Spring Outing "Thanks!"

The Spring Outings are over and I'd just like to say "Thanks!" to a lot of folks:

• Double D - You make it all run smooth as silk. Your dedication and friendship towards YGP is special and accounts for so much of our success. Personally, you have been a great and true friend to me and my entire family. Thanks for all your help, your patience and willingness to go above and beyond.

• Andrew & Meredith - As "newbies" to Spring Outing, you two have proven yourselves more than worthy of following in the footsteps of Moose, Bobby and Salty Dog. Your excitement for the program shows and it's that excitement that stokes the passion of the dads and kids that attend Spring Outing. Thanks for your gusto, demeanor and dedication.

• LBC volunteers - You guys are the rocks that support everything that our program stands for. Your willingness to give up your weekends to work archery, rifles, canoes, etc. and general hustle to help the YGP staff is unmatched. While there are a lot of families that helped, I have to give a special "How-How!" and thanks to the Princes, Cartrettes, Scotts, Mays & Kruegers for multiple weekends and all their hard work.

• Moose - What can I say about Moose? He's a tireless workhorse of a man that's dedicated to our dads and kids, patient with all who seek him out no matter how mundane a request or question and a rock star among children. He's a friend to all and an attribute to the program's overall success. Thanks to Matt for his friendship, patience, guidance and steering sense of calm.

• My wife, Sarah - She has given me up for 5 weekends, shared me with the Nation and spent many hours helping at a couple of Spring Outings herself. She's been willing to assist without question, shown generosity with her time and been supportive of me and the boys. From the COSTCO runs to the piles of sharks teeth she finds in the washing machine, she's done so much at home that it makes it easier to leave for the weekends. She has been wonderful in so many ways. I hope she is as proud of me as I am of her, for her dedication to the program and us. Thanks to Flipping Bird for making the Spring Outing season a great one.

This has truly been an awesome time and my experience at camp those five weekends are very special to me. From meeting new dads and kids each weekend to eating five Saturday nights of fried chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes to hearing "The Tinker" multiple times - there's nothing better than a Spring Outing... except for five Spring Outings, of course.

How-How!

Happy Mother's Day!

As another Mother's Day winds down I'd be remissed if I failed to take the opportunity to publicly thank all the Moms that help make the Arapahoe Nation as great as it is.

Without some Moms pushing their husbands to join YGP (as mine did some 6 years ago), we'd not have the thriving group we have today. Out of the 13,000+ members we have, I'd dare say we'd cut that number by 75% if Moms were not behind the Dads, prodding and cajoling from the beginning.

And while Moms give the intial poke, it's many that continue to assist the Dads in the day to day membership. They remind them of meetings, make sure the vests are ready to go, rearrange schedules, teach Dads how to glue on patches, etc. Some Dads cannot function without Mom's assistance and for that I am grateful.

I owe much to my wife for all she has put up with over the years. From weekends without us to the glue globs on the dining room table to the shouts of "How-How" - she's been a major supporter and loves the special time I get to spend with the boys. To be honest, she's a little jealous.

So all you Dads, remember the Moms that pushed, poked and/or prodded you to join YGP, all their support and say "Thanks!" - and, oh, be sure to tell her "Happy Mother's Day!" from me...

How-How!

A Spring Outing Anniversary

The first wedding anniversary if a gift of paper. The second is cotton. 25th is known as the silver anniversary. 50 is gold. But what about the 17th? How about a Spring Outing!

This past Saturday, May 2, was our 17th wedding anniversary and I hated the thought of Sarah alone in Raleigh on such a special day. At Moose's suggestion, I invited her to come experience Spring Outing with us (and do a little work as well). She jumped at the chance to do something many mom's can only dream of doing and she loved every second of it, from the first minute on top of the shark tooth pile to the last walk on the point. She was in heaven.

Needless to say, this past weekend's Spring Outing was like none other for me and the boys. Shooting Bull and Sky Walker's mother, aka The First "Squaw," was in the house; and in the mess hall; and at archery; and on the shark's tooth pile; and, yes, even on the zip line! Believe it or not, she did not cramp our YGP style in the least. If anything, she added to the experience for all of us.

Moose introduced her to the crowd at the ice cream social Friday night. The whole rest of the weekend we heard shouts of "Happy Anniversary!" from one end of camp to the other and even from high atop the zip line tower. We felt so special.

It was no vacation for Mom, that's for sure. She sold shirts at the YGP store (she made the comment that some of us dads need help sizing the kids' shirts), made the rounds hiding giant fireballs (way, way past her bedtime) and was Moose's personal raft race secretary. She was a real trooper, hanging with her boys and all the craziness of Spring Outing, and earned her keep to boot. I need to get her an LBC cap!

