Camp CAYA Weekend!
I wanted to share an update on the wonderful weekend that I just had at Camp CAYA (Come As You Are). Camp Come As You Are is a weekend camp experience for New England families with dwarf children, teens, siblings and parents of all sizes. The host is Camp Allen in Bedford, New Hampshire, which one hour north of Boston. Camp Allen is fully accessible with paved pathways, ramped buildings and an accessible swimming pool.
The weekend went by fast. There were about 45 people who came and went throughout the weekend. It was a great group. Since it was a small group compared to what I was used to in California, I enjoyed spending time getting to know everyone.
Juli Windsor, now a good friend of mine who everyone knows from running the Boston Marathon, drove us to camp on Friday afternoon. We weren’t sure what to expect at first. We spent time getting settled in on Friday followed by dinner, a swim in the pool, and a campfire. We finally made it to bed at midnight, after completing a 1,000 piece puzzle, with two other parents of little people, of the state of Maine.
On Saturday, we woke up and went on a group run, which Juli led. We mapped out a mile. After the run, we spent more time working on puzzles. They tend to be addicting. I was then asked by a five and a half year old girl to play badminton. She won and we had fun. Next, we made our own personal pizzas for lunch. After lunch, we spent a few hours by the pool. It was time to make bracelets after we were done at the pool. Then it was time for dinner. We had a cookout on the lawn. Once the cookout was over, it was time for the next campfire. We stayed out by the campfire pretty late and then it was time for bed.
We woke up early this morning, packed our belongings, and said our goodbyes. Throughout the weekend there were several great conversations and I look forward to staying in touch with new friends. It was fun and I’m glad that I went! Thank you so much to Ruth Ricker for all of the hard work that you put into this weekend every year.
