JESS AND KT ARE HERE

Friday I went to Knoxville to pick Jess up from the airport and only as I started to head out of Robbinsville did I find out that I would also be picking up Katie!! Very fun surprise!! It has been a ton of fun to have them here. We have spent some time hanging out with the youth and then just sat up the three of us laughing and talking about nothing till 3:30 in the morning! We went out to the lake today just to see it!! It was so peaceful and calming!! Here are a couple of the pics that Jess, the wonderful photographer, has taken!!

lying on the floor

Today I feel defeated. I feel overwhelmed, sad, alone, confused, and so many other things. And honestly it leaves me FRUSTRATED more then anything. I know that I am not alone, God has placed AMAZING people in my life and I know that I should not be overwhelmed because God won't give me more then I can handle. And I know this is where I am suppose to be and I know that I have an impact and that my life means something, but today I just want to be done. I want to just lay on the floor and be done. Today I feel like "what in the world am I doing here?" and I know that is my selfishness. I know that is me wanting the easy road. This week I have dealt with some very complicated things and I have not been sleeping well! The combination I know has brought me to this point of both physical and mental exhaustion! I just want to cry, oh wait I already did! :) I know this will pass and I know it is all only making me stronger God is stretching me and today I just wanted to be honest with you and let you know that the stretching hurts! Please pray that I would have wisdom and that I would have the courage to keep seizing every divine appointment God places in front of me! I know the only way to get over this selfishness and pity party is to serve and love others so I pray God would place a great opportunity in front of me today!! I love you guys and I'm sorry if my rambling doesn't make sense to you! I told Tina that inside my head was a complicated place to be!! :)

Time with my "other" Family

Monday through Wednesday I was in Charlotte visiting the Burchard Bunch! It was so nice to be there. The best part had to be my hug from abby and all the wrestling with Carter!! I can't explain to you how much I love just being a part of their daily life. Yes Tina I even love the homework!! Monday night we went to the Billy Graham Library and even though it didn't turn out like we thought it was still fun. Then Tuesday night I stayed at the house with the kiddos so Tina and Rusty could do some Christmas shopping. We watched the 12 Dogs of Christmas and I almost had to put tape over Abby's mouth so she wouldn't tell us every detail of what was going to happen next (she has read the book). 

I wish so bad that I could put words to how much I love the people God has blessed my life with. I wish you all could know how amazing I think you are and how much I appreciate every thing you do for me. Whether it is opening your home to me, listening to me ramble, supporting my many mission trips, trusting your kids with me, allowing me to be a part of the not so great things in your life or so many other things, I love every minute of it. You are all in my prayers!

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP

About three weeks ago I was sporting my Florida Gator shirt up in Robbinsville and explaining to David and Dana that what I miss about being in Florida in the fall is Gator games. Well the next day my dad called out of the blue and asked if I wanted to meet him in Atlanta and go to the SEC Championship game!! I was very excited and quick to say yes!! So friday night I drove down to ATL to meet my parents and then Saturday my dad and I along with his friend Mr. Dave went to the game. It was so much fun!! I screamed like crazy and I am surprised I left the stadium with a voice. I love Gator football!!! The game was such a good game, granted in the third quarter I was a little nervous but the Gators came back and ended strong! It was nice to see my parents for a little while and very nice to have a day with my dad!! Here are some pics... all I can say is that IT'S GREAT TO BE A FLORIDA GATOR!!!

Franklin & A Trip To Wendy's

Yesterday morning Shaun and I left camp to head over the mountain to Franklin. Tuesday I had looked up local churches there and mapped out a course for us. The day turned out extremely well. We made 3 very good contacts and handed out about a half a dozen more brochures. Now today that leaves me with the task of making a spreadsheet that will work best for us to keep up with all the info!!

Also last night we had youth and then went to Wendy's again. It was a lot fun to just hang out with the girls and share life with them. And since I live on top of a mountain there was still snow on my car from Monday so we had a mini snowball (iceball) fight in the parking lot. The youth here truly are amazing.

Snow Day On The Field!!!

I made it to town and went to the post office. When I came out I ran into Cassi and the girls. They were getting a sled to head out to camp and slide down the hill. I came along and it was a blast. Here are some pics from our fun...

SNOW and more SNOW!!

