All Things Water At TP

I've been meaning to put up some pictures from the Tyler Place for some time now, but I haven't gotten around to it. I've "borrowed" a bunch from my Aussie friend and fellow counselor, Brad. I'm making him a friendship bracelet during Pre-Teen hang out time, so he owes me. He had a bunch from one of the first weeks of summer when we were at the pool and at the boat dock/water tramps, thus the title. Here's a look at all things water at TP!

The outdoor pool (aka practically my home last summer) The building on the left is the indoor pool.

The indoor pool - parents doing water aerobics

View of the boat dock

Going to the swim dock and making moves toward the tramps/slide

"The Death Slide" on a floating dock

Jumping off the lake tramps (l to r: Andrew, Emilie, me in the back, and Brad upside down)

do transfers find out housing/roomies the same time as freshman?

We get the same packet the first years do and have to send all the info in at the same time, so we also hear about our housing stuff about the same time (mid-July). Hopefully they'll keep putting all transfers in the same general area (like one wing of Ryan like last year). It was really helpful to be living with all the people in the same position as me - understanding how the whole college thing works, but trying to make friends again.

Ask me anything!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

It's been a pretty rainy summer so far. It's raining as I write this. Yuck.

It's sunny every once in a while, though. I've found time to sit by the pool during the four hour break from work. I've also made it to a couple of dance parties and karaoke nights with the guests.

With some of the girls before DP. (Laura creeping over my shoulder, me, Jeanine, Julia)

This morning I ran in the Run for Empowerment. I happened to run into my boss, Gen, while writing her a note for work yesterday and she told me about it. She and two other girls from TP were also there. It was a fun out and back 5k/10k race (I did the 5k with my mom, my friends Michelle and Alexis did the 10) that started at the Echo Center in Burlington. It was for Women Helping Battered Women, which was quite obviously a worthy cause. The finish had just about THE BEST food spread I've ever seen. I'm kicking myself now because I can't remember the name of the bakery (Great Harvest Bread Co.?? Hmm...) that provided the baklava, apple strudels, spinach and cheese spinner pastry things, etc., but I can tell you right now that it was DELICIOUS. After some awards (yay, I won cookies!) and a great raffle in which my mom, who never wins raffles, was the first to be called and picked out a gorgeous $100 pendant, my mom and I headed up to the mall for a little shopping at our all-time favorite store, Ann Taylor Loft. Is it disgusting that we used up our 2 hours free parking in one store? Oops! It was a successful trip though!

It's been a busy, busy week work-wise, but a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to being with the pre-teens this week. Bowling in St. Albans Tuesday!! At the end of this week we will be 1/3 the way through the season at TP. AHH! AND I'm not even around for the last few weeks because of school. So I'm AT LEAST 1/3 done summer. Scary, scary thought. I'll be enjoying every last second of my last 2/3rds!

3 Weeks In

Well, I feel like I've been there forever, but I've only been working at the Tyler Place for 3 weeks now. Time there goes by so strangely. You're with the same kids for a week straight and then the guests rotate and you say good-bye to those kids in the morning and meet new ones in the afternoon. Because of this weeks go by slowly and events at the beginning of the week seem so distant at the end, but they also go by quickly because of the quick rotation. It's very strange.

This is going to be a quick post as I have to head out for a run and I told myself I HAD to go by 5:30. First, a quick explanation of how TP kids groups work so you'll understand a little somthin' somthin' in the rest of this. The age groups are rough. I'm not exactly positive, but it'll give you a good idea.

In the "Playhouse" are the Junior Midgets (2 1/2 - 4 years old)

In the "Clubhouse" are the Senior Midgets (4 - 5 years) and the Juniors (5 - 7ish years)

In the Inn are the Seniors (7 - 9 years), Pre-Teens (10-12), and Teens (13-16ish)

Like I said, the age groups are rough.

This is my second week in a row counseling in the Senior Midgets. Being in the Clubhouse for the second week is really nice. The first week gave me the opportunity to get comfortable with the way that things worked and this week I felt like I could step up a little and not completely rely on counselors that have worked at TP before. While I did work there last year, I'm a complete newbie at counseling.

