I’m wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving today – and hoping you get spend it with loved ones, friends and family!  I’ll be spending the day with some of my wonderful extended family members in NY, but unfortunately I won’t get to be with my parents or my sister because they’ll be in Arizona and Texas.  I feel so lucky to have a family that loves and supports this crazy camp thing I do year after year, and I just wanted to express my thanks, and share a photo of me with my parents at camp in 2013!

Below is a collage of photos from the 2012 Levi Family Reunion held at Camp Canadensis – it’s an every 3 year tradition, and has become something I am constantly thinking about and looking forward to.  I thought you might enjoy seeing how we used camp as a beautiful setting for quality family time…which for us includes kickball, archery and of course gathering around a table to share a meal.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hello Canadensis…

I hope this latest blog finds our Camp Canadensis family in the thankful spirit with Thanksgiving upon us.  For many, this Thanksgiving is a two-holiday-in-one occasion as it also marks the first night of Chanukah.  I’ve had heard many people starting to refer to this event as Happy Thanksgivukah, which apparently combines the celebration of the first harvest for settlers in the New World with that of the celebration of lights.  So, I guess it is time to bust out your turkey menorahs and dreidels…

In all seriousness, I hope that everyone takes some time over the next few days and reflect on how thankful we are for those that we have around us, whether it be your family, friends or camp family.  This time, last year, it seems like we all knew someone that was affected by the work of Hurricane Sandy.  With that, it was our ability to be there for others that got many through this trying time.  A year later, so many are still so very thankful for the support they received.  So, this Thanksgiving, I hope that everyone will spend some time reflecting a bit and truly give thanks to those around them.  For me personally, I have a lot to be thankful this past year; the biggest being the marriage to my beautiful wife Jaime.  I am thankful that she has made me a better person and in turn has allowed me to see what the best things in life truly are.

A few weeks ago, Jaime and I were finally able to “complete” our wedding rituals by taking our long awaited honeymoon since being married in May.  We had two glorious weeks in Hawaii on the islands of Oahu, Kauai and Maui.  And, I must say, it was truly paradise.  During our stay, we saw Pearl Harbor, went on several catamarans and did some snorkeling, flew in a helicopter, went hiking, took a motorboat raft up the coast, drove the Road to Hana, relaxed on several beaches and ate a lot of really great food (some of the freshest fish I have ever had).  After our trip, I came up with the idea that we need to open up Camp Canadensis Pacific in the winter time.  What do you think?  Canadensis, PA in the summer and Kauai, Hawaii in the winter?  Here are a few pictures from our honeymoon vacation…

Upon our return from Hawaii, it was great to get right back into the mix of camp life as we hosted five our our Canteen on the Fly events over the course of two weeks.  In all, it was great to see the turnout from campers and staff and to catch up with everyone and see what they were up to since camp ended.  T-Shirts were once again the give away item for this event and the campers that came had a blast coloring them in.  Special shout outs for some of our amazing staff that took time out of their busy schedules to attend, including Melissa Torban, Shari Tavroff, Heather Fisher, Robin Forti, Steph Vorcheimer, Pete Tarnoff, Sam Ginsburg, Matt Manglona, Will Wekesa, Dann Restrepo, Brooke O’Donnell and Michael Klein.  When our staff attends these events, you make it even more special!  And, thank you to all of the parents that took time to drive their campers to come and see us.  Special recognition goes out to former camper and now mom Laura Giobbio (maiden name, Willensky), who drove her kids Luca and Stella to both the Westchester and Northern New Jersey events in the same day!  Awesome job, Laura!  Pictures of the Canteen on the Fly Events can be found on our Facebook page by clicking here.  After eating so much ice cream, frozen yogurt and ices at each of these locations, I must say that my favorite goes to Swede’s in Livingston, NJ for their salted caramel pretzel flavor.  Good stuff!

Last week, it was really exciting to be down in the Plymouth Meeting office with the team to wrap and box all of the Canadensis Cares Mystery Boxes.  We were really happy with how this came out and hope that all that ordered the box can’t wait to see what is in it.  There are some really cool, one-of-a-kind Canadensis items in there that we know you will think are pretty awesome!  Let us know what you think of them when you get them.  In the end, this venture helped raise over $2000 for the Canadensis Cares program.  That is the really awesome part when you think of it!  Special thanks goes to Assistant Director Pam Levi, who thought of this terrific idea.

