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Sessions for Intermediate campers at Interlochen (that's kids in sixth through ninth grade) are set up in three week increments.  Lucky Glo gets to attend both sessions, because we are obviously here all summer. She couldn't have asked for a better first session.  We weren't too surprised that she made it into the top orchestra as a first violinist because she had that placement last year.  However, we still always breathe a sigh of relief when we see the postings.  At first, she wasn't too sure about her conductor or the music.  Most of the kids had already played the music in their school orchestras, so it wasn't much more than a review for them.  Of course, this would not be the case for Glo (which is one of the main reasons we attend Interlochen at all).  So, she was playing catch-up in relatively difficult music that had a super fast tempo.  However, the concert was fantastic!  I could hardly believe that Glo was playing the music that...

I love Michigan.  Twenty years ago, I didn't have the same feelings, but with some maturity and some hindsight, I can't imagine a better place to live.  People ask why I love it so much, and they wonder why I don't like Pennsylvania.  This summer, I figured it out. I have friends here, and I feel like I can be myself in Michigan. For the past seven years (it kills me to think that I have lived in PA that long), I have struggled to make friends in Pennsylvania.  I'm not talking about acquaintances, or people that I see on occasion--I have plenty of those.  I'm talking about lifelong, share-every-moment-of-my-life kind of friend.  Since I don't have siblings, or any close family members, I feel a desperate need for friends.  I have tried to reach out to my in-laws, but there's a funny relationship between the members of the Kennedy family that I can't seem to comprehend. I have invited more women to lunch than I care to admit.  Sometimes ...

Have you ever had a glass of Kool-Aid?  If it's made properly, it has the correct amount of sugar, flavoring and water.  With too little sugar, it tastes nasty--just give me a plain glass of water--and with too little water, it's a blast of too much flavor (again, just give me a glass of water, but this time dump it  into  the Kool-Aid). It's nice when life is like a well-made glass of Kool-Aid.  The correct amount of goals, trials and successes.  We aren't really stretched, and we just sit back, put our feet up and drink our Kool-Aid with some ice cubes and a straw. Life at Interlochen for my musical children?  It's like the glass of Kool-Aid with not enough water, but lots of sugar and flavoring.  You say, "WOAH!"  While this is plenty sweet and exciting, this is way too strong.  Do I have to learn so much in such a short period of time? I believe that my children have several years of learning experiences in the very s...

The first year we attended Interlochen, John and I headed into nearby Traverse City for the Cherry Festival.  It's a huge event with tons of activities and vendors.  While there, John decided to order a buffalo burger from one of the tents.  Yes, a burger made from buffalo meat.  Not surprisingly, there is a local ranch, Oleson's, that raises a very large herd of buffalo.  In fact, in route to Traverse City on Highway 31, drivers can see the herd off to the right. We returned the next year to the festival, hoping to find the same tent.  Unfortunately, Oleson's didn't return, nor did the separate tent which sold freshly-fried cherry donuts :-(  I felt that I had missed out on something great because I hadn't chosen to try the burger that first year. Fast forward to this summer.  I was sitting in the infirmary with one of our health assistants, Shannon, who is a native of Traverse City.  I was telling her about the burgers and how I wish...

We can't come to Interlochen without thinking of Mark.  Our lives at Interlochen started with him coming here as an Intermediate boarding camper.  Six years later, some of our best life experiences as individuals and as a family have happened here, and although Mark isn't physically with us this summer, the spirit of Mark is found everywhere. Last week, the girls and I headed into the Scholarshop, looking for fun musician pins that the girls can wear.  While we didn't find the pins, we DID find a very familiar friend of Mark's:  we found DOMO! The last summer Mark was here at Interlochen as a camper, he knitted a behemoth DOMO in his "spare" time (this was also the summer he knit-bombed the Corson bears).  While he couldn't take DOMO with him to Russia, DOMO continues to hold court in Mark's bedroom at home, serving as a pillow for Glo's head while playing HALO, or cushioning Ranger's bony body during a nap. Imagine our surprise when we f...

Our home in Pennsylvania is located on eleven acres with the Allegheny mountain range.  It just so happens to sit on one of the highest points in the valley.  From our home, we have a view that extends about 40 miles in just about every direction.  We can see the rolling mountains, covered in green, for as far as the eye can see.  We didn't really appreciate the view when we bought the property--we bought it more for the location and the size.  However, when people come to visit, they inevitably bring up the view.  In fact, we've been told that if and when we ever sell the house, the view will increase the home's resale value. I have a "take it or leave it" feeling about the view.  For some reason, it just doesn't speak to me.  Green, rolling mountains with blue sky.  It's hard for me not to see the limestone that is just inches below the dirt, the limestone that makes planting a simple tree a half-day process.  It's hard for me not to...

Another summer.  Another season at Interlochen.  Another summer in heaven. This summer, I am working the first four weeks, and I will be off the final two weeks.  Because of this, I haven't had the time to find my muse...yet.  People frequently ask what I do at Interlochen, and while it's not nearly as interesting as the kids' schedules and it varies once I'm not working (and improves considerably), I'll give a quick run down of my life at the moment: 6 a.m.             Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast 7 a.m.             Show up for work Noon              Catch lunch with the girls for a few minutes 3 p.m.             Leave work, head home 3:15-5:00        Laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping 5:00-6:00        Eat dinner with the girls, watch a few minutes of TV 6:00-9:30       ...

Interlochen is full of opportunities for the Kennedys.  We get to participate in wonderful orchestras, play with other fantastic musicians, and learn more about music every year.  We also have another sort of opportunity.  You see, Glo, Mark, and I have all come as day campers.  Instead of boarding in the cabins, we stay with Mommy and Daddy.  Day campers get all sorts of fun things because we don't live in the cabin.  We get to have bikes, which are great on the huge campus and we get to leave campus whenever we want.  We have a lot more freedom than boarding campers because our parents are responsible for us rather than counselors. So, this allows for some sneakiness.  Two years ago, Mark knit-bombed a statue of two bears on campus.  He snuck back on campus one night and put a knitted hoodie on the statue.  He knit the hoodie in the house we rent off campus, so no other campers knew about it. Glo and I have recently been introduced t...