Good Morning All You Merri-Mac Girls!

The best news of the day is that Sassie Nick and Clare Sullivan will both be back on staff this summer. There are a couple of other old staff that are on the verge of signing up too so now is the time to call your favorites and be sure they are returning. The second best news is that we put the song book on line. Yes, now you can download your own copy of the Merri-Mac Song Book any time you want it. We’d also love to hear from you about what songs are missing. We’ll be making periodic updates so just send us the lyrics and we’ll get them in the next edition.

From the Mailbag:

Samantha J. wrote just to say hello and Lia S. wanted to say, “Hey guys! Comet ’08 is going to be AMAZING!! I can’t wait for camp this year. I’ve already started packing!! Every single night for the past month or so I”ve been dreaming about camp! No joke! Hope to see y’all soon!” Ellie W. has been sick (we hope she does not have the same flu that we’ve had!). Claire P. wrote to say thanks. “Thank you so much for putting the songbook online! It’s been amazing singing those songs over and over again to my heart’s content and remembering camp. Only 124 more days!” Finally, Lia wrote again to say, “Guess what? I brought my friend over to the camp meeting at my house in October and today she called to tell me that she is signing up! Yay!” We love having your friends join the Merri-Mac family, so yay indeed!

From This Haven…

Adam and Ann

Good Morning All You Merri-Mac Girls!

Merri-Mac is all about our friends and there are a lot of them coming. It would take WAY too long to list our campers so we thought we’d just give you the staff. This is not everyone who will be here but it’s a great start!

So far this year we’ve hired Patti-O, Annie Singletary, Janie Southard and Leslie Loughran, Katy, Vanessa, Stephanie Nestor, Anna Woodson, Ann McShane, Abby Bouchon, Camille Chaumont, Logan Chaney, Alli Howard, Katie Lively, Hamsa Haddad, Anne Archer, Brittany Hogan, Elizabeth Beal, Sara Brennan, Grace Rickenbaker, Charlotte Flynn, Kelli Macqueen, Chelsea Dougherty, Lee Lee Taylor, Lindsay Brasington, Lauren Davis, Berkley Arakawa, Sallie Gurganus, Kay Robb, Haley Fulford, Sam Linhart, Alex Generales, Caitlin Stojcich, Molly Seeley, corbin Aiken, Karen Beauchene, Anna Fearheily, Gibbs, Rachel Holloway, Ruth Gibson, Maddy Perino, Elizabeth Webb, Sarah MacElhinney, Jan Bellows, Ashley Herndon, Eileen Rush, Ali Morgan, Kristen Mintz, Niki Swet, Sarah Rogers, Sara Beckwith, Jordan Winn, Casey Willard, Rachel Quinby, Victoria Rice, Autumn Breaux, Kristin Buckingham, Betsy Perkins, Lennon Dodson, Claire Kelly, Lauren Glazebrook, Mimi Dunn, and a posse of hostesses, nurses, trip staff and the like!

From The Mail Bag

We have heard from Alex H. who wrote to say, “I miss Merri-Mac so much and I can’t wait to come back.” You’re not alone Alex! Also Erin B. wrote to say she has a new baby sister. Erin, tell your mother to let us know if we should go ahead and early enroll her for Tweedle Dee in 2014!

From this Haven…

Adam and Ann

Good Morning All You Merri-Mac Girls!

The other day a new camper, Madison wrote saying, “I am so excited about camp! I have never been to camp – tell me more about camp. I am too excited to wait. I wish it was closer to summer!” The only answer we can give is to say, Madison, there’s really no way to describe all the great things about Merri-Mac. It would be like trying to explain why you like your best friend. You can give some reasons but in the end you would have to meet them. So we can’t wait for our new campers to meet our old campers, and that is going to happen very soon!

You can tell camp is coming soon because your parents just received their camper packets. This means that before long you will begin choosing your activities and getting your health forms filled out. You will also get to order all the new clothes we will have this summer. The two most exciting items may be the return of the flannel pants and… by popular demand…the Merri-Mac Beach Towel.

