We've Only Just Begun...

Wow. I cannot believe that the Fish Camp experience (at Lakeview) is over. The good news is that we've gotten to meet the purrfect 113 freshmen and will continue hanging out!! I cannot wait for you guys to start your freshman year. You are going to have a blasty blast and I know you will all BTHO your classes! I can't get over the fact of how great y'all are. I seriously appreciated it so much how open minded each and every single one of you were and how willing you were to participate in new activities. When you began chanting "Harris forever" during your campfire, it just melted my heart. I hope you know that you have 27 new friends who will have your back and are here to help you 24/7! If y'all ever need help finding classes, studying, or just talking, you know who to hit up! Hope to see you all so soon! LOVE YOU GUYS.

Crusty and moist 5ever,

Megan Choi (That one asian counselor who always took photos) 

    

1 MORE DAY

Okay y'all, everyone's healthy now, or at least we think so. We're running through all our skits right now and we kind of look like a bunch of kindergarteners playing dress up, actually. Nick Hiser is wearing a bikini top and James is wearing a wedding dress. Yeah.

In less than 24 hours we will be with YOU, our freshmen, and we are so excited. We've spent all weekend putting finishing touches on everything, going through all kinds of training, and of course, dying our hair and making tutus and all that good stuff.

These next four days are going to be incredible. Fish Camp changed my life; it changed all of our lives, and we hope we can give you an amazing experience. We love y'all already.

In the same situation as James I am also sick right before Lakeview and I went to the doctor and told them to just get me well as quickly as possible so I can be perfect come camp. I am super excited to go to camp and meet all of the freshman. It truly is an honor to be counselor. I hope I have the opportunity to help you (the freshmen) with anything and everything you need. I hope I can in some way make an impact on everyone of you. I love you guys so much.

So I got strep throat right before Lakeview, and the only thought running through my head is "I CAN'T MISS FISH CAMP".  I went to the doctor, got my antibiotics, and I'm ready for the freshmen.  That's dedication.  This organization means so much to me and I hope any freshmen who have the opportunity to read this realize how much we care about you guys.  Fish Camp is about the freshmen and that is what every single one of us believes, so with that being said, I hope you guys have a great time meeting all of us and hopefully you too will want to join this organization.

And no you don't learn to fish at Fish Camp... Just in case anyone was wondering.

ONE MORE WEEK!!!! A-A-A-A-A!!!!!

In exactly one week, we will get all 113 of you amazing freshmen. A lot of time and work has gone into making your trip to Lakeview the best it could possibly be! However, there is still much to do until then.

Getting ready for Lakeview is much like getting ready for prom:

1. Fresh new hair cuts to dazzle all of you

2. All new outfits to look our best

3. New shoes are a must

4. Getting a ride that is overly elongated and classy

5. And most importantly, getting a perfect partner to go with you

We are seriously so stoked to finally meet each and everyone one of you. I hope y'all aren't too freaked out by our enthusiasm, we have just been waiting A LONG TIME to finally meet y'all! 7 days! Yayayayayayay! 

Thanks and Gig 'Em

tminus 16 (AAAAA!) days until Camp Harris hits Lakeview!!

Today, Sessions D-G went to Lakeview for set up. tminus 1 day until FC12 happens and 16 (AAAAAAAA!) days until Session F Blue Camp Harris hits Lakeview.

Coincidence? I think not.

Mason and I couldn’t be more excited for the 113 of you to arrive. We’ve been waiting/planning/loving you before we met you since November. We hope these four days at Lakeview serve as a springboard into your college experience and serve to solidify you choosing to attend Texas A&M.

Welcome to the Aggie Family!

I keep thinking about what was going through my mind when I was in your shoes 3 short summers ago. Anxious. Excited. Nervous. Do they really go all out for the mixers? Excited. How many yells do I really know? Anxious. Did I remember a toothbrush? Anxious.  Excited. Excited. Excited.

So excited for each and every one of you. There are so many opportunities all around you, all you have to do is decide to take one.

My greatest hope for you all is that you take camp for all it’s worth and make this experience your own- for it to be everything you want/imagined/dreamed. You have a Namesake, 2 Co-Chairs, and 24 wonderful counselors behind you already. This is YOUR college experience- make the most of it!

