Sunday, Matt Unger and I, traveled up to camp to check up on things. Here are some pictures of how camp looks and some of the projects!

The brains (or lack thereof) behind every single Today Show…the man who works INCREDIBLY hard to bring you the Canadensis courier newsletters, all of the videos, and many of the photos is a very special person. He is also one of my best friends- Jason Calabretta (Jaycal). When news broke about my proposal to Robin, Jason went in front of the Today Show cameras to bring to you this very SPECIAL EDITION OF CANADENSIS TODAY!

You can see it by logging into the media room or by clicking on the video below. Thanks Jason for all you do.

And finally something you all have been waiting to see for the past  few weeks, my proposal to Robin!

First off, I cannot believe it’s almost Thanksgiving and it’s so warm and lovely outside! Did somebody find a way to make camp arrive early this year?

This past weekend was FULL of friends and fun!  Thursday was opening night for my sister, bunk 11 counselor, Dani Corradetti, as her High School performed “Once Upon a Time”, a play made up of tales and fables from around the world. Dani was one of the narrators and dancers, and the entire cast did a spectacular job. I went to see the show again Friday, and then took Dani over the next morning for TWO Saturday performances.  The entire cast worked so hard, and it was great to see it all pay off with a great run!

On Saturday afternoon Max Blum and Karen Sharir arrived at my house and we went on a roadtrip for the 25th Birthday Extravaganza of Miss Rachel Bachman! We arrived just in time to meet Rachel’s friends and have some snacks, and then tied on our roller skates and headed out to the rink! I hadn’t been skating in a while but, just like riding a bicycle, it all came back to me as soon as I hit the floor. Although we were great skaters, there were a few moments where we all almost fell over from laughing too hard, as Max performed some of his most unique skate tricks, from spins to full on belly flops. When the end of the night rolled around we didn’t want to leave the rink! Finally we turned in our skates and followed Rachel back to her house so she could open birthday gifts and we could spend more time together… any idea what we talked about most? If you guessed “CAMP”, you’re right!

I took so many great pictures, and some VERY funny skating videos, and I’ll be posting them here soon, so check back later this week for more!

Today it’s just Pam and I in the office, and I’m crazy busy trying to schedule interviews with staff, and planning our college recruiting road trip! When I get home from work, the crazy doesn’t stop; It’s officially 10 days until Dani and I host the annual North Penn Concert Choir Thanksgiving Eve Party. We hosted the party last year, and this year we are at it again. This means careful planning of a delicious menu, themed decor, and most importantly, a well tuned piano! Last year my favorite treat was the carrot cake we served, because instead of an orange carrot on top, I hand drew music notes on each piece of cake! This party is also the time for all Choir alumni to return and see each other, so I’m also very excited to see some of my friends who will be back in town for the holiday! I will definitely post some pictures after the party!

Well, that’s all for now! Be sure to check back for those roller skating pictures, and if you have any pictures or stories from recent camp get-togethers, send them my way, cara@canadensis.com, and they may just end up on the blog!

This past weekend was the ultimate weekend and is ending in an even better way…

Friday night Aunt Terri and I were invited to surprise camper Rachel Green at her birthday party with school friends. Terri and I showed up to California Pizza Kitchen at 6PM and it was a perfect set up. Rachel’s back was to the front door at the head of the table with 12 girls from her school. Terri and I each went on one side of her, tapped her on the shoulders simultaneously, and she looked at me, dropped her jaw then I pointed to Terri and she was in absolute shock! It was “priceless” and so exciting to be a surprise at her party. I also spent a little bit of time with Rachel’s brother as well as her dad, Stu. Stu is a LOYAL Today Show fan, blog groupie, and an all around Canadensis Fan! He told me some stories reliving his camp experiences (which were only 10 years ago, right Stu???!!!). Anyway, it was a blast and I was honored to drop in. If anyone else is having a birthday party, let me know and I’ll see if I can drop on by.

Here is a picture with Stu, Rachel, and me!