Yesterday we had something great happen. Ann, Adam, Stephen and Dan all took Katy Robb out to lunch and got her to commit to coming back! Yep, you heard it here. Katy will be back on staff. We’re also still working on Morgan, so now would be a great time to call her. There are a few other great ones that we’d love to hear from so give your favorite staff a call and tell them you want them back this summer (and if you are a counselor deciding whether to come back, now is the time!).

See you at camp!

Adam and Ann

Good Morning All You Merri-Mac Girls!

Staff is nearly full, as are our camper spots, and we’re turning our focus to getting ready for summer. The camper packets should be out soon! We are also about to re-start all of our construction projects around camp (it can be tough to build in the dead of winter!). The next things to happen will be a roof on the Archery Pavilion and a covered firing range on the new riflery range.

From the Mailbag:

Tristan H. wrote to say, “I am looking forward to going for four weeks. Also I was wondering whether an 11 year old girl would be in the seniors or the juniors?” It could go either way Tristan. We’ll be making final cabin assignments soon. Rachael S. shares, “Hey Yall! I miss camp like crazy! It’s not right for someone to wait this long for the best part of their year: ( I wish I could be at camp ALL YEAR LONG!) I think about all the girls from Comet ’07 24/7/365. Can’t wait to see everyone this summer! CHOCTAWS GONNA WIN THE BANNER!” Rachael is not the only one cheering for Choctaws. Macky’s Bulletin Board has had lots of Choctaw cheering lately too. Finally, Mary Page spent a day with Brianna D. at her new school in Asheville last week. Brianna is doing great!

We also hear from Anne A. what a wonderful time she is having in Costa Rica. She bought the sixth Harry Potter book and is reading it in Spanish!

We’re doing great here too, and looking forward to having Merri-Mac back together soon!

From This Haven…

Adam and Ann

Greetings from Camp Merri-Mac!

Now is the time we all start getting excited about the summer. It’s almost March, and camp doesn’t seem so far away anymore. The daylilies are already starting to pop up around camp, Bobby has made some adjustments to the water slide to make the ride down a little less bumpy and even Merri and Mac seem to sense the time is drawing near. Donna and Samantha take them for a walk around camp everyday so they can get their exercise, but it’s just not the same as keeping up with you guys!

From the Mailbag:

From the campers we hear that Lanier L. is returning and has gotten her best friend to come to camp with her. Lia S. writes, “Hey guys!!! I miss camp soooo much!!!! I can’t wait. Merri-Mac ’08 is going to be the best!!! Well, my news is that my soccer team is going to the championship game on Wednesday, February 20th!!! And, Morgan B., if you’re reading this, I MISS YOU SO MUCH!!!” From Ann G. we hear, “Well, I have just had the most amazing month! The first weekend in February, Jill, Rachel, and I went to New Orleans to stay with Mary L. for Mardi Gras, which was SO MUCH FUN!! We even saw Brittany! Then this weekend Abby came to stay with me at Jill’s house and we went to see Becca’s play. She left this morning, which was sad, but we’ll all be together again in 110 days! WOOHOO!!” Ann, we can all get excited about that too! There are lots of you guys getting together out there. Chelsea D. writes, “Hi everyone! I am so excited to get back to camp, but I have been lucky enough to see some camp girls this year. Last month I visited Gibbs and saw Haley, Maggie, and Sam, and this weekend I am going to Wake Forest and staying with Sassie! Miss you all! XOXO.” Chelsea, be sure and tell Sassie we said “hello!”

Adam is on the road in Virginia and will be in Charlottsville tonight with the McNellys. He had a great meeting in Roanoke with the Mertens last night and had a wonderful time meeting many potential campers but especially enjoyed his time with the Mertens and some Merri-Mac girls: Sarah and Anna, as well as Tessa S.

The exciting news of the week…Page Porter and Lindsay Brasington are hired for this summer! Yes, we are as excited as you are to have them back.

From this Haven,

Adam and Ann

Good Moring All You Merri-Mac Girls!