Last night I went to the Crowes after church for dinner!! We watched the weather and it said snow. So we stayed up and played some games and around 11 I headed home. Well snow it did so school was cancelled. When I woke up my yard and road was covered so I spent the morning inside. After a while I decided to venture out. I guess I really do live up on a mountain because I had like 4 inches of snow and when I made it just a little bit towards town there was no snow to be found. Here are some pics from my house!!

Black Friday

This morning we left the house at 7 to start our shopping adventure. We went to Kohls and Target first. The line at Kohls was wrapped half way around the inside of the store so Mrs. Carol stood in line while Liz and I went to do our shopping at Target. Then we drove to another shopping center and proceeded from one store to another. We walked so much today not only in stores but from store to store, through parking lots, through the mall and across intersections. It was a ton of laughs! Above is Mrs. Carol and Liz coming down some of the rough terrain we experienced. Haha! Mrs. Carol just started running down it and Liz sat down and slid down it. Too bad you can't see the grass stains she got from slidding.
At Michaels Liz got a plain wreath and some decorations for it. This is what it turned into. Nice job Lou!!This is my exciting buy for the day. Ten bucks at Target, it is a 2-in-1 vacuum and it is purple. Don't be mad mom I really needed it for my rug and it couldn't wait for Christmas. After shopping Lou and Mrs. Carol put up Christmas lights while Handi mowed and then got out the leaf blower to get rid of not only the grass clipping on the driveway but also the couple leaves that were still in the yard. :) Hehe He makes me laugh! Guess that is why he often refers to me as giggles.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in Chattanooga was great! We got up watched the parade and then kept Mrs. Carol company in the kitchen while she finished getting everything ready. We had mashed sweet potatoes, butternut squash, biscuits, broccoli, cranberries, stuffing and some veggies. I definietly missed my family insanity but the Huster House was the without a doubt the next best thing.
After lunch we made Christmas cookies. Mrs. Carol and Liz decided to try and make their own "stain glass" cookies with Jam. It was quite entertaining and they actually turned out pretty good. Then we just sat around and watched some t.v.

The List

Here is The List of all the events we already have planned for the weekend. In no particular order...

1. Make Christmas cards

2. Watch the parade

3. Shopping

4. Cut down a Christmas tree

5. Get boxes out of attic

6. Decorate the house for Christmas

7. Go see a couple movies

8. Make cookies

9. Make Bobby's Christmas gift from Lou

10. Make Handi play the Wii

The fun already began today with racking leaves and dinner!!!

ATL

Yesterday was quite the adventure. I woke up drove straight to Ryne's play, had Thanksgiving lunch there, then went out to drop off some flyers for camp. It was definitely a learning experience and walking away from it I have some new ideas to consider. Then this morning I got up spent some time with Ryne and then headed back to Robbinsville. It is so great to be out of Atlanta. If my nephie wasn't there I don't think I would ever go there. Oh wait crap I have to go back on Dec. 6th but it is for the GATORS so that will make it ok. Yep SEC Championship game here I come. Oh and Trey (my soon to be nephie) if you could plan to grace us with your presence before then that would be wonderful!! ha ha :)

Tomorrow it is off to Chattanooga for Thanksgiving with Liz, her mom and Handi. This WILL be entertaining!!

C-Diff

Clostridium Difficile! Well we finally have a name that could explain why my mom has been sick on and off and why she has such pains from time to time. Yesterday my mom was suppose to leave Ft. Myers spend the night with me and then today be on her way to Kentucky to help Mrs. Michelle with a craft night. However what ended up happening was my mom got test results back from the doctor right as she was about to pull out of the driveway. The informed her that she did have a bacteria (c-diff) and that she needed to start some meds to see if they could get rid of it. I'm so glad she has an answer for what has been going on, and I am so glad that as of right now it isn't life threatening . However I part of me is so sad. 

1. Because I would have loved to have seen her and gone to Atlanta with her on Monday for Rynes play

2. Because it ruined her trip

3. Because I am not there in Ft. Myers and I'm already having a tough time being so removed

4. Because honestly even though we now have an answer it doesn't mean we have a solution. Meds aren't a guarantee and if untreated it will get worse.  

I know God doesn't give us anymore then we can handle but man right now I feel like I'm on the brink of a breakdown!! God has blessed me with some amazing people up here though to help me make it through. Also a trip to Charlotte might be in the works for tomorrow and that would be simply AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL!! 

