June 1, 2026

Opening Day is a bit crazy, isn’t it? You carefully plan in order to arrive at camp promptly for a very specific drop-off time. Drive through a line of counselors (cheering like banshees) and an awkward, elderly man (with a unique name) dancing a jig. It feels strangely like Chic-Fil-A as you pull into a drop-off line and your camper gets ready to jump out of the car like a paratrooper exiting a DC3 over France. Nerves are evident, but so is excitement. Camp is finally here, about to begin in THREE, TWO, ONE, NOW!!!

In an instant, she scurries away with an escort to meet up with her new camp buddies, chatting all the way. ”Did she forget to even wave at me?” You try to get one more glimpse, but there is no time. You join the line of cars heading for the exits and it hits you like a ton of bricks. My baby is growing up. The scones prove to be perfectly timed, distracting your heart from the pangs of nostalgia and loss. You briefly entertain the usual anxieties (is she OK, will she have a good counselor, will she have friends, will she be homesick, will she be safe, will it be as good as it was last year), but that warm, sweet, crumbly, creamy, scone is a comfort. Perhaps you asked for two bags (a smart move!) and the distraction lasts longer… but most likely you settle into the trip home with a full heart. She is back at camp, the place she loves the most. It is going to be good.

I just got back to the office after cheering non-stop for three hours. Cheerleading is not my “thing,” but let me tell you… It Is Awesome! There is something amazing about greeting happy campers and appreciative parents. Every time a car honked, I got more excited. Every time a camper waved at me with a big smile, it made me feel like a rock star… and that feeling was shared by the cheerleaders beside me. We had a BLAST!!! Thank you for your hard work preparing your camper for this day. The car decorations were particularly great this year and the bags were prepared perfectly for a quick unloading. Great parents make great campers… THANK YOU.

We are grateful that you have chosen Greystone for your child’s camp experience. Picking a camp is an expression of trust that is not taken lightly. Our mission is “to delight and inspire, for the glory of God,” and every summer we commit to better meeting this lofty goal. It is an honor to be a part of your family, and we look forward to the upcoming summer!

I write daily blog posts to provide an insider glimpse of camp in a timely fashion. I post the blog between 11 and 12, so you can include up-to-date details in your last-minute emails to your girls. By including such details (what we eat, the jokes, EP questions/comments, and weather), your communication (emails and handwritten letters) will be more effective. Turn the focus toward camp (never good to think we’re missing fun at home).

“Camp photos’ are different this year but still an excellent way to get a glimpse of life at camp. We post photos daily (first one tomorrow) rather than multiple times a day. Rather than thousands of pictures every day, there are a few hundred. This was a big disappointment to the Junior parents and might be to you as well. If photos were important to your camp experience, we are very sorry to not meet your expectations. We made this change very intentionally after years of seeing the subtle (but significant) impact photographers have on camp life. Girls are more conscious of their looks (hair, clothing, makeup) and pay attention to the photographer. Some would jump in front of every camera to meet mom’s instructions (“I want to see a lot more pictures of you this year”) or turn their backs and avoid the camera (always very sad to see).

We have been prayerfully considering this decision for the past few years, and this year finally felt like the right time to make the change. No more red carpet walks with a crowd of paparazzi jostling for the best shot. We wanted to provide the girls a break from the social media and encourage them to be fully engaged in the moment. We also thought it might be good for you. That taking a break from obsessively examining every detail of a dozen photos in an attempt to “crack the code of camp life” could also be beneficial, even though we knew it would be hard.

From a camp perspective, we have already observed a much more relaxed feeling this year than in the past. Was this due to changes in photos or something else? Are girls more confident and at ease because they don’t constantly have a camera in their faces, or is it something else? We don’t quite know, but it is something we are thinking through and will continue evaluating all summer. We are working to thread the needle between meeting parent expectations and providing the best experience for the girls.

Soon, we will send you an important email that provides a link to view details about the other girls in your daughter’s cabin and a short video of her counselor. Keep an eye out for it, we know you will want to check it out. These cabin friendships are special, and you will definitely want to remember their names, but they are just one of the many facets of camp life that spark lifelong friendships. Activities, assigned seats in Dining Hall (which change weekly), Morning Assembly, and a host of other little moments that are baked into camp life.

Activities are perfect venues for making new friends and reconnecting with familiar faces. The Dining Room is always a favorite spot, as we share three meals a day (not only eating, but talking, singing, laughing, and playing games). Morning Assembly, walking to class (we walk a lot every day), the Shoppe line at night, the Watermelon table after rest hour, and the Evening Program are also places where friends are made. It is impressive to see how quickly the girls find “their people” and heartwarming to see how long these friendships last.

As I write this, the girls are enjoying a picnic lunch with their cabin (smoked turkey, pasta salad, ham, fresh-baked bread, fruit salad, cheese, brownies). The sky is partly cloudy, there is no chance of rain, and temperatures are a perfect 78 degrees. The first week of camp is going to have a series of days exactly like this one: that is to say, PERFECT! This fact is particularly appreciated by the counselors after the cool, wet, windy week that just ended. Running camp is always a delight, but especially fun when the weather is like this.

Later this afternoon, we will have a brief assembly to review a few camp rules and introduce the camp leaders to the girls. Here, kindness is our currency, and smiles define our “resting face”. A large group like this (the biggest camp ever) is going to be amazing because of the girls’ attitude. They are going to shine as a group for the first time in this assembly. It will be so much fun! After the assembly, the girls will take cabin photos, complete their swim test at the pool, sign up for classes, and enjoy activities such as the Slip ‘n Slide. They will focus on spending time with their cabin as they do all these things (learning each other’s names and sharing their first conversations takes a lot of time). The counselors will make the get-to-know-you process easy for all.

Tonight, we will enjoy our first meal in the Dining Hall (opening-day spaghetti), our first EP (Counselor Program Skits), our first Crackers, our first cabin devotions, our first tuck-ins, our first Taps, and our first night of sleep in a cabin. We will all be very tired, and sleep comes quickly as we close our eyes to the calming music of crickets and frogs. Tomorrow morning, we will wake up with a smile, jump out of bed, clap our hands, and say “It’s going to be a GREAT DAY!”

Thank you for making all this possible.

We Love Your Girls!