Pray for Tara

Our counselor Tara got in the eye today with a water balloon. It hit with enough force that she got a bloody nose and her contact ended up in her hair. We took her into the Aitkin hospital (45 minute drive) and they think that she may have a hemorrhage, so they made an appointment in Crosby for 8am tomorrow (Wednesday). She is in mucho pain.

Junior 1 pics

cabin buddies, LakeView 3


a few of us staff on dress up night

lovin' it

Hey...the first week of camp is coming to a close. I am currently finishing up typing our sign out sheets for parents to sign when they pick up the kids tomorrow morning. I think the best I can actually describe this week as is, a typical first week. It's typical as far as ups and downs and what you expect for a week of camp here, and you can tell that it's the first week because we are all getting the hang of camp and doing our jobs....a little unsure...still learning... The kids were very quiet at the beginning of the week, but by now, everything has come out...the behavior, the issues, the questions....our counselors have been challenged, but I know that I can for a fact say that I have been touched by the lives of these kids. During morning chapel, usually we have a couple counselors up front singing, in addition to the band (myself, Tate, Luke on bass and James on conga). This week we have only had Kara up there and today she wasn't feeling well, so we had 4 open microphones up on stage. Tate decided to call on volunteer campers to come up and sing. It was great to see them get so excited and to be able to hear their voices praising God so loudly through the monitors. SMILE! :)
The weather has been cold and rainy. I have never been so cold in June...like 60 has been the high and we are all running out of warm clothes. We had a tubing sign-up list on Tuesday..it's my job to drive the boat...and we had to cancel because it was too wavy...Wednesday it was very cold and rainy....but later on Wednesday we went on a deck boat ride after dinner. (I got them SOAKING wet! :)) Then I went back to take the second cabin out and on our way out of the lift ran out of gas and we actually ended up hitting shore and the life guards had to pull us in. So, for Thursday, we made sure that the boat was full of gas and oil. (Last year we ended up burning a hole in the engine because we didn't keep oil in there and it cost $7000 to fix....so we are going to stay on top of that better this year!) So finally the kids that were signed up for Tuesday got to get in the boat. Got one tuber done....battery dies....stranded in the bay....get pulled in my Bill, Tate and Caleb with the guard boat....I'm 2 for 3 on actually coming back to shore on my own.
Bill needs the computer so I'm out....

weddings, weddings, weddings

My summer wedding season has begun. Had one last weekend, had one yesterday. There are a few stark differences between the two of them. Last weekend, it was my friend Becky in Menomonie...so I had to drive a ways...about 3 1/2 hours from camp. It was hot and sunny, outdoors, and a rather small crowd, and as I arrived early, I could tell things were kinda just getting pulled together at the last minute (mainly minor things like sound checks being done at 10 minutes to!). Besides the bride and her sister, (she was my camper when Becky was the counselor next door to me! :)) I knew TWO people there! So that was kind of strange...I was expecting to see at least a couple more friends! The ceremony was, pretty traditional, except for the southern flair of the hymns we sang...and...Rivers (the groom) was wearing a white tux....which was cool...but...because...during the ceremony, the couple exchanged (prior to their wedding rings) their purity rings that they had each received when they were 15....it was a great declaration of the grace of God that allowed them to stay pure until they marry each other. That was very beautiful- never seen it before. I didn't stay long at the reception...I had no one to talk to!
Then last night...it was my friends' Ryan and Nikki. Ryan, I have known since we were about four and I played with him and his brother Drew all the time. Nikki, is another BSC staff friend. We all know a lot of the same people, through Crown, camp, church...I arrived at Bethel (NOT far from home!) about a minute before the wedding was scheduled to start. Sat down, looked around and realized I knew a huge number of people there...and more than half the wedding party. At the reception I floated from table to table, catching up with many old friends and hanging out! VERY fun wedding to be at! I love going to weddings of people that you have known for a long time...very special.
That's about it for now. I don't actually have more weddings for awhile till there are like 5 in a row later on...unless I win a $1000 and decide to fly to Tahoe for Sarah C.s! :)

oh boy...

http://www.kstp.com/article/view/149705/?tf=Contact5_Read.tpl

Let me know if you saw it on TV....Brownies for ya if you taped it and will let me watch it!
Sorry I haven't posted so much lately....busy, busy, BSC!

