To Topeka and Back

Due to the crash of the Internet at the staff house as of Sunday night I have not been able to post about my most recent adventures. ( I hope it gets fixed soon!)

Last week Luke and I went with my older brother Steve on a missions trip. Steve and his family, Amy and James, ten Sr. Highers, and Luke and I went to Topeka, Kansas to do a Vacation Bible School for the church Steve used to work at. He was a youth pastor there. Now he is a youth pastor in Burlington, IA.

Luke and I met them in Des Moines on Sunday, July 16 and returned on Saturday, July 22. (Thanks Kelli!) It was an eventful week, but still not as eventful as a week at camp. I found myself saying many times, "Isn't there anything else we can be doing right now?" Because of the 9-9 days instead of 8-10, it proved to be a restful week with lots of fun. It's really good it was a restful week because Luke needed it. When we left Iowa he wasn't feeling the best, but we both thought he was on the tail end of it. It turns out he wasn't. He spent most of the week in bed. Poor Luke! Every night he would spike a fever, but then get up in the morning ready to go. He was sooo congested and coughed a lot. He could only do half days until Thursday. Thursday he went to the doctor. So that was the turning point for Luke. It's really too bad because he had to miss our trip to Oceans of Fun! I really missed him.

VBS was in the evenings from 6:30-9. I got to work with Amy and one of the Sr. Highers in the preschool group. The kids were so cute and a lot of fun. One little boy named Andrew loved Popeye. Every picture we took of him he flexed his muscles and closed one eye. He said he sneaks spinach into his mom's shopping cart at the grocery store. How cute! They were a handful, but so fun. I got to teach a Bible lesson to the preschoolers, and lead a devotion with the teens one morning. I really loved that. In the devotion we were learning about how compassion compels us to serve. I challenged the teens to get passionate about something--anything worthy--and that will inspire genuine servanthood--not something you have to contrive. This revived my LOVE for challenging things from the word of God. We went off of the feeding of the 5,000 passage. So cool!

On the days that Luke was feeling better he got to lead the Bible story dramas for the k-6 graders. He did such a good job. It is amazing to me how talented he is when it comes to teaching and drama stuff. Do you know my husband??? You should really get to know him if you don't! He's amazing. Invite us over! We'll come.

I so appreciate the chance to be with Steve, Amy, and James. James is officially the nephew I have spent the most time with now. He is so cute and a joy. I'm thankful that we got to go and I pray that our ministry there left a lasting impression in the hearts of the kids, the church, and the teens.

Most Amazing First

Yesterday I had my most amazing first of the whole week! I went tubing and I absolutely loved it! I was really excited when I realized the Sr. High Campers were going tubing and that I had some time and I had Keith's go ahead. I knew this would be an amazing thing to do during my week of firsts. I'm really glad I did it. I went with my friend, and fellow Marshalltown-ian, Emily Backes. She told me what to do and we had a lot of fun together. Towards the end of the ride, which wasn't long enough, I hadn't gotten flipped off yet, so we tipped the tube ourselves. The crash in the water and the chill of the water was not as scary as I thought it was going to be. Yesterday was a perfect day for tubing, pretty hot and the water was so warm. I would love to go again for hours! Hmmm, do I know anyone who has a boat?
P.S. I'm the one on the right.

Luke and Me, Me and Luke

Today's first was enjoyable. I got to go on a date with Luke in Spirit Lake. The camp director gave us the night off. We decided to go to the Milford movie theatre to see The DaVinci Code. It was a treat to do that on a camp night. Unfortunately, the picture above kind of expresses how our bodies were feeling. Our spirits were high, but our bodies were exhausted. Luke almost fell asleep while waiting for the theatre boys to fix the movie. I told him it was ok.

Even though we were tired we had a lot of fun, and were very thankful to be together! Goodnight, I'm off to bed!

Godfathers Fun

Today the senior high camp went to the water park in Fairmont, MN. I am the picture taker here at camp this summer, so I get to be everywhere the campers are, except when they go off campus. I sent a camera with them today. When they got home they had some fun pictures. It turns out they stopped at Godfathers on the way home and decided to surprise me with a little love. SO, my first for the day is that I received a message spelled out with straws. It said "We love Deb." This was amazing.

I would also like to mention another first that was a joy for me. Luke and I got to go to Walmart together today. This is our first Walmart trip together during camp. It was fun. The only things we got were camp stuff. Another first for today: rescuing my Nalgene from two very sneaky boys. They clipped it to the backstop on the kickball field. Andrew and Aaron, your time is coming. I think it is their goal to someday see my Nalgene in "Who owns me?" (A game we play at dinner times to help people reclaim their possessions. It is done in front of everyone.) I will have pictures of this tomorrow.
For those who are keeping track: I'm on Day 3 of the 6 day diet. Today was also hard as there were so many good desserts being made in the kitchen. Kelli asked and I will answer: we eat the same things everyday. No variation. We can't even chew gum. This diet is meant to really flush out your system. You loose some water weight. All the water you drink goes right through you. I'm never hungry b/c I'm eating all the time. I am, however, very hungry for something different. After the meal where we have the potato we are supposed to exercise for 45-60 minutes, but not vigorously. The plan says to go for a brisk walk or something like that. At camp we are so active ALL DAY, we figure that if we don't get to the 45 minute thing, we're probably ok.
I will leave you with a picture I really like. These are my cats. Pumpkin and Han (Solo). They are quite a bit bigger now, but not a year old yet. Pumpkin is on the left and Han is on the right. I named one and Luke named the other. :)

Seriously?

