Let Your Light Shine

This summer, the theme for camps is "Light Up The Sky" so there was all kinds of fun stuff about light and fire and stars and candles everywhere. My "thing" is generally worship, which suits me. Even though my personal preference is not the "happy-clappy" style, there is a simple beauty to the innocence of summer camp worship that is always striking and moving and powerful to me. One of my jobs is working on the evening Vespers. My active, visible, role is kind of a comedic character that does a little bit of scientific teaching. I know it's hard to believe that I can pull off playing a nerd, but I do it quite well and have a blast with it. But underneath it all, there's still theology happening. It doesn't always come out in the way I might envision it, but it's always there and powerful and there are moments when I can see things clicking in these little heads.

My other big project for this summer was working on the communion service, in particular doing the altar. I had the freedom to just kind of take off and run with all these ideas and materials that I had and it was amazing. I spent the majority of the day of the communion service locked away in the auditorium working on it. And while it doesn't seem like setting a table would be an all-day affair, it was more than simply doing a job. This was a holy moment for me. I turned on my favorite album of hymns being played on the piano (The Living Room Sessions by Chris Rice in case you're interested) and I was just praying as I went and as I worked. I could feel the Holy Spirit in that place in a way that I don't often feel it anymore. I could feel it working in me and through me and it was absolutely beyond words. When I had done everything I could do, I took a step back and was absolutely in awe of what had happened in that place.

I've thought about it before, but worship planning and design really and truly is something that suits me. This is a part of my light, and I'm so incredibly thankful for things like this that give me the chance to let it shine. I really do feel so incredibly fulfilled when I have the chance to be creative in that way. I don't know of other ways/places I could work this into my life, but I know that when the chance comes I'm not going to pass it up!

Rest and Vision

It's almost time for summer camp!! Who is excited? THIS GIRL!

I have had a complicated relationship with my beloved Camp Sumatanga throughout my life, particularly related to summer camping. It was an amazing place full of amazing people that I credit in large part for helping me become the person I am today. But I was a relatively late-comer to the camp world, not until I was a sophomore in high school. I dove in head first and soaked up everything I could, serving any way I could. But there was a part of me that always felt like I was an outsider. Even now, there is a group of folks that I generally went to camp with that get together regularly. I love them all and think of them all fondly, but I am not a part of their group. Yes, it still hurts. Yes, it will probably always hurt.

After I graduated from high school I decided it was time to take a step back from camp for a while. Something just didn't feel right about it anymore. It didn't fit the way it once had. I knew I was trying too hard to make myself squeeze into a place that I would never fit and it was better for everyone if I backed off. Life happened and I got busy and I stayed away for about 7 years. I still have a hard time wrapping my brain around the idea that not only could I be involved in something for seven years, I could be AWAY from being involved in something for seven years and have returned! My return was generally thanks to a wonderful saint named Allison who somehow never forgot about me and saw something in me and wanted me to be a part of her camping magic that she always works.

Coming back, everything suddenly fit. I had a place. I had people. I know that a part of that was my own personal growth that had taken place (and has continued to take place over the past several years). I felt like I was a part of something that mattered. I was able to connect - with God, with people, with myself. It really was a homecoming in the best sense of the word. 

I'm sure I've said it before but I'll say it again because it matters. The name "Sumatanga" means "a place of rest and vision." While you are working on summer camp, those concepts seem a bit elusive. But it is a kind of rest from the things and stress of the world and allowing yourself to simply be and take the things of the day as they come. The vision is definitely there, but it is something that you have to be open to seeing in fleeting glimpses. I definitely see moments where the Kingdom is right there in that place. I see moments where I know who I am and why I am doing what I'm doing. I even see hope and peace and joy and love and all these other amazing things that are so much harder to see in "real life" and thus reminding myself what it means to look for them. The REAL rest and often times the understanding of the vision comes later, but without this time and place couldn't come at all. Let me tell you, there is NOTHING like the sleep you get the night you come home and crash into your own bed after an amazing but exhausting week! 

I need the rest. I need the vision. I need the excitement and exhaustion and sunburn and chiggers and laughter and sweat and tears and hugs and everything else that comes with a week at camp. I need to be reminded of who I am and whose I am. And so I will joyfully return...

