camp, not only with there be young children running around playing, but parents, grandparents, and great grandparents will be there. It’s a smorgasbord of people! Did I mention the lake is gorgeous, full of sailboats, kayaks and canoes? At least I think it is. I’ve spent a enough time staring at the pictures on the website to begin to get some ideas of it’s greatness. Becky said it almost should be called a resort. Geez! I’m going to be spoiled this summer! I deeply apologize if any of this comes across as bragging or anything (“My horse is bigger than you horse” type thing). I don’t mean it to be. I’m just so fortunate to be a part of something like this for the summer. It’s the type of work that I love to do, being in a beautiful place, working with children, basking in God’s glory.


Okay, so I won’t be the teacher in the class, but I will be the teacher’s assistant, which is what I wanted. That way, it will give me a chance to interact with the kids on a closer level and give me freedom to move about, not just in the classroom, but around the camp as well. This is because a TA has the freedom to help out in other areas of the camp too, like work in the bookstore, the Tee-Pee, and other areas. Plus, I’m glad I don’t have the stress of lesson planning. I’d rather play with the kids ha. But no, I can’t wait to get into the classroom and meet these kids. 1st grade is where it’s at. What what!


That’s honestly all I know about my job at the moment. When I get to camp June 8th, we’ll do preseason work for about a week and then training the next week. I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the staff as well. Becky’s been filling me in on the people that will be returning and people I should keep my eye out for…in a non-creepy way, of course. I feel like I’ll be introducing myself as, “Kate, Becky’s sister,” which I’m totally fine with because I think Becky left a good reputation there…I hope.


Once I get to camp, I’ll be able to give the deets on all the excitement going on at camp. Meanwhile, time for me to do laundry.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Blog Numero Uno

Alright, so I had created this blog at the beginning of my second semester at school in the hopes of becoming an avid blogger. Like many of my ideas, I get super hyped about it, create maybe three posts if I'm lucky, and then loosing it in the cyber world after a week or so to be forgotten forever. I found myself doing this act numerous times, first creating a myspace account in high school and never even entering the site a second time, and then getting stoked about tumblr and never keeping up with it. This not-keeping-up-with-things happens copious amounts of time to me. But not this time. I fully intend to update this blog regularly if it's the last darn thing I do. The main reason I am this determined is because I need to keep people updated.
Not gonna lie, one of my favorite things to do on the internet is read my friends' blogs. I love hearing about the awesome and exciting things happening in people's lives. Every blogger has a unique way of illustrating their personalities through their blogs. It opens the reader to a better understanding of the person and hearing about what's going on in their lives. That being said, if I delight in reading others' blogs, why not give you the chance to tap into my life's happenings?!

One of the main reasons I'm starting up this bloggeroo is to keep friends and family updated on my summer adventures. I will be in Speculator, New York (in the Adirondack Mountains) this summer. I have been SO excited to start this job and I'm busting at the seams to get up there. Stoked is probably an understatement in this moment. My sister Becky worked there last summer and has done nothing but praise her experience at Camp-of-the-Woods. She does a stellar job at getting me stoked and consoling me when I freak myself out about actually having a new, real job (not like working for my dad isn't a real job, it just doesn't feel as legit as wearing a camp shirt). I'll be a teacher at camp, working with the chillins. I'll fill y'all in a little more about the camp lowdown in my next post. I get sad sometimes when I think about leaving the things I just started here this summer and the friends that I'm leaving home, but I know that as soon as I get to camp, the good times will just keep on rolling. And I hope this blog will also keep me connected to my friends, no matter where I am!

This first blog is just the first little step into the cyber world, and I'm banking on this blog to stay, unlike my many other attempts at blogging. People, do not doubt my ability to blog. Have faith! I hope to keep you readers in step with my life, my mistakes, my "winnings," my dreams. I'm so excited to begin this summer and begin this blog. I rejoice in the fact that the Lord is with me every step of the way, not just this summer but all through the days of my life. huzzah!