Biscuits and Gravy

Yesterday when I arrived at camp, one of the moms greeted me with this tidbit.
At camp the food is served family style. Everything is placed on the table and passed just like you would do at home. An adult sits at each table and makes sure everything is ok, chit chats with the kids, and just generally behaves as the "parent" for that meal. This mom was at the breakfast table with my son, two other boys his age, and a younger boy of about ten years. Breakfast was biscuits and gravy, a WV delicacy. The bowl of gravy and plate of biscuits was filled three times for this table of four guys and one mom. She said she had one biscuit with a small spoonful of gravy on it. The boys ate all of the other biscuits and gravy. That would mean the boys had 17 biscuits and 3 bowls of gravy! The younger boy also had two bowls of cereal! I guess camp works up an appetite.
The weather turned cooler here this week. It has been perfect for camping. The afternoons are not too hot for the sports and activities, and the campfire at night  is enjoyable. I'm glad they are having a good time. I love sharing my childhood with my kids.
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So what am I doing with all my free time? I have finished the schedule for our Geography Club this year- Central America and Mexico. Looking forward to hearing about Monkey-eating Eagles!! And I have been working on the English 3 class. It is almost done and I think I have a lot of fun new activities for the kids. I just hope they think so.
I also have been working on a book idea about my dog. It has been fun to write about her and realize all of the things that little lady taught me. I hope I can finish it this summer.

Affirmation

Yesterday when I arrived at camp to teach  my class, one of the counselors said, "I hear your class is a lot of fun!"
"Who told you that?"
She had been talking to one of my class kids the day before and asked which class he liked best. River's Edge. Why? Because it is fun and we get to go to the river and we get to dig!
"Just wait until he gets in class today," I said. "We get to mix chemicals!"
After class yesterday, one of the girls stayed to help clean up, even after I told her she could go on ahead to her next class. So while she dried the chem plate I asked if she likes science. She got a look of adoration on her face and said with emphasis, "Oh yes." Then after a brief pause, "Well, if the teacher is nice. And you're nice!"
How good it is to be told that you are doing something well. Making a difference.
Everyone wants to know their purpose in life. If they are Christians, or even just religious, they ask, "What does God want from me?" Really they just want affirmation.
Look around you and notice someone today. Affirm them.

Anticipation

I drove the boys and two of their 4H friends up to WV on Saturday. It is time for 4H camp here in Taylor County, and they are EXCITED!!! This is their third year to attend. There isn't a big, fabulous pool, or air conditioned cabins, no cable or internet, no special experiments or national speakers, but they really love this camp. Why? The people. Plain and Simple.
I was supposed to drop them off about 4 pm on Sunday afternoon, and at 3 pm I told them they could start walking. They walked 3 1/2 miles before I got to them an hour later. They never stopped talking from the time I picked them up until the time I dropped them off. All four, all at once, talking over each other, at each other, to each other, and maybe to not any one in particular. I thought I would go crazy!
#2 was sitting in the front seat with me. "Are we there yet? ... How much further?... I thought it was closer than this. ...Are you sure you didn't miss it?" Oh how I remember that. I was sitting in the station wagon with my mom saying the same things about thirty years ago. And then, when camp was over and we left, I remember saying, "Well camp isn't that far away after all, is it?"
It was the first time I understood anticipation. I was so looking forward to this special place and time, and it just couldn't come soon enough.
You know they didn't act this way the first year I took them. They had just spent a few days at my parents' house running free and being kids. On the way to camp they said, "I don't want to go to camp. Can't we just spend the week at the grandparents' house?"
Maybe that is why it is difficult to get excited about Heaven. I don't really know what it will be like, and I am having a pretty good time right here. But the more I get to know the Camp Counselor, the more I think I am really going to like Heaven. Anticipation.

Olympic and Steroids

This list was sitting on the counter Monday morning:
Paint livingroom ceiling
Paint dining room ceiling
Clean porches
Repair paint on back porch
Paint/repair front porch
Fix area around septic sytem
Prune birch trees
Dig out mimosa stump
Grapevine
Tomato covering
Roundup on walkways

"We have to do all of this today?!" exclaimed #2.
"Good heavens, no! That is the list for the summer," I responded.

