whirlwind of friend visits and thundermuffin mission complete!

so i continue on my short vacation...this morning i got up early and headed to the park to exercise...i walked a lap, ran a lap (mostly) ease back into it. going to have to 'push the envelope' if i want to get serious about toning up. then i began my trek down to branson!

oh, branson. i like you small...please stop growing.

i love branson. don't judge. first stop: dick's 5 and dime. i had to get a miniature pig...and found some other animals i had to have...why you ask? because someone, somewhere is going to be in need of a smile at some point, and i am going to supply it in the form of a miniature animal. wait for it... then i made my way down to the flea market-i always go when i am in town, because they have my favorite sheets-since 2011 so...yep, got new sheets-yum. and then it was time to head out to college of the ozarks to see my dear friend kristin. 

we had two hours to ourselves to catch up-the kids were down visiting their grandparents, and kyle was at a convention (i believe). it was so good to laugh and there were just so many things to talk about-a full day would still not have been enough time! i do appreciate this young lady-she lives to love on people and does it so well! kristin is the picture of grace under fire. i really wish she and my co-counselor, lindsey wheeler knew each other; they would be fast friends, because they have so much in common! it is amazing to me how some of my most compassionate, caring friends are the ones who are fighting physical ailments that to the general public, aren't visible-and in many cases if you don't know them, you'd never know the pain and exhaustion they deal with on a daily basis, because they would never complain about it. i admire them immensely! 

then i made my way over to lampe, mo, k2! the lady at the security post asked if i needed a visitor pass: yes, i'm pretty sure i should. when i told her i was just there to visit, she said, "that's great! lucky you-wish i had the day to go down and play...what all are you going to get to do?" my response: i'm just going to visit with trish for a little bit. that's all.  (at a camp that has lake access, jet skis, wake-boarding, every sport under the sun...i'm just here to chat...with one of my 'inner circle' friends). we just need to sit and catch up every once in awhile-i love our friendship (since '98) because it's so stable. she said it best today, and i can reciprocate- if i ever REALLY needed something, i know i could/and would go to her; one who would never commercialize on me, and will always speak TRUTH. so even though we only had maybe 45-1hour, it was precious time! #bringsoutthebestinme

fortunate to have forged this friendship

all too soon, trish had to go to the cafeteria to be a lunch-presence. since i'd already eaten, i took the opportunity to go up to see emmy before she worked the afternoon ropes course shift. the harmon family is like a second family in dallas to me. i absolutely love them! i've know them since '98 as well, my kamp connections are strong. i love it when most of them are together, and that was the package i got today! diane, emmy, brett ann, and hank were all there! and some of the kiddos were upstairs playing or sleeping. so it was fun to sit and chat with them. we always laugh together and often have some very sober conversations about family, politics, the Bible, and just life in general; authentic! i may be helping diane out with a little artwork for her class-we have that bond-smile. and hopefully emmy and i can connect to go climb the silos sometime when she gets back to dallas!

before leaving the tablerock neighborhood, it's kind of an unwritten rule that if one has any decency, they will stop by the blueberry farm for thundermuffins! so, as is tradition, i made the right instead of the left and took the gravel road less traveled and that has made all the difference! had my cumulobluebus, and i continued a tradition of sending shea a batch of thunder muffins! i had purposefully toted her address along (not that it is really heavy enough to tote. it was in the back of my amazing journal). when she saw the pic, i think deep down she knew before she even offered the bribe (i smile because i was already long gone by the time i got the offer) 

then i headed back to lebanon-where i saw several signs for hosea bilyeu-commissioner; first of all, i was sad that i didn't get to see the rees family. but it was somewhat exhilarating to see these signs first hand, in person, because i'd seen them working on the campaign on fb, and posting pics. and for me, when it comes to politics, voting for the guy with the most integrity who is willing to do what is right will always be the way i lean! so while i didn't get to see my missionary friends, i was thinking about them quite a bit-with much fondness!

and it was supposed to storm in this area tonight, but for the moment, crisis averted, the dogs will not be barking at least not until the wee hours of the morning..and hopefully not even then, rain, rain, go away...or if need be, arrive in the quietest of fashions...i'm tired. 

and tomorrow we fly (as in: fly, fools -ala gandalf...we will not actually be flying. we will be hurrying in another direction; norman to be exact. craving hurts. yes, it does...ok, i-am-craving-hurt's-donuts). 

good night!

julie

i don't like to be dressy too often, but i do like to dress up!

wednesday-check! (i WISH i got a check! unfortunately more like check, it's done)

i spent the first half of my day in a science prep meeting to look at our objectives and skills we need our students to understand...i actually enjoy getting to collaborate for science! it's much different than getting together for language arts...science is so neat and packaged. language arts is just a bit messier. i feel like i walk away with a plan and i am ready to go for the 6 weeks. whereas with language arts, i feel like i walk away with a somewhat confused and furrowed brow.

