Back from the UK!

This past week I traveled across the pond to hire International counselors. Jeb, the Program Director at Camp Stewart, and myself began our journey at 6am. We drove to San Antonio where we flew from San Antonio to Houston, Houston to New Jersey, then New Jersey to Edinburgh, Scotland. When we landed it was 6:45am in Scotland! Despite what little sleep we got on the plane, we decided to eat breakfast and wander around the city. After a short nap (from which I had to be woken up from), I hiked Arthur’s Seat with Camp America staff and Camp Directors from the Eastern shore of the U.S. It was absolutely beautiful. Essentially, it is a mountain in the middle of a city. At the top you can see the great architecture of the city, the North Sea, and the Highlands. I was very grateful they woke me up.

We ended the day with a Camp Directors Reception. I happened to sit down at a table with three empty chairs with jackets hung on the back. Little did I know that those seats would be filled with really awesome people from Virginia. We talked late into the night about all things camp.

Then I overslept.

Something about being awake for almost two days, hiking a mountain, and staying up late allowed me to completely sleep through three alarms. Weird, I know. I had breakfast plans at 9:45am, the bus left for the fair at 10:30am, and I rolled over at 11am. I thought it was a bad dream or my phone’s time was off, but the frantic search for my watch confirmed that I was running late. I tossed on my clothes and and RAN the half mile to the Edinburgh fair. I beat Amy Park and Laura Gallagher there, who pre-screened people for me, and was there in plenty of time before the doors opened. Since this was the second time I had overslept, it quickly became a joke among my new camp friends. “Where’s Hannah?” proved to be super helpful for the rest of the trip as I always had people messaging/calling me to make sure I was awake.

The Edinburgh fair couldn’t have been more of a success. I hired six wonderful super qualified applicants I can’t wait to share with you. After the fair Laura, Jeb, a gagillion returning Stewart counselors, and I went out to eat. It was such fun catching up and hanging out with everyone.

The next day we took a train to Manchester. Directly after the fair we toured the Manchester United Stadium, Old Trafford. We ventured inside their locker room, the newsroom, and walked out to the pitch. Very cool.

The Manchester Fair was the following morning and Deborah Hawkins joined me to pre-screen. It was another successful day as I filled positions for horseback, riflery, and a videography. We immediately took a train to London after the fair. It was a very long day, but it meant we had a full day in London to explore!

Poor Jeb was really sick this day, which was a bummer. Luckily, I explored the city with my Virginia friends. We toured the Natural Science and History museum and the Vitoria and Albert museum, walked through Harrods, and saw the Buckingham Palace. We enjoyed lunch in a local pub and ate cupcakes from Hummingbird Bakery. That evening we had a private invitation to tour Parliament. It was a lovely evening among lots of new friends. With each fair the number of camps grew. I attempted to meet everyone and although I was not close I am very thankful for the new camp professionals I now call friends.

The London fair was HUGE. Over 2,500 applicants walked through the door, each hoping for a placement in the US. I hired another four counselors and Natalie Whitchurch was there to help. We had another meal with former counselors, followed by a fun evening enjoying everyone’s company for the last time before traveling home.

This blog is plenty long enough, but I can’t wait to tell you about our new hires! They are each absolutely wonderful in their own way. I have the utmost faith they will be influential role models to your daughter. At one point I had to tell Laura and Amy I needed a break from smiling so much while interviewing.

More adventures to come as we travel to the American Camp Association’s National Conference in New Orleans tomorrow!

Love always,

Hannah

Mother-Daughter Weekend

Do you ever have trouble thinking of something to do with your daughter? We have a great option! Our Mother-daughter weekend is how you can enjoy a taste of camp along with your daughter(s)! Let someone else plan the menus and cook! Just enjoy the relaxation of life away from the city, the fun of fellowship, and the excitement of activities.

This weekend will be an opportunity for you and your daughter(s) to come enjoy camp activities together. If your daughter has attended camp before, you will share her experiences she has at camp…if she has never been to camp before, you will both learn to love The Heart. Attending a Mother-Daughter weekend at camp will give you an opportunity for both you and your daughter to become more familiar in all things camp, and give you memories you will never forget!

There are many opportunities to try many of the activities we offer daily at The Heart. Find your inner child again by going down the water slide, canoeing down the Guadalupe River, participate in a cooking class, challenging yourself on the climbing wall, makings craft in the art studio, learning to shoot a bow and arrow or rifle and so much more. You can do as little or as much as you like. The best part about this weekend … you can do it all with your daughter(s)!

