Summer's Last Hoorah

As summer was fast approaching, we had several options of traveling, vacationing, plans, etc.  My family had 2 separate family reunions.  One in Iowa the first weekend in July and the other in Wyoming the first weekend in August.  We hadn't seen Seth's family in 2 years and wanted to go visit, especially since there is a little niece whom we haven't met.  And it had been a couple years since we went to Ozark Family Camp at Turkey Hill.  But, one trip was our main priority - go to Branson.

June was busy as usual.  2 kids' birthdays, those same 2 going to camp 2 different weeks, plus our VBS at church.  In July, I spent some time working on my office area and getting things reorganized.

School was to start the 2nd week of August.  I checked the calendar to match school, Seth's work, and our family schedules.  Only one weekend would work for a visit to Branson - the first weekend in August.

We had already decided we wouldn't be going to the Cannon reunion in Iowa, or family camp, or visit Seth's family in Idaho.  And now it looked like we wouldn't be going to the Greenlee reunion in Wyoming, either.  Branson was our goal for the summer.  And financially the only option anyway.

Why Branson?

Well, in 2000, after I graduated from college, we were hired to work at Village Creek Bible Camp in northern Iowa.  While there, we met some great friends who later moved to Branson and opened their own shop: Grandma Ruth's Cinnamon Rolls.  It has become quite popular with the best cinnamon rolls you'll ever taste.  We sent anyone we knew to Grandma Ruth's when they went to Branson.  But, we have never gone.

The last time we saw this family was in 2004 for Grandma Ruth's and Reuben's 50th anniversary.  They were the first people we told when we were expecting our first baby.  They were there during J's first few months of life before we moved to Wichita.  We visited again the following summer and they joined us on a youth group trip to Idaho.  They got to meet K at the anniversary party.  Then we said goodbye for 10 years.

It was time to visit.  We saved money and prepared.  And we finally did it.  We got to see many attractions thanks to business connections, including Jonah, Smoke on the Mountain, and Paul Harris, the comedian.

 At the zoo we got to feed the animals, including these birds.

Me with each of my 3 joeys, 1 literally, hahaha.

They each got to pet a joey, too, among other baby animals.

One of the many shows we watched was Six.  It's an accapella group made up of 6 brothers.  They were probably my favorite show.

There was some downtime when we could swim in the hotel pool.

We took some time to go mini golfing.

Just before going in to watch Rick Thomas, the illusionist, we saw our very first woodchuck.

We spent an hour on this fun slide.

The awkward thing was coming off the slide to an audience.  Legs up in the air, arms flailing about, hair swirled around the face, and don't even mention the position of the suit....no one comes off a water slide gracefully.  LOL

We also got to visit the Titanic.  When you board the ship, you are given a boarding pass with the name and information about an actual passenger.  At the end of the tour, you would find out if you survived or not.  Little A and K were both 3rd class.  J was 2nd class.  Seth and I were both on the crew.  All of us survived.

There was a beautiful mini grand piano in one of the rooms.  It wasn't a guided tour, but there were guides along the way to give information.  One guide asked if anyone could play the piano.  I was in the background not really paying attention, but I raised my hand.  She asked if I would play.  Seriously?!?!  I don't play well under pressure, however.  I attempted 2 songs I kind of knew from memory....and didn't finish either one.  Oh, well.  It was a privilege to play.

AAAAHHHHH!!!!  We're sinking!!!!

I have done research on the Titanic and the people aboard the ship.  I found it so heartbreaking reading the names of those who died, especially the children.  There was a small pool of water in the museum being held at 28* in which you could stick your hand and see how long you could keep it there.  The people on the Titanic had no choice but to sit in this frigid water and wait to be rescued or die waiting.  Seth was able to keep his hand in it for the full 3 minutes on the timer.  I couldn't quite make it to 15 seconds.  I enjoyed touring the Titanic museum and would like to go back and visit longer.

Ruth and Reuben recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary!

It was a great time.  We had a lot of fun.  We picked up right where we left off.  Even J bonded with them as if we had never been apart.  Not sure when we'll make it back to Branson and they are so busy with the business that it is very difficult for them to get away.  We both said we would make an effort to visit each other.

For now, it's back to school.  New schedules, new routine, new adventures.

K, first day of 6th grade.

J, first day of 7th grade.

My 2 middle schoolers!

Little A beginning 2nd grade at home.

Until next time....