PICTURES, courtesy of Jenny Rose, Chapel Coordinator Extraordinare 2004.....whoo hoo!!!!

My God is Stronger

I know you think you can beat me
You watch me falter, you watch me squirm
You think your craftiness can take a hold of me
By stirring anger in my soul
and taking away what I foolishly thought mine

So do I have to remind you now
My God is stronger
He'll win the battle, I'll win the race
You may scorn and beat my Savior and me
But I still claim the prize

You thought you'd won when He hung on the tree
They watched Him sweat, they watched Him bleed
You never thought this Christ would rise again
To come and live inside my soul
He gives me a promise that He'll be back someday

So here I want to remind you now
My God is stronger
He'll win the battle, I'll win the race
You may scorn and beat my Savior and me
But I still claim the prize

I will be wise
I will be good
I will be innocent of evil
The enemy will be under my feet

I need my newspaper to be delievered to BSC

I think I just realized that I am addicted to news. Never really thought I was. I would just watch it on TV if I didn't want to watch anything else, read the paper because it was something to do on the bus, and check things online if there was a specific thing I wanted to read about. Well, I have only been here now for just over 24 hours. And I remembered how sheltered we can be. We just don't hear things that are going on in the world. I glanced just a couple of minutes ago at the channel 5 site and I couldn't believe all the news stories. Goodness gracious, I missed heavy rain and all of its effects. I don't think it rained at all here! I felt bad that I was not aware of what was going on. Anyway...
Today was great. I'm just glad that I can be here and focus on camp. I have found myself while sharing things with new counselors thinking, "hmmm...I want to be a counselor again!" We are still filling some holes on staff so that is kind of nerve-wracking but at the same time exciting, because we know God is going to take care of that.
I'm too tired to think of anything else coherent to write....sorry I can't get pics up yet...I don't have the digital yet.

"Holy, holy, holy"

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart. I want to see You....see You high and lifted up, shining in the light of Your glory. Pour out Your power and love as we sing, "holy, holy, holy". I want to see You
I'm going back up to camp in just a few minutes after I pull some clothes out of the drier, get some additional things packed up and take off. Wahoo! Just finished my last route of the year a half hour ago and that feels very good. Being a school bus driver is a stressful job. Especially for me lately. And I am glad to be done and to be able to focus on camp and not having to come home and get up early to go stress myself out. I actually had to have a little meeting with the managers about my channel 5 experience. Felt a little dumb, but at least it's kind of resolved and I'm not hiding it from them or anything. I talked to a lady at the school today and she told me that I was not the only one to get stopped by them that afternoon. One of their school vans got stopped and all of the kidss on the bus were flicking the guy off! I'm glad that didn't happen to me! I did apologize and stress with them that I really do drive the speed limit consistently and I really am praying that they don't put me on the air, cuz that would be BAD NEWS!
LEAVE ME COMMENTS!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!

New Links

I added some links at the bottom of the page. I wanted to put them on the side, but I just couldn't figure out how to do that. Oh well....so, check it out! :)

"I'm laying them down, for the JOY OF THE LORD"

