MarytheKaytheBlog

Just show up, and do the next right thing

Today's post is in honor of some of my dear friends who have battled some nasty monsters in some scary battles.  One friend in particular is in the middle of a battle right now.  I cannot tell you how MUCH I admire these dear people.  These weary warriors, who bravely get up day after day to face a new day.

You know what, though?  We all have our own battles, our own private wars we wage.  Some of our battles are out in the open, with lots of spectators.  Others of us like to battle in private, silently, and putting a bland smile on our faces instead.

Whether you find yourself in a battle today or not, I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch this video.  Glennon Doyle writes the refreshingly honest and hilariously funny blog Momastery.  She also has written a book that sits on my nightstand that I've underlined something on nearly every single page--Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed.  

Please join me in encouraging all the warriors around us.  We're all in this world together--let's all show up and be honest, together.

 

 What battles are you facing today?  What encourages you most when you're in the middle of a nasty battle?

Memorial Day: Grateful, so Grateful for my Freedom

Today, I am keenly aware that because of this

 

and men like this

 

and men and women like this

 

and men and women who do this

Because of all of these things, I am GRATEFUL today...and every day...

 Because of these things, our family proudly flies this on our house 365 days a year 

Today, before I grill, before I picnic, before I enjoy time with friends...I want to spend some time PRAYING for the men and women who give their lives to protect our country.  Without them, my life sure would look a lot different.  I really don't take that for granted.

 Please join me in praying for them.  Let's also not forget all the families and loved ones they leave behind.  Their gift to our country is every bit as great as the men and women overseas.  I'm praying for them today, too.

 IMPORTANT NOTE:  If you have a family member or friend who is currently fighting for my freedom, I would LOVE IT if you would mention that person BY NAME in the Comments.  I would be HONORED to pray for your loved one by name today...Thank you.

Thank you. 

And God bless America!!

 

*(Reposted from Memorial Day, 2011)

Behind the Scenes of a Family Photo Shoot

Every summer, our camp photographer takes pictures of each director family--for posting in the camp offices, as well as for future publications.

This summer, the mama in one of these families had the brilliant idea to take an action shot.  She thought it would be great to have a picture our her family enjoying one of the camp activities.  Thankfully, she has a fun family, and they agreed to her--potentially crazy--idea.

 

(...If you don't know what a Blob is, I'll show you.  

Click here to see it in action!

It's a giant air-filled "pillow" floating on the water.  Kids jump off a high dive platform onto it--trying their very best to stay on the longest...and not get "blobbed" off...otherwise known as catapulted into the air, legs and arms flying, and into the water below.

Note the poor camper above...flying through the air, and getting "blobbed" off!)

And now that we all know the very precarious, death water-defying challenge we faced,  I present to you--never before shown footage--of the old man and the old lady trying to get off the Blob...without falling into the water.

Do they fall in?

Stay tuned, and find out!

(*insert suspenseful music here*)

*Billy George--we're talking to YOU*

And THAT'S how it's done, people!!

Nobody fell in; therefore, nobody got mad at the crazy mama's crazy idea!

Most important of all--no embarassing pictures.

(Okay, I guess that part's debatable...)

 

*All of the family photos are by the talented Kamp Photog and family friend, Billy George.  Thanks, BG!!!

Which one are you? Dry grass, or bright green?

I actually posted this back in August 2010, but I have thought a lot about it since then.  Especially this summer, on those unbearably hot days, and when our grass and bushes were withering and dying from lack of water...  

----------

The other day, something in my yard made me stop in my tracks.  The sight of it was a word picture, that I instantly understood.  I don't know if it was a divine whispering, or if my heart just needed to understand the implications. 

Either way, it doesn't matter.  I've been thinking about it ever since.

The thing I saw in our yard wasn't anything out of the ordinary--apart from the way it grabbed my attention.  It was a sprinkler, spraying water onto dry grass.

Up close, I might not have even noticed anything particular...

But, from a distance, it struck me right away: That after this summer, I feel like the brown, dry grass.  And what I want is to feel renewed and refreshed like the light green grass.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, 
   which yields its fruit in season 
   and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

                    - Psalm 1:3

 I understand that this summer was crazy and stressful for more than one reason.  But, if I were to be honest with you, I bet it could have been less stressful if I had been planted closer to the streams of water.

 Like the brown grass in the picture above, I was close to the streams of water--I work at a Christian summer camp.  I saw the streams of water refreshing those around me.  I saw the streams of water changing lives around me.  But, in the midst of all of the refreshment around me, I allowed my own soil to dry and crackle.

