Memorial Day Weekend... YEAH!

I love Memorial Day Weekend.

My love of the holiday is fairly recently acquired I admit. Not being particularly patriotic I have never fully appreciated the holiday weekend. NOw, I fully admit that I don't love it now for quite the right reasons, but I love it none the less. I recently came to the realization (quite late in the game, I admit!) that Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer. AND I LOVE SUMMER. Therefore, I LOVE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. It is now officially acceptable to wear flip flops every day, sleep in my tent, and drive with my sunroof open. I have been doing those things anyway, but now America sees fit to recognize those things as OK... and I like it!

So, the last couple of years I have immensely enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend. This year was, once again, a great weekend. THe kind of weekend that REALLY makes you hate Tuesday. So, I decided to capture it in photos... here we go!

Saturday I worked at camp all day for Challenge Day. I worked with John, which was GREAT... not only because he is a VERY good facilitator but because what he likes to do on the course compliments what I like to do... so he belays and I climb and send people off the zip line.. and all is well. Thanks John! Saturday started with my new(ish) Starbucks travel mug courtesy of Carrie. It always gets to take a trip to camp when I go... usually filled with a Cinnamon Dolce Latte... NICE! Here it is with my platform in the background.. (THANKS AGAIN CARRIE!)

After some time with my morning coffee in the sunlight on the old swing platform, I did set up and packed the rescue bag... which took FOREVER... during which Cirstie took this delightful shot of me that I promised to put on my facebook, but this will have to do!

All that effort resulted in quite the nice rescue knot and such, so I thought I should document my fine work for all posterity. Nice knot... go me! (And praise the Lord, not put into use once again!)

After my amazing day in the sun on the challenge course I headed home, watched a movie and chilled... always a good choice! Then on Sunday I taught Children's Ministry (*kinda) and "worked out" with Kim. After purchasing a GREAT new pair of flip flops (as though that was needed... nope!) I headed to the lake to spend 2 days with my sister and her family. They were spending the weekend at the lake with their new boat and camper... and I must admit... it was a good time had by all! Ok, maybe not so much Duke, but Nickolas did keep a tight hold of him!

Finally it was home to Vandalia where I got the chance to see Katie McGrady-Weed and baby Vincent as they were flying home to CHarlotte. (Note to you all... I live 3 minutes from the Dayton Airport if you are in the neighborhood!) And cookie baking for today's Bible Study dinner. (I was too lazy for cookie sheets and did bars instead!)

Ahhh... Memorial Day weekend... just what I needed!!!

It's TRUE

On Monday night I successfully completed THE major milestone for the MONTH of MAY. When May started I didn't even realize that it was one of my tasks.. but it was... and with the help of Kim on Sunday afternoon and then my dad on Sunday night (to correct all of our afternoon errors), I went to work on Monday evening...

AND I FINISHED PUTTING THE GRILL TOGETHER. Seriously. It was a HUGE accomplishment. Of course, I did slam my left hand fingers in the lid... and they are not feeling so great still today (grill lids are HEAVY!)... but IT IS FINISHED!!

The youth house officially has the nicest thing we have ever owned... its all in one piece... and miraculously I am a decent griller! I cooked burgers and dogs for Bible Study dinner last night and for the first time EVER they were actually well cooked.

As it turns out a decent grill greatly increases one's chances of a decent food coming off of it.

It's Wednesday, the sun is shining, and I feel I have accomplished something for the week!! Guess I better get on to doing my actual job!!!

May

I am getting a little stressed out by the calendar again. Seriously. May... does it to me every time.
THis past weekend we had the youth rummage sale. (Which was a HUGE success once again, even if it was EXHAUSTING.) The big mound of stuff left over is under a big green tarp in the church yard. I call it our turtle. I probaby need to figure out what to do with it soon! We also had our Church Spring Party, with inflatables, games, lots of food, and a BBQ. The only technicality is that I bought a new grill about 3 hours before the party. The man at Lowes told me it would take about 30 minutes to put together. Yeah right. We ended up using our old, corroded grill off the youth house porch... and cooking the burgers in the oven. (And the grill is in about 10 less pieces on the back porch) ARGH!!! Lots of people came though, even though it was windy and a bit cold, so even though it was exhausting it was LOTS of fun too.

Now we are all in the second half of May and that is when I always start getting stressed. Just for a run down... May still contains: weekends at camp on the ropes course, the Memorial Day campout with my sister and her family at Brookville Lake (this could be TRAUMATIZING- they don't exactly camp the way I do!), graduations and graduation parties.

Then it will be June: spaghetti lunch fundraiser, campout and canoe trip, Logan's first birthday party in Cleveland, Vacation Bible School, and all the other usual stuff.

Then it will be July: nearly 2 weeks in Minnesota with the youth, a week in Arkansas with the youth, King's Island, oh, and my JOB in the office.

THen it will be August: another Vacation Bible School, Tar HOllow, cook outs, Young's Dairy, and gearing up for the beginning of the school year.

Throw into the mix of all those things the part about getting a new senior pastor in July, trying to take 24 hours in a row off work, and the fact that I really, really, really want to get the chance to spend time with some of my favorite people who I will be crossing paths with this summer... and I get STRESSED.

A big part of the problem is that I am much more of a go-with-the-flow kind of girl than a planner... and yet I have lots "planned" through August.

I LOVE summer.... but it stresses me out!!!!!!!!!

love yas.
lets cross paths soon!!

Dissilusioned

This week I am supposed to be on vacation, finishing (or should I say STARTING) a grad class I need to renew my teaching certificate. Instead I have found myself at work every afternoon (few mornings I admit... but HEY I don't get to work many mornings when I am NOT on vacation!).... so very much to do... so very little time... really, what made me think that with rummage sales, Dragons games, campouts, VBS, family parties, mission trips, and all the other weekly stuff coming I could afford a week off, I am not sure... but none the less... not so much on the vacation this time around!!

ANYWAY. I heard some news today that made me feel very dissilusioned about what I do and the organization I work for. Now, don't get me wrong there... I dearly love my job (most days), I am passionate about what I do and I think that the organization I work for is an AMAZING group, capable of AMAZING things, and doing AMAZING good. (boy, do you think I think its AMAZING?!). Yet today decisions were made and PEOPLE will suffer... and I hate that. I hate that we get so caught up in wordings and politics and not wanting to take a stand or cause a scene that we forget that PEOPLE are suffering... and our decision AND indecision separates people from Christ.

ARGH. Today I am dissilussioned. I could go on and on, but I won't. I am annoyed, but more than that, my heart hurts for those this organization has very intentionally hurt and alienated. My heart hurts because I am not sure that there is any change my pitiful little voice can make. My heart hurts because I don't want to stand by while people are suffering.... I need to be part of a solution.