ANNIVERSARIES. Nineteen years ago this evening I proposed to Vicki. I caught her in a weak moment, however, I think it’s turned out well as we will celebrate our eighteenth anniversary tomorrow.
If I am not mistaken it was twenty years ago tomorrow that I flew out of Nashville on my way to Seoul as a summer missionary. Vicki and I had only been dating a couple of months at that time, but she, along with Mom, Aunt Mar, and Bro. Bill, took me to the airport and saw me off at the gate (it was a different day for security back then).
CENTRIKID 2012. Vicki has been taking the kids at church to a CentriKid camp for the last several years and last Sunday 29 kids and 7 chaperones left for camp This year they attended camp at Campbellsville University which is about two hours away in Kentucky. This was a new campus for them and I think they liked it.
This was a big year for Nate as he was finally old enough to go. He has really been looking forward to this. Both Nate and Ben said they enjoyed CentriKid. Everyone came back saying it was a wonderful experience. I asked Nate if it was what he expected it to be. He said it wasn’t, but that it was still a lot of fun. (I don’t think it failed to live up to his expectations, but that it just wasn’t what he had imagined from Jenna and Ben talking about their trips.)
CentriKid is a church camp put on by LifeWay so the main emphasis is spiritual, but the kids do get two track times that focus on other interests like sports. Nate got basketball and weird science for his track times and Ben got tennis and swimming. Jenna was excited to learn that Ben got tennis and wants to take him on now.
On a more important note, four Mt. Carmel kids became Christians while at camp. The kids led our worship service at church today so they could tell about their trip and it was obvious they had fun and had a powerful experience.
ON THE HOME FRONT. Jenna is too old to go to CentriKid so she stayed home with me. (She will be going to a mission focused camp with the youth group at our church in a couple of weeks.) Jenna made a big to do list for herself while Vicki and the boys were gone. A lot of that list involved cleaning the house. I don’t know about you, but when my abnormal 14 year old daughter says she wants to clean the house I get out of her way. She got a lot done.
(Jenna disagrees with my assessment of her normalcy, but I’m standing my ground. She then told me, “It takes one to know one,” to which Ben added, “True that!”)
Jenna also did a little cooking and mastered Aunt Mar’s hamburger quiche. She made quiche for us Monday night and then again on Wednesday (along with a homemade carrot cake) for us to take to one of my co-workers who had hip replacement surgery two weeks ago.
I had to work some this week, but when I was off I enjoyed my shop. I decided to make a picnic table to try to sell at Trash & Treasures which is coming up in two weeks. I am hoping to sell that one and take some orders for more tables so that I can buy a miter saw or drill press. If any of you that live locally are interested in a picnic table that seats eight let me know.
CATS. The kittens at Aunt Mar’s house are growing healthy and strong and are playful. They are keeping Mom and Aunt Mar most entertained. I think Aunt Mar has spent a lot of time watching them from the den window.
Last week Kenny found a lost kitten out in his orchard. He assumed it was part of the litter at Aunt Mar’s house and returned it. It appears to be about a week older than the four kittens they already have but has simply become part of the family now. The momma cat even allows it to nurse along with her own kittens.
ANOTHER POEM. Aunt Mar ran across another poem of hers the other day so I’ll share it in closing. It looks like it was a work in progress as the line “people to love, people who care” is written at the bottom of the scrap of paper. There are also some words above the tenth line that I cannot read.
God knows best about every thingJoe
That is why he gave us
Winter
Summer
Fall
And Spring
The flowers that bloom and birds that sing
Good times
Also bad
Cause happiness always follows sad
That is why he sent us to you
To help us out when we’re blue
