Disclaimer:  I KNOW that I need to grant myself a ‘settling in’ time so I feel comfortable in a new place.  This has happened before.  It usually takes 2-4 weeks and then I’m zipping around like a local and going to shows with my new friends!  BUT when I’m in it, this is how I feel… like an old lady who has NO idea how to do anything.  (Luckily, my new boss Laura is a patient and kind guide!) Just to give you a picture, these are random thoughts that floated through my head this past week:  Why can’t I figure out how to type my sister’s name into my Contacts list on this Android smart phone?!?  It keeps auto-correcting “Jessie” to ‘JESUS’!  Why do I have to drive on the highway just to get to the grocery store?  Why did my TWEET just post to my personal FB page and not the CampWarnerPark FB page?  If I’ve never used the handbrake on my car, will it be stuck forever?  If I don’t use the handbrake on my car, will it roll down the driveway and into my housemate’s car?  I think I need an APP to work the thermostat… it’s 62 degrees in here.  Brr. OK. OK. OK!  Enough of THAT!  Here’s a pix of a cherry tree!  They are blooming EVERYWHERE in Nashville! This is what I’ve been up to lately:  I’ve spent this first week getting things set up for camp (Insurance, marketing, etc) and also getting to EXPLORE the 3,000 acres of Warner Park!!!  What a fun day at work!  Hiking and seeing Blue birds and OWLS!  And that counts as work!  Because of Laura’s vision, our new camp has access to this whole area;  forest, streams and field!  PLUS, Warner Park has a really amazing Nature Center  where they keep bees, a pond full of chirping toads, an organic garden AND a staff of naturalists who are going to lead activities with our kids!  Jackpot! Here are some photos from Warner Park.

Even the bathrooms are CUTE and naturey!

So camp is going to be great- I just need to get the word out and sign up about… 400+ more kids!

Yesterday, I drove to Columbia, TN, where Laura is the new Exec of a Community YMCA.  Their town is ‘famous’ for MULES.  (That’s right, the horse/donkey hybrid)  and they celebrate with a week-long festival called… Mule Days.  Saturday was the parade and BOY O BOY was it entertaining!

Check it out! 1- Horses in overalls  2- Lil’ Miss Paternity Testing  3- Cool old car  4- Giant Radio Flyer  

And the fun doesn’t stop there! Horses with stars and guys yelling, “I say, WAFFLE!  You say, HOUSE!  WAFFLE!  HOUSE!”  

And don’t miss out on the Mule Train! The Saturday of FUN doesn’t stop there!  That afternoon I stopped by Laura’s house (in an old bank) to pick up some things and I got the grand tour!  The bank had to be majorly remodeled over the past decade to make it livable- and it’s awesome inside!  I don’ t have a pix of the 2 story vault that is now a library with a rolling ladder.