Videos + Promo Trips

Today I am in the office going through all the video we have from camp trying to figure out what we have and what we need to put together a camp video. Yeah I have no experience in this department but we shall see what happens. Besides it is great to look back over all the happenings. There is a video from the first summer and it is all out on the trails. Ahh GORGEOUS!! Wish it wasn't freezing I would be hiking right now!! haha!! Also I am planning out some of my promo routes. Looks like Monday I will be in Atlanta for Ryne's Thanksgiving play and then going out and about there to different churches! Thanks to Allison for getting me some names and numbers. Then after Thanksgiving I will go out with Marty or Shaun and go to Franklin and then Knoxville!! 

Thanksgiving Play

This morning I came into the office to work on promo planning all day. However when I got in we found out that Selah had a play today that would start at 12. It was a nice break in the day and very entertaining. They read stories and poems about Fall and Thanksgiving and then sang a song that was funny. I also was able to see Kinsley and Lydia as we walked through the halls of the school. And next to the play my other favorite part of the day was seeing a pencil and gel pen dispenser in the elementary school hallway!! I didn't even know such a thing existed. Sorry I didn't get a pic of it maybe on my next adventure to the school!!

The house

There she is my new home! I have been moving in/shopping/settling for the past 3 days and I am soo glad that it is almost all done. It has been a lot for me to handle. I don't do so well with transitions so yesterday afternoon I just broke down and stopped. It kind of just hit me then that this was it, no turning back. I don't think I made the wrong decision and I am still so excited to help out camp and love on all the people here. My mom left yesterday shortly after my break down so I decided to just go hang out with Dana and the kids. It was so nice to just get to sit there with her and be upset. It's nice when you can just be and don't have to explain everything. Also when Luke woke up from nap he came and laid on me for a good 15 mins, just snuggling. I needed it. Later David and Dana came out to the house and helped me get everything put away and David built my bookshelf. Dana offered to stay the night with me so I took her up on it. We just sat and chatted the night away.

Today I am in the office and it feels good to be back in here!!

Robbinsville

After waking up at 5:45, finishing packing, loading the car, hugging my brother, and an 11 hour drive I am in Robbinsville! Now tonight I am staying at David and Dana's, then in the morning my mom will get here and hopefully we will get everything situated at the house! Ahh, it is crazy to think that I am here. I'm still a little nervous but on the other hand I am so excited to see what God has in store and to be honest I just have this peace. It is great to be here. I had dinner tonight with David, Dana and the kids, and it was a blast. I do feel slightly bad though because when it came time for bed I think I had the kids all hyped up. I love the Thacker family and can't wait to spend some time with them. Oh and Marty, Patti, Shaun, Cassi, the girls and Tegan are over in Charlotte today and will be back tomorrow! Yeah I can't wait to just hug the girlies, we will be having some sleep overs very soon. Also I can't wait to catch up with the Crowes. Maybe I will post some pictures so you can have some faces to put with names. ha ha!! I'm pretty sure God has already blessed me with some amazing families to be a part of here. Stay tuned to see what this chapter has in store.

Packing

Ok a final decision has been made and I will be leaving for Robbinsville sometime on or before Monday. I am still so nervous and go back and forth wondering if I have absolutely lost my mind. However my heart has a peace that I can't explain and that is what I am holding onto. I am so excited to see what God has in store for this adventure. So this weekend will hold some packing, and just spending as much time as possible with the people here. Please pray that God would continue to give me strength and courage. Pray for the divine appointments God has in store, that I would see them and seize them. Thanks for reading!

Cage of Fear

I finished reading Wild Goose Chase today and have been thinking a lot about some of the points the book makes. First of all the Wild Goose Chase is all about pursuing God and all the ups and downs and twist and turns that come with the adventure of following the Wild Goose (God). The author discusses a couple different cages that keep us from the chase. There is the cage of guilt, the cage of assumption, the cage of fear and some others. Right now I am thinking about that cage of fear. I am so nervous about the decision to move to Robbinsville because I have some definite fears. If you know me I tend to not give myself credit and tend to feel unwanted and am not big on being by myself. With that I have some fears about living on my own and wondering if I will even be able to do anything to help camp and the people there or simply make a difference. I know that is a crazy thought but none the less it is a lie satan feeds me and often I believe it. I want to fight that. I don't want to put God in a box or not trust him. Now a final decision hasn't been made and I'm not packing my bags just yet, however I think that it will be soon, and I think I will go. I don't want the cage of fear to keep me from investing in something I love. Nor do I want my fear to keep me from the adventures God has for me. The next few days should be interesting! 