Can you even imagine doing all of that in one day? It has taken all week, but the porches are done, the mimosa stump is gone, and the Roundup has been sprayed. WooHoo! I used Olympic sealer on the porch, and I feel like what it must be like to be on steroids.
You see, last winter I got sick. Sick for about a month. Then it took a month before I could even walk a mile; I normally do a few miles a day. I kept on going, but I was exhausted. Finally, I realized that I was sleeping 10-12 hours a day and still feeling like I had been hit by a truck, so I turned to my "steroids". I run low on iron, and sometimes I have to take a supplement. I hadn't been doing that for quite a while- maybe a couple of years- so I started back on it. Oh My Goodness!!!
I didn't realize how bad off I was until I started feeling good again. I was getting done what had to be done and no more. I was trying to figure out why I just didn't seem to have enough time to do the things I used to do. Came to find out it wasn't time, it was ability. I was exhausted.
Since taking the iron steroids I feel fantastic again! I worked really, really hard this week, and I am still doing alright. I even had a sleepless night once this week. I know that should sound like a bad thing, but I have been sooo exhausted that I haven't had a sleepless night in months!
So now I take the 4Hers off to camp for a week in WV. I actually do not have to stay with them this year since the camp has enough volunteers, so I am only teaching a class in the mornings. I get to sleep at my parents' house and enjoy a private shower! The class I am teaching is called The River's Edge and is an environmental science class, so I really don't need to prepare much. I plan on spending some freee time hiking and writing. I told Hubby I always do my best writing when I am home.
I have been looking over my blog's history so I can begin writing lessons I learned from that dog. Not only have I realized things about the dog, but it has been fun to see my boys as youngsters again, to see God working through answered prayers, and to enjoy some of my former writings. We'll see what happens!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Walking out the back door last week I heard the neighbors target shooting. As quickly as I heard it I thought, "Where's Kelly? She'll be running inside!"
Hanging off the side of the ladder yesterday I saw a shadow in the corner of my eye and started to say, "Hey Girl! How you doin'?"
The heat here is miserable, and I missed seeing my Kelly Girl panting under the shade tree while I worked outside.
It is surprising to me how much I still miss her. I was sooooo frustrated by her. Annoyed. Irritated. Disgruntled. And now I think of her daily with fondness.

Porches

One of my favorite parts of our home is our porch. The front porch is as long as the house is wide and about 8 feet wide. We have 3 rockers and a porch swing and there is still plenty of room to move around. When our parents come to visit, they can be found out there sitting. When it rains, #1 can be found swinging and enjoying his special weather. And when I wake early and would like a cup of tea, it is best enjoyed wrapped in a blanket on the front porch. But porches aren't always wonderful things.
It seems every summer I have to paint the porches. This is a moist clime in which we live, and it is hard on outdoor surfaces. I don't actually paint every single year, but close! Last year I was able to skip the front porch, having done it the year before, but the back deck that had been painted was desperately in need last summer of another paint job. So while I was in WV Hubby painted it for me...the wrong shade of green. So when I returned, I painted the back deck. (That was not a shot at Hubby. He tried and I appreciate that.)
Then last summer we had a hurricane, Irene. She did some damage  to a lot of poeple's homes around here, so I hate to even say what damage we had, but it did mean that the porch ceiling was messed up. So now I am spending my week cleaning, scraping, and painting the porch. The back deck was cleaned, and it has some spots that need touched up, so I will be repainting it too.
So #1 finished up school last Saturday, and I started my summer job list this Monday. Can't wait until I get to sit on my porch and relax with some sweet tea or lemonade. I am guessing in two more days, and two bottles of Acetiminophen,  that will be a reality! WooHoo!!

4H State Project

Our 4H club always does a state project, January through June. There is a different state theme every year and you do a project that involves your community with the theme. This year the theme is Revolution of Responsibility. The kids chose to do several things- run a business, have a financial workshop for kids- but the biggest was to clean a community park each month. We actually cleaned a couple on some months, and boy the things you find! Here is #1's favorite find, some crazy big sunglasses!

 At this park #2 and the others had a great time playing on the swing. Our club has drastically shrunk in size this year, but we stuck with the project and finished it! We will find out in July if we place. Our club has always placed at least third in the state, but usually second or sometimes first. Just a little bragging.

 This year in 4H, my boys started leading another club. They are the volunteer leaders of the club at the local Montessori school. #1 does a program every month on some environmental topic, and #2 does a theater arts program. The kids seem to enjoy it, though some are on the wild side. We are done with that now until school starts again.

Now our next 4H event is presentations on Thursday and then heading to camp on Saturday. Aahh Summer!

Graduation

Graduation was right after the field trip. #1 was a marshal, but he walked so quickly I couldn't get a good picture. I think there were 8 participants in the ceremony this year. There were more than that graduating, but not everyone participates in the ceremony. It is a nice intimate time with families. The parents say some things about each kid, and then the graduate says something to the parents. Each grad had a one minute slide show prepared to show the audience. The event was held in a Presbyterian church, and the man in charge of the facility told me afterward that it was a very nice ceremony. He had homeschooled his kids, but they didn't participate in anything like this. He said he wished they had; it seemed like a great way to send the kids on their way to the next stage of life.

 The emcee was the most handsome man I have ever seen. Shh, don't tell Hubby! He did a great job keeping things moving. One of the grad's moms said that as soon as they started planning for the ceremony everyone said Hubby had to be the emcee. They liked how well he did last year. Well they can have him again next year, but after that he has to stand next to me while I bawl my eyes out and send forth my first born.

Here is the graduating class of 2012, along with speakers and marshalls. I went to two of the parties afterward, and then I went to a party for a church girl graduating the next week. It certainly opened my eyes to what I have to prepare for in a couple of years! I hope everyone in WV is getting ready for a trip down south!

