Reflections on Interlochen

With only three days left of camp, I become introspective about my time here.  Here are some things I want to remember:

Things I Will Miss About Interlochen (and Northern Michigan in general):

1. Meijer.  Man, I love Meijer.  Stuff is cheaper there, and they have everything I need, and plenty of things that I never knew I needed.  The night we arrived, we headed to Meijer before anywhere else to get the things we needed for camp.  
2. Pop.  Yes, we have pop in Pennsylvania, but it's not called "pop".  John misses specific kinds of pop, like Vernor's and Faygo, but I miss just being able to go to a restaurant and order a "pop".
3. The lakes.  I love the lakes here.  They are beautiful, and wonderful to jump in after a long, hot day.
4. Of course, the music.  I will miss the music most of all.  Too, I will miss the joy I see in my kids' faces when they live, breath and sleep music.  They never complain about the long rehearsals, or the difficult pieces.  I never tire of hearing the music from every corner of camp.
5. Biking.  This is the only time of year that we have a reason to ride our bikes, and we ride them everywhere.  They become as much a part of our lives as the car is during the rest of the year.  Glo and I were wishing that we had a reason to ride our bikes at home, but we don't--it's just not the same.
6. Uniforms.  I attended a parochial school as a child, and I wore a uniform to school everyday.  There's something very liberating in not having to choose what to wear each day.  Here, we pull out a blue shirt, blue shorts and socks and we're ready to go.  There's a leveling of the social playing field with uniforms--no child feels less than another because of what they are wearing.  Too, laundry is a breeze.

Things I Will NOT Miss About Interlochen (and Northern Michigan in general):

1. Socks with shoes.  Part of the uniform is to wear socks with shoes.  My feet miss feeling the sun.
2. Sadness.  This summer has been a summer of sadness.  I come here to escape my problems.  Now, I just want to go home to escape the problems that have followed me here.  Mark left, and I must admit that Interlochen just isn't the same without him.  Bruce died.  Anna and Ethan broke up.  
3. Stone Cafeteria.  My family loves the cafeteria here, and my palette does too, as does John's wallet, but my intestines do not.

Things I Am Looking Forward To Back at Home:

1. Seeing John.  Seriously, I have MISSED that man!  He always keeps me laughing, and with the sadness, I have missed his smile, and his jokes, and him.  I can't wait to be with him again.
2. Working in the yard.  Nothing helps me feel better than running, and working in the yard.  Seeing as the first solution is no longer an option, working in the yard will be one of the first chores upon returning home.  And it will feel good.
3. The animals.  We have all missed them, and now that the pups are gone and animal life is more subdued, we can't wait to have Range crawl up onto our shoulder, or have Cherry bring the ball back.  For the nth time.
4. Genealogy.  I haven't had the opportunity to do one thing with my genealogy while here.  I eagerly anticipate opening up my books again and reacquainting myself with my ancestors.

As we wrap up this summer, and the girls perform in their last recitals, we are already making plans for next summer at Interlochen.  Electives that should be taken but that will be laid aside for those that we want to take.  Dates that we need off.  Seeing friends again.  Setting bigger and better goals for those cherished six weeks.

I can hardly wait.