Missin NC

I just wanted to say that I have a bad case of missing NC and all the AMAZING people! I saw this little blonde girl yesterday and she was just running all around and from a far she looked like Lucy and at first I was like "oh Lucy and Ashley yeah!!" oh but then I was like yeah they don't live in FL. Then I was driving my car and there were two girls riding their bikes and I thought man I wish that could be Kinsley and Lydia or Abby and Paige. Yeah but again they don't live in FL either!! I miss you guys all SO MUCH!! I pray that I get to be back up there again SOON!!

*I am thankful for all the people in the fort too!! And when I go back to NC I will miss you guys!! It's a vicious cycle!! haha

A Full Saturday

Well I finally unpacked my bags yesterday! Yes I have been home for almost a week but I just dropped all my stuff in my room when I got home and left it where it was. Honestly I think I did it because I didn't want to settle in here, and I still don't want to settle in but I could barely move around in my room. Also I was able to do some reasoning in my head that I wasn't settling rather reorganizing. I mean if I'm going back to NC then I need to pack up some winter clothes and get rid of some of my summer attire. After that adventure and a load of laundry, Matty and I washed our cars. Bethany, Jordan and Joel stopped by and Bethany also washed her car. It was quit the event! ha ha! 

Then after such a productive morning I got ready and headed to Shannon and Justin's wedding. It was very nice and the reception was pretty. Shannon was beautiful and I wish the best for them. Wow another friend married! How did I get this old!?!

Here Ya Go Mrs. Vicki

Mrs. Vicki tagged me for a meme(like her I have no idea what that means) but since I love her I am going to post this!! Only I'm not playing by the rules (ha ha) I am just going to answer the questions and leave it at that!!

10 Years Ago I:
1. Was 14 years old and a freshman in High School!
2. Hanging out with Leslie or Liz every free moment!
3. Very involved in my youth group!
4. Making the best Bible video EVER (or maybe it was the next year)!!
5. Getting in trouble in my math class because it bored me!!

5 Things On Today's "To Do" List:
1. Post on my blog so Tina can keep up with me (check)!
2. Email Kinsley (by far one of the coolest 9 yr olds ever)!!
3. Look up Churches to visit for Camp!
4. Read more of my book (Wild Goose Chase)!
5. Go to Metro!

5 Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Ice Cream
2. Popcorn
3. Wheat Thins
4. Rice Cakes
5. Twisted Cheetos

5 Places I've Lived:
1. Ft. Myers, FL
2. Gainesville, FL
3. Charlotte, NC
4. Robbinsville, NC (I know not technically but two summers and plenty of time in between)
5. ????

5 Jobs I Have Had:
1. Babysitting for a ton of different people
2. Daycare teacher for 3 yr olds, Nursery Worker (what was that title again for when I ran the counter Tina?? he he)
3. Administrative Assistant For College and Career
4. Leader Room Leader & Volunteer at Ridge Church
5. Summer Staff at Whisper Mountain

You Might Be A Redneck...

...if your dad sets up a tree stand in the backyard and puts his fake deer in the neighbors yard to practice his bow hunting!! Priceless!!

Ordination and House Hunting

Well this weekend I went to Robbinsville for David's Ordination. It was a weekend full of surprises. One being that Mandie came down and surprise David which was by far my favorite surprise. Another one being that saturday morning at breakfast David and Dana told us they were expecting number 4. So exciting for them. Everything went really well saturday, David was ordained and sunday afternoon they had a ceremony and some cake to celebrate. It was really neat to get to be there. 

My parents also came up for his ordination and to look at some houses. We are trying to find a place for me to rent so I can spend some time in Robbinsville helping camp out. I want to go help do some promoting for camp, help out with the staff kiddos and whatever else I can do for them. Also I want to get more involved with the youth at the local church! They are phenomenal. :) We found a house that will work, now I am just waiting to see if my friend is still wanting to move with me. Craziness. Please pray for all those details, I really want things to work out. 

Well be sure to check back soon, I should have wedding pics in the next couple days!!