Later that night, Robin flew in to Philadelphia during the winds and rain. Her flight was delayed until after midnight, but of course as a good fiance would, I was there waiting for her! My friend Andrew was with me and when we returned to my condo in Philly, we watched the engagement proposal on DVD. Robin’s principal was recording the whole thing and made a copy for me. I will be getting it to Jaycal ASAP for him to post here on my blog.

Saturday morning brought me to Temple Beth David in Gladwyne to celebrate Mel Sukonik’s Bat Mitzvah! She did a terrific job at services and I had a chance to see tons of her girlfriends from camp as well as Billy Koutcher and Alex Distefano. Saturday night was her party and it was one to remember. The theme of the night was M el (taking after the BIG M in MTV and then the characters el instead of TV). The room was setup beautifully and again we spent some time with some of the campers. Of course my dancing I am sure embarrassed them, so I had to hide in the corner of the dance floor so they wouldn’t be too humiliated! Here are some pictures from the night:

And….the end the great camp weekend- I AM UP AT CAMP!!!! Matt Unger are here sitting in my house on freshman hill after taking a drive through camp. Since there is literally nobody in camp (Tom our caretaker lives at the entrance, but before the “gate”) we can drive through camp and take a look at things. The paving looks AWESOME, but you will have to wait for pictures and videos since it’s pitch black out there tonight. During the winter, we turn out most of the area outdoor lights and just leave on a few, so it’s dark and very lonely without all of you.

So, exciting camp weekend even during the winter season! Stay tuned for pics, videos, blog postings, and if you read this far I will hint a surprise to all of you- TWITTER is coming to Canadensis….MORE TO COME SOON!

Hey Will, I bet you never thought you would get your very own post with our name in the subject!

Congratulations to Will! Last night, we finally caught up after a busy week for both of us and he shared the exciting news that he was awarded the “Most promising basketball official in St. Louis”. As many of you already know, Will is a basketball ref during the winter season at high schools throughout the St. Louis area. From what I observe at camp, Will takes refereeing very seriously and he truly enjoys doing this. So, congrats to Will and we are honored to say that the most promising basketball official in the entire city of St. Louis, at the age of 28, will be refereeing the showcase color war basketball games at Canadensis! Perhaps we should use THAT in our marketing materials. In all seriousness, congratulations brother.

I also am excited to announce that we will be having a Canadensis Today Show camper segment called Canadensis Today IReporter. We will be arming campers with brand-new “flip” style video cameras to use around camp. The campers will be at all the activities, evening activities, special events, etc. We will also be offering opportunities for campers to get involved in producing the Today Show, from setting up segments, designing the set, working with Jaycal on audio, and creating innovative new segments, we are going to be involving campers in all aspects of Today.

As you all know, the Today Show was a brand-new concept last year, and while we met our goal of producing at least one show every day, it’s time to raise the bar. We are working on new graphics and other improvements, but our primary goal this summer will be to involve campers in every aspect of the show. So, campers get ready for a brand-new Today and to be involved in whatever ways you want to be!

Matt and I are headed up to camp Sunday night and staying through Monday, so be ready for pictures, video, and news updates throughout next week right here on this blog. Robin will be coming in this weekend for Melanie Sukonik’s Bat Mitzvah- Mazel Tov and I look forward to seeing some of the camp girls tomorrow! Have a great weekend everybody.

Camper Josh Brownstein is featured in this DORITOS commercial which could be shown during the Superbowl. Click below to watch!

Josh is the kid in the beginning jumping on the bed, and at the end looking into the bag. If his video is selected it could be shown on the Superbowl!

**Click Skip intro in the bottom right corner to get right to the video**

I clearly love transportation and as a matter of fact as a kid I was always in awe of the industry! I have great childhood memories of going to a local municipal airport with my dad and having breakfast while watching small planes take off! I remember riding the NJ transit bus and train into New York City and enjoying the ride. Many of you know I love boats and ships, and my dream came true on semester at sea during college when I sailed around the world on an old cruise ship for an entire semester. So yes, I love all modes of transportation.

