Country Roads by John Denver

If there's anything I remember about my very first "camp" experience in the 5th grade at Camp Tekoa in the mountains of North Carolina, it's the song "Country Roads" by John Denver. I first heard it while sitting in a huge, old fashioned, wooden rocking chair on the porch of the log cabin "Cafeteria". Some of the camp counselors were rocking in their chairs singing it. And yes - it certainly was "music" to my ears. Somehow...my dad and I had missed that one (if you haven't yet read it; read my post on my father and I). Nonetheless, it was an instant favorite for me...and if you know me...you know I am like a broken record with something I like, I wanted to hear nothing else but that song for the rest of the trip (I'm like that with restaurants, etc., I'll ALWAYS order the same thing because I love it)! Anyways, I remember having them sing it like 10 times in a row (just that day only - not counting ALL the other days I made them sing it that week) so that I could memorize it. I remember a pretty, brown eyed counselor, with curly brown hair saying to me, "we need to give the other kids a chance for their song"...then I started giving the other kids the "eye" so that they would suggest Country Roads too...ha ha - good times!

There were so many other things that happened on that initial camping trip...ohh...I don't know...things like...waking up first thing in the morning to "grandaddy long leg" spiders ALL OVER ME and all over/in my sleeping bag (seriously, I was COVERED IN THEM - all of us campers were) that was the first night we camped out under a "tarp" - no closed or zippered tents there (the rest of the time we were in cabins)...and yes...that's where my phobia of spiders came from. Then, there was my very first kiss...or should I say "french kiss"...I had no idea what I was doing...yes...can you believe that...at Camp Tekoa of all places - ha!! We were playing "truth or dare" the night we camped out and yes...I had my very first kiss with a very cute boy I only just met at camp that week. (Our counselors had fallen in love and were talking dreamily by the campfire, whilst we 5th graders were working on learning a few things of our own accord back under the "tarp"). And then I remember another friend that was in the boys cabin...he and I really hit it off because we both LOVED Frank Sinatra...(who the heck in 5th grade liked Frank Sinatra, or had even heard of him for that matter)??? So, of course, we were instant buddies. We would be hiking through the woods...riding down the zip line singing, "Start spreading the news...I'm leavin today...I wanna be a part of it NEW YORK, NEW YORK"...ahhh yes...I have such fabulous memories from that week...but...the most prominent is my discovery of John Denver and my all time favorite hit of his...Country Roads...I actually sing it as a lullaby to my sweet angels every night before they go to bed...you should hear my son sing it with me...that sweet voice of his, "Mountain Mama...take me home...country roads"...with a lisp on the "s" at the end of the word "roads"...NOTHING more precious in the world to me!!!!

Well...goodnight ladies...and I leave you with this video of my favorite lullaby...

xoxo -

Kasey