Honesty

Well it's been a month and a half since I blogged (sorry Lou). But to be honest I know I was putting it off. There have been so many events this past month and a half, I've been to Robbinsville twice, been in and out of Charlotte and gone home for my brother's wedding and I promise to start blogging on those events soon but first I need to come clean. I haven't been blogging because I have been up and down so often that I never knew what to say. I would start to blog on an event and act like everything was great but reality was my heart was hurting and my mind was spinning. The week after my road trip I couldn't even begin to tell you what I WANTED to do next and that was extremely hard. I took a week and did some real soul searching. It ended well and for the first time I could say what I would choose to do next and that would be to go back to Robbinsville and help camp out and invested some time there. Since then I have been trying to figure that all out and it is still a process. I have enjoyed all the adventures but the transitions have been painful. One I hate saying see ya laters and two it is so hard not being settled somewhere. So I will try and pick this back up but I will need a little grace when I have hope in one post and the next one I feel like the world is falling a part! That is where I am on this journey, trying to hold on to hope, follow the Lord and keep fighting even though at times I wish it all would end!

1,730 Miles Later

The road trip 

was GREAT! I not only got to go to several places and see new things I also got to see some friends. While in Indianapolis with Liz we drove to Zionsville to go to Church and lunch with Ben. In Grand Rapids I enjoyed just hanging out with Mandie and Jon and staying up to 2:30 in the morning. On the way back to NC I stopped for a night in Fort Wayne, IN to catch up with Lauren Kirkland. God really blessed me in letting me go catch up with everyone. It's really hard to have friends so scattered about, from Indy to Michigan to Florida and not get to see them as often as I like. However God is good and we've been able to stay close even with the distance. 

The Road Trip Begins

I left Robbinsville (not an easy task) at 9 this morning and headed to Indianapolis. Indi is the first stop on my road trip that will end either on Saturday the 30th or Sunday the 31st. I will be in Indi with Liz until tuesday morning. She has a list of things for us to do, the number one thing being the children's Museum. I know big surprise. Along with that is some random shops and park areas, and hopefully I will catch up with Ben too while I'm here. Tuesday I will take Liz to the airport and then head to Grand Rapids to see Mandie and Jon. I will have four days with them and know they will pass all too fast. Once leaving Grand Rapids I will head to Charlotte with the possibility of stopping in Fort Wayne, Indiana to meet up with Lauren. Yeah so all in all the trip will be 25 hours on the road and 1,500 miles tentatively. I will be sure and keep some posts during the trip and then put the final hours and miles on here when I get to Charlotte. 

Please pray for my safety on the road and for all that will take place this next week!

Dinner & The Wii

Last night Sara and I invited Mrs. Patti, the Thackers, the Werners and the Crowes up to camp for dinner so we could spend a little more time with them all before we leave tomorrow. It was a ton of fun. We ate, talked, went on a golf cart ride, played the wii and just laughed. By far one of the funniest things was watching Alex and David box on the wii, that and listening to Andrew's stories about the broken golf cart while he tried to fix it. Honestly I really want to just go around town tomorrow and take every last one of those kids with me when I leave.  I am so thankful for this past week and a half. I was able to get to know the Crowe family so much better and able to spend some time with the Werners and the Thackers. These people are amazing and I will miss them dearly.

I think I will start planning my next visit now!

We Have Puppies

Our dog Abby finally had her puppies, 2 little boy's. I'm sad I'm not there to see them and hold them, they look so cute.

~Mrs. Vickie I think you and Kay need one of them, I told my brother you guys want to come see them!

Back 2 Camp

After a week of family vacation in the Keys (posting on that later) I am back at camp. I got back on Friday because we were suppose to have a group in for High Ropes on Saturday. Well Friday afternoon they called and cancelled. A little bit of a bummer but it really turned into a blessing. Friday I took Kinsley and Selah to the lake one of my favorite things to do off camp. Then we had a slumber party, watched some of the Olympics and played games. Saturday I just took it easy and then went black light putt putting with Rachel, Alex and Lydia (the Pastor's kids). Then went back to their house watched a movie and then stayed the night there. Yesterday Selah, Kinsley and Lydia and I went to the lake to have lunch and swim and then we went back to the cabin for some time on the Wi. It was our slumber party in the middle of the day "because you have more hours that way" ~Selah. After I took them home Rachel and Alex came up for a bit and we played Rock Band. Rachel stayed the night so we watched a movie and talked. It's been a lot of fun spending time with Selah and Kinsley and getting to know the Crowe family more. However laying in bed last night I realized how much harder it will now be to leave. And now today I'm going to go spend time with David and Dana's kids then it's going to be even harder to leave!!

Good People!!

