Campmeeting 2014...

This is the first time ever that I can remember being sort of glad that campmeeting is over.  But let me explain...

We knew, heading into this summer, that we were going to have six weeks of near non-stop activity.  Today (or maybe tomorrow, more accurately), marks the end of those six weeks.  And they have been good weeks.  Really, really good weeks.  But we're exhausted!

I'm looking forward to a (slightly) slower pace in August.  But before I switch gears, let me share some of my favorite things from this past week:

*We're home.  Last year I could hardy bring myself to pull away from the campground, I was so certain that we were supposed to return home.  This year, I walked across the grounds, opened my back door, and smiled.

*Old friends and new friends.  Every single time.

*My kids have been coming to this camp for years.  They have now reached a point where they have perennial camp friends.  I love the experience they're having.

*Great photo opportunities:

*Snow-Cones.

I hope this doesn't sound seriously "un-spiritual".  The truth is, last year I felt like almost every single word of every single sermon was specifically for me.  And, although the worship services were good this year, I have to figure that sometimes they have to be for someone else!  Every day this week just felt like a bonus day at camp.  And it's all good.  I'm really happy with where I'm at and with what God is doing!

L.

Fun Fair...

Now...  this is our kind of fair...  Five bucks per kid, cotton candy, sno-cones, games, candy prizes, inflatables, face paining, pony rides, petting farm, etc.  We can do that...  Well, I mean, except for the petting farm.  For those of you who don't know, I have a legitimate fear of petting farms.  I looked it up to find out if there is a name for it, but there is not.  I call it pettingfarmaphobia...

This was Just... Too... Cool:

Miah absolutely loved the pony ride...

No fear there:

Caleb was afraid to ride the horses,

but he enjoyed riding the bull:

As did Seth:

And Grace,

Although she accidentally pulled off one of the horns:

Miah and her Cotton Candy:

I can't decide if Seth is thinking of eating Ian's Sno-cone:

My Beautiful Girls:

Who would've thought

that when Phil proposed to me

almost 17 years ago

at that lake in the background

that this would be the result:

Ian finally found a bigger rock wall to climb:

And... That's a Wrap...

L.

Ready For The Next Adventure...

I have much that I need to say.  It is written on scraps of paper in my van and as bits of sentences in various scattered files.  I will get to it, but not today...

For now, how about some adventure pics from the past couple of days...  These are in no real, particular order:

 

 Seth Scaling the Rock Wall:

 This is the Trickiest Part of the Course!

He Did Make it to the Top:

Caleb's Turn:

On His Way Back Down:

 And Grace:

Pretty Much Free-falling on the Way Back:

 Ian was too Little for the Rock Wall...
We Had to Get Creative:

What Ian Did Enjoy...

Maybe More than Anything, Ever, In His Life...

Was My Friend, Judy's, Golf Cart:

Caleb, Jumping Hurdles:

 Seth On the Ropes Course:

And the Zip Line:

Grace on the Ropes Course:

 And the Zip Line:

Caleb and Ian...

Brotherly Love:

The Balloon Launch:

Ian lost his first balloon before the launch.  He cried.  A lot.  I was pretty impressed by one of the teens who came up to him and reminded him that these balloons had prayer requests on them, and that since his balloon went up first, God would see it first!  I'm not sure it was great theology, but it sure was a nice gesture for my sad, little guy.  This is the first balloon:

And... ya know... What's Campmeeting Without

The Snack Shack:

These were Single Scoops...

I Kid You Not:

 

L.

What We Hope For

By: Carolyn Arends

 

I remember waiting up till it got dark
Searching till I found the brightest star
Making my wish with all my heart
But we grow up and so do all our dreams
Somehow without us even noticing
We set our sights on lesser things
Oh, to go back when we still believed

That what we hope for
Is not too much to ask for
And what we pray for
Isn't nearly big enough
'Cause what we dream of
Cannot compare to God's love
And what He wants for us is so much more
More than what we hope for

We start out so innocent and wise
Before we cut the world down to our size
We still have that wonder in our eyes
So maybe that's why Jesus said to come
With the faith we had when we were young
Trusting in a world beyond this one
Letting our imaginations run

'Cause what we hope for
Is not too much to ask for
And what we pray for
Isn't nearly big enough
What we dream of
Cannot compare to God's love
And what He wants for us is so much more
More than what we hope for
More than what we hope for

This Day...

… sort of ordinary, really.

Minus, of course, the two carsick kids… and the detour in my hometown that cost me quite a few minutes and more than a little embarrassment when I got lost three times… and the realization that my kids really don’t understand the art of driving on dirt roads (this was made excessively clear when both Ian and Miah threw their arms up (and kept them up) because they thought we were on a roller coaster…

Stop “doing the best you can”.  Look where doing the best you can has gotten you.  You can’t do it on your own.

Don’t say, “If only…”

Don’t say, “What if…”

You can’t change the past, and there’s no sense worrying about the future.

“This Day” By: Point of Grace

This day is fragile soon it will end

And once it has vanished, it will not come again

So let us love with a love pure and strong

Before this day is gone

This day is fleeting when it slips away

Not all our money can buy back this day

So let us pray that we might be a friend

Before this day is spent

This day we're given is golden

Let us show love

This day is ours for one moment

Let us sow love

This day is frail it will pass by

So before it's too late to recapture the time

Let us share love, let us share God

Before this day is gone
Before this day is gone 

L.

PS  Everyone on a pilgrimage is a little crazy... hmmm... no wonder...

Dinosaur Camp, Day 5...

We made it to the end of the week!  The truth is, my favorite part of the day was when Seth and Grace came busting through the back door and talked, non-stop, about camp until the only thing left to do was watch the camp highlights video!  I love how much they love camp.  I also love how good it feels to have them home again!

But before they came home, there was much left to do in the realm of the dinosaurs!

So... last week I cleaned out the school/art closet.  You would not believe the treasures I found buried in there!  Among them was an unopened package of face paint in a variety of colors.  Who knows how old it was, but I thought I'd better give it a try.  May I present the cutest dinosaurs ever:

M-Rex:

Triantops:

Tricurlytops:

Oh, come now...

This is the face you would make, too...

If you were about to be attacked by three roaring dinosaurs:

I proceeded to pack a dinosaur picnic (boiled dinosaur eggs, Jell-O dinosaur eggs, dinosaur fruit snacks, dinosaur PBJ, if you've been reading, this week, you get the picture) and to load my little monsters in the van for a trip to "Dinosaur Park"!  We have not been there in years.  It is dirty, and sometimes the inhabitants border on creepy.  But... you know... it has dinosaurs!  We invited friends (I hope that doesn't immediately put me on the bad friend list - I promise we'll invite them to a cleaner park next time) and had a ton of fun!

Picnic Time:

 

Riding Tyrannosaurus Rex:

Oh look!  Another one of our kind:

Loving on the Brontosaurus:

"Mom!  Take a picture!"

This "baby" still loves to swing...

I'm going to hang onto that for as long as I can:

After a couple of hours of melting in the sun, I let the kids sit on the couch sipping water and watching more from "The Land Before Time" series until their eyes glazed over.

I did manage to hang much (although not quite all) of our dinosaur drawings from the week:

It's been fun.  I think maybe next summer we'll try pirate camp...

L.