High Seas Expedition VBS

Months and months of work by many people has gone into VBS this year....and it's less than a month away! Hooray!!!

Sailing the High Seas...

Mission Blanket Treasure Chest...

love...LOVE...LOVE the treasure map!!

Setting out on the journey...

Yep, gold coins!!!

A HUGE Rainbow!!

For camp this year our theme is Beginnings - the very first Bible lessons such as creation, Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel, Enoch and Noah. Once again, I was faced with the challenge of coming up with something that would be our goal to complete for memory verses.

I had lots of ideas....such as creating a HUGE round world like a globe and then cutting it up into puzzle pieces and for each verse the kids memorize they would get to put up one puzzle piece to fill it in by the end of the week. Semi-good idea--still, I wasn't too thrilled with it!

Then, what about creation itself??? Use the same idea as what I've used in Kid's Klub and Sunday School and start out with a huge black piece of paper and day by day add light, sky, seas, dry land, plants, flowers, trees, fish, birds, stars, moon, sun, animals and man. LOVE that idea!! Until I realized just how many stars, flowers, birds, fish and animals I'd have to cut out.

Remember, I cut out 3,000 people last year? Granted, I only used about half, but still, that's 1500!!! I wasn't thrilled with that idea! And the year before that? Yep, the footprints! Ahhh....yes, the kids loved the footprints going all around the dinning room! What could I create again that would be huge enough to go all around the dinning room????

Hhhmmm....Adam & Eve? Naming animals? Reusing people from last year and create a huge chain of people? Noah leading the animals onto the ark? Oh yeah - NOAH!!! That's it - a HUGE rainbow!!!

Aren't they cute?!?!

Yes, the love each other, follow each other around and would be totally lost without one another!

And don't dare try to separate the two or you'll get an earful of pure Siamese screams!!!! :)

Ryan & Krissa - THE wedding of the year!!!

We had a blast being in Kentucky for the week of Ryan and Krissa's wedding! Lots to do! Lots of work! But ohhh, soooo much fun!!! And such a beautiful wedding!!! All six of us bridesmaids plus Krissa spent a week full of laughs, fun times and memories that we'll never forget! And that was all before the wedding day!

I came home with over 1600 photos on my camera and it's been sooooo much fun to remember the memories from that week!

Here's a few pics from rehearsal with more here.....

Krissa & Dad!!

Claire (Krissa's friend from BJU) & Jena!!

How neat is that????

Three sisters & three brothers!!!

Our family!!!

Us!!!!

Wonderful!!!

And the most hilarious table of the night?? Ours, of course!!! :)

And here's a few pics from the wedding with more here.....

Krissa's PINK shoes!!!

6 bridesmaids plus the bride!!

sisters!!!!

We had a blast together all week!!!

Ahhhh.....yes!!! The shoes!!!

Ok, so by Friday night, we were a little crazy!!! :)

Caroline, Jena and I!!!!

Two of the sisters!!!!

Ryan & Krissa!!!

Mr. & Mrs. Finch!!!! :)

Wonderful Dad!!!!

More bridesmaid fun!!!

Dad -- there's just no one like him!

My Dad. Marvelous and wonderful Dad. God has blessed me beyond measure in allowing such a wonderful, Godly man in my life all these years!

Several months ago Erinn and I were talking about our Dads and one thing she said struck me as being so very true! "There's just something about Dads and as daughters, being loved and cared for by them. Who else cares for you unconditionally and has no other interest than desiring the VERY best for you?" She's right; no one at all, no one....other than our Heavenly Father.

I was reminded of that so clearly last week as we spent time in Kentucky for Krissa's wedding.

As Dad willingly washed and cleaned vase after vase after vase...

As Dad willingly drove all over Lexington to find cleaning supplies, clothespins and hangers just for us....going out on a separate trip for each item because we neglected to tell him all we needed at one time...

As Dad willingly drove us girls home, to the church, home, to the church, etc. arriving just at the time we asked...

As Dad willingly helped press bridesmaid dresses and Krissa's gown, even though that's not the typical thing he does...

As Dad willingly draped fabric from pew to pew, hung up silver bows all over the church, set out glass vases and stripped leaves and thorns off fresh roses...

As Dad willingly shopped all over Lexington for a pink dress shirt to wear just because Krissa asked him to...

Why did he do all that without complaint? Because he loves us; he cares for us--his daughters! As I was standing at the front of the church watching Dad and Krissa walk down the aisle a week ago Friday, I was reminded of that very fact. And as I looked at Dad, tears started forming and I had to look away to keep them from streaming down my face in front of a crowd of people.

The look of love, joy and pure content was on his face! I know without a doubt how much he loves us! And how thankful I am to God in providing a father who seeks the Father's will, has taught us to follow Christ and who loves us unconditionally!!

A few days in Kentucky...and more coming!

A couple weeks ago I flew out to Kentucky to spend some time with Krissa and Ryan, get some sewing accomplished and help Krissa with more wedding details! It was a great trip and we were able to get quit a bit done. And I was thrilled to have the majority of sewing for her wedding out of the way. A few more things to finish right before the wedding, but that shouldn't be too bad.

What did we do the few days I was there in addition to sewing???? Hmmmmm.....let's see....watch Ryan play softball, getting together with Ryan's mom and brothers, running around and shopping all over Lexington, talking, laughing, facebooking, emailing, chatting and totally enjoying being together! And on top of all that it was the perfect weekend to be there as I was able to attend one of Krissa's showers as well!




And in another couple of days, we're are headed back east to that state of Kentucky for the actual wedding! What a busy, crazy and fun week that will be!!! :)

Zoo animals!

The last weekend that Luke was here (for those of you who don't know, he lives in Colorado Springs :)), we visited the Garden City Zoo with our cameras. And here's a peek at what I caught through my camera lens...

Wrinkly elephants...

Lazy lions that would not look this direction for anything!

Roadrunner - that little bird darted all over SO quickly that it was hard to catch him!

These monkeys were just hanging around - all stretched out! :)

Pink flamingos that weren't really that...uh, pink!

Kangaroos and their babies enjoying the warm sun and ignoring the fact that we would like to have a shot of them jumping rather than sacked out sleeping!

And these, rather...uh, ugly creatures. But at least this one DID like having his picture taken. He just sat there, looking out the fence at us.

Ducks...nothing too exotic, but I really like the rippling water! :)

Lots of chain fences! Especially since my camera liked focusing on that instead of what was behind the fence. :)

Cute little otters that peeked out of the rock wall...

These cute little things...whatever they are! They were baby-somethings in a dark room!

And then the humpy turtle that very slowly crawled away from us.

And the best and cutest little fluffy thing - the red panda! Isn't it adorable?! :) I want this one for a pet! You think my cats would get along with him?!?! Hmmm....