How many summers did you spend in the Canyon?
I spent four summers in The Canyon, with many family camp weekends interspersed. My sister Martha Ann (Danielson) Myer drew me into the LLYC/LLFC family initially through a spring break work week getting Headwaters ready. The summer after I graduated from high school, I worked Canyon Club. I was then a counselor at LLFC and in the Sugar Shack at Echo. My third and fourth summers were both at LLFC – first as Kid’s Club Director, then as a Work Crew Boss.
What are you up to these days?
These days I live in Waco, Texas and work as a Junior Account Manager at Hole in the Roof Marketing. I adore Waco. Since graduating and stepping into the working world, I’ve loved being able to get to know the town and all of its eccentricities. The art and food scenes are really hitting their strides right now, and I’ve enjoyed trying out new or hidden-treasure restaurants, volunteering with the Waco Civic Theater, and going to art exhibits by local artists. I’ve been at the same church in Waco since my freshman year at Baylor, Acts Church, and I am so grateful for the community I have in the children’s ministry. I also do some writing – mostly poetry – and will be participating in an event called Ekphrasis this fall, which pairs writers with visual artists to create pieces based on a certain theme. Pieces are presented the first weekend in November in downtown Waco.
Do you have a favorite camp memory?
Hmmm…. I kind of have a compilation of favorites. There was one time when we were closing down camp at the end of the summer and a few of us were hauling the luggage carts from the Sugar Shack to Barney and suddenly we all just started sprinting and racing and belly laughing, which made it hard to sprint, which made us laugh more. I love that memory because to me it encapsulates so much of camp: ridiculousness, joy, exhaustion, and the community that is built through the work. Then there are of course the memories of being awestruck and humbled looking at the stars in the Canyon, or the wild moment when a little kid karate chops something at a talent show and the whole pavilion goes crazy, and rodeo clowning with all its mess.
What do you miss most about your summers at camp?
I think I miss the wonder of summers at camp the most. Wonder at the canyon and the peace and beauty it carries. Wonder that so many different people can come together for a few weeks or months – staff, campers, families – and really invest in each other. Wonder at God’s faithful grace and provision every summer that allows us to meet and stretch and learn more about who He is and how we get to play a part in His story.
How does LLYC still impact your life today?
Well for starters, the Managing Director at my work, Genevieve Peel, is an LLYC Alum and Hole in the Roof designs and prints tees and other cool things for the Sugar Shack/Outpost, and I’ve had the joy of working with some Alums on other projects at work as well! Then, of course, there are the friendships that started at camp. My confidence in carrying heavy things is also forever boosted from work crew as well as a strange affection for scrubbing pans. I’ve also introduced my roommates to Corpus Christi cake with all of its buttery, sugary goodness.