The kids have been fun. This week I've been working a lot with one in particular that had a hard time with being away from his parents. He's still a little reserved around the other kids, but there have been a lot of improvements from the first day, which is encouraging.

On another fun note, Friday is my birthday! I'll be putting on my dancing shoes (aka cute new flip flops from TJ Maxx, one of the best places on earth) and chillin' with the guests at dance party tomorrow night. It's the first one I've been able to go to all year, so I'm quite excited. Expect pictures.

I'm not exactly sure where this blog is going to go this summer, but my picture on the SMC Bloggers homepage says I'm a counselor, so I'll tell you all about TP. As my friend Adam said though, it seems to just be a story about my life. I am a SMC Blogger, so please, any questions about St. Mike's and whatnot are completely welcome. Not being there makes it hard to talk about it, but I'm sure I could come up with something with a little push in the right direction!

Grace Potter on Church Street

I had been trying to switch my days off from Tuesday to Thursday. It didn't work out and I woke up Tuesday morning thinking I'd spend the day doing work for my online class. I was not all too enthused. But in my usual morning routine of checking every single form of internet communication I came across a glorious RT on Twitter. Grace Potter live on Church Street at 5:30. Free. My morning immediately got SO much better.

Grace Potter is a singer/songwriter originally from Vermont. She and her band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals have been getting increasingly more popular nation-wide. With the band's roots in Burlington, they play multiple shows a year in the Burlington area including an annual new year's eve performance at Higher Ground and a show on the waterfront every August. This year for the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival they played a free show right smack dab in the middle of Church Street. Check out the band's website here. I've linked directly to- the new album, so you can check it out. My faves? "Paris", "Tiny Light", "Only Love", and "That Phone".

I went with Caroline, crown and sash included, to see the awesome show. It was absolutely packed. I think the shortest, most accurate way to describe the event was something Caroline said over and over. "She is just so awesome. I wish I could be her." But seriously.

The first time I heard her CD, Nothing But The Water, which I now have completely memorized, I immediately thought of Janis Joplin, who my brother and I used to rock out to together when we were younger. (Well, ok...and still do. I will always and forever hear Evan singing "Piece of my Heart" when it comes on the radio.) I had always heard that seeing her live was incredible. This couldn't be more true. Her stage presence is ridiculous, her voice is something I will always wish I could have, and her music is so much fun.

Anyway, long story short, I loved it. I will for sure be at the waterfront show in August. After the show Caroline and I made our way (slowly...oh, to be Miss VT and oh so very popular) over to the St. Mike's cow for a pic.

(A post on the cows of Church St. and beyond is to follow this one at some point. Probably when I need a nice filler post because I've run out of things to talk about!) Afterward, I bought myself the new CD, which was released yesterday, and got it signed by the entire band.

I love that even though Grace and the band are only getting bigger as time goes on, they haven't forgotten little old Burlington, VT. It's cool for them to do a free show and stick around to meet the local fans afterwards. During the show Grace said something that really stuck with me and completely illustrated how they feel about their beginnings in VT.

"Burlington, Vermont is the biggest city in the world to us." - Grace Potter

I have a few YouTube vids from the show. They're a little fuzzy and I ask that you please ignore the crazy camera angles and whatnot. It's a digital camera. I do what I can! (They're currently still being processed so I'll get them up ASAP. Check back in a day or so for them!)

YAY Caroline!

I'm working on a full post, but for now, I have this:

One of my best best best friends, Caroline Bright, is Miss Vermont 2010. Growing up she, our friend Hannah, and I were the Three Musketeers from the very beginning. Somehow Caroline weaseled her way into the grade ahead of us, but now that she is Miss Vermont she is taking a year off of school. What does this mean? Well, Caroline and I both transferred from the same school TO the same school. This just happens to be the very same school Hannah went to at the very beginning.

The Three Musketeers are graduating from SMC together. Yesssss!

So, CONGRATULATIONS CAROLINE!! I know you didn't want me to jinx it, but you know I've been telling you ALL YEAR that you just HAD to win this year!

Follow Caroline's new adventure on her blog and on twitter. Things should start to get preeetty interesting for our new Miss Vermont!