Kamp and the adventures of June

Well, we survived the 10 day trip and came home last night. We stayed a night in Dallas, a night in Muskogee and a night in Branson with friends then 6 days at Kamp Kanakuk.

I enjoy Kamp every year but this year was better than ever. There weren't a lot of injuries so the nurse part of the job went very well and this led to a VERY relaxing week. My cousin is the other nurse and her sweet friend joins us so we have a week of girl time. We napped, read, spent time in the Word and enjoyed the company of wonderful counselors and kampers. I am amazed every year at the great kids they hire every summer. They are excellent roll models for our kids. The big girl got to hear a counselor talk about her engagement and their decision to not kiss until the wedding. I love when she shares stories like this, I know she is listening and I hope this outweighs all the bad things she hears all year.

Today, Mike and I left for a trip alone without kids. We are at a fishing 'resort' in Del Rio with my cousins from Mississippi... so, our first trip alone and I'm at the 'resort' (and that word is used very loosely) enjoying the internet for the first time in 10 days and Mike is out on the lake with his favorite fishing Buddy... Gina and I have spent the evening on line looking at cruises and vacations for our next trip together, somewhere without a fish cleaning station outside of the door and a deer feeder in the parking lot...

Not the best Father's day ever

At noon today when it was 102 degrees Mike decided he wanted to go to the lake for Father's day. Now the heat is enough to make me cranky so kept my distance and tried not to pout about going while Mike hooked up the boat, washed it out to get the sand off, loaded everything including 2 hungry kids and then pulling out he ran over a hoe. Yep, ruined a brand new tire on the brand new truck... being the good wife, I offered to call AAA rather than him have to change it... 45 minutes later, the spare was on and we loaded up the still hungry kids, dropped off the tire at Walmart and got underway...Sonic saved the starving kids!
At about 4:00 we finally got to the lake... we waited in line behind several other boats to get to a lane at the ramp, we put everything in the boat, turned the key and as our day would have predicted, it didn't' start... Mike spent 45 minutes trying a new battery etc and still not working... so we pulled out of the water, he had a mild fit (which I was just glad wasn't a heat stroke since it was 108 outside now per the car thermometer) and we headed back home. $20 Sonic, $5 bottled water and a 1/2 tank of gas... it was an expensive ride to the lake!!!
We have the worst boating luck known to man. This boat is fairly new and a nice boat and seems to have a short that we have had repaired multiple times but the battery still seems to be drained EVERY time we want to use the boat. I could have predicted this when we left today. I sit there watching all the other people quickly back their boats in and take off... that never happens to us. I tried to explain to mike today that I just don't think we are boating people, anyone want a good deal on a hardly used boat?
Heading out in the morning for our road trip to camp...back in 10 days!

dog days of summer

We spent yesterday laying in our 'white trash pool' and to add to the fun, our puppy would bark and bark wanting in... she spent the day laying on the raft or in my lap on a float. Guess she didn't want to miss the fun.

Today is Father's day. Mike wants to go to the lake but I keep dragging my feet reminding him its going to be 102 degrees today. Thats just too hot to even go to the lake! But, it is hid day, I'll try to be a good sport if he really wants to go. There aren't many days he gets to make the choices here with all girls in the house... uh, he just came back in after hooking up the boat...guess we're going to ride around and burn up after all...

Getting ready for Kamp and other summer fun

We have spent the week getting all the things ready for the three of us to go to camp. Today we took a break and played all day!

We go to a Christian sports camp, Kamp Kanakuk every summer... I work the week as one of the nurses and the kids are kampers! Every summer I think getting ready will be easier because we should have all the supplies... but that is never the way it goes. The water shoes don't fit, no one has two pairs of tennis shoes that fit, swim suits don't fit, and rain poncho's... I buy them every year and we never use them but I can never find them again... the list goes on and on...

anyway, it is worth it every year! One of my favorite cousins also goes as a nurse so we have nurse kamp while the kids have theirs! We stay up way to late talking and laughing, sit on the porch in rockers, take long walks, and go to the local blueberry farm in addition to the many band aids, medications, sun burns and injuries we help with.