SGA Field Trip

May 31 we headed off on a field trip. The Student Gov't Assoc. paid for it, but I was the one in charge, which isn't as bad as it sounds. We went to Blue Jay Point in Wake County. I have been there a couple of times, and it is a wonderfully fabulous facility. I thought it would be a great last field trip for the kids for their school year. I think 15 of us went in the end, but next year will be bigger by virtue of all of the praise these kids had for it. I am certain they will tell all of their friends, and we will have a waiitng list next year. Hubby thinks I am nuts.

 But just look at how much FUN they are having !! Actually this part is from before we got to BJP. There is a state park very close nearby and we took the morning to swim in the lake, hike, play, and eat. The picture below is the kids walking the boundary rope in the lake. If you fell off you had to go to the front of the line.

 Here are the other two chaperones that went along. Looks like we were well cared for huh? Actually, even chaperones have to participate in the environmental activities. This one was to see if you could identify a tree by feeling it. They were good chaperones. The dad that went was a bit, um, concerned about letting the kids stay up at night and talk, so he stayed up with them. I went to bed. I need sleep, and they are good kids. Plus, who is going to do anything naughty with a girl's Marine dad staying at the place?!

You see #1 on the far left in the back? See the woman next to him? No? Yeah, the short, little girl..Yeah. That's a woman. She is the new SGA advisor. The kids like her, and I do too. She will be a lot of fun and still keep them in line.

No I'm Not Drowning

Given the low number of recent posts you might be concerned that I am drowning or perhaps have already drowned. You would be incorrect, though I quite certainly understand your position.

 Here is #1 and the two guys who went with him to Raleigh to be a governor's page almost a MONTH ago! Yes, time flies. He had a good time, and mostly I was impressed with his ability to get himself to work in a suit and tie. This was at the end of the program when I picked them up to come home. They lasted about 20 minutes telling me what they did and then, BAM, they were fast asleep until we got back! I think it took #1 a week to recover.
He has since been working on finishing up school, and today is to be the last day for him. I told him even if he had to take zeros, it has been long enough, and I am done with school! He thought that was funny. I guess it doesn't look hard to be the teacher. He has had a heavy load this year- 3 half credit courses, and full-credit Mythology, Geology, Spanish 2, Environmental Science, American Lit, World History, and PE. Some of those were Honors Courses, too. I imagine he is ready to be done with school too.

 Hubby and I were out walking a couple of weeks ago, after we had had a whole LOT of rain. These little things kept jumping across the road where we were walking. I captured several, but only brought one home to show the boys. See how small it is compared to the penny? I swear there were hundreds this size all over the place. Neat.

So today, #2 heads off to play paintball with a couple of friends, #1 finishes up school, and Hubby and I do yard and outdoor housework. If I don't post for a while again, you can imagine I drowned in a powerwasher while cleaning the porch.

Are You Drowning?

Summer in Eastern Carolina means water. Really, any time of year in Eastern Carolina means water, but hot weather increases its enjoyment. Swimming in the pool, river, or ocean is a relaxing way to cool off. People boat, fish, jet ski, tube, and water ski. Watching a calm body of water is one of the most soothing ways to relax. But, there is a dangerous side to water, as we all know.
I remember as a young child swimming with family and friends in the river. It wasn't a fast flowing river, but I slipped on some rocks and got caught under the flow. A family friend noticed and pulled me out of danger. It was a looonngg time before I felt comfortable near water again.
I was reading Mark this morning and stopped at the story of Jesus sleeping in the boat. A terrible storm has come up, and all of the men in the boat are nervous and worried. Except Jesus. He is fast asleep on a pillow. The men wake him with, "Don't you care that we are going to drown?"
What a seemingly silly question. He has fed you, given you powers to heal people and rid them of demons, stood up against the powerful men, kept you safe for quite a while now, and you want to know if he cares if you drown!?
Actually, it doesn't sound so crazy after all. Remember, water is a dangerous thing. Maybe Jesus has power over demons, but this is nature. This is the tough stuff. We're all doomed, and he is sleeping! "Don't you care that we are going to drown?"
Yes, he cared. He cared about more than drowning. He stopped the whole storm. He could have slowed it down. He could have told the men not to worry and reminded them that he had done great things. He could have prayed in front of them and calmed them. But he showed them the extent of his power. He calmed their fears, stopped their worries, and amazed their hearts.
And he still cares. You may feel like you are drowning... The sea waves are crashing around your little boat. Water is splashing over the sides and rushing at your feet. Lightning is flashing, the wind is roaring, and thunder is shaking your very being. "Jesus, don't you care!?" You are frightened and confused.
Rest assured, Jesus is not asleep. He sees you in your terror and distress. He controls the storm. Focus on him and see if the storm suddenly seems to lose its power. He definitely cares about you and won't let you drown, no matter what it might look like right now.