Stamm Camp!

So last week I took a little hiatus from my life in the hospital to go back to camp! Sweetness! It's a special camp that was started 40 some years ago by a cardiologist named Stanley Stamm (who by the way still has his own elective where one lucky resident gets to hang out with him and learn from his vast experiences for a month...another perk of the rotation is that he stops everything to go swimming for an hour in the middle of the day!! This is the way all residency should be right?). Anyway, he wanted all kiddos, even those with complex medical problems to have the opportunity to go to camp so he started one up. It's grown and developed over the past 40 years...many of the counselors now are formal campers, there are about 100 kiddos and tons of volunteers to manage the kid's medical needs while ensuring that they get to have a fantastic time. There are a number of kiddos with developmental delay, kids in wheelchairs etc etc and all of them get to go swimming, boating, fishing, horse back riding, watch skits and sing songs. They stay in cabins together and have a generally awesome time!!

It was phenomenal to be a part of. The kids are delightful and joyful, though some with behavioral disorders definately provided some challenges. The volunteers are truly servants. Getting all the kids ready isn't as easy as just telling them to get up or go to bed...it means, changing their diapers, giving meds and feeds, dressing them and brushing their teeth. I have always had great respect for families with disabled children and the amount of time, effort and coordination that is involved in the daily caretaking of their children, but none so much as I have now. It is truly a constant undertaking...but so rewarding as the kids give so much back. What is particularly special about this camp is that the kids get dropped off...no parents, no sibs, a real camp experience. There are a lot of amazing camps out there for families with kids with medical problems, but not many that give the parents a week off and the kids a week away. It was awesome to be a part of it...if only for a few days!

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Perks of Home Ownership

Last night, I bought a barbecue and Paula and I made dinner and actually ate together! This is a quasi-big deal since we didn't really have space to actually sit down together and eat at a table...facing each other...and talking like a normal couple in the last couple years. While we did have a table at our old place, it was usually full of crap (mail, keys, books, bags, etc) so we never had a place to really eat other than our couch and coffee table. So, last night was great.

...Then tonight we actually had dinner...at a table with friends...in our house. Our first real dinner in our house with friends! Again, due to space issues and lack of defined dining location, we only had friends over for dinner a couple times in the last couple years. So, this was rad. Paula made pumpkin ravioli (hand made ravioli and it turned our great!), I made a Gorgonzola cream sauce, and our friends Shannon, Erica, and Phil brought the rest of the fixins'. Lots of fun.

So, we're beginning to really enjoy this home ownership thing.

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