We are writing this as quickly as we can because Camp is losing power today! Our next step in making camp beautiful is to put some of our power lines under ground so when you drive up next summer the thing to notice is what is not there. We are also busy ordering our new camp clothing this week. Be sure to let us know if you have anything you would like to see us order. Finally, we thought you might like to know that the Merri-Mac barn is keeping busy this year. Jan began a year round riding program at camp so some of our favorite horses have stayed with us. Cody says hi!

From the campers we have word that Marissa D. is looking forward to starting boarding school next year. Don’t worry, she’s still coming to camp. Mary Page is planning on visiting Brianna D. at her school tomorrow and Ann sees Lillie M. and Adair every Sunday because she teaches their Sunday School class. They’re both doing great and looking forward to camp. Finally Rylie B. wrote to say “I now have a baby sister! Her name is Brooke and she is SO cute!”

Adam just came back from a trip meeting new campers in Atlanta and is about to go to Virginia where he will see Lang M., and all the Mertens (they have 4 campers!). After that he will be turning his attention full time to staff because there is not much room left for new campers.

Stephen is also on his way to VA today as he goes to Va. Tech. to meet new boating and climbing counselors. Vanessa borrowed a camp boat so she can get more time on the river before camp starts and our favorite news…Dave wrote to say hi.

From This Haven…

Adam and Ann

Good Morning All You Merri-Mac Girls!

February is a favorite month at camp because this is the time we begin getting ready for camp in earnest. While we are still traveling meeting new campers and staff, we are also starting to plan all of our programs for this summer. Adam has been busy preparing to take our climbing program to the next level by scouting for new rock. Ann is preparing for staff discipleship by finishing her third seminary class. Dan and Stephen are busy putting the final touches on staff. And everyone is beginning to put our sights on the 2009 launch of our new High School Adventure Travel program (more to come!).

We’re also putting the final touches on some of our new construction jobs. We are putting the overhead wires around the Big House underground, replacing bathrooms, building a new counselor section and deck on Comet, building a new covered firing range for Archery, rebuilding our riflery range, and lots of other smaller projects. So there are a lot of things to look forward to this summer. Don’t worry, the most important parts will never change!

From the Mailbag:

Anne Archer wrote from Costa Rica saying, “It’s beautiful and warm here! I am having an amazing time. I’ve spent the last 2 weekends at the beach, and seeing waterfalls, volcanoes, and doing canopy tours through the rainforest, and I love my Spanish classes! I hope everything is going great at camp!” P.D. wrote to say, “Hey everybody! I have been missing camp so much lately. I guess it’s just that time of the year. I just wanted to tell you all that I miss you so much and I love you! I can’t wait to see all of your beautiful, smiling faces again. Also, I am going to be an Aunt again in March; both my sister and my sister-in-law are having babies at the end of March! ” Finally, Allison says, “I’m going to camp Merri-Mac again!” Allison, we’re just as excited as you are…and can’t wait to see you all!

From This Haven…

Adam and Ann

Good Morning All You Merri-Mac Girls!

January is a great time at camp. There has been some snow, the lake has frozen and it won’t be long before the bears start coming through camp at night. They stay away whenever there are campers around!

The big news is that we hired Vanessa, and there are at least two “old school” Merr-Mac girls who I expect to sign up in the next week or two, so stay posted for good news.

From the campers we have word that Mary Page B. saw the Woodson girls at her Bag Pipe Competition in Orlando. Her band also won their competition (both Grade 5 and Grade 4b). Ameilia K. got two hamsters for Christmas and named them…wait for it…Merri and Mac! Rachel S. also wrote to say, “I miss camp like crazy! I just got a letter saying that Lauren Davis AND Stephanie Nestor (Comet ’07!) are coming back this year! I hope I’m lucky enough to have them as counselors. I just found out last weekend that I’m going to Ireland for Spring break! It will be awesome, but not as fun as camp, of course. Nothing could measure up to Merri-Mac! CHOCTAW’S GONNA WIN THE BANNER!”

Hmmm, I think there are two other tribes who might have something to say about that.

Great Camping!

Adam and Ann

Good Morning All You Merri-Mac Girls!

