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Omikse Campers come to the Trading Post for their mail!

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Today, I am grateful to have a best friend in my sister.

Today, of all days, I needed her. I needed her not only to answer the phone when I called, but to actually predict that I would walk into my apartment to find yet another ticket from the DC Police for my car.

She must have predicted that, because she assured that my incredible care package would arrive on the exact same day that I would break into tears because I'm so tired of paying for things related to my car.

Let me just leave it at that with the car because this is a place in my life where I only focus on the positive. What am I grateful for.


Just to give a little more background, I'm guessing most of us can relate to receiving care packages at camp. My mom used to surprise me with them. I never knew when I would get one. And, when they arrived, they were incredible. But, what I always loved the most were her letters. She would write more than a card--a story! A story that detailed the lives of my siblings and my dad and her work at the hospital. They didn't have to necessarily be very long, but they were stories. Believe it or not, I still have some of them. I was a smart young girl to save all of those notes from her!

What I looked like about the camp age

Here is an excerpt from one, probably around summer of 1997:
"Dear Claire, Hi, how's camp? It sounds like you are enjoying tumbling!...Have you written Russell a letter? We have received (spelled wrong, just like her daughter) one letter - written in very tiny hand writing, as usual. He sounds like he is having a good time. He is taking tennis. Maybe you two can play some when you get back..."

Cards and letters from mom

This explains the subject/title of this post. I was at Camp Toccoa, in Toccoa, GA. At Camp Toccoa, they named the cabins different things and I was so excited the year I moved into the Omiske (Eskimo spelled backwards) cabins because it meant I was older!

So tonight, in true Boozer form, Lindsay sent me a care package. But, as always, the best part of the package was the card that came with it. I won't share from that one, only to say that, of course, it was absolutely what I needed. Here is the breakdown (and a little bit of background) on what was in the package:


  1. Sweet card!
  2. Jittery Joes coffee (needs no explanation)
  3. Fold up tote bag
  4. Funky and fun socks (I'm guessing the guilt about always stealing mine is coming out...
  5. Dog bone -- Donovan!
  6. Star Wars Pez dispenser -- All for Noel
  7. Silly putty -- typical insertion from a mommy care package
  8. Toblerone bar -- Her dog's name is Toby, and for long we call him Toblerone :)
  9. Wine bottle opener -- obviously
  10. Aquaphor -- chapped lips, one time I broke the lid to hers and so she always had aquaphor on her stuff
  11. Kleenex and lint rollers -- we both have cats, and are deathly allergic to them as well
  12. Owl salt shaker -- she kept the pepper
  13. Owl photo holder -- she got the same one for herself to put on her desk
  14. Coasters
  15. Gummy bears
  16. A beautiful plate that matches the flatware set she and Will gave me for Christmas last year
  17. A cookie that says "I get a kick out of you."
All in all, it's been a damn fine day. 

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