September happenings...

Hey folks

I can't believe it's September. Already. But that doesn't mean the Camp fun stops. No way; not with our group! In fact, here is a post from Maggie R. about a Camp adventure that happened just yesterday...

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Today me, Amulya, Claire and Kaitlin drove to Dorchester to pick up Dick! We were about an hour late of course since our GPS would not cooperate but we finally made it! So we kidnapped him and went to a great restaurant near by where we ordered many items off their delicious menu including calimari and train wreck french fries. (SO GOOD!) The meal continued with some hilarious conversation (including how good- looking our waiter was) and great food! Then we brought Dick home (Amulya got lost a few more times.. hahaaa). All in all it was a very fun evening!

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Thanks, Maggie, for sharing. It seems like Jabberwocky is keeping very close this year. You have no idea how happy this makes me.

Please keep sending stories, updates, any kind of news. I will post whatever you allow - as long as it's appropriate, of course.

By the way, where do you get, "Train Wreck" french fries? They sound so interesting... :)

Jabberwocky love,
faith

stefanie's article in Boston Globe...

Hey All

Stefanie provided me with a link to the article in the Boston Globe (Aug. 23rd, 2009)

MGH to target adult autism - The Boston Globe Posted by Michael Chmuraon August 23, 2009

Massachusetts General Hospital is creating one of the first comprehensive programs in the nation to provide specialized medical care to adults with autism, a group whose numbers are poised to surge...

Read at www.boston.com

Thanks, Stef!

Jabberwocky love,
faith

The Results Are In!

The polls for the first Jabberwocky vote have closed officially as of last night, and the results are in!

In answer to "What was your favorite Jabberwocky 2009 activity?". the findings are as follows:

The Play -33%
JWO & Mandy's Wedding -25%
The Parade - 25%
The Prom - 17%
Something Else Entirely - 0%

I realize that some people were only at Camp for one half of the month or another, and not everyone was able to participate in all the activities listed. I tried to make it fair however, but putting two choices from each half up for vote, and of course the option to vote for something not listed...

Thanks to those who voted! :)

Keep your eyes open for new polls. I'm going to try to keep things fresh! And don't forget to vote... it makes the results more interesting!

This poll, btw, got more responses than any other i have done throughout the life of this blog. I'm really happy about that. :) Keep it going...!

Jabberwocky love,
faith

email address glitches...

Hi folks

I've been doing lots of work with the Jabberwocky 2009 July Session address list, and i've found a few typos in people's email addresses.

The people (that i know) whose email addresses are a little off include:

Dick Sexton
Kelsey Grousebeck
Amy Meller
Scott Scherer
Sierra Williams
Claire Somers
Melissa Pepper
Samantha Leahy
Julia Prince
Peter O'Hara

If you would like the corrections that i have, please email me (my email addy is correct on the list). I am sure they would like each of us to be able to get in touch with them, but i am *not* sure they want their emails out in cyberspace for all the world to see.

IF I'VE MISSED ANYONE, PLEASE let me know. I would really like to have as accurate a list as possible for future use. Thanks!

Jabberwocky love,
faith

did you know?

Hey all =

Our own Stefanie Sacks was in the Boston Globe this past Sunday (Aug. 23rd).
The article was about Mass General Hospital and services for adults on the Autism spectrum.

The reporter interviewed Stef over the phone, and put some of the quotes in the article.

I haven't seen it yet, but Stef is pretty excited about it. And rightfully so! She hopes that this article - and others like it - will increase awareness and open new doors to more extensive services for adults with autism, "like the kids have."

Way to go, Stefanie. Disability awareness - in any form - is good for us all! :)

Jabberwocky love,
faith

More 5K stories...

Hey folks -

Just wanted to say thanks for the continued opportunity to post family news on the blog. Here's a blurb about the 5k run made by Brent Ryden (a counselor i met in July), and Michael Delson - an August camper.