Goodbye July!

I can't believe July is already over (or will be at midnight tonight!) Yikes! It's a little bit crazy.

Residency is continuing to go well. I'm doing an ethics presentation this week on Pediatric Consent/Assent/Dissent. I'm pretty excited. I think I've outdone myself this time! Next week I'm doing another one on a book called "When Parents Say No" about refusing treatment on the basis of religious convictions. I'm pretty stoked.

Jeff still hasn't found a permanent job. There's a chance he could go back to Nafco for a little while, so that'll be nice. I know he enjoys working with them. Heck, he enjoys working period. I totally understand it!

We have been enjoying being crafty lately. Jeff built me a beautiful workbench as an early birthday gift and as a result I have moved into the garage. It's actually quite a nice work space. I spent several hours down there today. Now if I could just find a stool with wheels on it I'd be set. I've been working on flowers for hair clips. I didn't intend to do as many as I have, but you know how I get when I'm on a roll. I made about 50 today. I should put the finishing touches on several tomorrow. Jeff has a project of his own that he's working on, but I'll wait a while before I tell you about that!

There really isn't a whole heck of a lot that's been happening, but it's quite nice. I like having life settling into a routine. Too bad it's all going to get shaken up again before too long!

Homemade Ice Cream

Jeff and I have a new hobby this summer. Actually, "obsession" is probably a more appropriate term. Homemade ice cream. It's no secret that I love ice cream anyway, but homemade ice cream is just that much more fantastic. We have been using my mom's ice cream recipe that I think originally came from Southern Living magazine. This is the perfect size recipe for a standard ice cream freezer. If you have a small one (like the KitchenAid attachment I covet) you'll probably have to adjust this accordingly.

4 eggs

1/2 gallon whole milk

1 pint heavy cream

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup sugar

1 small box instant pudding mix

1 tsp. vanilla, optional

Basically, just mix everything together, put it in the freezer, and let it do its thing. Jeff prefers it if it's had time to harden overnight. I like it to firm up a little, but I will happily eat it straight out of the freezer.

The best part about this recipe is how easy it is to change it up. Vanilla is the obvious choice, but you can quickly and easily change your flavor by changing the pudding flavor you use. Our most recent batch was chocolate, and we have a box of cheesecake flavored pudding we want to try next because cheesecake ice cream is my new obsession. Other obvious choices are whatever fruits you have available. I'm thinking the next time I make chocolate I'll throw a little mint extract in instead of the vanilla. That should keep jeff out of it for a while and make for some very tasty milkshakes.

Give it a try. You won't be disappointed!

Making a Splash

Today I decided to go for a little adventure and check out the Helena Market Days! It was very small, maybe 10 or 12 vendors, but everything was really nice. I was surprised that, in addition to the fresh produce, there was other stuff like soap, herbed vinegars, goat cheese, and quilted wine carriers! Next week I'll be getting several things. The cooking demo was fun, although I was less than impressed today because all they did was bruschetta! Oh well, I'll be back next week!

While I was there, I ran into a friend with his two boys. The boys had been asking to play in the creek, so they came prepared today with swimsuits and towels. Well, after a little while, one of the boys wanted his daddy to get in with him, but he couldn't because he had a bandage on his foot that he didn't want to get wet so I said I would go with him. The water only came to my knees and I had shorts on, so it wasn't that big a deal until he wanted to get a little closer to the waterfall.

Just in case you're wondering, the rocks get quite slippery and some of them are pretty steep. Needless to say I landed rather un-gracefully on my rear end in the creek. Fortunately I had a wonderful time splashing and playing so it was totally worth having a wet rear end! Note to self- next time wear the workout shorts!

Seriously though, if you are in the area and looking for something to do on a Saturday morning, I highly recommend it! It'll keep going all summer!

Hydration

This post brought to you by Nurse Buck and my week at camp. I have other fun hydration/dehydration facts, but I'll save them for later. Print out a copy of the chart and hang it in your bathroom! I've gotten so used to seeing it that now my bathroom feels like it's missing something!