10 VBS skits done and still going!

We moved to Wichita almost 13 years ago.  In August of 2004, we started attending Westside Bible Chapel.  The following spring, I was approached about helping with their Vacation Bible School.  I really wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I attended the planning meeting where everyone discussed the theme and how to pull everything together.  My only experience with a VBS was attending a few as a kid, so I just sat and listened.  A little bit later, Jennifer, who was in charge, looked at me and asked if I could write a skit.  I'd written some very small skits in the past, but I thought I could handle this, so I agreed.

That's how my journey as the VBS skit-writer began.  I can't believe I've written 10 skits for our VBS program!  Of course, they started out small, but have now turned into somewhat large productions.  I don't remember how our practices started out.  Now, we begin about 2 months before VBS begins.  We practice every week during prayer meeting, have a dress rehearsal the Saturday before, do a quick run-through on Sunday after the leadership training, and then practice each night before VBS begins.  When I started,  I really didn't know what I was doing.  I approached a few people who I thought would enjoy acting and this is how I met Chad Buchanan.  Some had told me to ask him about being in the skit.  I wasn't even sure who he was.  If it weren't for these skits, however, I'm sure I would have never really gotten to know Chad or others who have been involved in the skits these last 10 years.

I went to see if I could find all my old scripts.  Out of 10, I found 5.  I'm sure the others are on a disk from old computers.

I have this year's, obviously.  "Montana Smith and the Search for the Greatest Treasure Ever Created on Earth."  The theme was an Indiana Jones theme which we entitled as God's Chosen Treasure.

I also have "The Battle For the Crown" from 2013 which went along with the kingdom theme of Kingdom Under Construction.

And from 2012, I have "The Case of David Lamb" for our detective theme which I believe was called Truth Files Case 3:16.

The other 2 I found were older.  "A Journey West" was written for the western theme in 2006.  I was pregnant with Little A at the time.

Believe it or not, the 5th one is actually the very first skit we did.  In 2005, we did a Survivor theme and the skit was called "Survivor Island Campout."  I found it written out by hand on lined paper.  It was only a little over 13 pages long, compared to the 35-40 pages we do now.  And if it had been typed, it would have been even less pages!  I don't even have all of the characters written down.  This is basically my first draft and I hadn't even nailed down who was going to be in it.  There were 4 main characters and then about 9 other characters.  Everyone basically just used their own names.  Throughout this draft, the other characters are simply listed as "camper," "boy camper," or "girl camper."  On the back, I have names written down of those I thought would be in it.

Lynne, Jonathan, Tom, Emma, Susan, Hannah, Karin, and Nick.

If memory serves me correctly, Lynne was unable to participate due to her having the chicken pox.  And Daniel and John were also in it.

Tim the Trailman was Tim Skiles, Dan the Man was Danny Rudzitis, Rad Chad was Chad Buchanan, and I was Lieutenant Laura, who was also known as Lunatic Laura by the campers.

And that was it!  Most years, I have around 20 actors.  This year I had 15.  Still, only 13 or so our first year.  My, how far we've come!

The plot: On what was supposed to be a short canoe trip to a wooded area for a campout, Dan the Man gets the troops lost.  They find themselves on a deserted island and must use the resources they have to survive.  Not only will they find a way to survive this surprise campout, they will discover how faith in God is necessary in order to survive life.

Tim the Trailman was the leader of the castaways.  Encouraging and fun.  Knows when to be serious and when to goof around.

Dan the Man was the lifeguard and medic.  Loves to have fun and be crazy.  Tends to be over-dramatic.

Rad Chad was the boys counselor.  Takes everything lightly.  Loves having fun all the time.

Lieutenant Laura was the girls counselor.  Takes everything seriously.  Believes there is no time for fun.

At the beginning of the skit, we all enter onstage when Chad trips over a rock causing a domino effect  and everyone else falls down.  After VBS was over, everyone in the cast "signed" that rock and gave it to me.  I still have that rock, although all the names have faded.  It sits against the house near the front.

Chad's catch phrase was "Rock on!" and was used quite often throughout the skit.  He finally got my character to say it near the end.  At one point, Chad and Danny were to be throwing a football backstage and knocked me into the ocean.  In reality, I sat in the tub we use for baptisms and Chad poured a bucket of water on me.

I always see God working through these skits, too.  In the middle of this skit, everyone was out looking for berries to eat, but had to stay away from the poisonous berries.  Nearly everyone returns to the campsite only having found the poisonous kind.  Tim returns with a camper, who sees the berries, and out of sheer hunger, dives into them and eats some.  That camper ended up being played by Tom.  The result of eating those berries was a very itchy rash, which was revealed the following day.  On the last day of the skit, they have all been rescued and are returning to known land.  Tom's character was to make a few statements about eating the poisonous berry, but Tom's sister is Lynne, the one who had chicken pox.  So, guess what?  By the last night, Tom had the chicken pox and couldn't even come!  I had to make a quick re-write, which was quite easy.  Since he was the one who was poisoned, he had simply been taken by ambulance to a hospital while everyone else was just being checked out on shore.  God knew from the beginning that Tom would have the chicken pox and guided me to put Tom as the character to eat the poisonous berries.  Any other character would have been difficult to explain an absence.

