These Are The Best Days.

I'm going to warn you guys right now, this is a nostalgia alert, so if you don't want to be reminded of staffing, please don't read.

For my fellow staff of LDC09, does the title of this post ring a bell for you guys at all? No?

How about Brand New Day? Still nothing?

This Is Home? Oh...THAT rings a bell.

I was just listening to my iPod today, and I stumbled across this play list that was labeled LDC Shizz and it was all the potential camp songs that we had in line for a camp that was themeless at the time. Now that I listen to all the potentials, I just look back and think, how could we have even thought about not choosing this is home?

Of course, at the time, I remember talking to Nicole about the song, complaining to her that after listening to Switchfoot a thousand times before the next training, that it didn't feel like Crash and Burn of 08. And I still remember the exact words she told me after. "In time Darnell, in time."

What I also remember was the entire process of picking songs. How it couldn't have anything to do with religion or relationships in there, which I'm still bitter about because my song was immediately eliminated. How Pasha made fun of Graham Colton and his water fountain he had for a mouth. How I was so adamant about Brand New Day. How none of us could take a girl artist seriously for a camp song.

It still never ceases to amaze me how far the Staff has gone since those first couple of trainings. We were still somewhat strangers to each other, the older staffers cliqued with the older staffers, the new staff still on their camp high from Shining in 08. We were still pretty angry that the Jr. staff wanted Be Infinite as the theme as opposed to Sing Your Song. David and I were still pissed that V Necks were one of the staff ID's. And we could NOT for the life of us choose a song in one training day.

But here we are, 3 months removed from camp. The staff is far from a clique. Turns out our camp theme was neither of the original one's the camps came to a consensus with at second training. David and I are still angry, but thankful, that the V neck idea went through. And we found Home when we found our song.

When the first closing circle dawned upon us after Theme Assembly the first night of camp. I wasn't thinking about how Graham Colton or Joshua Radin should have been coming out of Jennifer's iHome. I just sat there, arm in arm with delegates, soaking it all in, listening to Switchfoot, and thinking to myself, it was time. Nicole was right, as she usually was.

This is home, and it will always be.

Till next time guys.
Take care.

- Darrel