Today I had my first grapefruit. Wow. I thought it was really good. Everytime I put another bite into my mouth I had to readjust to the taste. I put a lot of Sweet and Low on it to help. Some wise, all-knowing friends in all things food told me I would need it. I know I will try it again. I think it will be even better next time.

I am on Day Two of a 6-day detox diet. Along with Mandy Shew and Debra Wittrock. Debra really likes milk. Organic is not her favorite though. Debra is one of my roommates this summer. She actually lives right across the hall. Her duties this summer include camp nurse, general know-it-all, and Bryan's roommate. :)
Mandy is drinking out of my Nalgene. She's always wanted to be me. She tries to hide it, but I know what she's thinking. She's the one who is trying to get me to try all these new foods. They are actually mandatory, as regulated by our detox diet. Ugh, it's only day two... we eat five times a day and drink 3 Nalgenes of water. Here's the menu. This may be interesting to some:

Breakfast: 3 egg whites and a 1/2 grapefruit or mixed berries
Morning snack: grilled turkey and greens
Lunch: Grilled chicken and rice and mixed veggies
Afternoon snack: Grilled tuna and greens
Dinner: Grilled chicken and a POTATO and a BANANA! I love this meal.

So, we're in it together. Well, almost together. Today Mandy cheated. She went to Sioux Falls with her family and ate at HuHot. That's not the worst of it though. Later that day she went to Coldstone. So, Debra and I are in it together. You're only cheating yourself, Mandy.

Other firsts for today: I stepped in chicken grease and slipped and slided all over the kitchen. I finally got some good pictures of ultimate frisbee. (Andrew Klumpp was playing and he referred to his frisbee as Zweifel. Safe travels Jackie! Andrew got teary-eyed when I told him you flew to Australia today!) And, um, I'm sure there were more. It's wonderful to be purposefully expanding my horizons.

Today's Firsts

So yesterday I said that I wanted to do something new everyday. Well today I did. They may seem pretty insignificant, but I was proud of myself non-the-less. Like I said, there are so many things I have not done, or tasted, that are just like, "what have you been doing all your life? Seriously, everyone has done this but you!" Here are the things that I did for the first time today.

1. I ate fresh snap peas

2. I ate fresh green beans

3. I ate a mixed berry assortment for breakfast. This included blackberries which I have never tasted before. This was an especially hard thing for me because I don't like the seeds that come with eating berries. The assortment looked just like the picture.

4. I ate fresh green pepper slices

5. I went to camp without makeup on today. This was interesting. I didn't feel like myself. Kind of weird how that happens.

That's it for today. All this week there will be something new!

Quality Time and Movies

Crazy weekend for movies. I went to Pirates of the Carribean 2 on Friday night, watched Hoodwinked with family on Saturday night, and went to Superman Returns on Sunday night. Do I really enjoy movies that much, or am I just lazy. I think it's a little bit of both. One thing I really appreciate is when someone says to me, "What are we doing inside? It's a beautiful day! We should be out doing something!" I love that. That makes me think that I would do anything as long as it is appreciating the great outdoors, and getting the juices flowing in me. I've known few people like that. Some people that come to mind are Jerry Hagberg, a dad of a friend, but has since become a friend of mine I like to think. Also, Mark Demarest. This would be Luke's dad. I came to appreciate him on a whole new level this weekend.

Luke and I went home for a day this weekend to get him a new suit. That was really our only expectation from the trip, but we ended up staying. Mark and Jo, my inlaws, had plans to go to a movie that night in Sioux City. When Mark saw us pull into his driveway, he called his wife, already in Sioux City, and told her to come home. His son and daughter-in-law were in town, "Let's spend some time with them." This gesture was amazing to me. How selfless. And yes, I think Jo might have been disappointed, I probably would have been too, given that time to go to a movie hardly ever happens. I don't think any less of her if she was--totally understand. I also just felt so loved and welcome. THIS is a dad who really LOVES his family. Minutes after we got there, he saw that I had nothing to do while Gabe and Luke played computer fun time, so he taught me how to ride a motorcycle. I love firsts. There are so many firsts waiting to happen in my life. Not normal firsts either. Like last summer I had plain sour cream for the first time. Yeah, I have tons of those. This week I might have my first grapefruit.

Anyway, Mark saw the opportunity to spend some quality time and he took it. Whether or not he was desiring quality time with his daughter-in-law or just to be outdoors, I don't know, but his love for his family and for not wasting time and for outdoor fun is what created this moment. AND, now I can drive a motorcycle. Well, now I know the basics. I hope I remember this experience always, and that it will help me to put others first when it comes to my time. And that I will start seizing moments like I should.

So today friends take a moment, or 60, to be outside. Do something NEW! That's what I think is missing from my daily routine. I want to do something new everyday. Personally, I am tired of saying, I've never seen that, or, I've never done that before. I say it way too often. Here's to more firsts and loving every minute of it!