Contented Longing

I titled this entry "contented longing" because this was the week we were to have gone to family camp. This was a week that I had been waiting and longing for for over 10 years. However, we are not at camp this week. As I mentioned before, we canceled our vacation in order to save for a new roof. And, while I am missing out on a great week at family camp, I am fully enjoying a stay-cation at home. I have chosen to rejoice in the fun times with the kids here in Wisconsin and to enjoy every moment. I'm working hard and accomplishing things that have been on my to-do list for far too long. I'm enjoying my children and my husband and relishing experiences that we wouldn't normally have time to try.

But, since this was supposed to be our time at Lakeside, I have found myself often thinking of fond memories from my years there. So, I am dedicating this blog to the many, many (really too many to count) wonderful memories from my summers at LCC. And since I don't want to go through the effort of dredging up pictures from my early childhood years, I'll just include some here from the years I worked on staff.

Here's a smattering of my favorites:
Mud Diving

The two friends who grew up at camp with me and who I had hoped to spend time with this week:


Counselor Hunt!

Staff Bonding through Funk Bowling, hiking, camping, Ben and Jerry's, lakings and other such nonsense! :)

The July 4th Parade that we snuck into year after year:

Weekly, outrageous skits

Craft Shack Craziness

Getting to know a cabin full of girls each week through their silliness and questions. And especially leading devotions with them and witnessing the birth of new life.

And of course, this wouldn't be complete without a picture that captures the peace of Lakeside. It is still a place I consider home.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Tonight marks the first night of our second week of vacation. We spent our first week traveling to see family and celebrating my brother's wedding. More on that to come later.

But tonight we began our second week which is a week at home to save money for our new roof. To make it more than just a "stay at home and get as much work done as you can" week, we've planned several fun activities. Our first was to go to a minor league baseball game.

This evening we headed out to watch the Beloit Snappers take on a team from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Now, here's the awesome part: We found a great deal that allowed us to pay $11 per ticket and with each ticket we received a hot dog, large drink, box of popcorn and a great quality baseball cap.

Not only that, but because we arrived early, we were signed up for our three oldest to participate in some of the games out on the field between innings. Between them, they not only had tons of fun, but also won 4 free tickets to another game!


Plus we also won a free car wash. Since Gabe wasn't able to go out on the field, we made sure that he got a little alone time with Snappy the Turtle.


Part of the fun of this night was that the game was pretty sparsely attended - which allowed our kids to romp and play as needed. And as I watched my kids enjoying the game, I realized that the trip to this game of a sport I really don't care for was well worth my time and money. Oh, and did I mention that I got to sit next to Josh the whole time? Sappy, I know, but it's the little things in life, right?


After we left the game, we decided to stop for a dessert of candy bars at the local gas station. Once each child had chosen their preferred treat, we bounded over to the counter to pay. The gas station attendant looked at me and said, "Are you really going to give your kids candy just before bed? You must be crazy!" And I thought to myself, "Yes, I may be crazy. But the squeals of joy and the shouts of delight are well worth my moments of insanity."

And so begins our vacation!

Eyes to See

Tonight I am thankful for my eyes. Because I got to see some pretty cool stuff.

We decided that since tonight marked the beginning of a two week vacation from school, we should go out for a special dinner. Well, that and it was raining, so the planned grilling wasn't going to work. After several minutes of waffling back and forth, we finally decided on the Quaker Steak and Lube. Let me tell ya ... if you have one of these restaurants near you and haven't yet been, you are MISSING OUT!! Josh and I began going to the Lube when we were dating in Pennsylvania and were so excited to find one nearby here in Wisconsin.

The Lube is a special place because it not only has awesome wings and ribs, but it also has cars and motorcycles hanging from the ceiling and the kids meals come in little cardboard cars that they can then take home. It is the perfect place for a fun family dinner.

Tonight at the Lube, my heart swelled with pride as we ate. For the very first time, Josh ordered a bucket of wings to share with his son. It's the first time one of the kids has wanted an adult meal at a restaurant - and something that Dad would like to eat as well! So, here's the scene that I watched as we all enjoyed our food:

On the way home from that wonderful dining experience, we witnessed some of God's incredible handiwork. As we drove through the pouring rain, we witnessed this beautiful sight.

