Emily Westphal

Hello from the Great Lakes State. My name is Emily Westphal, and I am originally from the little city of Gaylord, Michigan. Yes, Gaylord. You are allowed to make fun of it three times, and then we move on. :) I will be happy to use the palm of my hand to show you where I'm from. What other state in the U.S. can do that?

     At camp, I gained the nickname of Emma D. I am not sure why to be honest. My name is not Emma, nor is there a D in my full name anywhere. Either way, hearing it reminds me of camp, so it puts a smile on my face.

     Excited is the perfect word to describe how I feel about returning to Coppercreek for my second summer on staff. Last summer, I was a cabin counselor and the co-instructor for the amazing TAPS rock climbing program. You could also find me a lot at the high ropes course and in the arts/crafts area. I fell in love with Northern California very quickly, and I guarantee that if you haven't yet, you will, too.

     There is something new for everyone to try at camp. I, for one, learned many new things. I am a much more experienced camping expert, immune to bug bites, I can boondoggle like it's my job, and even rappel from the top of a rock face. The accomplishment I am most proud of, however, is finally getting up on a wakeboard after a dozen attempts or so. (Thanks to counselor, Ryan)

     At home, I am studying to be an art teacher. I completed one semester of student teaching in an elementary classroom, and I will complete my secondary student teaching this fall. After that, I'll graduate, and be a certified teacher. My concentration within my degree is photography. I shoot freelance for senior photos, engagements, and just completed my first wedding as well.


     I am a big fan of happy thoughts. Girls that were in my cabin know what this means. Basically, I try to find something from every day that I'm happy about or thankful for. Last summer, I kept a journal, and it's pretty fun to look back and see what all of my campers liked about their session.

     Other happy thoughts in life for me are sending mail, traveling, volleyball, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and documenting life with my camera. I also enjoying creating any kind of art, road trips, star-gazing, and snuggling up to watch a good movie with friends. My family is my top priority over everything else. I recently became an Aunt and a Godmother as well!

    I am counting down the days until I get to return to Greenville and reunite with my Coppercreek family. I look forward to making new friends and creating new memories as well. I hope to see you all there this summer!

~Emily aka. Emma D.

Storm- Part 2

We get many requests to see camp in the snow. Mother Nature heard the call and produced for our camp families!

Snow Removal

The Dining Deck

Girl's Shower House

The Sand Volleyball Court! Perhaps, snow volleyball instead?

This one is for you, Jorge! :^)

What do you think, Amy? Care to teach a snow jumping lesson?

Cindy and Emily's Home Sweet Home

"Ya' all come back now!"

Storm- Part 1

www.coppercreekalumni.blogspot.com

Head over to our other blog for the latest news from Coppercreek and read about "Storm- Part 1"!

Counting My Blessings!

November and December are such busy months around here. We finish putting camp to bed, laying in supplies for the winter (it is tough to get hay delivered in the snow), attend the annual WAIC Conference(www.waic.org), and then you add in the holidays, school, and... Well, it's crazy! As if that wasn't enough, I start working for Northstar in November. I have managed the ticketing department there for many years. I just love the excitement, energy, and fun of ski season. But with the work around here, at Northstar, the holidays, and the driving back and forth, I sometimes forget to stop and smell the roses.

So, today, I am taking a moment to remember my favorite part of the day and sharing it with you: After homework time, and dinner time, and bath time, and reading time, and dinner dishes time, and pick up the toys time, when I walk in to each of my daughter's rooms, make sure they're tucked in and look at those beautiful sleeping angels. That's the moment, my very favorite one each and every day!

This moment here:


And this one, too:



Have a great day!

Veteran's Day 2009!

Craig, Ryleigh, Makenna and I headed down to Greenville at 11 am this morning for the Annual Veteran's Day parade. There are so many things I love about living in our small town. Today's parade was just another affirmation of many of those things. I believe the whole town came out for the Parade and Ceremony. The American Legion, the Boy Scouts, Greenville High School's band, the Quincy Elks Lodge, and of course our local Fire Departments were all represented. We sang the National Anthem, said the Pledge of Allegiance, and were able to express our gratitude to the brave men and women who have served and those who currently serve our country. We feel blessed and grateful for their and their families' sacrifices.

We hope you are enjoying this Veteran's Day!

Fall Fun and our Christmas Card Preview!

It has been a very busy Fall here at camp. We hosted several groups, including the AERC National Championship Endurance Ride. There were over 150 riders between the 2 days of the ride. Both the camp and ranch meadow were filled with horse trailers, horses, riders, and their crews! It was a wonderful event, and great exposure for our little town!

Lornie and Sutter have been busy with Greenville High School varsity volleyball. Lornie is coaching and Sutter is a starting setter. The team has had a very successful season and beat arch-rival Quincy last week! Sutter is also knee deep in the college application process. She and Lornie visited University of Oregon a few weeks ago and Sutter loved the campus. So far, the Ducks may be in the lead!

Ryleigh just finished Fall soccer season and is a busy 3rd grader. The rest of the Hoglands are enjoying the quiet of Fall. Craig is madly putting camp to bed now that group season is done, and Becky is starting back with Northstar a few days a week.

Here are a few more shots from our photo shoot this weekend.
Happy Fall!

Kenna loved the apples from the tree!

Our beautiful Sutter Butter!

Reasons why we love Coppercreek
FBI 2009 4th session
Maddie Milligan, Emma Shupper, Jackie Monetta,
Savannah Bocknik, Lizzie Goulder, Kara Fellows, Ella Hormel

1. Someone else does your laundry
2. You get ice cream if your cabin is clean
3. Waking up to music
4. We choose where to go for activities
5. Your cabin is your family and your counselor is your friend
6. You meet people you never knew who happen to live close
7. You’re given chance to leave camp for things like the lake or the fair
8. No one cares what you wear
9. You make friends from anywhere
10. You never get bored
11. No worries. No stress. No pressure
12. You’re friends with people you’d never be friends with at home
13. There’s something here for everyone
14. You can dance like no one’s watching even when people are watching
15. You feel like you’ve been friends for a lifetime, even if it’s only been a few weeks
16. There’s always someone to cheer you on when you think you’re about to give up, whether on high ropes or at boondoggle
17. The food is amazing
18. The counselors love it here as much as we do
19. You hear songs throughout the year that remind you of camp
20. All counselors are different: loud, funny, quiet, crazy, understanding, neat, messy, happy
21. You can wear your PJ’s to breakfast
22. You can learn from anyone-campers or counselors
23. The shirts become collector’s items
24. If you look on a map it’s a tiny little place, but it holds a MILLION MEMORIES