Friday, July 23, 2010

Bath Time!

Mac & Mia are our 2 miniature long-hair dachshunds.  Bath time for the pups is always a trip here.  Mac normally jumps in the tub before we are ready and we have to lock him out while Mia is being washed or he will jump in with her too!  Mia, on the other hand, hates water with a passion.. except to drink.  The fall out afterwards is the best!  Here is a video (created by our daughter) of the fun. Enjoy!



Friday, July 16, 2010

Super Summer!!!!

The title of this post isn't a rousing endorsement for the summer... although it has been a good one so far... super HOT, but good!  Super Summer is a Camp... a Christian leadership camp for students. You start the summer after 8th grade and go through the summer after your senior year.  The cool thing is you stay with the same group of kids for your entire run. Some will drop out along the way, but no new ones come into your group. Each year you are in a different Color School... the main track is red, blue, yellow, green and purple. From the time you finish red school your goal is to get to purple school.

Now I have to stop and say there are ways for kids to come into the camp who haven't gone the main track. There are other schools set up for kids who jump in mid-stream... silver, gold, brown etc.  It is all about the colors!

And there are a ton of kids there! I believe this year, which had record numbers, was close to 1500 kids. How terrific is that!!!

And each night they have a big rally with a worship leader and speaker... it is their Rainbow Celebration... very cool! Lots of Bible study.. small group discussion... mission projects... some free time and rec each day.

And friendships... the kids who stick with Super Summer year after year make so many friends.. many they only see at SS each July... others they will run into throughout the year. It is not unusual for my son to see someone and say "Hey, don't you go to Super Summer at MC?"  They might not be in the same color school, but they have seen each other from year to year.

My son started SS the summer after 8th grade and has gone all the way through... today is his last day of Purple school and I must admit I am a bit sad. I have seen him grow into an amazing Christian leader over the last 5 years... and part of that growth is the result of Super Summer and of the people he has met there. It has also been a very special time for him and his best friend. They met when they were 5 and are like brothers. They room together each year (and oh my the things they take for their room!).

With all the color themes, the kids go crazy.. some more than others. You dress in your school color... many dye their hair to match... paint faces etc.  Each year each color school has a name... some I remember are the Green Meanies... True Blue... Purple People Eaters...

My son and his buddy got together and spray painted some shirts for them to wear...

they both got one that says this...



and my son did this one for himself...


                                                                     "Speak Love"

and then when they got to SS, their purple school leaders gave them their school shirt...



They are the Purple Pandas. I like the panda on the shirt alot.

In about 90 minutes I will pick my man-boy up for the final time from SS. Seems like yesterday he was coming home from red school (1st year) and telling me all about it.

I feel certain he will be back as a worker in the years ahead. He loves SS and he knows the value of it.  Still... it seems like there have been a lot of endings this year... and yet I know the beginnings are coming soon....