Well today, for the first time, I am riding on an Amtrak train. I am sure most of you are laughing saying what is the big deal, its a train! But to me, its another mode of travel and I have always wanted to experience it. The real reason for me riding the rails today was to attend a conference in nyc organize by the American Camping Association (ACA). Brian and I both attended this conference which featured 3 speakers. The one that I found most pertinent and interesting spoke about social media, ie Facebook, twitter, and blogs.

He mentioned a few ideas which perhaps we will setup and use in the coming months, but most of what he talked about we already do through our own website and these blogs! As I have said before, its refreshing to hear that we are keeping up with the times and in many cases are ahead of the game and our competition. Of course we all know they don’t have a chance up against canadensis!

I also of course enjoy sitting in a room with others that share my passion and job and got to see a lot of familiar faces and friends who work at other camps. We compared notes a bit from the past summer and discussed a few ideas, etc. All in all, a very nice, informative day.

Rewind to last night. Pam, our new assistant director, has been putting together, camp get togethers for new young professionals in the local Philadelphia area. A few weeks ago, we held our first meeting with 6 camp directors in attendance and last night doubled it to 12! Way to go Pam and I look forward to this new organization really taking off. Pam planned a game of quizzo/trivia which we ended up not playing last night but will use in a few weeks at our 3rd meeting.

Speaking of Pam, she and I will be visiting camp families in the coming weeks, so if you would like to meet her, or you want my autograph or the today show logo (just kidding), let me know and we will plan a night to come visit! Email me at eric@canadensis.com! Of course Brian continues to do home visits as well, and hopefully we can cover even more terrain by all of us visiting homes. Plus who wants to sit in an office, when you have an excuse to visit camp families and have fun talking camp!

I am on my way home to Philly on the train and then will be catching up tonight on work. Tomorrow and Friday I will be in the office all day and look forward to the weekend when my girlfriend, oops fiancé, Robin, will be flying up for a bat mitzvah this coming weekend!

Hope everyone is doing well and keep checking back as Matt and I will be headed to camp overnight sun into Mon and we will post pics and video of camp!

Here’s a picture from Rachel’s Bat Mitzvah which took place on Saturday Night! Mazel Tov Rachel!!

Hi Everyone,
From 35000 feet onboard a southwest airlines flight, I would like to say thanks to everyone for their kind wishes and congratulations for Robin and me. As most of you have heard by now, I surprised Robin Hasson, our lower camp girls head counselor, in class Friday morning. Here is the whole story-

Robin is a 1st grade teacher down in Florida just outside of fort lauderdale. I met her class a few weeks ago when I was staying with Robin for a week. They are awesome students and a nice group of kids! Anyway, when I went into school a few weeks ago, I showed them on a map where I travel to, pretty much all around the world! That means they know all of the secret where in the world locations I am going to this winter! Each year, I become a correspondent for Robin’s classes and make a different set of videos special to show her class while I am travelling. Last year for example they got a kick out of me in red square with the Russian hat on!

So when I went to London 2 weeks ago, I figured I can make the excuse to Robin that I wanted to read a book about London to her students, (shout out to Ali for the idea!) Only problem was that we figured out this plan after I had already returned! So, Matt Unger and I looked long and hard and found a kids guide to London sightseeing on Amazon.com

The book arrived just in time (wed night) and luckily it was perfect. It had a 2 line rhyming poem for each place in London! So I showed up to Robins class with this book and spent 15 minutes reading it. When we came to the end, I said there was one more page. On it was a picture of Robin and me with the poem- one more thing for your class to see, Robin will you marry me!

She was caught so off guard and asked me wait- is this for real? I got down on one knee and pulled out her engagement ring and I think at that point it hit her! She began to cry and hug me. After a minute both her principal and I yelled out- you didn’t answer the question! I think her exact answer was “yes, of course”. The principal asked the students if they knew what was going on and one first grader yelled out “miss Hasson just got married”! We said not quite and then enjoyed a great cake with her class.