FYI: Sarah has several Indian names. What she's called at any given moment depends on her mood, of course. Sometimes she's "Play Doe" and other times she's "Whacka Mole." The boys kept introducing her to everyone at Sea Gull as her alter ego "Flipping Bird." That's when she's, ahem, grilling bbq chicken, of course.

Our anniversary was made even more special when we slipped away from the bonfire (and the boys, thanks to Moose & Allison) for a little romantic dinner on the screened porch of London Quarters. We used a can of sterno for candlelight as we enjoyed shrimp cocktail while Standing Horse told The Tinkerer's ghost story. And to top things off, Moose and staff left us a surprise dessert of chocolate covered strawberries to enjoy with the always amazing fireworks display. It just does not get any better than that.

Sunday was sad as usual as we packed up to head back to Raleigh, but before leaving ,we took a final walk out on the point with the boys. We searched one last time for shark's teeth, avoiding the jellyfish as we walked upon the warm sand. We held hands as we strolled and I asked Sarah if she had a nice anniversary. She smiled that beautiful smile and that's all the answer I needed...

How-How!

One year...

One year ago this past Sunday was like many Sundays at Spring Outing for us in YGP. We took one last ride down the zip line, ate biscuits & gravy, cleaned up our cabins, loaded up the bikes and headed on home to Raleigh. But for a dad in Dylan's tribe, it was a Sunday that he, and many of us, will never forget.

That was the Sunday that Mark Newmiller's daughter, Ella, first showed signs that something just was not right. On Monday, she went to her doctor. On Tuesday, April 29 (one year ago today) doctors at UNC Hospitals told the Newmiller's that their 5-year-old daughter had an inoperable brain tumor. Odds were against Ella living to see the start of kindergarten in the Fall.

A lot has happened in a year: Ella had a birthday fit for a Princess; visited many doctors, specialists and holistic healers; friends held fundraisers for the family; prayer circles were formed; donations were made; Make-a-Wish fulfilled Ella's wish of a Disney experience and best of all, a miracle happened...

Not only is Ella still with us, but her tumor has stabilized and her report for today said she "looked like a million bucks." Whether it has been the recent medical help she has received in Boston or the power of prayer, Ella has turned a corner and we all continue to pray for her and her recovery.

And speaking of Sunday, this past Sunday (the anniversary of the discovery of her illness) Ella ran in the Race for Grace and played in her piano recital.

It was all I do to keep my composure as I watched that beautiful little girl smile as she sang and tinkled the ivories with her mother, Renae, at her side - beaming wider than any other parent on stage. Mark took photos and beamed as well. Two proud parents aglow in a miracle before them. I smiled big too watching Ella play, but then it hit me.

I fought back tears as I realized it had been exactly a year since Mark, our Little Braves and I came home from Sea Gull that Sunday afternoon last year as many do, without a care in the world. We waved goodbye to Moose and Double D, stopped at the Neuse on the way down 70 and then unloaded the Pilot at Mark's house, not having a clue as to all that waited for us in the coming year...

How-How!

Two down...

Another bonfire and another fireworks show have come and gone. Three more for me. Four more for the YGP crew of Andrew, Matt & Meredith.

It's been a great weekend. The weather has been perfect. Not too hot. Not too cold. A little chilly when the wind kicks up. But other than the near constant yellow haze drifting across camp, you could not ask for a greater weekend.

Ridge and I came on down Thursday night and enjoyed some fun and fellowship with the YGP spring outing gang: the Big Three, Double D, G.B. and Matt's much better quarter, Allison (oh, and their four-legged son, Jack, too). We grilled up some bbq chickens as the rain fell and celebrated the coming weekend by planning a few surprises for the second year guides. Brown Bear baked up some brownies that Ridge says are "better than Mom's, but don't tell her I said that." Mmmmmmmmmm, tasty good there were.

I hope everyone in the Nation realizes just how lucky we are to have Moose, Brown Bear, Otter, Blind Zebra, et al. They are the glue that holds these Spring Outings together. It is their collective creativity, quest for fun and overall awesome demeanor that make these weekends the special fun that they are. They're the last to bed and the first to rise each morning, so be sure to say "thanks" to each of them for their dedication and hard work when you see them.

Ridge and I spent most of the weekend chauffering Moose around camp in a golf cart. Bugs in cabin 22? Let's ride! Extension cord needed? We're off! Time to sell some sweatshirts? Let's do it, playa! Y'all think The Moose is just a character that turns on and off for camp? Uh-uh. Matt is Moose, 24-7.