 

It's time I planted myself back beside the streams of water.  Spending more time reading God's Word, nourishing my soul with the Living Water.  Hearing God's Word, and letting it sink down deep.  Allowing my heart to be softened by the water, changed by the water--and not closed up, resisting change with a closed heart.

 

Ah, cool, refreshing, life-giving Water, please rain down upon my dry and thirsty soul.  Amen.

How's your yard looking lately?

Welcome home...Cap'n Crunch! We really missed you...a bunch!!

Does anybody remember this commercial jingle from the 1980's?

I guess I've been in a singing mood these past 2 days.  But, can ya blame me?  I packed up summer camp, and have MOVED HOME!!!

(Can I get a "Hip hip hooray?")

In case you're wondering what a home looks like after living at summer camp for 3 months, here is a leetle beety peek...

 Oh, how I love laundry baskets and bins for moving.  Don't you?

 See those pink bins on the far left?  I've now had those for 12 summers.  They guard and protect...my unmentionables.  (Name that show)

Oh, and while we're name-dropping, let's go ahead and talk about that hot pink Vera Bradley duffel bag.  L-o-v-e.

Oh look--a mountainous mountain of dirty laundry.  And at least 3 t.v. shows' worth of folding.  Am I right?

If you need me in the next couple of days, you can find me:

a)  In the bed

b)  In front of the washer and dryer

c)  Lying on the couch watching t.v. and eating bon bons

d)  All of the above

What will you be doing in the next few days?

Camp's...Out...For...Winter!

In lieu of writing a blog post today, I played a little hooky.

You see--summer camp is over, and some of the staff I've worked alongside all summer is still here at camp with me, cleaning and putting away camp for the winter.  Tonight may be one of my FAVORITE nights all summer!

Here's why:

The last few of us left at camp shared a wonderful meal together, prepared by the talented, and ever-serving Josh.

Would you LOOK how Josh spoiled us!

 

Next, we headed out for an impromptu evening of swimming
There was lots of grinning and giggling...

And some hanging out

And a whole lot of sliding

And more giggling

And lots of splashing

And some yelling, and giggling, and snuggling...

It was a good, good night.

Goodnight, summer.

Goodnight, camp.

An Anniversary Surprise

 I don't know about you, but sometimes as a parent I can get pretty discouraged.  I guess I forget, and sometimes expect perfection out of myself, and my kids...  But, every-once-in-a-blue-moon, my kids do something that just blow me away.

This weekend, on my husband's and my 21st wedding anniversary, that very thing happened:  Our daughters blew. us. away.

They had been planning for a whole month to pull off a surprise dinner and evening for us.  

And I will NEVER forget it.  It was amazing.

Rebecca had asked us early in the week to save Friday night for a family night.  At that point, I figured they had something up their sleeves, but I didn't let on.  All afternoon on Friday, Rebecca and Sara Beth were running around and being secretive. Finally, at 5:00, Rebecca called our office, and asked Dave and me to dress casually, and be ready in 15 minutes.

She picked us up in a golf cart, and drove us to a secret location at our summer camp.

She dropped us off at the back side of our golf course driving range, where we saw little signs, leading up to the driving range.

Each of the signs had little messages about our family--our honeymoon location, our birthdays, and "Happy Anniversary" messages.

How sweet that both girls had dressed up for the occasion!  AND they wore make-up (of course!)

Sara Beth led us through the path, and actually LET me take her picture at each sign!  Notice that each sign is taped to an arrow, pushed into the ground.

Seeing how excited and proud our daughters were made the surprise 1,000 times even sweeter. 

I have NEVER been more proud of our girls than I was in this moment.

And here we are at the end of our sign trail.  21 years has been a long, and not always easy journey, but I think I'll stick with this guy.  I wouldn't want to travel this path with anyone else!

Waiting at the end of the sign trail was a little table--all set with dishes, glasses, and even candles from home.  Seriously--have you ever seen anything SO THOUGHTFUL?!!

(I was especially impressed that Sara Beth set the table perfectly correct--which she said she learned at her etiquette class earlier this summer!  Score!)

I don't know if you can tell how bright these pictures are, but I should tell you that Friday, the temperature was in the 100s.  Our sweet girls were POURING in sweat from all their running around and setting up.  (It was so hot that I had to take off my dangly metal earrings, because they were burning my neck.)  We all were pretty hot sitting here, but it sure was a pretty view there on the golf course.

The girls even served our meal on silver platters!  Their grins and their excitement just melted this mama's heart.

They served fresh fruit and bread for appetizers, spaghetti with marinara for the main course, and chocolate chip cookies and milk afterwards in our (air conditioned!!) cabin.

This anniversary is one that I will never ever forget.  I will still be treasuring the memories of that evening, and the sheer thoughtfulness of our daughters, when I am old and grey.  

