I've been working on this post for 3 weeks now. Here are a few retro PYC pics from back in my day that I hope people who were there and people who weren't there can enjoy! Had to find old fashion pictures in boxes tucked away in closets and digitize them etc and comment on them. Wow, things were so old fashion with photography back in the day.
ABOVE: Mr. Dennis Leap who was the Camp Director in my day (Mr. S. Flurry was the assistant PYC director back then) poses with camper and friend of mine to this day Conner Brown who was 13 at the time. The next few pics are PYC 1996 which was my first PYC. I was a little camper back in those days and Mrs. Flurry who was Miss Hilliker back then was my amazing counselor!
I grew a lot at camp, ....yeah yeah not in height obviously, but in God's way. I still remember being shocked when they called my name as Camper of the Session in my dorm. I remember I had kicked my shoes off during the awards ceremony, and had to get them back on in a hurry to go accept the award.
I miss Mrs. Barbara Flurry so much. People that never knew her don't know what they are missing! Great lady.
Mrs. Flurry, then Miss. Hilliker who was my counselor that year. The neat thing is that her brother, Mr. Joel Hilliker was our brother dorm counselor.
My brother and Mark Jenkins were big counselors back in my camper days.
My assistant counselor now Mrs. Lucie Visconti, but back then Lucie Basque
Socha Chadwick, but back then it was Socha Vale. She married a man that I grew up with in my congregation in East Texas. Though we don't keep in touch much, when we see each other we pick up where we left off. Again, PYC and long lasting friendships!
My first year at PYC is where I met Paulette Corey who was in my dorm and we're great friends and both work for HQ to this day!
Saman Khan was a camper that year in another dorm
Last day of camp I had my camper shirt signed by a few people. To this day I still have it. It took me a bit of time to find it, but I found it!
Mrs. Flurry, then Miss Hilliker was my counselor my first PYC as a camper, and what she wrote on my shirt above really to this day still makes me happy!
This is now Valerie Jenkins
Eric Hessong who was a worker that year enjoyed making short jokes every time he saw me, so of course he wrote "stand up" on my shirt. ha, ha!
THIS IS ANOTHER YEAR of PYC flashing FORWARD in time. This is the first year I was an assistant counselor and above had my dorm to pose in a V shape. I was a very young assistant counselor, still a teen myself, and was cheerleader in school back then, so I used my cheer leading formations for a lot of pics back then. ha, ha!
Photo of friends left to right front Brenda Watkins who was Brenda Chadwick back then, Brooke Young who was Brooke Combs back then, and Valerie Jenkins who was Valerie Godeaux back then. Not sure who the guy is. For those who have been to my house Brenda's family is the one who gave me the big lifesize black panther in my living room just last year, so we're still friends. PYC and amazing friendships!
Daniel Ladenburg and Mr. David Howard seemed to have been in a lot of my photos from that year. They are great guys who both serve the work greatly now with Mr. Howard working the UK office. In this pic Daniel is eating a lemon straight. That was his trademark that year!
The only person I remember in this pic is Emily Burns then Emily Leap.
Ramona Larsen and Jennifer Jones then Jennifer Klotz. (Christine Orleans' sister)
Mrs. Flurry and I. Mrs. Flurry looks GREAT, but I look like I've been through the ringer. Must have been a day of all outdoor sports.
Mrs. Michelle Hilliker, then Miss Michelle Crocker who was a counselor that year pose it looks like on a Sabbath
My brother, Keith Lesser, and Antonio Vidal pose at services. My brother and Keith were counselors that year.
AND ANOTHER YEAR of PYC. I'm still a teenager and an assistant counselor this year. I think I was 18 this year. Looking back I realize how God blessed me with opportunities. I was probably the only teen counselor around. Wow! Much is given much is expected huh.
ABOVE is a pic of our sister and brother dorms that year. My brother was my brother dorm, so that was way cool!
I had a fake 1 million dollar bill that looked real, so I brought it to camp and it amused many people that year. At the etiquette dinner that year you see Mr. David Howard, center, posing with it.
After years of PYC camps and being HORRIBLE at archery...I mean I'm talking bad...people would be happy if my arrow actually hit the hay instead of getting lost in the trees behind it, ha, ha, I FINALLY got an arrow in the target. Now it wasn't bulls eye, but it hit the target!.
Mr. Leap, still the camp director that year as well walked around one day with this sign on his back towards the end of camp. It had a dual meaning...the end of PYC was near and the end of the world. ha, ha!
During lunch break someone took this pic of campers and a few counselors. I'm in the pic, so I obviously didn't take it.
During open sports one night I sat down and took a pic of the sunset hitting the soccer field. I then drew with oil pastels an art rendering. It was beautiful!
Our dorm and door that year.
Anita Barkei sneaks in a nap before the first activity of the day at breakfast.
Jason Cocomise smiles. He was a young camper that year.
Mrs. Stacey Short and Mrs. Eyren Macdonald now both minister's wives posed for me. Lovely ladies!
Socha Chadwick and I pose. Can't remember the when or why of this pic though.
Anna Guilluame, then Anna Ellis whose little brother is coming to AC next year...yeah! To this day Anna and I are still friends and she's got an amazing family too!
One last pic for the year, our dorm picture!
AND ANOTHER YEAR OF PYC!!! This is the year that I FINALLY was the head COUNSELOR of my dorm for the first time. I loved it and had so much fun. Christine Orleans, then Christine Klotz was my assistant and she was great at her job!
ABOVE: back then, then were no spare people around to drive campers to off site trips during camp. Counselors had the responsibility of driving their own campers to off site scheduled camp trips. I remember I was so scared to drive the 15 passenger van, but I did and didn't kill anyone or the van! I was age 19 and had a camper in my dorm the same age, but she didn't know that. My campers all thought I was in my 20's like the rest of the counselors! BIG PYC year for me!
Christine Orleans who was in the front passenger seat of the 15 passenger van took a photo of the campers as well after she snapped the one above of me driving that monster van.
My AMAZING dorm that year! I remember giving Camper of the Session to Charity Trowbridge that year. It was a great choice. She is still around serving the work today and I hope to see her here visiting HQ in December!
This was probably the last time I've ever been on a soccer field. ha, ha! My dorm poses
That's Charity far right. She was such a great camper and motivator to the other girls. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember we had an all camp Friday night Bible Study outdoors and all of PYC got to wear our camp shirts and shorts to bible study b/c they filmed it and made it into a KOD TV program. So neat and different!
Still into having my dorm to do cheerleading stances that I had used back in my cheerleading days.
Mr. David Howard and Luke Chadwick who won camper of the session in his dorm that year for the guys poses. Luke is the friend I grew up with in Texas who is still around working hard for God, who married Socha the gal that was in my dorm back the first year I was at PYC as a camper. PYC rocks!
My last pic for this retro PYC post...my dorm. I love how I just blend in with the wall. ha, ha! Black tan! :-) Those were the days. I hope everyone enjoyed this post!
I have more pics, in fact some of the best pics with tons more people than shown like some of the ministers, Mr. Flurry, etc that I won't post those on my public blog. If want to see those pics, ask me and I can show them or perhaps post them on my password protected site later on.