January is a big month at camp. Most of our time is being spent hiring new, and a few returning, staff. Dan is in LA where he has gotten to see lots of MM girls, and a few new campers too. So far he’s been to the Hayden’s, Bush’s and Duhe’s houses. He also went to U of Alabama where he has met some great new counselors.

From the campers we have word from Sabrina K. “I am so completely stoked! Jasmine G. and Shelton C. are coming to see me on the 25-27 of this month! It’s going to be so much fun! And of course, Laura S. is coming too, because she lives 15 minutes away from me! It’s like the camp pre-show! I’m so excited, and in 148 days I will be SUPER happy! I miss you all!” We heard from Emily F. who sent Mary Page her first King Cake! Also Meg M. wrote to say “Hey you guys! I got really camp-sick at school the other day and started singing our crazy songs at lunch! Everyone thought I was crazy. Well, my travel volleyball team just started and it’s going well! I can’t wait till camp (RAINBOW ’08) this year because I’ll hopefully be able to get on the A volleyball team for Seminoles and help us win! I miss you all! See you soon.” Yes, Meg, I know I am especially happy to hear about the Seminoles beating the Iroquois at volleyball!

Staff News

Ann Archer is in Costa Rica where she is taking classes and getting ready to teach Kayaking and lead the CIT’s next summer. Emily Cornelius is doing great and hoping to come back (no promises yet though). Katy Robb also made a visit to camp and Gibbs says hello to everyone. The most recent Merri-Mac girl to sign up is Autumn Breaux, and we’re hoping to have good news from Vanessa Washburn very soon!

We’re getting back on the road very soon…Adam is planning a trip to VA, and maybe parts of NC in February, so we’ll hope to see you when we’re in your neck of the woods.

From This Haven…

Adam and Ann

Good Morning All You Merri-Mac Girls!

Christmas has gone and the snow has come to camp. Things are mighty cold in Black Mountain but we’re not worried because we know warm summer days are coming soon!

Mail Call:

We’ve heard from a lot of you in the past weeks. Rylee B. wrote to saying “Hey Guys! I’m having a ton of fun preparing my new horse, Catdancer, for the big shows we have coming up. I can’t wait until next summer!” Mary Page B. is also riding a lot and getting ready for her first show. Rachel J. has been keeping in touch too. “Hey everybody! I miss Merri-Mac so much! This past weekend I got so camp-sick that I made Alston M. talk on the phone with me until she made me feel better! I can’t wait for this summer… it’s going to be the best one yet!” Another Westminster girl, Anne G. wrote to say, “Hey everyone! Christmas in Atlanta was definitely not white…it was 40 degrees and rainy, but it was still great. Jill and Rachel and I have been making plans all year for this summer, and Choctaw is going to DOMINATE!! I miss all of you so much” (We’ll see about that Choctaw thing!). From Jennie G. we hear, “First session girls, guess who’s coming back…me!!!! Last year I went 2nd session but now I have a conflict, so Rainbow 1st session, here I come!” Finally, Rachel S. wrote to say, “Hey y’all! I MISS CAMP SO much. I want to say hi to all my counselors and cabin mates from ’07. I think about all of you 24/7. I had a blast in Comet last summer. If Noelle O. is reading this, I can’t wait to see you this summer. It’s freezing in KY. M-M ’08 is going to be AWESOME!”

Well you won’t have to wait long.

From the Staff:

After a fantastic staff reunion (We included a picture for you) we’ve been hearing from a lot of counselors. One big item of news is that Anne Archer, Anna Woodson, Anna Fearheily and Nikki S. are also coming back! There’s even rumor that Morgan Cogswell is about to sign up! Also, Victoria R. wrote to say, “Well, I miss and love all of you. Senior year has been awesome so far. I can’t wait to graduate though. I will be going to a community college nearby for the first two years then transferring hopefully to the University of Florida. Every time I think of Christmas I think of Patti-O passing out hot chocolate and donuts because here in Florida it is as warm here as when we have Christmas in July, so it feels the same. I miss and love you and I can’t wait to see y’all this summer.”

One last thing…Does anyone know the old name for the Dining Hall? It’s a really old name. We’ll post your guesses next smoke signals, and of course tell you the answer.

From This Haven…

Adam and Ann