If you look closely, you can see that it's actually a double rainbow! And this was no ordinary rainbow. Not only was it a double, but it also stretched completely across the sky so that we could see both sides and the top arch. Incredible!

As we looked behind us to see the sunset, we were astounded to see this gorgeous view!

This picture really doesn't do it justice, but the sky was a bright gold (in the midst of the rain, don't forget) with flecks of orange. One of the most breath-taking sunsets I've seen in recent years. (And we see them every day from our back deck.)

So tonight, I'm thanking God for the gift of sight. Because without these eyes - and especially without my trusty glasses - I wouldn't have seen these views. If you haven't been noticing the splendor around you, open your eyes! It would be a shame to miss sights such as these.

{Sorry for the quality of the pictures. These were taken with our phones.}

An interesting to-do

I had an odd thing happen today. I was driving to a neighboring town to do some shopping and to stop at the library. As I got off the main highway and headed toward the library, I realized that a cop was following me. At least I thought it was a cop. The car was unmarked, but to be safe, I drove very carefully and with the speed limit.

Just as I pulled into the downtown area the police man put on his lights and pulled me over! I couldn't imagine what I had been doing wrong, but I slowly pulled to the curb and began getting out my license as I waited for him to approach my car. It seemed to take FOREVER for him to finally get to my window and during that excruciating wait I catalogued every reason I could think of for why he might have pulled me over.

When he got to my window, he said, "Ma'am, have you been driving from Evansville?" Why yes, I had been! What does that have to do with anything?! Then he said the most ridiculous thing. He told me that someone had phoned in about a light brown car that was driving erratically. I couldn't imagine why someone would call in about my driving, but I just listened as he continued. "The driver of the car passed another car and then went into the ditch. Was that you?"

Well, goodness. First of all, if I had driven into a ditch, I wouldn't be all the way into the other town. I'd either be still sitting in the ditch waiting for Josh to come and get me, or if I had gotten out on my own, I would have driven home, shaking all the way! But of course, I didn't launch into this explanation to the policeman. All I said was, "I didn't pass anyone on the way here."

That seemed good enough for him. He said that he'd been watching my driving for some time and didn't feel that anything was wrong with me (thanks for the vote of confidence) and that my license plate didn't actually match the one that was called in anyway (so why pull me over in the first place?). So, after wishing me a good day, he strode back to his car and I took off.

I couldn't remember if you are supposed to let the cop pull out first or if you can go ahead and leave. Either way, I left first and was then left kicking myself because it caused him to once again be following me. Needless to say I rid myself of him as soon as I could!

The Ants Come Marching ...

Yuck. It has happened again. The ants have found our kitchen.

This time I think they were driven in by all the rain we've been getting. But who am I kidding? They find us every summer. And it's always the same. They begin on the kitchen floor, then spread to the counters, then move to other parts of the house despite our spraying in and around the house. It's the itty bitty, teeny weeny ants that you can hardly see and that leave you feeling like they are all over you. Blech!

I really hate this particular part of summer. And to tell you the truth, I've been dreading it for several weeks now. Knowing it was coming, but not knowing when.

But, I'm trying to find a bright side, and I think I finally have. The bright side is that I'm in the house all the time. The ants may be here for a bit. And yes, they are ridiculously annoying. But, I only have to deal with the bugs for a short time each year. Otherwise, aside from an occasional spider, I have a relatively bug-free home. What a wonderful thing!

I really, really don't like bugs, so this is something that I need to take a moment and give thanks for. I don't live outside, I don't have dirt floors or dirt walls. I don't have critters vying for my bed each night.

We've been reading the Little House on the Prarie books and I love how Laura describes her life in such detail. But she leaves out something that my imagination cannot let go of ... the bugs. I'm sure that in their little house or when they slept in the wagon there were bugs everywhere! I actually think about that as I read the book! And here I am complaining about a few little ants that will eventually be gone - hopefully soon.

So, I'm choosing to thank God for our wonderful house, our shelter from the rain, the wind and the bugs. And even when I have to kill the 197th ant, I will again remind myself to be thankful.