Ah, the memories!  I look forward to writing more skits for VBS.  I always have fun with them and I love my cast every year.  And I miss those who have moved on with other things.  Next year, I'll be gaining a few newbies including my own son.  That will be an adventure!

Warning: There's a teenager in the house!

That's right.  I have a teenage son.  Am I really old enough for that?  It sure doesn't seem like it.  I swear I just graduated from college last week!

So, while I'm trying to wrap my brain about this fact, here's what we did to celebrate.

Since his birthday is during our Vacation Bible School, we kinda had to split it between 2 days.  But, we tried to do most of it on his actual birthday.  Everything was his choice until 4:30, then it was all VBS until 9:30ish.

The morning was nice and relaxed.  We had his favorite for lunch: pancakes.  I made special shapes for each of the kids.  J mostly picked things from the Xbox game Halo.  I thought I created those pretty well.  But, I took no pictures of lunch so you'll just have to take my word for it.

In the afternoon, we all got in our suits and headed to the pool.  It wasn't exactly a hot day for swimming, but it was nice.  And the pool was packed.  Thankfully, my kids can swim well enough that I don't have to get in with them.  I kept a close eye on Little A, however, since she's not quite to the point where I'm comfortable looking away for more than a few seconds.

J and K both went off the diving board.  All of them found new friends to play pool games with.  At one point, the lifeguards heard thunder so everyone was ordered out of the pool to wait for 15 minutes.  Then everyone could go back in.  I kept watching those darkening clouds.  This is one of those moments when I wish I had a smartphone.

Not long later, it started to lightly sprinkle.  I told the kids what time we needed to leave in order to get home, changed, and head to VBS.  About 15 minutes before that time, J said he was ready to go.  Great!  I hopped in the pool and swam a couple of laps (most of the kids had left by this point so the pool was not so crazy crowded).  Then, I told the girls it was time to go.

As we drove back home, it was raining lightly.  We got inside, changed our clothes, and then it just downpoured.  Heavy heavy rain....and we had to drive across town to VBS.

It was an adventurous drive to say the least.  Roads were dangerously flooded and if I did not have my SUV, I probably wouldn't have driven it through those deep puddles all down the road.  At one point, I looked in my rear-view mirror to see that the water was up to the headlights of the car behind me.  Others were struggling to make it to VBS also as it continued to get worse.

By the time VBS actually started, I think the rain had stopped.  We drove home on clear roads after another great evening.

We decided to let J open his presents that night and do his cake and ice cream.  It meant for a late night, but that's ok.  It's summer and we're night owls.  We'd probably be up that late anyway.

Saturday was the day we would finish celebrating with an evening at HuHot.  We love that place!  The cooks at the grill sang to him as we stood in line while they grilled our food.

And that was the end of his celebrations.

Just before turning 2, he became a big brother.

A few years later, another sister came along.

He was quite a helper.

And he recruited his sisters to join him.

They always had fun together.

He also has fun with his cousins.

His first year at camp.

This year at camp.

His first day of kindergarten.

After finishing 6th grade, he had earned several awards including these for the JROTC.  He was voted to be the Vice Commander next year.  OOH RAH!!!

 He is growing up into an amazing young man of whom I could not be more proud.  He has accomplished great things and I know as long as he continues to trust His Savior, he will accomplish many more.

Happy 13th birthday, J!  I love you!

Memories from 11 years ago

My daughter, K, celebrated her 11th birthday today.  She loves excitement and being in the spotlight.  Her birth was anything but normal!

3 phrases stand out from that day:

"I'm feeling toes."

Silly girl flipped around the night before I started having contractions.  I remember feeling a lot of movement, but I had no idea what she was up to until the following day.

"It's a....it's a....it's a GIRL!"

We never found out the gender of our babies before they were born.  As they pulled her out during the c-section, she was bum-side-up so the doctors couldn't see what she was.  She was too slippery to turn over right away so we waited in anticipation as they were trying to get a look.

"We need help resuscitating."

Because she was born via c-section, she was not breathing.  For those of you familiar with births, her apgar score was around 3.  I don't remember for sure, but it was very low.  It was a frighteningly long 30 seconds as they brought her little body back to life...and we finally heard that precious cry.