Well, staff training started yesterday, they all showed up. It was a very fun day. And then I had to leave. I'm already getting tired of driving back and forth, and the summer hasn't even really started. It's been hard to be home today, working. I just want to be there. I don't want to miss out on getting to know the staff, being there when they learn things, being the one to teach them some things. I feel like I am skipping out on responsibilty, and that there they all are keeping busy, and I'm gone. Instead, I get up early, go to working a often time cranky job. Put up with loud kids (well, that part isn't different from summer camp!) I have to put up with this stinkin' HOT weather today (and I forgot to bring any shorts home from camp- managed to find one pair that are a little uncomfortable!). I had to sit in the drivers room with nothing to do or no one to talk to for 45 minutes because (I forgot that) I offered to help out and do some extra driving during the mid day. I thought I was going to have to sit there for a whole two hours, and I was NOT excited. Snake on the cell phone can just not amuse me for that long! I've just been kinda crabby today....
But let me just tell you...I got on the bus this morning, and as I was getting ready to drive away, I was thinking how crabby I was about being here, getting up early, and the hot weather, and at the same time, the song that I just had on in the car was going through my head..."I'm trading my sorrows....I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord!....HEllOOOO Sara!" Pleasant encouragement from the Lord #1. Number two came when I was assigned to go out on a quick run on the bus, and the aide who got sent with me was Max. I got to ride with Max earlier in the year when I was going to be driving her route for awhile. she is a wonderful older (50-something) Catholic Christian lady who I enjoyed spending time with then. Well, she asked me what my plans were for the summer, and I got to tell her all about camp. There are several people that I can't share much like that at work, but I enjoyed telling Max about my Bible camp! :)
As for now, I am going to get some lunch, and lay on the couch and watch TV!

Kirgiss Jerkish

You all have to let me know if you see me on channel 5. In fact, if you do, tape it because I won't be able to see it. The unthinkable, never want it to happen to you type of thing happened to me today. Not that I don't think it's fun to be on TV, but when it's mean news people exploiting people's lives because it is "what the community needs to know", "you hear it here first" type of thing that finds the good people and makes them look bad, it's not so fun. You could get me ranting and raving for a long time at how the news channels make a big deal out of school buese that speed. It has always angered me. But if you know me, not that any of you have ridden on my bus, but I take driving EXTREMELY seriously, carefully and LAWFULLY. Every single day I am out on the road, I am OUTRAGED at people's driving habits, especially speeds. I know I have not been the slowest driver in my car, but at this point, I have to slow down for danger of losing my license, and I DO NOT SPEED IN MY SCHOOL BUS!!!! I know others do everyday and it infuriates me. BUT....try this...drive exactly the speed limit on just about any MN road...especially the freeway...see how long you can do it. How many cars get irritated behind you? How many cars zoom by you 5, 10, 20 MPH faster than you? How do you feel? Like YOU are the HAZARD on the road? Can you actually maintain that speed when someone is on your tail and do you still feel so much slower even when you are 5 over? In White Bear by the school I drive to, there are two main roads that are 30MPH----that shouldn't be....they are rather regular roads and NO ONE (except me 90% of the time) drives that slow. Typically I may realize (when I am paying attention to a bazillion other things) that I have increased to 33-34, and I will gradually slow down. Well, today I got caught. On one side street there were two people standing on the road, one with a 35MM camera, one with a TV camera. I wondered, but didn't think much of it. Well, right by the corner by the school there were two more. I made my stop at the stop sign and I looked at them, well, the guy waved at me and smiled and motioned me to stop. I didn't see his microphone. I knew I recognzed his voice. (It was Ross Kirgiss.) It was horrible. The only smart thing I said was, "I do drive the speed limit consistently, I'm only a tiny bit over, if any." Grr....I could have so much more...but you know you never say how you feel when put on the spot like that. Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!! So, in case you can't tell, I am rather upset about this. Of course even if I were to say anything smart about the way I feel about them making us look bad when it is other drivers that are horrible.....I'll never actually get my point across and no one will care. I don't want to be on the news and make my company look bad....I really am the good driver amongst the many. AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BSC HERE I COME!!!!!!!!

Keeping up with the Jones's

News flash: You will indeed be updated on my life with digital photography because I am finally catching up with the era. I won an auction on E-Bay for a digital camera! Yea!!!!!
By the way, I leave officially for BSC on Friday afternoon. Staff training starts on Sunday! Wahoo!
If you read this, please start using the comments....they are too empty and it makes me feel like nobody reads or cares to say anything to me!
Peace out....I've been working on my t-shirt quilt and it's time to go to bed!