And now to summarize my summer:

4 weeks of camp....Rewarding

2 conferences focused on CA...Refreshing

2 family weddings...Precious

1 family (well, someone else's family) vacation...Amazing (like Quik Trip) ;)

1 girl's weekend in the Lou...Fabulous

1 set-up and another random date...Umm...Memorable?

Numerous moments of shared laughter, conversation, dreams, struggles, hopes, and love with people very dear to my heart...PRICELESS


Now I find myself sitting here thinking: there's still a few more weeks left of summer!

Whatever will I do?

Words to melt my heart...as said by the sweetest 2 year old boy I know:
"Bobby, Wee-Wee."

Translation: "Thank you, L"

Little C,
You had me at your adorable, little 2 year-old face, ok?!

My 2nd week of 3-5th grade camp is complete...one more to go!

As I was talking to Trix the other day, I said, "Man, where did our 'Anything and Everything Summer' go?"

She cleverly responded, "Well, yours went to summer camp."

Ain't that the truth! ....But just look at these faces....It's soo worth it.

"Later...I remembered the seasonal showers in the desert,
how potholes in the rocks fill up with rain.
When you look later, there are already frogs in the water, and brine shrimp reproducing, like commas doing the macarena; and it seems, but only seems, that you went from parched to overflow in the blink of an eye."

~Anne Lammott, "Plan B-Futher Thoughts on Faith"

It's the middle of July as I type and with 90 degree temps and 80% humidity at 11:20P.M, I know that I am a long way off from the desert. (If there was any doubt in this matter, you should have been with me yesterday as I ran from my car to the store during the monsoon torrential rains of KY!...You would have thought I bathed fully clothed!)

But I digress...
Have you ever had that feeling? The "parched to overflow in the blink of an eye" feeling?

I know I have. It seems like over these past few months I've done a lot of wandering in the desert (even though I blatantly claimed 2006 as "The Year of Clarity!"). There have been periods of dryness...sun scorching heat...living...being...and then, all at once...the floodgates of heaven opened up and poured down rain so hard that in seconds, those desolate potholes were overflowing with water and life.

This week His "showers" came in the form of a group of 3rd-5th graders who so willingly gave of their snack shack money (even when it had been won as a prize)....who proudly introduced me to their parents as the "m" who lives in CA...who blessed my heart with their worship and memory verses...and who gave me tangible proof of a God who's in the business of changing hearts and minds and the world with His love, no matter the age!

So as the weather forecasters are predicting another squeltering week of sun and humidity (of which I'm going to do my very best not to complain)...I personally am looking forward to the rain.

I leave for another 3 weeks of camp in the morning. I think I'm beginning to understand why I'm drawn to the nomadic peoples of CA. While I'm a long way off from the camels and tents of that dusty landscape, I sure do seem to be "one" with my luggage and car. That, and my iPod.

And since music is such a vital part of any travel, I thought I'd give you my very own "Celebrity Summer Playlist."

1. Summertime--DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
2. Crazy--Gnarls Barkley
3. Put Your Records On--Corinne Bailey Rae
4. Turn Your Lights Down Low--Bob Marley & Lauryn Hill
5. MmmBop--Hanson
6. Dusk & Summer--Dashboard Confessional
7. Flake--Jack Johnson
8. Nothing Left to Lose--Mat Kearney
9. Colorful--Rocco DeLuca
10. Soak Up the Sun--Sheryl Crow
11. Life is a Highway--Tom Cochrane
12. Hangin Around--Counting Crows
13. Greatest Day--Bowling for Soup
14. Over My Head (Cable Car)--The Fray
15. Single ('06 Remix)--Natasha Bedingfield
16. These Are the Days--Jamie Cullum
17. Gone Going--Black Eyed Peas (w/ Jack Johnson)
18. Swallowed in the Sea--Coldplay
19. Beautiful--Shawn McDonald
20. High--James Blunt

Whew! I'm tired and need to go to bed. I'll try to write my reasons for these selections at a later date. Check back later!

Why is it that even though I seem to be ok with my singleness, those around me are not in agreement?

Is it really coming to this?