Friday Five - Summertime

Today's Friday Five invited everyone to post a list of five things you love (or don't love) about summer. I've already posted a few things I love about summer, so let me post a few things I don't love about summer

1. Chiggers - I absolutely love summer camp (and I will be posting lots about camp) but I don't love chiggers. I don't think I got too many chigger bites this time around, but the summer is still young...

2. Humidity - I love sunshine but I don't love the heat and humidity of summer in the south. It even makes it hard to breathe! I definitely don't like going out in that mess!

3. Crowds - I love kids, but I hate that so many parents can't control them. And when kids are out of school for the summer, life gets a little crazy and it makes me cranky.

4. Pests - snakes, mice, skunks, any of them. I don't like them at all!

5. Sunburns - I don't get burned as often as I once did, but it still does happen on occasion and I am not a fan!

So is there anything that you don't like about the summer time?

Splash!

Jeff and I got ourselves a new toy the other day. I know we probably don't need to be buying stuff like this, especially with him out of work, but we needed a little something and this was perfect.

We got a pool! It's nothing terribly fancy, it's just 15 feet in diameter and about 4 feet deep. We got it set up and have really enjoyed it. We got a little underwater light and are continuing to work on the little corner of the yard where it is tucked. The next projects include mounting citronella torches on the fence posts, finding a radio to stick under the deck, and I need to find the perfect float.

I always hated the idea of an above-ground pool when I was a kid. I know this is mean and stereotypical, but I just always had images of them set up outside of double-wides! I refused to have anything like that in my yard! But then my step-mom got one and I've seen lots of them done well, and Jeff started looking at me with the big puppy dog eyes when he found them on sale and I couldn't help it. It's a million degrees outside, I need a little something! I figure the more time we spend out in the pool the less time I'll spend inside and so the less we'll have to run the AC!

It really is perfect because it's just the right size that you can get a few people in comfortably, and it's deep enough that I can float without my feet touching or my rear end scraping the bottom!

We're going to have Jeff's mom and step-dad over for his step-dad's birthday, so we are giving him a hard time about his pool party! We'll probably just cook out, but I imagine we will spend a little time in the pool before and/or after dinner!

So come on over! The water's fine!

My Favorite Things - p.21

Memorial Day has come and summer is now officially here in all its sweltering glory. Sadly, a bit of the appeal of summer has gone far away now that I don't get a much-anticipated break. Still, there are some good things about this time of year. Despite the fact that I will be perpetually sticky and exhausted for the next several months, these are a few of my favorite things about my months on the surface of the sun!

Sweet Tea - I am always up for a glass of sweet tea, especially fruit teas, but there's something about enjoying it in the middle of summer that makes it that much better! The same is also true of lemonade!

Peach Park - Stopping at Peach Park in Clanton was always a part of our family trips to anywhere south of Birmingham during the summer months. We would walk around, hang out in the rocking chairs, and of course get some ice cream and fruit cobbler. I still love the smell of fresh peaches as it mingles with car exhaust!

Lightning Bugs - Watching lightning bugs remind me of the magic of summer vacation when I was in elementary school, and the joy and laughter of cookouts with friends. Even now, I love to sit on the porch, watch them light up the night, and try to guess where they are going to be next. So much fun!

Watermelon - Watermelon is one of those things that I absolutely love, but only when it's like a thousand degrees outside and it's really fresh and juicy. I don't like watermelon flavored stuff, just beautiful fresh watermelon with juice that runs down your elbows! And no, you can't eat it with a fork. That's totally cheating!

What are some of the things that you love about summer?

Splish Splash

Today Jeff and I went over to his grandmother's to open up their pool for the summer. Normally this would have been done several weeks ago, but other projects have been higher on the priority list.

I really didn't think it was going to be that hard a job or that much work. Jeff has done it on his own for several years now. He had already done the major work of getting the house ready, so as it was described to me, it would mean removing the cover and adding the chemicals to get everything ready. Well, that was a big part of it, but certainly not all.

Part of the trouble started in the removing of the cover. It was covered with water and leaves and whatnot. Jeff removed all the blocks and everything else holding it in place and put the pump on it to pump off all the water. We could pick it up with the leaves and debris and just drag it to the side. Well, the weight of the water and the weight of the pump pulled it just far enough down that it got a lot more water on top. It wasn't going to all get pumped out, so we had to dump it all in the pool. This added to our work.