Every year I am amazed at how fun and full filling it is. The college students they hire as counselors are just amazing and you can just feel God all over that kamp! My kids amaze me every year... they come back wanting to spend more time in daily devotion, they are more aware of treating everyone with kindness, they are reminded about the down side of peer pressure, Internet, t.v., and they are encouraged to live a with a kamp mindset all year.

If only we could keep our kids in that kind of environment and away from the worldly stress they face...

It's going to be a long day...

We are the only house at our end of the street in a new neighborhood. Today they started pouring the foundation next door to us. Elvis the bulldog is not happy with this. He and his shih tzu side kick have been barking since 8:00 this morning. Ellie the shih tzu doesn't really care, she just barks because Elvis does. Elvis has a very loud bark and sounds very scary but this is how brave he really is....He isn't going to actually go out there and bark, he keeps his rear in the safety of his house. He is the protector!

a little survey

my new blog friend Jenn tagged me for this survey... and since I am sad for her loss of cable I figured she needed reading material...here goes...
Favorite person outside my family: I have several great friends! I hate to single one out but the one I spent some time with recently that I don't get to very often is Tammie, prob. my oldest friend. She is like family and I hate that we don't get to spend more time together!
Favorite food: Again, I hate to just single one out! I am a big fan of most food. My favorite though would prob. have to be mexican. I could eat it everyday! Had some yummy chicken fajita's tonight as a matter of fact...After mexican it would be anything sweet... better yet, lets have mexican and follow it with some flan or fried ice cream!
Quirks about me: Oh, there are many... need alot of ice in my drinks, like my shoes in the closet before I go to bed, I could go on and on...
Any regrets in life: Not many, I've had a really good life... I wish I hadn't lived with my husband those few months before we married so I never have to admitt that to my girls... wish I had asked for more stories from my grandfather.
Favorite blog: I have more than I should... one I am enjoying the crafty things of lately is Pinkpaperpeppermints
Worst job: a travel nurse assignment I did in New Orleans... the amount of patients I would be assigned was completly unsafe and impossible to take care of that many.
Job you would pay NOT to do: anything outside in the summer! I look at people building houses, working on the roads, etc and feel so bad for them. It would make me kill myself!
Favorite Bible verse: Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Confessions: I still have a few boxes that aren't unpacked after 6 months!
If I had to spend $1000 on myself: massage, pedicure, Brighton purse, sunglasses, etc. A Coach bag, clothes, new ipod... I wouldn't have any trouble...
Favorite thing in my house: the bathroom in this house. It has a huge corner tub and a built in armoire for towels, etc... I'd go take a picture but there is a kid lounging in the big tub of bubbles at the moment.
What I'm bad at: sports, dieting, exercising...to name a few
What I'm good at: cleaning, being crafty
What circumstances in my life would I change if I could? Think I would have had one more baby and one less dog.
Who are my real life heroes? I really don't know that I have a hero. I look up to a lot of people but hero, I'd have to think on that...
What relaxes me? long bath, a good magazine, a little quite time after everyone else goes to bed.
What stresses me out? the list is endless... money, some family, crazy small stuff the most like laundry, the dirt blowing into my house in the crazy west Texas area is really stressing me lately... the mess my husband has in the living room right now with his fishing stuff out everywhere...
Why do I blog? because Jennifer told me to... certainly not for my writing abilities! Wish I had more to offer to the blog world but really its just for me to ramble about my day, crazy family, dogs, etc...
Who am I tagging? Well, not having any friends with blogs limits that... Jennifer, but she prob. won't do it... Jennifer in Ok. I wish you would start a blog just so I could have pic's of the baby, I'm sure you have time for that!

