Intro Camp Banquet

Yesterday Intro Campers had a busy morning: breakfast, Cabin Impacts, worship, and activities. After lunch, their day continued in a not so normal way: Adventure Fest! Instead of our typical activities, Activity Staff and Service Team put on a sort of "Field Day"...HoneyRock style. 

Besides helping out with Adventure Fest, some of our Service Team (ST) put up the 2:22 tents while others went into town to serve at a local community center. We've got a lot of long-time HoneyRockers in this ST bunch. Earlier at the Fest, one remarked how cool it was to be on the other side of Intro/Res Camp and more into the "behind the scenes" of making camp work. We love our Service Team group - tonight, they set up for BANQUET - a crazy fun night for all in the dining hall.

Advance Camp boys are still out on trip and doing well as the Advance Camp girls are here in camp. Remember, we can't take pictures of them out on trip, but when they get back we'll be sure to update the SmugMug page! 

Tomorrow is Family Day for our Intro Campers! Can you believe their first week of camp is almost over? It has absolutely flown by for us. If you're visiting camp (and we hope you are!), please be mindful of the following things:

• No dogs! It's a camp policy - even if they're cute, we can't have them on camp.
• A Place Apart: We ask that cell phones are put away while at HoneyRock - please take advantage of the opportunity to fully unplug and engage in the HoneyRock experience!
• Look for the Check-In table right by the entrance to the barn area - we'll let you know about the day's schedule then.
• Don't forget to check the lost & found area as well as picking up any medication your camper brought to camp. Check your schedule (given at Check-In) for more information.
• Campers stay on the final night. The last night as a cabin is so important to wrapping up their time at HoneyRock. You'll see them bright and early Saturday morning! 

Thanks for working with us to make it a great family day. Safe travels!

All About SmugMug

It's Sarah here, the girl behind the camera this summer. I'm going to tell y'all how to see pictures of your kids while they're at HoneyRock by way of FAQ. Here we go!

First things first: what's the link to SmugMug?
www.honeyrock.smugmug.com/Summer-2014 

How many times is it updated?
I do my best to update Intro & Res Camp every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. High School programs (Advance Camp, 2:22, Service Team) are updated every Tuesday/Thursday. However, keep in mind that Advance Camp and 2:22 go on relatively long wilderness trips, so there won't be quite as many updates during those times. In Advance Camp, guys leave the first week and girls towards the middle/end of camp.
Assistant Counselors (ACs) also have their own gallery, so I try to pick out all of the pictures they're in to duplicate from the Intro/Res sessions into their gallery.

How is HoneyRock's SmugMug page organized? 
If you follow the link above, it will take you directly to our "Summer 2014" folder. Find your camper program by rolling your mouse over the boxes to see their titles, and click!
If you have to search for HoneyRock's page at smugmug.com, simply look to the upper right hand corner of the screen, and type "HoneyRock". Click "People" under the new search bar, and HoneyRock's profile will pop up. 

Where do I find the password? Why do we have one this year?
If you remember past summers, we didn't protect our images with a password. We introduced this safety measure so only the loved ones of campers can see our photos. If you check the email you provided HoneyRock, the password should be included in an email that was sent at the beginning of your camper's session.

Can I order pictures off of SmugMug?
Yes! That's the beauty of this site - not only can you view pictures, but you can also order prints directly to be shipped to your home. Easy! 

Update, June 25: 
You're talking about some email with the password - I can't find it!
We've been having some difficulty with our emails going directly to Junk mail - check your spam box to see if it accidentally got lumped in with those pesky subscription emails.

Why aren't there as many high school photos as Intro or Res Camp?
There are a couple reasons for this. First, Intro Camp is three times as big as Advance Camp. With about 165 little ones running around, it seems like everywhere I turn there's a new face to capture. Advance Camp has 51 campers - which means they are more spread out doing different activities around camp.
Second, Intro Campers are so much more inviting for me to snap their picture. Like the little boy in the picture below, they'll literally run by yelling "take my picture!!" which is AWESOME. However, there aren't many, if any, high schoolers that would do that. It's incredible to see how this changes from Intro up to High School - how the younger ones are so much more free, while the older kids are a lot more self-conscious. I could talk a lot more about that, but maybe in another post.
Third, Advance Camp & 2:22 go on longer wilderness trips where, unfortunately, I can't follow. However, your camper will have so many stories to tell from this time!
Fourth, Service Team & Assistant Counselors are so spread out on camp. Sometimes, Service Team even goes off camp to help out around town. I do my best to enable their counselors to get good shots during these times. Also, as I mentioned yesterday, Assistant Counselor pictures may accidentally get lumped into the Intro/Res folders.  

I don't see many pictures of my camper in worship or bible study or quiet time - why not?
In my mind, this is always a balance. Since HoneyRock is a place apart, and I firmly believe in keeping it that way, I don't always want a camera up in their face - especially when they're in the middle of worshiping or bible study. That's an incredible time of learning and growing in faith...the last thing I want is for kids to be distracted by me fumbling around with a camera and the "click" as the photo takes. At the same time, I want to show all parts of camp, allowing parents to get a glimpse of a "day in the life". I'm still working on finding that balance!

Anyways, while snappin' photos isn't my only job, it's definitely my favorite part of serving at camp. Getting out of the office, running around, seeing all of the smiling faces is the best part of my day! Here are a couple of my favorites from the past 24 hours.  

Cabin of Advance Camp guys, about to leave on trip!

Intro Camper, as he was running by "Hey! Take my picture!"

Intro Campers, about to play "Ninja"

Intro Camper: ""YEAHHHHH!"

Some of our cute little Daisy Chains.

Women ACs '14

If you have any other questions, thoughts or concerns, please leave a comment or email media@honeyrockcamp.org - thanks!