I've had two instances this summer that have made me stop and rethink this whole "contentment" thing. The sad thing is that if I tried to change my status, I wouldn't be doing it so much for myself, as I would be for others to leave me alone!! Uggh.

And if you are wondering what has led me to draw these conclusions, allow me to expound...

Scenario #1--Picture me being drug out onto the dance floor of my cousin's wedding to catch that STUPID bouquet, with my great aunt (the one who was dragging me) yelling the entire time, "We have to get YOU married off before 37!" Upon arrival, I looked around to find that I was the only "single" girl over the age of 13 in that entire joint. ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? It's me (age 31) and a bunch of girls 13 and under, waiting and hoping to catch that bouquet so WE could be the ones to marry next. Riiigght. (FYI--I've caught bouquets AT LEAST 10 times before and it still hasn't worked!! GIVE IT UP!! Brides, don't put your single friends through the torture!)


Which leads me to...
Scenario #2--Picture me sitting in church this morning, when my mom passes me a note. (I figured this would be good, since I can't remember the last time she wrote me a note during the service. She usually just leans over to point out who's there or not.)

The note said this: "I should introduce you to this guy from work and his wife--and their cousin."

My Response: "WHY?"

Mom's Reply: Smile.

My Response: "Would this cousin, happen to be male and single?"

Mom's Reply: Smile.

At this point I automatically got a stomach ache.

Fast forward with me to the end of service...
Mom: "I really need to introduce you to this guy."

Me: "No Mom. Really that's ok." (Looking for an exit out, as I noticed these people walking towards us.)

What follows is somewhat of a blur, but I know that there were the introductions, small talk, and then "the cousin" asking, "So do we want to go to lunch?"

Me: "Ummm.....Mom, weren't we going to go to the movies this afternoon."

Mom: "Well, we could just go to lunch and skip the movies."

Me: Speechless and out of other options for escape....so I politely excuse myself to go see some other people...leaving plans up to mom.

I knew what mom's plans would be, so I found out that a huge group of people were going to the mexican restaurant in town and said, "Hey, let's all go there." (Knowing full well in my mind, that there's safety in numbers!)

We get in the car to head that direction and the dialogue went something like this:

Me: "Mom, why do I feel like I'm being set up?"

Mom: "Well..."

Me: "Did you know about this before hand?"

Mom: "Not exactly."

Me: "What did you know?"

Mom: "Well, they asked about you and said they should get you two together. I told them you would only be at church this Sunday and they said they would see what they could do. (Side Note: "Cousin" is from out of town).

Me: "So he came down here just to meet me?"

Mom: Smile


Me: Proceed to have increased stomach pains


Lunch wasn't that bad, thanks to my reinforcements. "Cousin" was nice, but I SERIOUSLY hate being set up...especially when I'm the only one out of the loop on the whole thing!!


And so I end my night with this question,

IS THIS WHAT BEING SINGLE IN YOUR 30'S LOOKS LIKE?

If so, my response is this...
Come Lord Jesus, come.

I just returned from a week of family vacation.

OK, so the "family" wasn't my own, but they invited...and I went! To express in words the fun I had would be too difficult. But to give you an idea...my original plans were to leave on Wednesday. I had a lot to do and the responsible side of me kept saying that I should get back to work. But we all know that the sanguine side of me often outweighs the responsible side, and since there was so much laughter and merriment of which to partake, I couldn't tear myself away until Friday afternoon.

So...I'm a bit behind on the "To Do" list and I'm feeling a bit sleepy as I type. But honestly, I wouldn't trade it for the world.


MEMORIES THAT ARE MAKING ME SMILE RIGHT NOW:
Racing on the jet skis...laughing so hard and thinking we were going to die
Waking up next to one of the twins every morning
Late night conversations
Amazing Quick Trip pit stops
Road trips--starting a "Thumbs Up" revolution and returning at 4am
Family worship
4th of July fireworks
Boat rides...lazy river...screaming competitions on the water slide


Below are just a few random pics from the week...

I've been on the road a TON in the past several weeks. Luckily though, I was back in Ctown long enough to have lunch with these sweet friends who were passing through on their way to visit family and then they're off to Asia.

I love you guys and know that He's going to do great things in and through you!! Thanks for taking time to see me!! I was/am so blessed.