campy camp camp and other news

We just got home from church camp tonight. We are tired, but we had such a good time. Our pastor (and friend) Gordie used 'Psalm 2' that Sophia wrote (below) to begin one of the sessions.

We hung out and ate lots and swam and it was so, so good for my city kids to run around in big open spaces. It was the first time that Sophia really had a buddy that she wanted to run all over with. She looked like such a big kid. She was brave - swinging high stuff, jumping into the pool, falling off the top of the monkey bars - yikes! Nori just cruises, whereever she goes, just cruises. You really have to chase after her all the time because she will just walk for miles.

It was more emotional for me than I expected, because camp last year was where my favourite recent memories were of my friend Renee, who died earlier this year. It was sad and lovely and good.

Wade DJ'ed a dance again this year. It rocked. He worked so hard on it - did visuals like on the Wake tour and crafted the perfect set list. Nori fell asleep in the sling and was so cute snoozing away with the thumping techno going on around her. Last year Renee and Wade danced until everyone else was gone - so yesterday when the dancing started i just had to have a little cry. I said this morning when I shared about Renee that when she died, people say at funerals we're celebrating their lives, but when Renee died, I wasn't really in a place to celebrate, only mourn. This weekend I got to celebrate. It did feel like she was there somehow, dancing, sitting on the beach, giving me her eye for great pictures.

We have an incredibly unique, supportive, broken, crazy, happy, lovely generous church family. We feel so loved and valued there. It's really not perfect, downright annoying sometimes, but I absolutely can't imagine us anywhere else.

I also got to start my day with a phone call with my friend Stuart. He married my friend Jacqui today over in Utah. It was so special to be able to talk to him, he was sitting with our dear mutual friend Joseph, waiting for his bride. I walked out of our cabin to try and get better reception on my phone and there was whole flock of Canada geese just hangin' out on the lawn. God's called Stu and Jacqui to be missionaries to Canada from their home nations, and I felt like it was a little salute for them, significant of how a flying V of geese will change leaders as they fly, to take turns leading, to allow the others to soar better - just like Jacqui and Stu. And technology blessed me again when the lovely birthday boy Mike D. sent me a picture on my phone of the couple smiling away, being presented to the world by Joseph himself. Don't anyone curse technology to me today - it filled me up.... and later on the geese were gone - they just wanted to say hi to Stu with me I guess.

Sophia has preschool again tomorrow and Wade has 3 days of roadie work now with Janet "Ms. Jackson if you're nasty." That is always a little tiring because he does so much with the girls it's hard when we have several days in a row where I am on kid duty alone. I have no idea how single Mums do it. We are really hoping to save up some money because in October Wade and I are going to San Diego for some YWAM meetings and we found a 4 day cruise that would work for us to go on with the dates we are there and it is only $400 a person! It would be our time without kids since July 2004! So... say a prayer we get all our finances in row for that, ok?
And we are also going to Alberta in October too - Wade's Mum has a serious beau ( I know!) who is flying us out there so all of his family can meet all Mum's kids and grandkids - a little strange but she is happy, happy happy, so we are too. My husband just hates Alberta so much... we REALLY need to pray we get on that cruise so he can get some October-in-Alberta healing after we're done.

And it looks like we are going to be a bit more involved in the upcoming DTS. It's a small school ( 9 students from 8 nations how exciting!) and we're going to billet students in our homes and take turns having them all over for meals. We'll have two guys living with us, so I'm praying for just the right guys who will LOOOOVE our kids. (And love living with them in very close quarters when they wake up SO early!) I may also be taking a one-on-one student for the first time since 2001... pretty fun - I think!

Thanks for reading..... see you soon.