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I got to camp the day before the 5k because I was helping out with registrations and making signs and just generally helping with the preparations for the race. I ran into Michael Delson that morning, whom I'd met and made friends with a few days before and he asked me if I thought he could do the entire race. I said I couldn't see why not, but asked Harland and Ben Winter just to double-check. They said it was fine as long as somebody did it with him, which I jumped at the opportunity for.

I was running late on the morning of the 5k because I was still helping out with preparations and directing people to the parking and everything, so by the time I found Mike the race had already started. Because of this, it was about fifteen minutes before we realized that we'd been running the race backwards. No worries, though, because it all looped back around and wouldn't make a difference in the long run. Mike just wanted to do it, no matter how.

We ran into a lot of friends along the way, who were heading back toward us as we were going, and had a lot of fun and a lot of good conversations about camp and school and jobs and women (haha) and everything. After a little while, we thought we were lost and had gotten off-track somehow just because we couldn't really figure it out based on there being other runners anymore. Every time we passed a "water station ahead" sign, though (facing the opposite direction), we knew we were still on the right track.

With about a half a mile left, some August counselors came to find us and make sure everything was okay, which it was. Delson did the race without the least bit of help from anyone and with only two very short breaks. The only time he had any help was in the home stretch, when he wanted to sprint to the finish line so we grabbed his arms just to keep him balanced. He fell once toward the end and it was just because we were cracking jokes a little too hard.

Everyone gave him a standing ovation and cheered and it was pretty awesome; I'm just glad that I was at the right place at the right time to be able to be the one to do it with him. It was a great time.

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Backwards, eh? Kind of sounds like Jabberwocky - or at least like Brent! ;)
Just goes to show, no matter what the obstacle, Jabberwockians can get things done!

Again, congrats on a job well done, Michael. And thanks, Brent, for sharing the story!

Jabberwocky love,
faith

G'mornin'

Hey all -

Look what i found in my email-box this morning...

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Hi Faith Sam Wood here.

I was able to go to the 5K Race. it was quite fun. i met some of the counselors on the boat on Saturfay morning. Michelle, Kyle, Pete, Claire, Abouyjo {Amulya} and his girlfirend Cara.

{is there something you'd like to share with the class, Amulya?)

We had a very fun time ther at the farm and got to see all the other casmpers from August and all the counselors.

It was stinking great. I am gonna try to send you send photohs from the day

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Sam did send photos along. and, once i figure out how to post it, i will do it. i just have to do some tinkering to figure it out...

This is what i'm talking about folks. I'm loving all this input! It makes the blog so much more interesting - instead of just me rambling all the time.

Thank you, Sam for your take on things. I really appreciate it!

Jabberwocky love,

faith

One Month

Hey All -

So we left Camp one month ago today. Sadness. :( But a lot has been happening since that month... and that's a really good thing.

There will be more to come, of this i'm sure. Yay!

And - the best part of all this? One month down. Ten months til we see each other again!!! :)

Woo hoo!

Hope that thought put a smile on your face. I know it did mine!

Jabberwocky love,
faith

More Visiting...

Hey All -

Just thought you'd like to hear about more visiting going on in our little (big) family. Here is an excerpt of an email i got from Brent Rydin - a counselor who was new to us this year ... and hooked for life, i believe... :)

Anyway....

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Seeing Dominic was INCREDIBLE. I had forgotten to pack a lot of his stuff and didn't have his parents' number for a while but I finally got in touch with them and they're on the Cape and I was going off-island anyways and so they met us at the ferry. It was me and {Kaitlin} Burkle on the boat and Maggie and Brynn picked us up so we all got to see him and meet his mom. He was adorable as always, he thought we were going back to camp and he hugged his mom goodbye and said he wanted to go to Slithy Toves. It was the cutest freaking thing ever.

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This just further proves what i have always believed: love - when you experience it - is incredible. and Camp, being a place filled with love (and acceptance) almost becomes an addiction. You want to feel this way over and over and ....

Have a frabjous day folks!
Jabberwocky love,

faith

Wock-a-thon news

Hi folks

this little excerpt was found on Camp Jabberwocky's FaceBook page this morning. Just had to share the good news with y'all...

