We had the most amazing opportunity to send Jackson to Kanakuk for a week. He had the time of his life. Jason does a laundry business with his Dad where they service all the camp's laundry over the summer. Jackson rode with Jason a few times and helped pick up and deliver the laundry at the various camps. We have been telling him that after first grade he can go to Kanakuk if he wants. He rode with Jason one day in August and asked Jason if he could go this year. Jason made a few calls and Kanakuk graciously agreed to take him for one week of an ongoing two week term at K-1. Jackson's counselors were amazing and they were really the ones that agreed to take him even with a full cabin of very young rowdy boys. Jason's parents also were amazing to help out and agreed to take him every morning at 8:30 and pick him up every evening at 9:30 because there were no bunks available in K-1, boys cabin #1. So Jackson was essentially a day camper which Kanakuk doesn't really offer but since my father in law was a director there for almost 20 years and my husband and he do the laundry for the Kamps they graciously let us send Jackson. Jackson knew that when Jason was little he was a day camper. We told him that he was extremely special to get to do this and most kids don't get this opportunity at age six. I wanted him to know what a blessing it was that he got to do this. He kept saying that he "was just as special as Daddy was when he was a little boy" because he got to be a Day Camper just like Daddy. He was obsessed with finding Jason's name still on the K-1 boys record for swimming times and finding Jason's name in cabin #1 up on the ceiling. He was so pumped to write his name on the cabin where Jason had his name. He had three of the most precious counselors. He had one Counselor from OU and two counselors from OSU. Yet, they were all big Sooner fans so Jackson loved that. He made a "best friend" in his cabin with the sweetest little boy named Jack from "The Woodlands." Jack took him under his wing and I guess they were seen all over camp together walking around with their arms around each other.
These were some fun memories of his first year at Kanakuk.
-He was so pumped to go canoeing but then got stuck out in the canoe with his best friend Jack for what Jackson said was one whole hour.
-He loved Kamp coffee cake and their fried chicken.
-He thought F.O.B. (flat on back time or rest time) was okay. But he wanted to take his own pillow because he had F.O.B. on the counselor's bunk and he thought his pillow was stinky.
-He told someone his "Big" owned the party barn because the party barn is actually named after Jim "The Jumping Jim Brawner Party Barn." He told Jason later that he thought Big owned it because he bought it.
-He got a new award which was awarded to about 20 boys in the whole camp called the "invisible hero" award. It was for kids who try to show kindness to those around them without wanting recognition for their kind act. He was so proud of himself but really had no idea what the award was really about. He got a special "invisible hero" necklace which he has been wearing ever since camp.
-He loved that the boys camp does not have to wear shirt during the day. But he made sure to tell me that he was pretty sure the girls have to wear shirts and that the boys have to wear shorts (even if the bell is ringing you have to hurry up and put you shorts on).
-When one of the directors wives came up and talked to Jackson about how special it was that he got to come to Kanakuk as a day camper he made sure to tell her that his Dad was "the laundry guy." The directors wife just laughed and told us later that he was clueless that his amazing Grandpa left such a legacy at Kamp and everyone loves and knows "Jim Brawner" but he thinks his "claim to fame" is that his Dad is "the laundry guy."
-He loved the water slide and the blob at Kamp.
-We love that he had no clue what tribe he was in probably because he came into the term halfway through. Even though his Dad was a Choctaw and we told him that is what he was I think he forgot. I think he just floated around to the different tribal events "where ever the spirit moved him" that particular day. So he may be the only boy in the history of Kanakuk that was in two tribes.
-He loved it when his Grandma SueSue picked him up and gave him Gatorade to drink.
-We loved the two reasons he opted not to spend the night in the party barn with his cabin. First, he is "Mr. Rules" and he knew that in order to spend the night at Kanakuk you have to be seven and he was only six (even though his counselors and grandparents told him it would be okay). Second, he didn't want to miss his special donut at SueSue's house that he got every night.
-He loved free swim and loved all the funny skits.
-He loved getting to ride the bus to do honor cabin and getting to go roller skating for the first time with his whole cabin.
Jason and I have laughed so hard at hearing all his camp stories. He had a blast but was really clueless as to so many things of camp. He is dying to go back next year and begging to go for 13 days. I always told him he was going to go for 7 days and we were going to try to send him to K-4. We have driven by it several times so he knows that it is called K-Kountry and decorated like a big barn. He just asked the other day if everyone that goes there is a farmer or if you go there do you have to become a farmer. We can't wait to see what next summer brings.
1 comment:
#1- Jack who? from The Woodlands? We are starting Klife here and feel like I know every single person from here that went to kamp...
#2-in reference to "the laundry guy"...someone asked margo THIS year what her grammy does and she said, "She works at a soup kitchen." (Mom and Dad volunteer at the mission once a week)
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