Random thoughts on everyday life

I am so bad about getting here regularly.  This summer has been a killer…good, but a killer!  AND I’ve been without my laptop for three weeks…arrgghh!  It may be back as soon as tomorrow, but they couldn’t guarantee it.  I can hope, though.  Getting computer time at home with two kids is next to impossible, too, so I feel really lucky tonight.

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Three Mountain Camp was the best! Here are a few more pictures from our last full day:

The game with the water guns was absolutely hilarious to watch. The kids sitting on the table have blobs of whipped cream on their heads, and the kids with the water guns are trying to shoot it off their heads from behind. The reactions on their faces when the water hits them are priceless!

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Yes, I have gone a week without writing about baseball. Unbelievable, I know, but being completely wrapped up in camp pushed it way back on the priority list. What a story about Josh Hamilton and Michael Young during the All-Star break! What an amazing story Josh Hamilton has become this year. The best part about it all is that he is so public about his faith. What a change from the mainstream sports stories like Barry Bonds, et al.

For the first time in a long time our kids have a sports hero worth looking up to.

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It’s late, and I’m so excited about getting to sleep in my own bed tonight! (I loved camp, but five nights sleeping on a couch made me really appreciate my Sleep Number bed.) Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog over the past week. I enjoyed your comments, and I loved being able to share a little bit of camp with all of you. Your kids are the best!

Until later,

Welcome to Three Mountain Day 3! Wednesday was a great day for all of us here that started out raining. It may have sprinkled on and off all night which is great considering the drought conditions in this area.

Today my group had horseback riding and archery, two of the most popular of the morning rotations.

Payton G lead Bible Class #3 in a study of God’s power in his kingdom.

This afternoon was so hot that the kids were glad to play some water games during their afternoon activity time.

This game could have been called Kiddy Pool Baseball or Rubber Chicken Baseball…I’m not really sure, but the kids had a great time, and the water was a nice break from the heat.

During one of the afternoon activities this week they made this beautifully colored piece of artwork. Admire the artistry, but don’t ask what it’s made of.

No really, don’t ask…you don’t want to know.

I’m serious.

Ok, let’s just say that there isn’t an underside of a chair anywhere in the world that’s this pretty, and we’ll leave it at that.

After dinner we had our last swim time of the week that we cut a few minutes short when we began to hear thunder from an approaching storm.

As it turned out, the storm never made it this far, but always better safe than sorry.

Once again, moms and dads, your kids rock! I know that you’re probably missing them, and they miss you, too, but they are having a great time.

Until later,

Hello again from Three Mountain Camp! Sorry this is a little late in coming. Being a counselor and group leader is why I am here at camp, and getting to post has to happen in those few in-between times that come rarely…and in the short chances that I had yesterday and this morning, there was heavy cloud cover, and since our internet here is by satellite, heavy cloud cover means no connection. But better late than never, right?

In keeping with the theme of the week, here is my illustrated version of Ten Things Tuesday:

1. I am so thankful that my girls and I are getting to spend the week together at camp. Hayles, we wish you were here!

2. I am thankful for the sweet girls in my cabin who have already impressed me with their eagerness to learn, their friendliness to kids who are new and their love for God. I am also thankful for Grandbetty who has the greatest gift for loving children of anyone I have ever known.

3. I am thankful for anyone with a sense of humor that makes everyone around them smile with its innocent fun. (Yes, that is their real hair.)

4. I am thankful for our cooks and kitchen help who are working from dawn until late into the night to feed all 130+ of us. I cooked for last year’s Junior High mission trip in Mississippi, so I know how hard their job is, and we only cooked for 50.

5. I am possibly more thankful for rain than I have ever been before. It cools the hot afternoon air while the clouds keep the temperatures down after the rain has gone.

6. I am thankful for the generous spirit of children as they willingly help each other with difficult tasks. Whether it is a craft that requires some knowledge and fine motor skills, finding a specific Bible passage or getting up or down the mountain on a hike, I have seen that spirit demonstrated over and over again this week.

7. I am thankful for Stan and Linda and their family members who own and operate the camp. Their willingness to share their blessings with our children and so many others in an atmosphere of Christianity and fun make weeks like this one possible.

8. I am thankful for the beauty and variety of God’s creation. As we hiked this morning we came to a large area of limestone that was once a seabed. The kids were so excited to find fossilized shells of all kinds, and we talked to them about how God’s world is changing all the time.

9. I am thankful for the kids who are here as camp slaves who do what they are asked by whomever they are asked at any time they are asked without grumbling or complaining. They make our job as counselors so much easier.

10. I am thankful for Sandy who loves kids as much as anyone I have ever had the privilege of knowing. She is amazing!

For speed’s sake, here are some more pics from Day 2 without comment:

Until later,

Day 1 is drawing to a close on Three Mountain Camp, and what a great day!

Everything got started with a very important thing…food!

We have some really amazing cooks! And I’m not just saying that to get extra helpings.

The morning was full of activities. Some of them made banners for their group. Others went to crafts.

Archery was a big hit with a lot of the kids…and they were really good at it, too!

There was this weird came called “Waa.”

It rained for a few minutes about noon. Just enough to settle the dust for a while.

Our first Bible study time was just before lunch.

After lunch there was game time and quiet time…mostly for the counselors’ sake, I’m pretty sure.

And after dinner, there was more swimming!

As you can guess, after such a full day, the kids were tired when we got back from the pool, but I wish you could hear them worship…even when they’re tired, they put their whole heart into it.

What a great group of kids! I’m really trying to get pictures of as many different ones as I can, but if you haven’t seen your child yet, just leave me a note in the comments, and I’ll make sure that they’re in tomorrow!

Until later,