Today in celebration of her special day, we made mini pizzas for lunch, went swimming at some friends' house, and ate out at Chicos.  She's saving up for an ipod so she received a lot of money for her birthday.

Here's some special things to know about K:

She is very much a girly girl who isn't afraid to get dirty with the boys.

 

She loves to dress up, look pretty, do her nails, and beg for makeup - not quite time for that, yet. ;)

She loves pink, and anything that sparkles.

She loves music and loves to sing.  She can memorize a song very easily, even after hearing it only once.

She's not afraid to play rough.  She is competitive and loves it when she can beat her big brother.

She loves Jesus.  She realized her need for a Savior when she was 3 years old and gave her life to Christ.  She desires to share His love with others and prays for the salvation of those who are lost.

I love seeing her grow in the beautiful young woman God is creating her to be.

Happy birthday, K!

Insignificant

Several years ago, while still in high school, I attended various conferences with friends.  At one particular conference, I met someone named Chad.  I'd see him occasionally after that.  He attended Emmaus Bible College and moved on.  I attended Emmaus some time after he left.

My senior year at Emmaus, I was about to graduate and my husband and I were looking for jobs preferably at a camp somewhere.  While walking down the hallway, I see a familiar face.  We pointed to each other and basically said, "I know you."  Yep, it was Chad, who had come by to visit other friends.  He asked what I was up to and about my future plans.  I told him we were looking for jobs at camps.  He said that he had a friend who worked at a camp and they were looking for a couple of people.  He gave me their contact information and we both went on our way.

That "chance" meeting led my husband and I to Village Creek Bible Camp in Northern Iowa.  There, I discovered my leadership skills, and we both gained some great friends.  I don't think I've seen Chad since then.

The first time I met Chad, it was a seemingly insignificant event.  At least 4 years later, Chad and I "happen" to be walking down the same hallway at Emmaus, where he was no longer attending.  God used these meetings to bless Seth and me at a camp for the next year.  He blessed us with friends, He blessed our work, He blessed our family as our son was born at the end of our time at VCBC.

Have you ever thought about how God has taken a seemingly insignificant thing in your life and used it to further His purpose?  The closer I grow to God, the more amazed I am at how He orchestrates everything for His plan.  His sovereignty is something none of us can truly wrap our minds around.

In my Sunday School class, we are studying the book of Esther.  Although God is never mentioned throughout the entire book, you can see Him working in the life of Esther and the kingdom in Persia.  Today's lesson revealed what could be taken as coincidences as part of God's overall plan.

The king had trouble sleeping.  This night happened at the exact time God intended it to happen.  Events that had occurred previously had to have been in place before the king had his night of troubled sleep.  Events that would happen later could not have taken place before this long night.  To us, it seems of no importance that the king had trouble sleeping, but God had a plan.

Because he couldn't sleep, he asked someone to read the chronicles of things that happened in the past.  That person just happened to choose an event that caused the king to act.  The incident that was read was about the Jew, Mordecai.  Five years earlier, Mordecai had discovered a plot of the king's assassination.  Mordecai revealed the plot to his cousin, Esther, who then warned the king.  The men who were planning to kill the king were dealt with.  Now, listening to the chronicles, the king asked if anything had ever been done to honor Mordecai for saving his life.  Nothing had been done.  At that moment, the king decided to honor Mordecai.  The person reading to the king that night could have chosen any event in the chronicles, but he chose this very significant event.  This may seem like a coincidence, but God had a plan.

Also, at that moment, Haman happened to be in the outer court.  Haman is Mordecai's enemy.  Their ancesteral animosity goes back for centuries.  Haman hated Jews, especially Mordecai.  Mordecai refused to give Haman any respect.  The city knew that these 2 men did not get along.  It's the middle of the night, the king would normally be sleeping, yet Haman is in the outer court ready to speak to him.  Haman has no idea the king is already awake and he may think nothing of it, but God had a plan.

The king called for whomever was in the court - Haman.  Haman had come to ask the king to hang Mordecai.  He had just built gallows for this very purpose.  The king, however, had different plans.  Before Haman could bring his request to the king, the king asked Haman how he should honor a man.  Haman assumed the king intended to honor him so he told the king everything he wanted to happen for his own honor.  At first it just seems ironic: Haman coming to the king to ask to hang Mordecai while the king wanted Haman's opinion on how to honor Mordecai.  Ironic to us, but God had a plan.