What's your most recent happy surprise?

True Confessions

I thought it would be fun today to share some of my deepest, darkest secrets.

 Or maybe...share some totally unnecessary information about myself with you.

Either way--here they are!

Confessions...

1.  I know this will shock your socks off, but I like McDonald's $1 Cokes better than Sonic's.

2.  Speaking of Cokes, I bet I would lose 10 lbs. just if I stopped drinking Cokes.

3.  But I'm not ready to give them up.

4.  This heat is killing me.  I didn't run for a whole week last week, and I didn't even feel that guilty.

5.  Somewhere between home and summer camp, I lost some undies, and was completely out of clean ones last Friday morning.  I ended up "recycling" the day before's pair by the little turn 'em inside out trick.  And then raced to the laundry facility at camp to start a load of whites.  Is that TMI?  Anyone else ever done this trick?  Come on--be honest!

6.  By this time every summer, I am kind of ready to be back in my own home.  I am pretty much running out of friendly.  And patience.  And also I am kind of done with eating a nice, hot lunch in a 100-degree dining hall that is blasting rap music.  Oops, did I mention I was running out of friendly?  'Cause that all sounds pretty cranky, doesn't it?  In spite of those negative comments, I should tell you that I LOVE our staff this year.  I'm not ready for that part to be over.

7.  I am doing a very fun surprise for one of my daughters this week, and I can HARDLY WAIT to tell her!!!!  In fact, I could very easily save the surprise for next week--but am doing it this week because I can't wait ANY LONGER!!! (Yeah yeah, I'll tell ya'll about it soon!)

8.  I haven't even BOUGHT one piece of curriculum for my homeschooled 2nd grader yet.  Aahhhhh!!!  This summer has just been BUSY, and I haven't had time to research.  If any of you know good curriculum for a sweet little girl just getting over eye tracking issues (and possibly either dyslexia or processing issues), I would sure appreciate any suggestions!  She struggles a lot with spelling and handwriting.

9.  I really love popsicles.  The fresh fruit kind, and even the red, orange, or purple Twin Pops.  Summer=popsicles.

10.  The Hollywood Housewife was in our little town recently, and I got to have dinner with her and her sister.  It was 3 solid hours of talking, giggling, and "NO WAY'S!!!"  Have I told ya'll how much I love Hollywod Housewife?  Seriously, not only is she an amazing writer, but she is good people.  Hearing her talk about the Blissdom Conference has convinced me that I need to go in 2013!  Anybody want to go with me?  This year it's in Dallas!

11.  I know, I know--I never finished our Summer Camp Love Story last summer.  It has been my goal all year to finish up for our anniversary this summer...but I'm running out of time. It's just that I've gotten to the more difficult part of the story.  In fact, I could probably write a whole story about WHY it's been difficult to finish writing this part of the story.  But, maybe I should just focus my time on FINISHING the dang story, right?

What would YOU like to confess today??

Sometimes, the answer really is...obvious

Hanging out with my family on the boat the other day, I was reminded of a parenting truth I had to learn the hard way...

Even though kids don't come with instruction manuals (dangit), sometimes the answer is obvious.

Here's how I first learned this truth...the hard way...

 

Several years ago, when our youngest was about 2-years-old, there were several nights in a row that she was scared at bedtime.  Well, to be completely honest, we weren't sure if she was really scared--or if she had just figured out a new bedtime-postponing tactic.  She's a smart one, she is.  However, since we'd just moved out to our camp cabin for the summer, we figured she was having a difficult time adjusting to a new sleeping environment.

Because, over and over again at bedtime, she kept looking over at her bookshelf area, and saying, "No wike scawy eyes!  Scawy eyes mean!"

We'd take turns consoling her, holding her and telling her in a reassuring voice, "Sweetie, there are no scary eyes looking at you.  There's nothing scary in your room.  You are safe here with Mommy and Daddy.  Now, lie back down and go to sleep."  We'd go to that corner of the room and show her every stuffed animal that was in her toy box, and show her that it had sweet eyes.  We'd reassure her until we were exhausted.

But, this is our child who doesn't give up easily.  And that's putting it mildly.

So, for several nights, for a LONG time each night, we would reassure her that there was NOTHING scary in her room.

 And, still, she would look towards the bookshelves and tell us emphatically, "NO. WIKE. SCAWY. EYES."

I think in her limited 2-year-old language she was trying to say, "Hey, people: LISTEN TO ME.  I AM TELLING YOU THERE ARE SCARY EYES LOOKING AT ME THAT I DO NOT LIKE.  YOU ARE THE ADULTS--PLEASE TAKE CARE OF IT.  And also, I'd like some more candy from the snack jar, please."

