to say that adison was excited about our first trip to camp huronda would be an understatement. she had been anticipating this getaway for the entire summer. she and anna had kept a countdown on the fridge for weeks.
adi and i set out monday morning, bound for huntsville. from the moment we set out, adi was full of smiles and giggles. the 4 hour drive was full of lots of conversation and some good tunes on the radio. when we finally arrived... adi could barely contain herself.
once we pulled into the camp, we were greeted by our camp counsellors who accompanied us to our very rustic cabin, then brought us to the main lodge to meet the other campers. within minutes, adison had befriended some of the other kids and just like that... she was off.
the first little girl that adi made friends with was a little girl named cassandra. cassie and adi have lots in common. aside from being t1d they are both 7 years old, play hockey, love sports and singing and dancing and they are both the babies of their families. once these 2 connected... there was no separating them... they were two peas in a pod for the next 4 days!
some of her other friends included emma, abby and anna.
the campgrounds are beautiful and rustic with a very muskoka feel. the kids (and parents) were kept busy from morning til night. the activities that were available to the kids were endless. adi especially enjoyed kayaking, canoeing, tetherball, rock wall climbing and visiting the arts and crafts cabin.
she also tried out archery and agility ropes and she proved to be a master hoolahooper!
in the evenings after dinner, we also had special events... one night was casino night and one night was a cook off, where the counsellors had to eat what the kids prepared for them. boy were those counsellors brave! the kids loved it! also, every night before bed, we gathered with the other campers and the counsellors for a campfire and singalong. the kids and parents loved this as well. the counsellors brought out their guitars and some fun diabetes inspired songs. all of the counsellors also have t1d and they were so wonderful with the kids. they really surpassed all of my expectations. i really can't say enough good things about them.
cassie and adi with some of their counsellors..
the food that they served was awesome... i don't think i have ever been fed so well! meal time was also a nice social time, where the parents could relax and mingle and share their experiences and expertise.
at the end of our stay, campers were asked to fill out a survey and this is what adi had to offer...
did you have fun? "yes, i did"
did you make friends? "yes i did"
what was the best thing you did? "playing tetherball with my mom"
what did you not like? "no horse back riding"
adi was also asked to draw a picture of her favourite activity at camp... in the photo below you can see the picture of her and i playing tether ball (note to self... set up the tetherball set that has been sitting in the garage for the last 4 years)
personally, i think the best part of our camping experience were the connections and friendships that adi made with other kids. other kids that were just like her. spoke her language. shared her experiences. the second best, was the freedom that she experienced. she felt safe at camp huronda. she was often off with her friends, supervised by people who knew what to do.
after we said our goodbye's, exchanged emails and made plans for the kids to meet up again next year (yes, adi wants to go for 2 weeks next year ON HER OWN (gulp), we set off for the long drive home. i must admit that there were a few tears, from both adison and i. it was a great, uplifting and totally embracing experience. but it didn't take long for my baby girl to get over it... just 20 minutes down the road, and this is what i saw when i looked back at her...
thanks so much camp huronda... for EVERYTHING! we definitely made memories that will last a lifetime!
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