As the story goes, Haman is humiliated as he led Mordecai around the city on a horse, dressed in a robe and a crown, while all the city gave honor to Mordecai.  God's plan was coming together.

Are these four events truly coincidences?  Are they really insignificant?  God was working in each of these events.  He knew the end of the story before anyone else.

God still uses insignificant coincindences.  One of the young women in my Sunday School class gave an amazing example of such a case.  While on a missions trip, a little girl noticed a hair tie on her wrist.  She thought it was pretty, so this young woman gave it to her without a second thought.  Afterall, she had plenty of others at home.  The mother of this little girl was so grateful for the kindness shown to her daughter that she came and thanked the group.  No one receives something without payment and the mother was simply overjoyed.  Eventually, the mother accepted Christ as her Savior!!!  The young woman in my class never would have imagined that a simple pony-tail holder would lead a woman to Jesus.

Do you think any decision you make is insignificant now?  Think about a time in your life when God used the insignificant to become significant.

Rambo's story 2

Hello, Rambo here.  I am the Harrington's dog.  The other day seemed like it would be a normal day.  Mom got up and took my boy kid somewhere.  He's gone almost all day.  The 2 girl kids stay home with Mom.  Usually, they are working on books together and learning stuff.  They have lunch and work some more.  However, on this particular day, they didn't get the books out.  Instead, they cleaned the living room.  They even got out that loud machine that they push around the room.  I hate that thing.  I'm afraid it's going to eat me.

Then, the kids did some regular chores while Mom got the books out to look over them.  They seemed to be waiting for something.  I wish I knew what it was they were waiting for.  Mom seemed to be a little impatient.  Whatever it was, it was late.  She pushed buttons on her little red box.  I think she uses it to talk to people who aren't here.  Sure enough, it made a noise and Mom looked and announced, "She's on her way!"

Who's on her way?  I sat on my window seat and watched the neighborhood.  There's always cats and squirrels that I must bark at.  But, I knew someone was coming, so I waited to greet her....whoever her was.

I must have left my post for a bit because I heard Mom say, "Oh, there she is!"  And she got up from the couch.  Oh!  I know her!!!  Her name is Lisa!  And she was carrying a big basket.  I was just so excited to see her and thought for sure I was going with her somewhere.  I ran out the door as Lisa was leaving.

I guess that was a mistake.  Mom came after me.  Lisa grabbed me and handed me back over to Mom.  She was kinda mad.  She doesn't like it when I get outside when I'm not supposed to.

After bringing me inside, Lisa left in her car.  Mom and the kids were all very interested in what was in the big basket Lisa brought over.  They were all talking and smiling.  What was in there?  I jumped up to see, but Mom shooed me away.  It was must be something special.

Mom and the kids did something in the basket, but I still couldn't see what it was.  I jumped up again to have a look, but again, Mom shooed me away.  Hmmm, how was I going to see what was so exciting in this basket?

Finally, they took it out.  It was another kid!  But this one was really small....almost as small as I am.  They set her on the floor.  I thought, "A playmate!  They brought me a friend to play with!!!"  I was so excited.  I jumped up on her and tried to sniff her out.  Mom pushed me down and told me to be gentle.  The little kid pointed at me and said, "Bah!"

Bah?  I'm not Bah.  I licked her hand to let her know I was nice.  Mom told her I was a doggie.  She pointed at me again and said, "Daw!"  Closer.  But not quite.  I licked her hand some more.  I thought she wanted to play with me so I began to jump around and bark playfully at her.  Mom told me to be gentle again.

She followed me around some.  She seemed to be very curious about who I was.  Mom and the kids played with her, too.  She also ate a little food.  The kids thought it was funny.  Then, Mom finally let me play with her.  She reached her hand toward me and I playfully licked it.  Normally, I bite very gently when I play with Mom, Dad, or the kids.  But I knew I needed to be extra gentle with this one so I didn't bite at all.  It was fun.  She swung her hand around and pushed on my face.  I jumped back at her and licked her hand.  Then, she pointed at me and said, "Doggie!"

She did it!  She knows I'm a doggie!  Mom let her know she was right.  She said it again.  Yep, I'm a doggie.

Later, she seemed to get upset and started making a crying noise.  She crawled to Mom and sat on her lap with her blanket.  The kids said she must be tired.

Soon, Lisa came back.  This time, Mom held me so I didn't try to run outside again.  I guess I wasn't supposed to go with Lisa this time either.  Lisa put the new kid back in the basket and they left.  It was a fun morning.  I like getting to see other people and play with other people.

Now, back to routine.  Guarding my family from my window seat and waiting for my boy kid and Dad to get home.  This is the life.