Breakaway

Breakaway Outreach got to camp on Monday the 21st and left Friday the 25th. They brought about 25 kids with them and a couple leaders. There were a ton of things thatworked out in such unique ways throughout the week. You could really see God's hand in it all, from the amount of sponsors they recieved up to the last minute to the way our lake day worked out. Below are some snapshots to recap the week.

The Water Slide! A big hit with all the kids!!

Jimmy and the other leaders picked theme songs for some of the kids and some of the staff. My mom was one of them, her song was Fruit Salad by The Wiggles. It was quite funny to watch.

Bobbing for turds... Shaun's favorite game!

George & Jody Zartman were there to help out during the week. So during our evening services he would do some magic tricks for the kids.

There was plenty of SUGAR TIME!!

Sliding Rock

Marty gave us Friday the 18th off so we skipped out on VBS and went into Murphy and did some shopping, then in the afternoon we helped Brandy and Steve pack.
On Saturday we headed to Sliding Rock. My mom, David, Dana, Sara, Katie, Jessica and I all left that morning for our day trip. The ride was entertaining and then sliding rock was freezing. After sliding a couple times we decided to explore the creek past it. We had a great time just finding random spots to slide on and rocks to climb on. Afterwards we ate lunch in Waynesville at a pizza place, then headed back. On the ride back Sara and Katie slept (no big surprise Katie always sleeps in the car), while David, Jess and I had some laughs with photobooth. It was nice to just spend some time together doing whatever.

VBS

The week after Bethel was at camp it was VBS at First Baptist. Since our Performing Arts camp was cancelled we volunteered to help out with VBS. My job during the day was to help with Rec time. Which meant I had snack 3 times a day and got to play tag, kickball and all that fun stuff with three groups of kids. Of course that whole week we had lots of lovely VBS songs stuck in our heads. Then each night we had the youth group out to camp for their own VBS. That was a lot of fun. It gave us a chane to get to know some of them better and gave them a chance for something different.
Also that Wednesday we had a local summer program come in and we did some music games with them, field games, low ropes, and the slide.

Busy Bee

Yeah I know I'm a horrible blogger this month. Tina I'm surprised I haven't got a bad comment from you yet. I promise soon there will be a flood of post very soon!

Add Waitress To The Resume

After a week full of campers and countless kitchen duties we headed out Friday night to dinner. We get to the restaurant and see the owner through the kitchen window. My mom proceeds to go to the window to say hi (we love to harass the kid). He tells my mom they are swamped and jokingly says we should waitress for him. After going into the restaurant and seeing people waiting to be seated and waiting to be served we actually did help him out. My mom started seating people, Katie and I started busing a table and then Lauren and Brandy jumped in. We did it all from seating people to drinks to orders and rolling silverware. We helped for a little over an hour and then finally ate dinner ourselves. Honestly it was fun and very entertaining.

Snowbird Waterfall

Yesterday we went out on the trail for a day hike with Bethel. All together we hiked 8 miles. We went 4 miles back into Snowbird to a waterfall. Our plan was to hiked to one fall and then find another one we had come across last summer. However we made the call not to find the other falls when we got to the first one. We ate lunch and then headed upstream from the falls. I was with David and some campers as we reached a bend in the creek, and what do you know but there was the other waterfall. It was so sweet. There is a rock you can jump off of and you can shimmy yourself under the waterfall and jump out in the middle. We had such a blast. the campers even jumped in and went under the waterfall and just enjoyed the freezing water. It was fabulous to be back out on the trail. Well more to come because a lot is running through my brain. 

Bethel Baptist

Yeah a lot has happened in the last 8 days and I promise that by sunday I will have more posts with the happenings of my 4th and the other adventures. However I want to tell you what is going on right now. We have a group of from Bethel Baptist (Pink Hill, NC) here until friday. They have been a great group and have worked so hard. We painted the mess hall on monday and yesterday did yard work for 5 widows from our church. It's amazing how much they have been able to get done. Now today they are clearing some trails and then it's off to whitewater rafting. Oh Yeah!! Tomorrow we will go on a day hike and then friday they will go through the high ropes. Oh how I love camp life!! It's crazy and long but so much fun. Plus this week we have been doing skits and games. Holy cow this staff is insane. The pic above is from Monday mornings skit. PRICELESS!! I laughed and laughed and am still laughing!! Tomorrow nights should be just as good so check back for those pics soon.

