We're Home

  We're back from a fun week at my mom and dad's.  Briana had gone to Triple Threat Performer Camp in their town for 2 weeks.  This was her 3rd year to go, and she had a blast again.  She takes musical theater for about an hour and a half in the mornings, then the rest of the day (until 4:30) is different dance styles and exercise.  We went over last Wed., so we could see her performances on Friday.  They were a lot of fun.  In her muscial theater class, they did a group number, and each one sang a solo from  a musical.  One afternoon they got to go for free to the Playhouse's performance of Singing in the Rain.   They have great performers there, and people travel for hours to see their plays. 

    The rest of the week we relaxed and played.  We took the girls to the pool 3 times, except one of those I stayed and just dad went with them.  The little ones went fishing a lot, and went to the playground one day.  We went to the fireworks show at the big lake on Saturday, then watched the small show on their lake on the 3rd.  We went out in the paddle boat a few times.  On the 4th it rained all day.  My dad managed to cook out under thier tiny little covered porch. 

    One night we had a campfire by the lake and made s'mores.  We "invented" (I'm sure someone else has done it before) a story game.  We went around the campfire, and each person said just one word to make a sentence.  We went round and round until we had a hilarious, slightly deranged story.  Slightly might be too kind!  It involved skinning a chicken on a tree and a frog with toothpicks in his toes.  We had all of us from 9 yo Marissa, our 2 teens, James and me, to my mom and dad.  We all laughed so much.  The story (thankfully?) got cut short because the rain started back up and ran us inside.  Probably just as well anyway, because it was 11:00, and the little ones were still up. 

   Try as I might, I cannot keep us on our schedule when we are gone.  Even though they are only 2 hours away, my parents live in a different time zone.  I try to stay on eastern, but it only works for a day or so.  Then they are going to bed on central time, and still getting up on eastern time.  Then add in the late nights like the fireside night, and we really get mixed up. 

   Well, I got one child back, and am about to send another one off.  Ashley leaves this Sunday afternoon to be a camp counselor at the Baptist Youth Camp about 45 min. from here.  She is going to attempt to do it 2 weeks this year.  She will be home Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon in between, though.  Talking about long weeks.  She is up at 6:30, going all day, and lights out are at 11:00ish. She gets one hour free time to take a shower and rest, and one hour in the afternoon that she has devotion time with another counselor and a few minutes of rest.  About 20 min. of it is walking back and forth just to get there and back.  Last year she had 3 big time trouble makers, so we are praying for some mercy this year.  : )  She has been working for several days preparing devotionals for her cabin.  She won't find out the exact age group she has, or which 2 classes she will teach until she gets there Sun. night. 

   Well JOY!  Marissa just came in saying there is a lizard in the school room.  I suppose I should be excited for this wonderful teaching opportunity I could turn this into.  However, I am mostly thankful that James is on the way home so he can catch the thing and get it out of here.  eeeeeewwwww!!!  And, why don't cats ever catch the things you want them to?  Whenever I set a cat down in front of some varmit I want it to dispose of, the cat just stares at me like I've lost my mind.  .......He may have a point!

   I'm off to visit a few friends, then continue my unpacking--avoiding Mr. Lizard at all costs!