The weekend officially opens Thursday, April 30^th, in the evening and ends Sunday, May 3, with brunch. Cost of the weekend will be $425.00 for one adult; $625.00 for parent/child, and $95 per additional child. Limited spaces available, as we like to keep our attendance numbers low to allow for a more personal experience. Sign up today by following the link below.

We hope to have you join us for our action packed SSS weekend this Spring.

Sign up here: https://hohcamp.campintouch.com/v2/camper/application/app0.aspx

Triple SSS Spring 2015 Sample Schedule 

New Year, New Job, New Place, New…….

Disclaimer: I am a goofy writer.

HelloOoOoO Heart O’ the Hills!

First off, I shall introduce myself for those who may not know me. My name is Hannah Kearney. I was born in Landstuhl, Germany. My wonderful father, Brad Kearney, was an F-16 pilot in the Air Force, which is why I was born in Germany. We then moved to Arizona, where my little sister Mary-Katherine (MK) was born, then Georgia where my other little sister Erin was born, then Alabama where no one was born, then Virginia where my little brother Aidan was born. Then we moved to New Mexico and when my dad retired we moved to Sanger, Texas where they currently reside. It was an ongoing joke at camp as to where I would be “from” each year. I attended the University of North Texas in Denton,Texas for a lot of reasons but one being that it was the first time that I would live anywhere longer than 3 years. I love the DFW area and will continue to root for the Cowboys, Mavs, and Rangers from afar. I graduated with a B.S. in Hospitality Management this December and on January 3 moved to permanently reside at camp. I am so happy to be here!

Camp has been a part of me for a very long time. I knew a majority of camp songs before I attended because my family has been here FOREVER. I just found out that my great Aunt Judy (Osmun) Siracusa started attending Heart the second year it was open as a camp. Crazy, huh? My other great aunt, Elaine Osmun, also attended. She was followed by my mom, Melissa (Osmun) Kearney and her sister Carrie (Osmun) Pearson and Elaine’s step daughter Marti McCollough. Then came myself, MK, Erin, and my cousin Katelynn Pearson. To say we are obsessed with camp is an understatement.

I am 100% up for new ideas while keeping camp’s traditions near and dear to every girl’s heart. I hope as you read my blogs and see my posts that you’ll feel like you can pick up the phone and call me with any question/comment/concern/idea that you may have. It is such a huge responsibility ensuring that your daughter safely creates everlasting memories, and I am truly honored to have it. I’ve already begun the countdown til they arrive…. which Jeb, the Program Director at Stewart, has told me not to remind him 😛

So here’s what I’ve done in my first week in the office! (or at least some of it, I can’t reveal ALL the surprises)

Monday and Tuesday I spent time playing catch up to Jane and Monique learning the computer and going through old files. Wednesday is where the real fun began. I invited anyone I have hired thus far to join me at camp for a Mid Winter Warm Up Counselor Retreat. My Head Staff Caetyn Jones, Alden DeMoss, and Casey Cody, as well as a couple of counselors, Gabby Trejo, Celia Wakeling, and Cailtin Farmer, arrived that evening. Courtney Carrick a long time Heart girl and former Head O’ Field Sports also made an appearance. We headed to Mamacitas where Courtney successfully surprised Jane with a birthday song and sopapillas.

Thursday we did a fun Painting with a Twist activity, reviewed the Program Calendars, discussed some super secret Evening Programs, and wrote letters. We ended the evening with a Devotional and Ice Cream at Mesa Manor, where we thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone’s Christmas Cards. KEEP THOSE COMING, THEY’RE AWESOME!

Friday we ambushed Stewart’s office to say hello so I could practice driving the new transit. I don’t know if ya’ll have seen the picture of it on Facebook but it is HUGE! (Okay, it’s not that big) It will definitely be a great asset when transporting kiddos places. I am so thankful to have had them here for a couple of days. They are just a small portion of our staff but have some of the biggest hearts. They took time out of their Winter Break to be here and together we brainstormed some GREAT ideas. Your daughters are in store for a wonderful summer!

Now, if you have successfully read this entire blog, you deserve a cookie. Or how about the Field Day themes? Does that interest you?

Drum roll Please……………………………………………………..

(pretend kids are beating on the table)

The 2015 Field Day Themes ARE:

Broadway ~ Step off the red carpet and put on your best Broadway performance for this year’s dazzling Field Day production!

Despicable Me ~ Gather your minions and prepare them for a Despicable Field Day!

Hope you like them, can’t wait to see the costumes!

Love always,

Hannah