We had to run the vacuum to try and get lots of the mess out, skim off the big stuff at the top we could see, and collect a sample of the water to take to the pool supply place to be tested so we'd know what chemicals we needed and how much. I helped with all of this. We also had to wash the cover and fold it, scrub the muck off the sides, and power-wash the patio. I didn't help with any of that. Jeff took care of the chemical stuff, but I did help with the adding of baking soda. I felt kind of silly ripping into boxes of arm & hammer and dumping them into the pool, but it works!

There's still more to be done, but it's looking lots better. The water will be ready to dive into soon enough. One of my favorite "routines" last summer was that every couple of weeks we would pack up our stuff and the dogs and head over there. We'd stop at Whataburger for lunch, then spend the afternoon at the pool. I'm looking forward to more of that this summer. I guess because that is the majority of the times I have eaten Whataburger, but I always associate it with going swimming over there. I know, I'm a little bit nuts.

I have a new-found appreciation for what it takes to maintain a pool and totally understand why my dad never wanted one while we were growing up. I also understand why my step-mom now pays people to open and close her pool for her every year! I'd definitely lean towards door number two if I could! Then again, maybe I'll just stick to a hot tub!

Food and Wine Classic

I never even knew there was such a thing as the Food and Wine Classic until I started watching Top Chef. I have fallen in love with Top Chef so I have gotten curious about the Food and Wine Classic. 

I don't necessarily claim to be a "foodie" because I am a picky eater. And I love junk food and certain classic comfort foods that are certainly NOT gourmet. But I have had a few chances to experience really GOOD food, and I really enjoy it when I can get it. 

I started thinking about it and looking into it. It looks like it would be an AMAZING vacation. I would love to visit Colorado, but I'm not a skiier so summer would definitely be the best time to go. The tickets are SUPER expensive - even the basic ones are over $1000, and it's only a weekend. But you do get 7 seminars, 5 tastings, and a million exhibits and the chance to be in the presence of culinary genius. Then there is the option of the "green pass" which is basically a VIP pass, and gives you a lot of other benefits including "free" gifts, tickets to several special dinners, and $1000 of the $3100 cost is donated to a charity. Part of me would like to do that, even though it would cost me an arm and a leg and I probably wouldn't like a lot the food at the dinners! And really, are the gifts worth that much more that I would be paying? I really doubt it. At the same time, getting the VIP seats at the seminars and all of that would be FANTASTIC and probably well worth it in my book. 

I'll keep dreaming about it. Maybe one of these days I will make it out there! If you want to go with me in maybe 2011 start saving now and let me know!

Swimming

When I was a kid, swimming was probably my all-time favorite summer time activity. It ranked right up there with sleeping late, watching tv all day, and eating whatever we wanted for lunch. But in recent years, I have discovered that swimming just doesn't hold all that much appeal to me. I'd much rather sit in the shade with a book or just relax in a hot tub (if it is available). 

Maybe it is just a grown up thing. But diving for toys or change and doing handstands and giving piggy back rides just doesn't entertain me for hours the way it used to. I'd much rather hang out and float or just sit with my feet in the water. I used to want to go swimming every day, sometimes multiple times a day. Now, about twice a year does me just fine! I'm also kind of funny about the fact that I am no longer content to throw dry clothes over a wet suit or ride home squishy. So I like to get out a while before it's time to go home so I can dry off. 

Jeff is practically my opposite. He can't get enough of swimming and gets really funny when I don't want to go with him or if I walk down but don't want to get in. Maybe it is just because he got so used to going swimming all the time when he was younger and it never really stopped. I don't know. 

I got two new bathing suits this week. I haven't had new suits in three years, and the old ones clearly don't fit anymore, but as often as I go swimming, I make it work. I figured that, since we are going to Discovery Cove again in November and because Jeff is taking me swimming more now, I should get them. I didn't spend nearly as much as I normally would but am happy with what I got. And now that I have suits that are comfortable and fit right, I actually feel a little more willing to go swimming more often.

Now if I could just get one of those floats with an umbrella on it ...