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.

Playing Hooky

Today is the most beautiful day. We have had a lot of those lately... which is SOOOO rare in Ohio... none the less. The sky is blue, not a cloud in sight. It should be in the mid 70s by mid afternoon.

Today I really wanted to play hooky and not come to work. I tried. I "overslept"... I took the dog on a walk... I thought about sitting on the deck all morning and watching the world go by.

But I didn't. I got in my car and drove to work.

Why am I so responsible!?!!?!!?!!

Epic Journeys

In the driveway of the youth house there is a BEAUTIFUL tree. Every time I pull up the driveway to come into the office I see it. It is has pretty purple and white flowers and it seems to have bloomed out of nowhere. I wish I knew what kind of tree it is, but I don't. Today as I was looking for something in the front room I looked out and saw it. I thought, gosh, that tree is AMAZING... but it's beautiful flowers will be gone so quickly... replaced by normal green leaves... and I probably won't even think twice about it when I don't see it anymore.

Outside the window of my office, the fire circle that Kim and I built down by the tree line is covered in leaves still. We keep talking about cleaning it up so we can use it this summer... but we probably won't. We built it 2 summers ago and we still haven't had a single fire. We have the wood, the circle, the food to cook... we just never have the time or energy to do it.

I know of two people who are hiking the Appalachian Trail right now. They started in Georgia in mid-March and are somewhere north of the Smokies right now. I read their blog regularly to hear of their adventures and it makes me jealous. Partially because I have always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail (and I mean ALL 2000 miles of it.) and I don't think I will ever find someone who wants to go with me... and partially because there have been a lot of days lately when I have wanted nothing in the world more than I want to walk out the door, into the woods, and just not stop for 6 months or so. Nothing to do but walk and breathe and sleep and experience the beauty of God's creation.

Sometimes I feel like I am desperately searching for the next big adventure. I mean there are exciting things coming up in the next few months. Things I can't wait to experience, even if they don't seem like they are working out exactly how I pictured them. Yet it seems every time someone talks to me they ask me when the next big adventure or trip is and where I am headed. Right now I feel a bit lost when people ask...

I guess in some ways I am tired of the adventures. Another town or city, another beach or mountain... I am ready for a real journey. Not the kind that will last a little while and then fade into the past. I am ready for something epic. Something that will challenge the ways I live and change the ways I think. An epic journey. That's what I feel like I need.

Maybe it is just the traditional "it's spring so Carly has itchy feet."... but I don't think so. I feel so stuck. So safe. So blah. I want to feel alive. I want to live on the edge. I want to be purposeful and intentional and passionate. But I guess I am a little scared... or maybe a lot scared.

I think I need an epic journey... or a change of pace... or a new perspective... or a different path for a while... and a companion or two for the road (or trail!)

Anybody up for ditching life for a while???

**PS. Not depressed... just thinking.

FINALLY!!!

Today is a GREAT day.

Today I went to get lunch... and DROVE WITH MY SUNROOF OPEN. NICE. Spring is HERE.

Well, its here for a few days anyway. We had the most beautiful weekend of training on the ropes course at Rolling Hills. Great weather, great laughs and of course, climbing, swinging, and zipping... all my favortie things... good times.

Yesterday and today, 70 degrees, bright sunshine, sunroof open... ahhh.

I am loving it while it lasts, because Thursday I head to dreary, yucky Cleveland and then on to another weekend of ropes training... this time at my former home, Camp Whip Poor Will, where the rumor is it is supposed to SNOW.

ugh.

It will be fine though... because I am enjoying TODAY!