Robin and I had a cruise prearranged for the weekend and so we had a chance to relax and absorb the fact that we are engaged. I will admit once during the cruise I still said girlfriend, but I will get the fiancé thing down soon!

In closing, I just want to say (although I think it goes without saying) how much camp means to us both. As many of you know, Robin and I met at camp in the summer of 2003 when I was evening activities director and Robin was the girls head counselor. We have been best of friends since that point and realized one summer that we were meant to be together after all those years of being good friends. Camp means the world to us and so it is so exciting to be able to share this story with all of you. Now I promise this blog won’t turn into a wedding planning website but perhaps I will highlight some of the funnier moments throughout the process.

Thanks to all of you- campers, counselors, administration, staff, and camp families for your support and well wishes! A special thank you to JayCal for providing up to the minute coverage and updates on this blog during our very special day!

ERIC AND ROBIN

ARE ENGAGED!

Click Here for a clip from the all new Canadensis Today

This morning Eric Forti popped the question to Lower Girls Camp Head Counselor Robin Hasson at her school in Florida! Eric went to Robin’s 1st grade class to read her students a special story. When he got to the end of the story he read the words, “will you marry me.” More details on Monday and a special Canadensis Today will be posted later today!

“Will you …”

Robin and the Ring

 

Special Thanks to Julie Santiago for the pictures!

This is the first LIVE blog post! I am sitting right now in a jury duty waiting room in Philadelphia. A few weeks ago, I received a summons to appear at Jury Duty for the city of Philadelphia. Of course I wasn’t excited to get this, as I had been here only 2 years ago. Luckily at that time, I didn’t get placed on a trial, and I am hoping the same will happen again! This morning, I arrived at 8:15am and within 30 minutes was selected to be interviewed as a juror. The whole process is interesting, as you have to complete a questionnaire, basically finding out if you can be impartial, fair, etc. Once the judge reviews the questionnaires, he/she interviews potential jurors and asks questions about your job, etc.

They took 60 of us up to a courtroom and we sat waiting for the judge to begin her questions. Luckily, the case was settled just as we were in the interview process, so we were told to sit tight and we would find out if we would be sent home for the day or would have to go back to the waiting room. Unfortunately for us, we had to go back to the waiting room.

After a few more hours of literally sitting and doing nothing, they sent us out for an hour and a half lunch. I went home and brought back my laptop so that I can blog with all of you (sad, I know!) Last time I was here, cell phones/laptops weren’t permitted in the waiting room, however now they are! So, I am “borrowing” some neighbors wireless internet and writing to all of you about my misery sitting in this room all day.

Back to fun camp stuff! Yesterday, Matt, Aunt Terri, and I went up to camp for a few hours. We had a meeting scheduled with a nearby University to discuss them coming to Canadensis in September. From the moment she arrived, she was in awe of Canadensis. And this is the off season, so while it looks beautiful like it always does, it’s not as amazing to see when nobody is there, the grass is long, the pools are empty, etc. The lady had visited 6 other camps, many in our area, and still said that we were the most beautiful of them all…and I am not making this up! It goes to show, Canadensis is awesome!

Afterwards, Matt and I filmed a brief Today Show which will be posted shortly. It shows some of the new paving around camp, highlights the main office/grove renovations, and also gives you a sneak peek into the dining hall improvements that we are in the process of doing. So, I will let you all know when it gets posted, but you definitely won’t want to miss it.

Aunt Terri and I then drove to Scarsdale, NY and met with new camper Jordana Kaller. Jordana is so excited to be joining the Canadensis Family and lives on the same block as Sydney Goldman! It was great to meet Jordana and her family and see how excited she really is to be starting at camp. To quote Jordana, “I wish camp was starting tomorrow!” My thoughts exactly…

After a long day of driving literally around the tri-state area in a big loop, I got home around 11PM exhausted, but excited to have gone to camp and seen the excitement in the eyes of some of our campers. I hope everyone is doing well and not as bored as I am in Jury Duty!