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THANK YOU to everyone who came out to the race yesterday! Over 500 people participated to help us raise $30,000+! It was a tremendous success, and we couldn't have done it without you!

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the blurb on FB goes on to say that more information can be seen on the JabberwocxkyInAugust blog. But this is NOT TO SAY that i don't want more of your personal-experience stories. I mean, with 500 participants out there, i'm sure there have been LOTS of memories made. Right? So let's share 'em.

Jabberwocky love,
faith

stories of the 5k

hey all

here's one account (of what i hope will be many) of the goings on at the 5k, as told by Kayla Montambault - july session counselor....

so soo many july counselors showed up to help out which was awesome. we all got there early: i got there at 7, but some were there even earlier, and then the race was at 10. i wasn't expecting a ton of people to show up, just because it's the first year we did it (I'm hoping it's going to become an annual thing it was so cool) but there were soo many people! which is why i considered it a total success :) I was working at the registration table and it was just so hectic because of the sheer number of people who wanted to run. so there were tons of people, everyone was really nice and wanting to run and make donations and support the camp so it was really awesome!! and one of the campers from august camp ran the entire 5K with brent which was really exciting. i don't know his name though you'll have to get that information from someone else though because it was really cool :)

the camper who finished the 5k was an august camper named mike d. he got a standing ovation as he crossed the finish line. nice job, michael! way to go!!

there was also a Vineyard Sound concert at the end of the race, which i am told was incredible. All in all, it sounds like a very successful day! Please folks, send more of your thoughts and stories about the 5k. those of us who couldn't be there with the runners/walkers/wheelers love to hear it so we feel like we were there!

thanks, kayla for sharing!

jabberwocky love,
faith

Wock-a-thon

I just came in from a walk with my pup. It was no 5k, but it was nice. Whcih got me to thinking about the Jabberwocky 5k going on today. What a beautiful day to be with family and friends, walking in the "Wock-a-thon" for Jabberwocky!

Wish i were there. After the walk finishes, the Vineyard Sound is going to give a celebratory concert (aren't they all, really?) where the procedes will be added to the monies raised for Camp.

I hope it is a wonderful event for one and all. If you have any stories to share, please let me know. I'll post em, so we can all share in the fun!

Jabberwocky love,
faith

Kendra and Hannoush

Hey folks!

Ok, so if any of you know Kendra - and really, don't we all know Kendra, just about? - you *have to* know about how much she loves H A N N O U S H. Kendra loves her "bling," and she loves the people that work there: most noteably, Sal, Ron, and Jackie. (i have dreams about "SalRonJackie," and i don't even know them.)

Well, so this past week Maggie, Mara and Brent picked up Kendra at her high school for a little fun adventure. They drove to the mall, ate lunch at TGI Fridays, and then -- wait for it -- went to HANNOUSH! From all accounts that i've heard thus far, it was quite a day. and Kendra was in her glory!

This is what i love folks: Camp family get togethers. They don't just happen one month a year. They can happen more often than we know. in big and not-so-big ways. so if you have some happenings going on that involve Camp people, or even just remind you of something we did at camp, write to me at my email (matahina@gmail.com) and let me know about it. i will post it as soon as i can.

have a frabjous day!
Jabberwocky love,
faith

ps. apparently, maggie has posted pictures from the day on her FB account. I haven't seen them yet, but Kendra's mom assured me this morning that they are there. Check 'em out! :)

me

Sorry Folks...

Hey y'all...

I apologize. I had no idea that the background color of the blog is bright yellow (last year it was a navy blue). There's no way to check what the post will look like on the actual blog, though there is a way to preview the post after you write it.

I'm sure the yellow on yellow is difficult to read. So sorry. If you managed to struggle through it, i am truly grateful...

I will truly try to remember to use a more reader-friendly print color in the future. Of course, if Arthur wants to tell me how to change the background color of the blog wall, i could do that too... :)

anyway, just wanted to apologize.

"Jabberwocky love,"
Faith

And we're back....

So here it is: Faith Carter's first post-Jabberwocky '09 blog post.

