Life with my sister

We're home from Siloam . And laundry is washed, dried, folded and put away. Can I get an hallelujah for that? Camp laundry is the worst because it contains, clothes, towels, sheets and blankets for all of us. This year Samuel was too old to participate at Siloam (it was children' only week) so he spent the week with Stephen's parents in Branson . I got a text from him on Wednesday saying he had ridden Wildfire 22 times. Wildfire is a roller coaster that I've been on twice and I don't see anymore rides in my future. But he loved it. He now holds the claim-to-fame for riding it the 2 nd most times. The most times on one day is 50. I can't imagine 50! He said he was " epically dizzy" after the 22! Siloam was great fun. I got to see my blog friend Judy (she is just the sweetest and most beautiful person) and my friend Melinda who is also beautiful and sweet. Neither of them had to endure the heat of camp because they just camp up for a short amount o...

It seems like its been forever since I've been on here. I've been busy but not busy enough not to blog. I think I have a case of writer's block! We've been swimming, swimming and swimming. I told Stephen the other day that our next house is going to have to have a pool in the backyard. I love it! My lips, however, not so much. I have had a fever blister (or 9) every week this summer. As much as I like to blame Samuel's leaving for camp on them, I know better. It's the sun. Samuel survived Boy Scout camp. He didn't want to go but did "just for you Mom". Gotta love the teenage years! He ended up having a great time and is even thinking of working there next year for a couple of weeks. His last night at camp he had to hike a couple of miles, fix his supper, find & construct his shelter, and sleep. BY HIMSELF! Oh my! He loved it! The next morning he woke up, hiked back down and swam a mile all before breakfast. I'm thinking of calling home ...

Daniel, Sometimes we make wrong choices and have to suffer the consequences. Sometimes the consequences are swift and other times they are long and drawn out. Sadly, July 23rd you made a wrong choice and the consequence is long and drawn out. I know that when you thought about sitting atop the chair you thought it would be neat. And that you would hop right down and eat lunch. But, that isn't what happened. You never got lunch that day. Instead you got a cast. A cast to be worn for 5 weeks. Not a long time in the winter probably, but in the summer 5 weeks seems like forever! You have had to give up swimming for the rest of the summer. You have enjoyed the pool this year more than any other year. I'm glad you made great memories there and that I was able to be there with you. You have beeen such a trooper with all of this. You were diagnosed with mono on the 20th, broke your arm on the 23rd, and left for church camp on the 26th. You never cried at the hospital. You never shoute...

Well it's the last week of July and that means only one thing! CHILDREN'S CAMP!!!!! Siloam Springs Baptist Camp has a children's only week the last week of July each year. It is fabulous! There are hundreds. Hundreds of kids all in one place. Eating, playing, studying God's word and worshipping together. Mike Seabaugh is the worship pastor for the week. He was the pastor at FBC in Camden when we were at Hillside Baptist in Camden. I was his daughter's kindergarten teacher and this year is her senior year. Yes, it makes me feel a little aged, but I'm handling it well. He does a great job. The kids loved him, and most of all children are saved under his preaching. Siloam is nothing new. My mother went to Siloam , Stephen and I went to Siloam as children, and now our children are going to Siloam . Three generations of Siloam campers. Who would have thought!!! Not a lot has changed at Siloam since the first time I went 31 years ago. Oh My Goodness! 31 years a...

I'm pretty sure I've told you of the healing powers of Siloam Springs Camp. But let me tell you again in case you missed it. Many years ago, when Stephen and I were dating. We were counselors at our youth church camp. Abby was a high school student, it was a fun week with many memories. One memory is about warts the other memory is that Stephen wouldn't hold my hand or kiss me the whole entire week because Siloam has a no PDA rule. And he has always loved a rule. The wart memory is the best one though. Abby had these warts on her hands. I don't know how long they had been there or why. They weren't large or ugly or anything. Just a problem for her. I mean, who wants warts on your hand. Well, one morning we woke up and she said "Julie, my warts are gone!" I thought that was an outlandish statement. How does that happen! We looked on the floor, on the sheets, we shook out her blanket, we did everything looking for them. We never found them. They were gone...

So, this week I am at childrens camp. We are at COW week. Now, doesn't that just make you feel skinny?! (COW-Children only week)So there are about 900 3rd-6th graders and a few adults sprinkled amongst them. Not too many to dampen their energy or their little pranks though! Anna is with us. She and D&D and I are staying in a family unit. Which is not to be confused with a hotel room at all. AT ALL!!! It is a small room with 4 twin beds, a sink, and its only saving grace a dresser! I love me a dresser! Oh yeah, there is also a shower and toilet, but please, this is a famnily kind of blog! Anna has had a couple of funny statements this week. Last night we were standing outside waiting on the kids to join up with us Anna said "these bugs are all around me!" " the bugs talk to me at night in bed" I said, surprised!"the bugs talk to you?" she said matter of factly "yes!" I said "what do they say?" she said" I don't know! I ...

UPdate! One of our girls was saved tonight! YAY!!! It was an answer to a prayer that Stephen and I had been praying. She was so excited. So, we are leaving with all of our kids (except the one 7 year old) saved. It really is a wonderful thing!!! Only 1 night left!! YAY!!!!! I have to confess that I give camp a bad time. All the things I wrote about last time that I don't like about camp are still true. But this week 3 of the 12 kids we brought to camp have been saved, 7 of the kids we brought to camp were already Christians and one of the 12 is 7 and isn't involved in all the "big kid" activities because he, like my D&D, is not old enough to participate. So to make that easier to figure out (because I just read it, and even I got lost!) Out of the 5 unsaved kids we brought to camp- 3 of them have been saved!!! WOO-HOO!!!!! So it has been worth:the smelliness of the cabin, the yucky taste and texture of what must surely be boiled hamburger patties( I didn't eve...

Tomorrow we leave for church camp. Did you notice there was not an exclamation point at the end of that sentence? I don't like camp. I don't like the smell of the room. I don't like having to share showers and toilets with strangers, or people outside of my family. I don't like being hot and sticky. I don't like having to get up early in the morning. I don't like being away from the tv. I haven't liked camp since I first went to Siloam when I was 8. It was hot, people were hyperventilating right and left, and I missed my parents soooo bad, and even Abby (but she was still a baby, not yet bugging me). And I really haven't liked it since then. Stephen loves camp as much as I dislike camp. He thinks its a job perk (poor guy). So, I'm off to camp. I get to stay in a semi-air-conditioned cabin that sleeps 3, but there will be 5 in it. Three of them will be mine, but one of the children in my cabin is not my own, and from what I hear a little rowdy. PRAY!!...