finally done with all my student telpas writings and we can get back to the regularly scheduled instruction! grr.

i know last night i mentioned the renaissance festival in kansas city...one of my favorites! it actually inspired my friend mike and i to borrow some costumes from the drama department to go to "Nazarene Night at Worlds of Fun" dressed up-we loved being in the limelight back then...and much more fun when a huge majority from our small college were at the amusement park as well! this pic made our yearbook. smile. anything for a laugh!

bruno and chaco are beginning to understand why i like to dress them up every once in awhile..

 and to think this was before i even knew about kanakuk kamps! once i started working there, i was in dress-up heaven! we had parties and skits pretty much every other night, so there was plenty of silliness! please indulge me while i share some of our party pics!

my early years at k2-flat billed grandpa caps with neenee (the dollar store was our best friend)

not only a full body 'pantsuit', but check out the awesome shoes!

50's night-trying to be like the pink ladies (grease) only not in pink...

lost/survivor party...i did have a bandage and handcuffs..

cruise party-retired  senior in my mumu (did you see how i repurposed that lei from the lost party?!)

hollywood movie producer

western party

 and i never would have worn so many costumes and lasted so many years at k2, had it not been for one of my dearest friends, trish helsel. she is certainly a rock star who loves Jesus and loves working with teens and college students and she has a knack for making people feel pretty darned special! plus she has a pretty amazing family! (in purple because that is her favorite color!)

one of my favorite people!

i have never worked someplace where i felt like i was able to make more of a difference in peoples' lives...eternal difference. i learned so many lessons and i would never change any of those summers for the world! i love that i get to keep in touch with so many former kampers and counselors-eternal friendships!

and i leave you with the thought that in the true scheme of things, nothing really matters but God! (dressing up is a distant second)
julie

kamp, thunder muffins(not what you think) and unexpected art projects

yesterday i took a little journey down to one of my favorite places! k2! little has changed, and it felt good just driving into my old kamp. so many great memories and amazing friendships were forged there.

on the way down, i was low on gas, but i had it calculated out that i could make it to the quick trip i am super familiar with. well, when i got to the all-familiar exit, i was thrown for a loop because i didn't see QT on the exit board for gas, nor did i see a QT in the place i expected to see it. hmm...maybe i had made a mistake...but i stopped at casey's general store anyway for gas, and asked the girl, who said it had changed about 2 years ago.

after driving ever so slowly into kamp (in order to avoid hitting kampers in triathle, who dominate the road on foot and bicycle) i parked stealthily in the chapel parking lot where the signs do say in big bold letters:OVERNIGHT CHAPEL PARKING ONLY! parked there anyway, looked like i knew what i was doing. then i walked down to the main office to sign in.

then i walked around to dj's office (the owner's wife, and dear friend), and i opened the door and walked in. when she turned around and looked up, and it registered that it was me, she got very excited. on the way up, i was laughing in my head thinking that when i went up, wouldn't it be funny if she had some little art work for me to do to tweak the Bible study she does with the kampers every morning...(when she created the original Bible study, she had me do all of the drawings for the study, and almost every year she needed something tweaked, or had a new idea to add to it). so you will understand my amusement when she asked what i had planned on this visit and if i might have a little time to spare. smile.

it's an honor to do work for dj, because she genuinely appreciates it and uses it to impact others for God! so i spent the next few hours producing the posters she needed for the next day!

it was totally Providence, because i was debating between going down yesterday, or tomorrow, and she was planning on using them today! she was going to have the office gals work on the posters, but none of them are artists, plus, it was their dock day, so someone else would be filling in for half the day. the first poster: adam and eve...with a leaf covering certain parts...funny.

when we went to lunch, one of my dear friends, trish (the girl's side director), did a double take when she came in and saw me. "how long have you been here?" and i pointed at dj and said," i would've found you sooner, but.." and dj took the blame for the thievery. it is always good to just sit and talk with trish-she is so busy during kamp (during the year, too, for that matter) that it's a rare opportunity to be able to have one-on-one time with her.

yes, it's kinda' funny wearing an orange tag

when i left, i of course had to stop at the blueberry farm. i love it that the gal who works there remembers me-family business. and of course, i was in need of a thunder muffin. totally hit the spot!

almost as good as mom's (it's bigger than it looks!)

see the sign in the background? i have another story about that for another day-suffice it to say, it may have been a little on the sketchy side.

today i've been able to get some reading done: the founders on the founders. very good book-character sketches using compiled letters from them, to them, about them, autobiographies, etc...love it.

dad's been working on some chalk drawings-his specialty. and he just popped his head in and asked if i had started one of a little girl when i was back in iowa (years ago)...i couldn't remember, so we looked through them. and yes, as a matter of fact i did.

they're pretty big-about the size of a posterboard

apparently i'd done an old man too.

now that i see them, i recognize them and i remember doing them, but i don't remember the original pictures that i used.

who knows what tomorrow will entail-i am guessing a little rest and reading. i love vacation! smile.
julie