Only random things going on lately

Not much going on in our daily lives since school is out. We have been very busy it seems but nothing much major going on....
-Sched. the little girl to get her tonsills out in July... she has cried three nights in a row about this. Of course I'm such a soft touch I would cancel if she doesn't have strep between now and then, but dad being the voice of reason says no...
-Mailed a very basic letter to my birth mother telling her what led me to her and that if she is the correct person I am happy for her to contact me if she wants. Explained I only wanted to tell her what a great life I've had...we'll see where that goes...
-Picked out a new car today, we should get it on Tuesday
-Kept a friends baby for her yesterday because he was sick... today my big girl has it! Think she can get a stomach virus from miles away!
-Worked the toddler room at VBS. Got a massage last night to help the sore back from carrying them everywhere all week!
- Making lists of things for next week, have tons to do to get ready to go to camp. The girls and I will be gone for about ten days then the day after we get home Mike and I leave to go out of town for another 4 days...I am already stressed worrying about how the camp laundry will get done etc...
-But for today, enjoying a very quiet Saturday!

What should I do with that information?

I was adopted and I've known this my whole life. My parents just made me feel more loved because of this. I have always had a curiousity about my birth mother but not the strong need to know that some people have. My mother was wonderful and only one of my aunts frequently mentioned me being adopted( she just thought it was odd that I was a better family member than my sister, with me being the one that was adopted)...

About a year ago, I talked to an old friend of mine who is also adopted. She told me she had found her birth mother. She said she only decided to do this to let her know that she was ok and thank her for doing something so brave.

I had never had a strong desire to find this woman because I didn't know then what to do with her...I have lost ALOT of people I love including my adoptive mother and father and really worried about what kind of relationship I could have with this person. I never felt like I was missing anything by not knowing her. I also worried about the odd stuff... what if she is weird? What if she is someone you just didn't want as family....then what? A phone call from time to time, Christmas cards??? I didn't really think I wanted to do that but after talking to my friend I realized, that is something I would like to do. I would like to tell her, in case she wants to know, that I had a great life, great family and now that I have kids, can't image doing what she did!

Well, I have carried around the request for the original birth certificate for about a year now meaning to fill it out and send it in. Last week I finally did... I also updated my information in a couple of search/ reunion web sites.

Today when I checked the mail it was there. There was the name. Now what? I googled her, no luck, just as I expected. I had an email from someone last week with one of the search web sites. So today I emailed him back with her name and info on the birth certificate. With in about 20 minutes I had several emails from his "search angels" with her birth info and a match by first name and date of birth that they think is her.... they also sent her sister's info.

So, there in 20 minutes is the info I wondered if I even wanted. Do I write and maybe never know if she actually got it or if it was the right person? Do I call and ask if she's missing a daughter... guess I'll do a little praying about this. I really have NO desire to disrupt her life so I hesitate to do anything, on the other hand I really do want to thank her. After all, that's just good manners, right?

Home again, home again....

I have never been more ready to get home! Ever! I was even ok with home now being Lubbock... never thought I would want to hurry back to Lubbock!
After the week staying with my Mother in Law, I was soooo ready to come home. The funeral went well for my father in law. The pastor who did the service did a wonderful job considering he had never met him. I am praying my mother in law will get involved with the church now. The pastor told me he would have the "merry widows" call on her....
The only bad parts of the trip was a little too much time with some of the neighbors and some of the family. Like in all families, there is always someone who has strong opinions and can keep things stirred up. Most times I don't have to spend extended time with them but after a few days I had just had enough! Another day and I was afraid I would voice my opinion and be in a little trouble!
Also, my mother in law weighs about 95 lb soaking wet. She only eats to live, unlike me! I thought she was going to starve me (which wouldn't hurt) but tends to make me a little cranky... She is a coffee and cigarette kind of lady where I am more a 'what else can we eat' kind of girl! A friend of mine brought a casserole over the second day I was there but she wouldn't let me cook it for 'just the two of us'. Every night about 7:30 or 8 I would have to remind her she really needed to eat dinner, mostly so I could eat dinner... I thought I was going to have to take up cigarettes and coffee to curb my appetite!
Glad to be home!