.....the maybe five people who read this blog are going to quit!  OK, there are so many things going on right now, I don't even know where to start!!  I'm losing my mind!

We were out of town last week.  Matt was speaking at his home church for Family Bible Week.  He spoke to the teens there.  It was a surreal experience for him....speaking to the youth group at the church he grew up in....kids the same age he was when he lost his dad and nothing was ever the same for him again....right about the same time he lost his dad (June 9).  It went really well.  The kids seemed to really respond....the leaders told him typically attendance drops through the week.  But, the teen attendance stayed steady this week!  Some of the guys asked Matt to go to breakfast one morning, which was kind of cool too.  He really is growing to enjoy the opportunities God is giving to him to speak to young people. 

The rest of the family also enjoyed Family Bible Week.  We stayed at Sue's house, and they had kids' classes too each night.  The kids all enjoyed their classes SO much, and I really enjoyed the speaker for the week as well.  It was David Lawson, of Precept ministries.  He had a very simple and humble delivery...unusual for an FBW speaker.  They are typically Southern and revivalist types.  I really enjoyed David's testimony and his simple way of delivering crucial truths.  He is a student of the Word and inspired me to study more!  It was very encouraging.

To the kids' chagrin, they and I had to leave one day early after the session Tues night.  I was supposed to be putting some stuff in a garage sale with a friend on Thursday, and hadn't done anything to get ready.  So, I had one day to do it.  Didn't want to miss the opportunity to get rid of some clothes and stuff.  SO I spent most of Wednesday gathering and pricing kids' clothing and toys.  Thursday was busy as Johnny and I had an appointment with the RVA administrator to pick up his curriculum and officially enroll.  That lasted at least 90 minutes (more in a few).  AND, we picked up our first box of vegetables from the CSA farm.  (again, tell you more soon)  Then on Friday, I was watching my friends toddler while she manned the garage sale.  I made over $50, which was more than I expected.  Nice!

THEN, I had to get the boys ready to go to Junior Camp on Sunday!  Can you believe it?  I can't.  It really snuck up on me.  I spent the rest of the day Friday and all Saturday getting them packed up.  Doing laundry, running to WalMart to let them pick out little soaps/shampoos/toothpaste, a rain poncho, getting flashlight batteries, and labeling everything possible with a permanent marker!  My babies!  I spent so much time getting them ready and in task mode that when we finally went out to drop them off yesterday, I hardly knew what to feel or do!  It was so strange after working at camp for 15 years....from counseling on....to be carting my own kids luggage to the cabin, 'meeting' their counselor (who we already know of course), and watching them run off.  Good grief.  Even more surreal was that we kept running into other people who had either counseled with us way back in 92-94 or worked on summer staff then.....bringing their kids to camp!!  Makes sense, we're all about the same age....it was just this weird, surreal, I'm getting really old feeling!  Of course, Matt then has to make it even worse by commenting "First comes camp, then comes college".  About that time, I decided to flee for home! 

The boys were SO excited.  I had serious reservations about letting David go, considering his many, many struggles of late.  I admit, I was feeling downright pessimistic about it.  But, my hubby felt pretty strong about giving him the chance and pretty much put his foot down.  We worked with the director, hand picked his counselor and planned to have Matt out there as much as possible as a support if need be.  He even would sleep out there, unbeknownst to the boys.  He kept telling me the worst thing that could happen is he can't do it and comes home.  But that he might really rise to the occasion.  Well, we prepared D as best we could.  He knew all our concerns....he knew he'd have limited clothing, noone to smooth his bed down multiple times at night, not be able to freak out if he gets something wet or is uncomfy, he'd have to abide by lights out and function as a group with his cabin, obey the rules, and on and on and on.  He was still very excited.  I thought there was NO WAY he'd make it through even one night.  The night before they left however, he out of the blue decided he was going to sleep with a short sleeved shirt on, shorts and no socks.  That sounds perfectly normal, but for David (who insists on long pants, long sleeves and socks for sleeping) it was a very, big deal.  We'd been talking to him about how it was going to get very hot this summer sleeping in his usual manner, and I guess he decided he needed to make himself change....it seemed as if he was preparing for the challenges he knew were coming the next day.  He went to sleep that way!  And woke up the next morning saying, "I won a big battle last night".  I felt a glimmer of optimism.  Maybe he will rise to the occasion.  Maybe this is going to be a good thing. 

It was the cutest thing ever to sit on the patio last night and watch them run around with their cabins.  They had a little free time during registration, and their counselors had told them to  be back at 4:30 for the camp tour.  (they are in two separate cabins)  Sure enough about 4:25, I saw both boys booking it through the parking lot to get back in time.  Yay!  And, Matt called last night at 10:30 and said all seemed well.  He'd heard nothing from D's counselor, and had even walked by the cabin in the dark.....lights were out and all was quiet.  I nearly burst with pride.  He made it through a night.  Whatever happens now, and I'm sure it will get harder as he gets tired, I am proud of him....he's done better already than I ever thought he could!  I am praying now that God uses this week in his life, that maybe it will be a turning point for him.

And Johnny, well I am praying Johnny makes it through too!  He's my little emotional, homesick one.  They put all the staff kids in one cabin too!  The counselor is also a staff kid.  It could be a great thing....or not.  But, I'm going to let it go and trust the Lord on it.  I just hope Johnny has a great week. 

Ok, other things....I feel really excited about the RVA (rural virtual academy).  I seriously can't believe all the stuff we got.  The curriculum looks super and the administrator sure seems very supportive.  He even gave me an extra Math workbook they had on hand when he heard that I was planning to try and keep David up with the same material.  Found out Johnny is about 1/2 yr ahead in Math.  We're going to get started and then evaluate if we need to accelerate him.  I'm thinking it might be OK b/c the Math seems to emphasize problem solving alot more, and it might be a change of pace for him.  There are several things that will be a new emphasis for him, including writing/composition....so I think he will have plenty of challenge!  It will be nice to have some extra support this year too.  Our neighbors across the street just enrolled 2 of their kids as well.  We start mid-August.

The CSA farm.  CSA stands for consumer supported agriculture.  We bought a half-share this year in a local farm....for several reasons.  I'm looking very much forward to it, but will have to save that discussion for another post.  Sure did enjoy our first box!

And one more note.....Leah is completely potty trained!  She has been so reliable, not a single accident and we've been wearing underwear all the time....at family Bible week, on the road, in WalMart and everywhere!  She is over the poo phobia for the most part.  Still gets nervous, but at least reports when she has to go!  She even did well when she had a tummy ache and a little diarrhea one day.  She told me when she had to go and all!  I'm so proud of her.  She is only wearing a pullup at night now, and wakes up dry about half the time.  What a big girl!

Now, I have to get going.  My house is a disaster.  We have floor people coming to evaluate the job this afternoon, which means I have to CLEAN the floor.  I have family coming through next week to get ready for.  I'll be travelling with the girls to spend a night with my brother and family the week after that.  We have friends coming up here for a week also....looking forward to seeing them!!  Lots going on, this summer is going to zoom by!  So....signing off now. 

 

 

 

 

wow, you guys are busy! what you wrote about david was very touching; i'll be thinking of him this week and praying that the whole week is wonderful.

Tarah, i don't have your email. when my computer crashed a couple of months ago, i lost my address book along with everything else. could you send it to me - i have a couple of questions about camp! mine is charity@greenvillegrace.org