turn out the lights

The last couple of weekends have been very busy. Who knew Valentine's would be more hectic than  Christmas? First a weekend full of school dances and then a banquet at church. Both fundraisers; both very successful; both loads of fun.

At the Valentine's banquet, we always play a few games. This year Chan and I searched NBC's Minute It To Win It site for some new game ideas.

Baby bottle rattle involved LOTS of gumballs. Instead of a timer, we made it a race to see who could move the gumballs from the one bottle to the other the fastest. The trick was to hold the bottles almost sideways to move the gumballs faster.

Chan found Hanging by a Thread. It was challenging! Each player was given sixty seconds to hang as many nails as possible on the fishing line. Bryan added a little pressure to Mr. Jimmy after he had gotten one nail to hang.

Things got a little dicey with this game - we paired up father and daughter to compete against mother and son-in-law. I tried this several times and never got the five dice stacked - this family was very competitive and stacked dice quickly.

The youth kids not only served, but were assigned jobs during the games too. Laynie and Megan modeled this game of passing a lifesaver from spaghetti noodle to spaghetti noodle.

And then the real competition began. We had a great laugh during this game.

And we ended our night with the traditional "Not So Newlywed" game. It's a classic and always fun.

My brother, sister-in-law, and their oldest

Lovey, his brother, and mother

Baby Jus and his sweet girlfriend. Last year Just was part of the youth. I think it's great that he came back this year to support the youth group.

Hannah is part of our youth group - she worked and provided some of the entertainment. I've never gotten to see her dance. She did an amazing job. On carpet. In a tiny little area. Amazing!

My sister and friend Kelly. They were part of the kitchen crew and worked the entire night. And thought they were staying behind the scenes. But I couldn't let that happen.

And after two weekends of running, today I'm not feeling so great. My body always knows just when it can cave to germs. After the party was over last night, and I was driving home, I could feel the germs winning. I came in, grabbed some sinus medicine, and collapsed on the couch.

This morning Lovey made himself and Jus some pancakes. I opted for just coffee. And the couch.

Apparently, the critters feel about the same way I do. They haven't moved much at all this morning.

i'm back

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've posted something. I've almost forgotten how. I have thought about writing something many times. I have even picked up the computer to do so a few times. But I just didn't do it.

Just like I haven't put up a Christmas tree. Or wrapped the presents. Or made the Christmas goodies.



I took this one.

Don't go thinking that I given up on Christmas all together. I have done the shopping. And I've made several things that I'm excited to give as gifts (of course, I can't show any pictures yet). And I did make dipped pretzels and wrap seven presents tonight - that's a start.

and this one.

Oh, and I helped with the Christmas program at church last Sunday. It was great.

Very simple and sort of old-fashioned. I just loved it.

Just before it started, I gave my camera to shove my camera at my cousin Samantha. She has a very artist eye, and I knew she would get some interesting pictures.

Here's my favorite.

My niece Brooke and her sweet baby, Eli, as Mary and baby Jesus.

weekend water fun

So yesterday I posted about the spiritual part of SEDCYM fall rally. It was a God filled weekend. But a big part of the experience was spending time with a group of fellow Christians and having fun.

And the fun started immediately. Chandler and Hannah gave us laugh because they arrived at the church in the same outfit without previous planning.

But the laugh got better when we stopped at Nannie's to pick up Caleb. He and Chan were also dressed alike without previous planning.

The theme of the weekend was Just Add Water. And the afternoon games involved water.

Really.

Cold.

Water.


After a few minutes the kids realized that if they got wet rather than just damp, the water didn't seem quite so cold. And the water bouncers were too fun to avoid.

Look at these pics.

And these.

Can you tell that our group can be a little competitive?

There was hillbilly fishing.

And another competition.

Sarah wouldn't quit until she caught more than anyone.

Okay, maybe we're a lot competitive. Looks like even walking is a competiton.

Don't know this kid, but I love the pic.

Don't know her either, but I love the hair in this pic.

I do know these kids - I love the kids in this pic.

just add water

Tonight I am physically exhausted. For the last three nights, I haven't slept well. At all. And last night I had to sleep on the floor, in a gym, in a crowded room, with mostly strangers. But it was a night that I would repeat again.

Our youth group attended our region's fall rally in Watson Chapel. The theme for the weekend was Just Add Water, shark weekend. The afternoon games included water. The scripture focus was the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

We ended Saturday's activities with a Living Water Ceremony. While the kids were in small group meetings, several of the adult leaders worked to transform the gym, with an indoor "fire pit" and six stations which the kids would visit before ending the night.

The band Visitor Parking started with a few songs around the fire pit, and then the kids moved through the stations,

reading scripture, praying, worshipping.

It was powerful,

prayerful,

moving,

hands-on.

And so worth every tired, achy bone I'm feeling tonight.