Thanks & Gig ‘Em!

The Copeland Banner for Camp Harris

Work Day One Recap

Work Day One began at the WONDERFUL Koppe Bridge at 6:00 on Friday. Only...Whitney and Mason were FORTY minutes late (CM?) so it really didn't begin until 6:40. While we were waiting, Meghan informed us that she would be moving back to Texas from KenSUCKY permanently (yay). Then...we all hopped in line before the people at the birthday party could begin eating. Most people got burgers (Jen had some unwelcome mustard on hers) or chicken strips...except for Adam, who got a heart attack in a hot dog--chili, cheese, jalapenos, and onions.  Needless to say we nommed hard. 

After dinner we headed straight to Jen's house. There we were pleasantly surprised with our AMAZING tanks and a list of our lakeview jobs and skits. Zach is a one man wolf pack, Jonathan and Nick H are rumor Adele, (Fairy is no longer allowed by D-staff) and Mason and I are getting married. Alex ate corn by the bowl, and we dove right into writing scripts and tracing banners. The projector was more than a little temperamental, but Adam whipped it into shape with some bubble wrap and a pack of water bottles. Rack City is an awesome pandora station (thanks Alex!). Ashik learned how to spell RUN. We all look about a thousand pictures on Meghan's Mac (see facebook) and then we video taped our own version of "I'll Be" (your crying shoulderrrrr) for the blog. Whitney sure knows how to sinnggg. 

We arrived at Wehner at 7:30 (Nick L. and I got there before D-staff...NOT OKAY). While waiting to go inside we found out Aubrey has some almost pretty sweet basketball skillzz and that Nick L has a thing for blow........pops. During the first presentation of the day we learned the ins and outs of dealing with underage kids who have been abused. We had to take a test on it and get a 100 or take it again. Our camp is smart. (Except for Mason who missed one...typical) Once we got into our camp room we played the stand up sit down game and talked more about community of respect and our low-emotion defining moments. We finished REALLY early so we started talking/bantering/bickering about official camp shirt. Our D-staffer Zach (?) (HE IS ACTUALLY COOL) came and hung out with us while this was going on, and the longer he stayed in the room the more raunchy the ideas got. New brainstorming included a cow and a fruit bowl, "we just blue your mind" with an illustration of an exploding brain, and Gerald's face on EVERYTHING. Luckily Meghan took it seriously and designed a bad ass shirt based on how I met your mother with hash tags on the back (who doesnt love hash tags??) and the discussion ended. To end our day in Wehner we watched Crew rap about themselves to Fresh Prince of Bellaire and we all split up for lunch. Nematodes and Halley Berry anyone? 

We painted banners in Duncan at 2:30 with a ton of other camps. Rachel arrived from Girl State with a raspy voice. Mason got a mustache. James grew a full beard, and then five o'clock shadow. The Texas banner people are perfectionists. (Which is why it looks so perfect). Basically we just worked SUPER HARD for 4 hours and got a lot done. It was awesome. 

Then we all went to dinner at Chicken Oil. Our table looked like 8th grade dance (girls on one half, boys on the other). Nick H ordered his food as "Big Nick" (take that Linder). And he told a pretty clever joke about Snoop, poop, and Dr. Dre. :) We found out that I have Mason whipped already.

Back to Jens house for more working (slaving away) on SKIT SCRIPTS ONLY! Here we learned that James has a hot mom (look her up). And while Mason and Whitney were upstairs listening to defining moments, Christmas came early as all of us gathered in the projector room and watched Jessica Robinson (a girl from Jenn's HS) dance on a guy who didnt know what to do with his hands. PANTY FIX!! Emotions were running high after many many hours of HARD WORK (and stress) so we all called it quits to eat some Blue Bell and watch the Sitter--a "funny" movie about a 20 something average looking guy who is going no where in life and his adventures babysitting some weird kids. The first scene was kinda graphic, but the overall message of the movie was warm and .........UNREALISTIC. I laughed a few times, so I guess it was worth it. Then we all went home to sleep. 

Sunday: Potbelly. Paint. Mason got sick, but also has a pretty sweet retainer. Murphy joined us. Hes precious.