I don't know how it is for y'all, but it is a serious culture shock for me the first several days after returning from camp. Especially on the day that we leave the Vineyard. We go from eating breakfast with ~80 friends, to most of us eating lunches by ourselves. Personally, for me, it's hard to get used to the silence. Anyone else go through this?

The other weird thing for me is that for about a week or so after returning home, i continue to wake up to bells at very close to 7:30 am. Of course the bells aren't real (i can't imagine how the senior citizens in my apartment complex would deal with that!), but i hear them nonetheless. Depending on whether or not my PCA has already arrived, i say "Good morning, Camp Jabberwocky!" (after all, August session is still going on). but it doesn't have the same "umph" to it as JoJo's daily greeting. But i try... :) lame, i know...

Speaking of August Camp, i know that there are still some of our faithful friends spreading Jabberwocky love. Eliza is stopping by the pottery cabin every now and again, and Brent, Samantha, and several others (sorry, i can't remember who all stayed - if i forgot your name, i apologize) are lending a hand and sharing smiles as well. How cool. I've always know how addictive camp can be; i think now others are starting to realize it too.

The post camp visiting has started already as well. To my knowlege, Claire has gone to visit Nancy Jesseau. I believe Brit has already had some visitors as well (at least i believe that's what i've heard). Folks, these are the things i *love* to hear about! if you've hung with some camp people and had some adventures - or even if you just have something you want to share - let me know! With your permission (i will always ask first if you don't give me the go-ahead from the start), i will post some or all of what you tell me - and we can all join in the laughs and such. I've always considered us to be family, and sharing in this way can help us to stay close throughout the "off" months as we are scattered hither and yon...

So please, tell me what's going on in your lives! Inquiring minds want to know! :)

It's nice to be back blogging with you again. I hope you will enjoy the updates as we travel through the year together.

Again, please feel free to let me know if there is anything special you want posted. I will do my best.

"Jabberwocky love,"
Faith

We Rocked The Prom

The Prom is an annual event here at Camp Jabberwocky and we all love to get dressed up and ask eachother out andeat dinner in a civilized way with candles and food on plates with napkins and silverware. Here's some pictures of us lookin' fine (Thanks Michelle!):
















Once the dinner is over we all go down to the studio and dance extra hard until somebody falls down and injures themselves. Or until we get tired and puke. Just kidding! We never stop dancing!







THE PLAY IS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW (FRI AND SAT) AT THE CAMP. "A CHORUS LINE"! COME SEE IT!!!

KAYAKING!!!

Finally, drumming on the beach

A miracle occurred when Mother Nature brought us beautiful weather so we could finally go for drumming on the beach – an activity we waited for two weeks. Before the first beat of drumming began, some brave campers with their fun loving counselors went swimming on the chilly ocean while the rest of us relaxed of the sand soaking up the sun’s rays. A delicious barbeque (consisting of hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, and other goodies) was served. The meal raised our energy level we needed for hard core dancing with Rick’s drumming. The drumming ended with a beautiful sunset and a gorgeous pink full moon appeared.

After the Parade

Well, it took us a few days, but here's the promised video from the 4th of July Parade. It was a raucous affair and we were all exhausted afterwards, in a good way. When we got back to camp our excellent chefs had made us a turkey dinner, with gravy! America Rocks!



And here's some pictures for those of you who have no patience for internet videos (thanks Jackie!)

Before the Parade

We're a little behind schedule over here but that's because the weather got good and we had a big parade to prepare for. The good weather meant we had to go to the beach. And the parade meant we had to get all our costumes and floats ready for the big Fourth of July celebration in Edgartown. Here's some picture of the the preparations. The parade itself was epic - we won "Grand Prize" for our "Under The Sea" themed extravaganza. But you'll have to wait till later for pictures and video of all that....


The entire camp was covered in cardboard, paint, hot glue and duct tape.








Matt L. walked into lunch and was greeted by a cheering crowd...


Everyone in the van fell asleep on the way back from horseback riding...But we're all caught up now. Sort of. Who has time for sleep anyway?