I’ve been able to see some of our campers over the past few weeks as well.  In Bala Cynwyd, PA, I met up with the Rosenaus for our annual get-together.  It is hard to believe that Julia will be coming back to camp for her CIT summer and 8th year.  Her sister, Emma, will be back for her 5th summer to get her honor jacket as part of our Lower Senior division.  Finally, youngest brother AJ will be an Upper Junior for his 2nd summer.  For several hours, we laughed about camp experienced while everyone told me what they are looking forward to next year, in addition to all of the activities they have been doing since they left camp in August.  Now in 3rd grade, AJ has been busy with his travel soccer team called the Swarm.  He plays left midfield and left defense and he told me that their team won both the Columbus Day and Thanksgiving tournaments.  Pretty soon, he will begin the Penn Valley basketball league.  He also takes piano lessons.  AJ wanted to give a shout out to the boys of 2013 Bunk 3.  Emma, currently in 7th grade, has been busy attending many bat mitzvahs of home and camp friends.  Her own big day is coming up in January and it will no doubt be an amazing affair.  Emma is also active, playing for her school’s teams in basketball, field hockey and softball.  She wanted to say hello to all of the girls in Summer 2013 Bunk 15.  Julia is now in her sophomore year of high school.  In a few weeks, she will be going to Israel as part of her confirmation class’s trip.  She will be playing varsity softball this year as well.  Julia also volunteers at a center for autism.  Julia just cannot wait for her CIT summer to arrive and wanted to tell the other 2014 CITs to get excited for an amazing summer!  Here is a pic…

In River Vale, NJ, I got to hang out with Alex Rothenberg, who is currently in 3rd grade and will be an Upper Junior in his first summer at Canadensis.  Alex likes to play catcher in baseball and will be trying out for a Spring team in addition to playing for his town team.  In the Fall and Winter, he is busy playing on a basketball team.  On top of that, he also plays center on a flag football team.  Alex is also really good at computers and is a master robot builder.  I saw some of his work and it is really cool.  Alex is a big fan of the New York Giants, too.  This summer when he comes to camp, Alex is really excited for the quads and all of the activities at the lake.  He cannot wait to try waterskiing.  Alex’s sister Gaby will be a future Canadensis camper one day.  She enjoys baskeball, singing, fashion design and American Girl.  Here is a picture…

I always love to get e-mails with bunk reunion and get-together photos attached to them.  A few weeks ago, my inbox had several great pictures that I wanted to post.

In late October, Andy Rhodes hosted a sleepover for the boys of 2013 Bunk 4 at his house.  From all reports, the boys stayed up really late and had a blast hanging out with each other since they hadn’t been together since mid-August.  Here is a picture…

Summer 2013 Girls Bunk 6 met up in New York City on Sunday, November 17, where they all went to Serafina for lunch.  Then, they  headed over to Make Meaning, where the girls made candles.  Finally, they capped off their day with dessert at Sugar and Plum.  Here are few pictures…

Girls Bunk 9 from Summer 2013 also made their way into New York City for a sleepover hosted by Michelle Garten.  Here is a photo from that get-together…

Finally, something cool to end the blog with.  A few weeks ago, Harlem Globetrotter Thunder Law set the Guiness Book of World’s Records by recording the longest basketball shot…109 feet, 9 inches.  Check it out by clicking the following link…

LONGEST BASKETBALL SHOT EVER!

Well, that’s all of the blogging for now.  More to come!  Have a great day!  And, Happy Thanksgivukah!

-Brian

If you ordered one of our Carewear Holiday Mystery Boxes, it is officially on it’s way to you in the mail!  The winter team spent most of the day in an assembly line wrapping, packing, and sealing up the 131 boxes that were ordered – an amazing number for our first year offering these gifts!  It was a group effort, and we are so excited for you to discover all the surprises inside!

I’ve been sworn to secrecy, so I cannot reveal any of the items in the box.  But, in the above photo, you can see how it will arrive.  The box is ready to give, and wrapped in Blue & Gold tissue paper.  As soon as you open it up, you’ll see a letter that explains all the goodies inside, and thanks you for helping us raise more than $2,000 for the Canadensis Cares Scholarships!

Each box was packed with the recipient in mind, and even if you and your sibling both received it, you’ll have slight differences between your goodies.  Because some people might not open up their box until the later nights of the holiday, we ask that everyone try to help us keep the secret, and not post their mystery box items on social media.  On December 6th, we’ll be posting photos showing all the items, so if you don’t have a box arriving on your doorstep, you’ll still get to see what was in the surprise!

There go all the boxes…it filled up the entire USPS truck!

If you are a regular blog reader, you know that I love games!  Without a doubt, Mah Jongg is my favorite game to play (and teach!) but Bingo has taken a spot in my heart and number 2!  (It has bumped back connect four, apples to apples and blokus!).  Last night, Beth Or in Ambler hosted a Bingo night, and it’s a ton of fun!  We attended last year, (see this old blog post) and it’s become an annual tradition we look forward to!  So many of our amazing families are involved with Beth Or, and in the photo above you can see (from left to right) Dara Brecher (campers Jeremy & Amanda) with Cara, Melissa, Myself, Robin and Roni Jaffe (camper Idan, and husband Dr. Jamison!).  Many more of our camp mom’s were there as well!

In the photo above, Steffany Kratchman (campers Landon & Rayla) is holding up the basket she won!  Nearly 400 women attend the event, which includes not only Bingo games, but also raffle prizes.  Steffany actually won the basket of goodies that Camp Canadensis donated – what are the chances?!

It was a lot of fun putting the basket together – it included a camp backpack, and tons of essentials that come in handy to have around the house, especially during the holiday season when there are presents to wrap!  Inside was a label maker, stickers, scissors, tape, glue, sharpies and lots of pens for writing holiday cards.

Already excited for Bingo in 2014!