Camp Chaos

Last week a wonderful array of sickness ran throughout the camp staff kids. Some with Strep some with Laryngitis it was crazy. Liz came in on Wednesday and stayed until friday. It was sweet to see her and on top of that friday I followed her to Chattanooga to spend some time with her family. Only sad day I woke up and we went to the minute clinic to find out that I had Strep. It was amazing, not!! So I slept in the car between all our adventures. Plus saturday morning I looked down at my Chacos and the front of them are coming undone. Again not such a great start to a day. However it still was fun and I got a very nice dinner from Mrs. Carol on top of Boston Cream Pie!! Yeah she spoils us!! 

Back to life at camp this week and full steam ahead. This week is all about finishing everything and prepare for the next four weeks. The days are crazy from cleaning to putting booklets together to learning skits that I'm sure will be quit entertaining. Yes the month of July should be pretty full and I bet before I know it I will be saying wow I can't believe it's August. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!!

The Discovery

Ridge (the church in Charlotte) has different people who come in and lead worship for their services. Well Josh and Tasha Via are a couple that often lead worship for them. They are phenomenal. Why do you care?? Because Josh has just published a devotional book titled The Discovery. It is a 21 day devotional that goes through the Gospel of John. It is available at Amazon or Barnes and Nobles or Target. Personally I am psyched about it and can't wait to get to Chattanooga saturday so I can hit up Target and get it. If you want you can try and win a copy on Tasha's (one amazing violinist) website, but you have to post a comment by saturday afternoon. Anyways just wanted to inform you about it.

Breakaway Outreach

www.breakawayoutreach.com

Above is a link to a ministry that came last summer to camp. It is an amazing ministry that works with at risk kids. One of their goals is to take kids to camp who would never have the chance otherwise. I enjoyed every minute of the week we had with them last summer and am thrilled that they are coming back towards the end of July. However they are still looking for people to sponsor kids, so if you are interested please go to the website and click on the adventure camp box towards the bottom of the page. Even if you can't sponsor a kid I'd love for you to check out their website, their is a video from their camp last summer, and be in prayer for them and for their week here.

Fun Stuff

Well let me start by saying this is no big problem I promise. However to fully keep you (Tina) updated on what is going on I'm sharing this. My heart has been acting up again this week. First at night but now it is also happening throughout the day. I know it will get better and that it will pass but I also know that I need to just stop and take a break. So tomorrow I will just sit around and enjoy the mountains. Pray that it gets better and that I can sort through the things running on in my brain.

Steps of Faith

The past couple of days I have been thinking about and praying for so many of my friends. Being miles upon miles away from them tends to wear at my heart. Now I can't begin to list everyone or begin to tell you about what amazing things they are all doing but I do want to share about three of them. My selfish request is that you would just join me in praying for them as they are taking a huge step of faith to follow our heavenly father!

First there is Ben. Ben has just set out to be homeless for anywhere from 2-4 months. He and a friend (Tim) will be living the homeless life to learn how to better serve and reach them, while doing that exact thing. Please pray that God would be glorified in this trip and that they would be a light. 

Next there is Lauren. She has just left her job at a church to go and serve in Nicaragua for 2 months at a camp that brings kids in from a local dump. Then she has decided to return to school. Pray that she would see God in new ways and that she would be a blessing to all the kids she crosses paths with.

Finally there is Steph. Steph is a great friend from Florida who has decided to go to Master's Commission in September. Please pray that she would continue to have a peace about it, that she would learn so much and that she would just seize each divine appointment God gives her, even while she is still in Florida.

CHACOS!!!

Dear Ridge Staff & Burchard Bunch~

      Thanks for the REI gift cards. I just put them to use while I was in Charlotte and bought myself some Chacos. My feet greatly appreciate your support. 

                  Love~

                        Meg

Road Rage????

Mandie and I took a road trip on Friday and Saturday. We went to Charlotte Friday morning and spent the night with the Burchards. We went to a pool party on friday night with a whole bunch of families. It was so great to see everybody. Then Saturday we got up and had lunch with Lauren, headed out of Charlotte to go to Hendersonville. We went to my cousins wedding then headed back to Robbinsville. Now this is when I get totally dumb founded by peoples behavior. 

Mandie and I pull through a McDonalds drive thru to get ice cream. While I was paying for our food at the first window I felt something bump the car. I look back and see a car right on my tail. This is what followed...

Meg: "Mandie did they just hit us?"

