Palmetto Bible Camp 2011

Wow! What an amazing time I had this past week at Palmetto Bible Camp in the beautiful mountains of SC! The evenings were in the 60s and most days did not get over 90. We had many, many weather/electrical issues which made camp so much more interesting to me. At least 18 hours of NO ELECTRICITY! I love being a counselor for my little girls. They are so uninhibited and everything is new and exciting. This year, my girls loved collecting little frogs. They even made a birdhouse to hold these frogs. Some of the girls dug holes on Monday to hide 'treasure' and then pulled these treasures out on Friday. Fun!
Sometimes, camp is hard for me because of the heat, lack of sleep and getting sick, but this year I did not have any major issues. I believe this was my best/favorite year at camp as a staff. God is so good to take care of all of us. The worship was amazing and I cried almost every day during times of praise. I learned a new song about not being afraid that touched my spirit.
I already miss everyone. I made some amazing new friends and cannot wait until next year. Andrew got sick on Monday so his voice was shot and then Sarah's voice went on Thursday. She still performed at the talent show and everyone LOVED it. Drew had a blast too. He gave me a hug at least once a day. Overall this year seemed to be very relaxed. Everyone did their job with amazing grace and a smile. My prayers and blessings to to friends Tommy and Becky who are about to leave the country to do mission work. God is good in the good times and bad....

Post....play... days....

Well, we are done with Aladdin Jr. and had a wonderful experience. My kids are defiantly artistic both vocally and love to be on stage. They must get that from their dad. Ha-ha. We are staying busy now with VBS and trying to get a schedule for the summer started with homeschooling and living in a no TV world. So far, it has not worked, but t he theory is good, right? My son, who loves to negotiate, a future lawyer, finds a reason to watch tv or a show everyday that is logical. Oh well. This entry will be short due to my kids arriving very soon and I know they will be very hungry. I have decided that I love the summer. This is a great year so far.

Slow, hot summer day...inside

Today the kids and I were able to get the boring errands done early and got back home by lunch. On these hot days, I try to be indoors by mid-day. The heat really does bother me. Some laugh, but I get physically sick when in the heat too much. Okay, let me clarify, I mean the sun, direct heat on me. In the shade, I stay okay. It is a real bummer in life. So many cool things are done in the heat and I just kind of avoid them. This brings me to today where we got inside and we are not leaving again until rehearsal tonight. A good inside day. We did laundry, cleaned rooms and just stayed cool. Family is coming this weekend, so I am preparing the house for guests. It is only now that I wish I had a maid.

Hot Summer Day

Hello all those out in cyber world. It has been a while since writing, but life is busy and I am finally relaxing into summer. We love summer time. Pool, friends, watermelon and fun. We have a pool in our neighborhood and it is so awesome. Every morning we swim for about 2 hours or so. I love it. Sarah is turning brown like an indian. Today she screamed and ran to me in tear stating she has brown lines on her skin, what is happening. I laughed and told her the sun turns peoples skin darker, she cried. In only a few sweet years, she will want tan skin. Then, like her fair skinned freckled Mom, she will only turn pink/red. The kids are in a play this weekend called Aladdin Jr. and it should be fun. They are on stage alot. This will be an adventure. I am a backstage Mom and getting to know the cast. Drew is just happy and loves being on stage. Sarah has made a friend with alittle boy who also has Asperger's syndrome. How ironic. The two kids with AS become buddies. They love to hang out and laugh. Watching the kids grow is bitter sweet. I can see the heart aches they will have and learn from, but in a way I want to shield them from life. I guess every parent goes through seasons of this. All of a sudden my Sarah is a big girl. She will be in the first grade. This makes me feel happy and sad.

Okay... enough emotions for one day. I will start writing more...... Wendy

Getting ready for Disney........

Going to Disney world is supposed to be a magical experience. Yeah right... for the kids maybe. I had an anxiety attack last night thinking that I had already forgotten something, and we have not even left yet. I think it was socks that hit my brain. Anywho, we are packing today and I even bought a book on what to bring, where to pee, what to see and so forth. Have I read the book yet, No, but I have it. I figure Andrew can read it on the way down due to me having motion sickness. So, the list has started and as my brain continues to t hink of things, it goes on the list. Am I excited, yes. Am I nervous about everything right now, yes. I play the "what if" game in my head too much. I try to plan out a senario for each possible event in my li fe. Am I paranoid, kind of.... The Holy Spirit is working with me on these issues.... :) This is my last blog for a while.... Thanks to all my faithful friends/family who have told me that they read my thoughts. I kind of like blogging, it is kindof like therapy, only no one looks you in the face and tells you what to do or change. HA! To all, have a wonderful Thanksgiving and don't eat too much.

TheVan Lives!!!

Okay, I am very humble today. God seems to feel that the van needs to stay in our family for a while longer. The mechanic told me that the van is "awesome" and should live another 100,000 miles. I smiled to the mechanic, but got in my "awesome' van and cried. Well, it is safe, right?

one more thing

As my bible study group is studying a book on being "content" in all situations, I have been pondering the scripture "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. --Philippians 4:6-7

This scripture boggles me. To not be anxious about ANYTHING is really hard for me. I have even been known to wake up at night with anxiety attacks. Our first few years of marriage were rough for Andrew in that at any given time I would wake up and hit him across the chest to let him know that I was up...
So, to bring this to today and my van saga, having no extra money in the bank, and Andrew being out of town, I started to panic. As I have these normal thoughts at 7:15am and the kids are sitting in the backseat of the van in 30 degree weather, our friends from church call and say, you can borrow our van while Andrew is out of town and call if you need anything. They come over, jump the van and help me get it to the shop. My wonderful sis-in-law comes to get the kids and takes them to school at a moments notice. Hummmmmm? Again, God shows himself to me in the tiny details of my day. Isn't He amazing...... I am thankful once again.....