If you live on Long Island, or will be visiting friends…we hope we’ll see you tomorrow at Canteen on the Fly!!  Drop by anytime!  Mark your calendar for upcoming dates in your town!

Time spent with camp friends is always the best, and we know that many bunks have been arranging sleepovers this winter – we love seeing photos!  I thought I’d blog today and share some pictures of my recent time spent with camp friends, so here we go!

First up was a trip to Pittsburgh to celebrate Noah’s Bar Mitzvah!  He is in the picture above with his mom Sandy, who is part of our fabulous Head Counselor team at camp each summer!

He did a fantastic job leading the congregation, and then we go to enjoy “Club Noah” that night – the party was great, and I loved the logo that captured Noah’s amazing hair!

Everyone loves cupcakes…right?  Well, at the Bar Mitzvah there were tons of flavors, but my favorite was the campy classic “s’mores”!

It was fun to dance and hang out with camp friends, here’s a picture of me with Sandy and BeckyJ in the photobooth!

There was also a caricaturist there -he’s just starting to draw me in the photo above…

 

And here’s the final product – pretty good job!  Of course, I asked him to draw me walking Annie!

  Annie got to come to Pittsburgh too, and before we headed out of town we took a walk over to see the giant inflatable rubber duck that was floating in the river.  He was so cute…I’d love to have him swim over to camp and spend the summer in Lake Lenape!

Later that month, I went to a Chinese cooking class with Eric & Robin.  It was hands on, and a lot of fun!  In the photo above, Eric is working in the kitchen with chef Joseph Poon!

He learned how to make lo-mein, and it was delicious!  He’s so good at it now, he’ll be cooking for everyone on Chinese nights this summer!

We learned how to make about 10 different dishes, and it was hard work!  Once we finished cooking, we got to enjoy the meal and by the end of the night we were totally stuffed!

I recently got to do some traveling to Cuba and New Orleans, and I was so lucky that my time in New Orleans overlapped with Lachie and Steph, so I was able to see them for a few hours!

They have spent two summers at Canadensis, and ran our waterfronts this year.  They are from Australia, and Lachie was our lake director, and Steph was the pool director!  They have been on an amazing coast to coast road trip after leaving camp, and they’ve planned to go and see just about everything the US and Canada have to offer!

We enjoyed beignets at Cafe Du Monde (they are like donuts covered in powdered sugar) and it was so good to hear about their travels!

And finally, as you might know – Matt & Melissa are getting married soon!  Melissa is the Lower Girls Head Counselor, and Matt works full time for camp as the Operations Director.

We recently went to Allentown (where Melissa lives and teaches during the off season) to celebrate her bridal shower.  It was a lovely luncheon, and as is the tradition at showers, Melissa ended the afternoon wearing a hat made out of all the bows and ribbons off her gifts.

One of the coolest gifts was the bus Matt’s mom made for the couple.  It recreated their engagement last year!

In the photo above (from left to right) is Cara, Robin, Matt, Melissa and me – all the purple was just a coincidence!

I look forward to the next time I’ll get to see camp friends…on MONDAY (11/11/13)!  If you live on Long Island, I hope we’ll be seeing you at Canteen on the Fly at Carvel in Westbury NY.  We’ll be there from 2-3:30!

18 Months?! What do you think that represents?

Camp is only 7 Months away…thank goodness it’s not 18 months away!

Carli has turned 18 Months Old and boy did that go quickly! From the blog, you can see some newborn photos of her…to today, an 18 month old, Happy and Healthy, Canadensis Baby, or should I say Toddler! Summer 2014 watch out. She is walking and talking up a storm. I have no doubt that she will walk across your soccer leagues, or draw a picture for you in arts and crafts if you let her.

Last night, Pam and myself got together with some other local camp directors for dinner. It was great to see them, after not seeing our friends since last spring! Everyone said they had a great summer and we went through some of the highlights at each of our camps. One of the directors is uncle to Jordan/Amanda Checkoff, new campers last summer. I had a chance to text with their mom during dinner and I am looking forward to seeing them at NAVE YOGURT in Maple Glen for Canteen on the Fly Philly Style on Sat, 11/16.

But first…it’s Long Island Canteen on the Fly! We hope to see many of you at the CARVEL in Westbury, NY (the Nathan’s Food Court building) from 2 – 3:30 this Monday, 11/11/13 . We will have camp t-shirts with us (brand new design) and of course Ice Cream to eat. So, please do stop on by and feel free to bring a friend along with you to meet all of us.

This weekend we are going to 3 birthday parties! One is Carli’s classmate in school who is turning 2, one is Robin’s childhood friend (who she used to babysit for) who has a son turning 1, and finally my nephew Ben’s 1st birthday! My niece and nephew (Ben and Emily) have come to visit camp each summer and have so much fun up there. You might remember Emily from playing soccer on the pavilion field, to baking cupcakes with Jojo in cooking? Anyway, they love camp as much as we all do and hopefully will spend more time up there this summer, now that they live in Maple Glen, right near me, Robin, and Carli.

Whatever you have planned this weekend, enjoy it! And remember Long Island…see you at Carvel on Monday, 11/11/13!!