Finally, after exhausting EVERY reassuring phrase I could possibly think of, I picked up my child, carried her across the room and flipped on the light.  Standing near the bookshelf, I said (umm, maybe in a slightly exasperated voice) "WHERE are the scary eyes, Sara Beth?  POINT to what you are talking about!"

And that sweet baby girl pointed towards the top shelf of the bookshelf--way up near the ceiling where her daddy stores some extra summer camp supplies.  

And guess what?  There were a stack of rolled up orange boat flags, with just the corner of one hanging down a little bit.  All that was really showing was the corner of the flag...with the company's logo...

Here--I'll show you:

Oh.  My.  Wow.  My sweet baby girl was right.  There WERE scawy eyes looking down at her each night.

My precious little girl had TRIED to tell me each night that she was scared of the creepy little logo man peering down at her.  And her DUMB MOM kept telling her over and over again to go to sleep, that the scary eyes didn't exist.

Sara Beth's big tall daddy took those mean ole scawy-eyed flags and GOT RID OF THEM forever and ever, amen.  

Never again will scary eyes peer down on my baby girl in our camp cabin again.

And...hopefully...never again will her mama ignore the obvious.

What we've been up to (in pictures)

Ya'll.

I know.  I've been terrible, horrible, and no good at keeping up on the blog lately.  Things have just been busy busy around here.  Okay, and maybe...just maybe...a certain person has been slightly ADDICTED to a show on Netflix at night, when she could have been blogging.  But, the good news is:  I finally finished all 4 seasons.  I loved every minute of the nail-biting suspense.  The bad news is:  My favorite guy died in the finale.  Oh, but he died so honorably--which is JUST like him.

Oh wait.  The show is make-believe.

But back to my lame excuses for why I've not been blogging much this summer.

How about I just show you?

Cousin Camp 2012 - Every summer my parents try to get all the grandkids together for several days.  My girls LOVE hanging out with their cousins.  I snapped this picture of my handsome nephews.  I seriously love these boys.

 

Sara Beth's baptism - Sara Beth has been asking for a while to get baptized.  We wanted her to wait until she was old enough to remember it someday.  Finally, we found a date that most of our family could be there.  It was such a special day--to have her Pops pray for her, and her daddy baptize her.

 

 

Speaking of Sara Beth...this has been a big month for her!  She got BRACES!!  Here is the before...

And here she is after!  Doesn't she look super cute?  I know...I am a little biased..

 

But, what about Rebecca???  What's she been up to, you ask?

AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!  My darling girl, my first-born, my blond-haired beauty...is registering for Junior High!!!!   After homeschooling her for 7 years, it is time for my girl to spread her wings a bit.  I'm sure I'll shed some tears on the first day of school, but I just know she'll do great.

 

Lunch with an old friend - Why, oh why didn't we take a current picture at lunch?? This lovely prom picture was taken...well, quite a few years ago!!  This dear friend and I had a 4-hour lunch last week.  We chattered the time away, just like we always have.  I've probably seen Stacey only twice in the last 15 years--and she is as dear a friend now as she ever was!  

That reminds me... I first met Stacey on my very first day of Junior High.  I can only PRAY that Rebecca meets a dear friend like this on HER very first day of Junior High...  Would you pretty please join me in praying for that?  Seriously, I would be SO honored if you would.

 

Dave and Otis - I'm so glad my husband is kind, and spontaneous.  Just today, we were driving past Otis' house--way out in west Branson--and Dave said, "We should stop in real quick and see Otis!"  Even before I could say, "Let's just get on back to Kamp," Dave had pulled into the gravel driveway just off the highway.  It wasn't long before Otis came out the front door, grinning and telling stories.  Within the first 5 minutes, he had asked about all the Kamp kids he loves so much, and our girls--who he's only met once or twice--but never fails to ask about.  Otis is 81-years-old, and still works hard.  He no longer works as a night security guard at our Kamp, but he still works outside, and works his farm every day.  He said that "Just yes'terdy I walk back 'ere down 'at hill and carry't a baby calf up 'ere.  Her mama started beller'in for her, too!  She said, 'MOO!'"

That Otis, he still tells the best stories.  And he is love, poured out.  When he found out we had a guy in our van that we picked up at the airport, and we should go, so we could take him on to Kamp--Otis walked right over to the van, said, "Well, I've got to go meet the feller!"  He introduced himself, and told Anthony--"Yer headed to a good place!  These are good people.  Ya have a good time, ya hear?"

He gave Anthony a big snaggle-tooth grin, and  a firm working-man's handshake.  

And that was the best 15 minutes of my whole day.

 

That's what I've been up to!  

What about you?  What have you been up to lately?