Tonight at the bonfire, after Moose sang Tarzan, Andrew heard a kid on the front row say he wants to "be like Moose when I grow up." Well guess what? I do too.

First of Five

Well, I'm at Camp Sea Gull right now... the first of five weekends. So far, so great.

It's just me and Dylan this weekend. Ridge has a tennis tourney Saturday and a birthday party to attend, so he decided to stay in Raleigh. Dylan has me all to himself.

Dylan listened to his iTouch most of the way down, dancing and mouthing the words along to the Village People's YMCA over and over and over again. I listened to XM channel 44 and it's interesting that Dylan's dancing seemed to be in rhythm with the alternative rock I was tuned into.

We pulled into Neuse Sports Shop around 3:30, grabbing what seemed to be the last available parking spot. It was scary packed inside. No matter what aisle we headed up, there was a gaggle of giggling pigtailed princesses. Dylan and I grabbed our standard Neuse snack fare (Mountain Dew, Munchos and Zero Bar for me, hot fries and bug juice for D) and we got out of NSS asap. We ran by King's for BBQ sandwiches and hush puppies to have for dinner down at camp and booked on down 70 ahead of the tidal wave of tribes soon to follow.

The conversation the rest of the way down from Kinston to camp was not your usual chat between dad and eight-year-old. It started with Dylan's theory of how science and religion are probably closer together than most people think and wound up with a discussion about life on Mars and how our Solar System's sun is tiny in comparison with those in distant galaxies. What happened to the talks about SpongeBob and favorite jellybean flavors? They grow up so fast.

After arriving at Sea Gull, I assumed D would want to hit the shark tooth pile (as he always wants to do). But as the childish chats have been put aside, so too have some of the more kid friendly fun. Dylan wanted to go play golf. I'm sure he'll want to dig for teeth at some point, but first thing was to hit the links. We shortened the full 18 at camp to a more appropriate 6 holes, turning them into par 3's and he played great. Dylan has the patience and aptitude to learn the game and I think he has the talent to be a great little golfer.

After dinner we attended the ice cream social at the mess hall and as always, I am simply amazed at the rock-n-roll superstar that is Matt "Moose" Strickland. These kids follow him like he's the pied piper of fireballs. The girls giggle when he struts by and swoon if he says "How-How" to them. Heaven forbid if Moose actually hands them a fireball - they scream like they've seen a Jonas Brother.

This is my 5th year of Spring Outings and I cannot foresee ever growing tired of being here and the experience that is camp. But then again, check back with me in May...

How-How!

The Power of Friends

I have always felt fortunate to have friends. And after this weekend, I feel blessed beyond belief. I turned 45 Sunday and birthdays can usually be bummers as we get older. But this weekend, I had an experience way different from past birthdays. This was my first Facebook birthday and thanks to the online social network, I truly felt the love.

For those not familiar with Facebook - it's a way to stay connected to old friends, classmates, coworkers, distant family and even Y-Guides/Princess pals. While it started out as a teen targeted web diversion, it has grown into an awesome opportunity to reconnect and stay connected to friends the world over. I highly recommend it to everyone.

I lost count of the number of Facebook friends that sent birthday wishes to me over the weekend and every one I got made me smile just that much more than the previous message. From the simple "Happy Birthday, Roger!" to the more complex, crude, rude, nasty old man jokes at my expense, every word tickled my heart.

One of the features of Facebook is being able to mass tag friends in a single message or request. Late in the week I tagged a mess of folks and asked each of them to write me back and share with me their fondest memory of me or whatever the first thing that pops into their head about me. The messages I got back were from all over the place in my personal history - all made me smile, a lot made me laugh and some made me cry:

- My wife drug up the time I broke up with her back in junior high and how she's awaiting the perfect time to exact her revenge.

- A former N&O co-worker brought up an awesome newspaper story experience.

- A college pal reminded me of a few - ahem - adventures we shared in our younger days.

- A Trailblazer tribemate Big Brave bud mentioned our recent Rockmont weekend self-guided white-water rafting trip, complete with banjo music.

- And my best childhood friend laid on a litany of various and sundry items that had me laughing out loud one second and tearing up the next.

Each message I read caused my chest to swell with pride or eyes to redden from the precious memories I was fortunate enough to share with these great friends over the years. I am proud to claim many people as a friend and each one of them has a special place in my heart. It is that friendship and comraderie that ultimately gives me strength - and gives me the power to be a better person and the best friend that I can be...

How-How!