Mandie: "I don't think so"

Meg: "I'm pretty sure they did"

(we pull up to the next window to get the ice cream)

Mandie: "Do you want me to check the back"

Meg: "yeah do that"

(Mandie jumps out barefoot and looks at my bumper)

Mandie: "I don't see anything"

Meg: "hmm.. ok"

(Lady behind us finishes paying then guns it to my bumper again stopping just shy of hitting us)

Meg: "Seriously!?!"

(we pull around throw trash out and pull to the stop sign to leave)

(the lady comes flying around the corner cuts behind us)

Lady: (while laying on her horn) "ebbebeebeww ahhhaaha blahahah"

Meg: "really!?!? What in the world"

Mandie: "wow"

(we pull to a red light and are dumb founded)

Meg: "why was she yelling at us? She hit me. I never knew if you hit someone you were suppose to be the one that gets mad and yell!?!"

Mandie: (laughing) "I don't know, she's crazy"

(the lady turns in front of us from a side road, and sees us)

Lady: (laying on her horn and throwing her hands in the air) "ebbebe blahahablahs ayaya"

Meg: "honestly!?! what the heck??"

Mandie: "let's make up what she is saying!"

We are stuck on this event for like 20 mins, laughing and thinking of what she was saying, and being completely confused by what has taken place.

Silver Paint

My car is back and I can't explain how great it is to have it back. I have a new hood and two new front side panels. Which is fabulous because it meant a new coat of silver paint on my front doors as well. Let me explain why front panels and new paint are so exciting. Last February I was hit by a jeep but never took the dent out of onne of the panels because of insurance problems. Now the dent is gone! Then this past October my car was broken into and it did some damage to my pasanger side door. The great people at Knoxville Collision went ahead and patched it up then painted. :) Plus they took it to Ford because it had acted up a little bit. Ford couldn't find anything, which was frustrated. However they did run it through like 4 road test so that's pretty sweet. At least I know there isn't anything wrong with the engine.
So even though it wasn't great that a tree feel on my baby I think it worked out pretty well he got hood to trunk check up and a good bath!!! haha!!

AC Joint

The wonderful picture above is of a shoulder. If you look to the top left you will see what makes up and holds together your AC joint. Well yesterday I mildly separated mine. Fun huh!?! So after a trip to the Murphy ER last night I now have a doctor appointment back in Murphy at one and a wickedly fashionable swing for my arm. Oh yeah!! Also I just got a call saying my car is ready in knoxville but that I have to be there by 6 to pick it up. The silver lining of today... after the appointment and after picking up my car I will go sit at the airport and then MANDIE WILL BE HERE!!!

VISITORS!!

Mandie will be here and not there very soon!!!! Yes in one week I will be at the Knoxville airport waiting for Mandie to get off her plane. I am so EXCITED !! I mean sooo EXCITED!! She will be here at camp for TWO weeks. Mandie has become like a sister in the past year and I can't wait to just sit in the room with her!!

I have to also throw out there that her trip will just be the icing on the cake because this weekend is holding plenty of visits as well. Moma Thacker , Ben and Jesse will be coming for the weekend, which in case you didn't know I think that the Thacker family rocks so to get two more of them here is exciting. Also my friend Brittany, her mom, and two sisters will be here and I am thrilled to see them and for them to get to see camp. My dad and brother come in on Saturday and Stephan, Tawnya and Ryne are coming Sunday for the night. Yeah I think that it's going to be a very exciting week!!!

Kentucky

This weekend I went with my parents to Kentucky to visit friends of ours. One of my favorite parts was going to an Amish Community and store. I can't imagine living like they do, however I can see the appeal of it. My other favorite part was making spaghetti with Michelle and Whitney. Mrs. Michelle is like the coolest baker I've ever know. She was always making something and just had so much fun doing it. 

As nice as the weekend was we arrived back at camp to welcome Lauren. I'm so glad she is here!!

THANKS BURCHARD BUNCH!!!

As you can see I have a sweet new header for the blog. Isn't it AWESOME!! The Burchard Bunch sent it to me this morning. Man do I love that family!!!

THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!

Happy Mother's Day???

Saturday night there was a horrible storm here at camp. I mean horrible I woke up around 2:30 thinking we were going to be like Dorothy and fly away in our cabin. Well we woke up Sunday morning and my precious baby (my car) had a love present for me. He decided to get super close with some nature.
It was a sad morning but I'm glad it was just my car and not the cabin we were in.