Tuesday, June 23, 2009

VBS
















VBS at our parish this year rocked. 218 kids. 100 teen volunteers. A couple handfuls of eager adult volunteers. An office full of somewhat fearful parish staff, and priests...2 maintanence guys shaking their heads in disbelief. It was so fun. It was the last year for our friend Laura who has run it for the last 7 or 8 years, and is now moving on to Las Vegas. It was bittersweet for that point only, and we sent her off with a video montage of the last several years, which made most of us cry and cry. I decorated the place and then during the week, I helped in the dramas room, which is essentially like an interactive theater. We totally deck the place out with sets and props and costumes. The guy who is now running this room has access to a full theater prop room (I won't admit from where!) so we are lacking for nothing! The kids are just holding their breath to see what we have waiting for them behind our door! This week, it was the story of Moses leading the people out to the desert after the original passover experience and the plagues. How often we hear "oral tradition" but essentially, we function as storytellers in this part of VBS, so oral tradition is reborn. The kids love it. I love it. Enjoy!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Too long
















Yes, it's been too long since my last post...but I was depressed! My computer crashed and I lost all my photos from the last 8 mos. Don't even get me started. Since then, let's see, Emily just got back from a week at girl scout camp, Bret is heading to camp tomorrow, and we start VBS Mon. morning. I am doing the decorations for it and we've been in the whole mindset of it for the last 2 wks. or so. I'm all about the "Louisiana bayou" and all it has to offer. I love getting the church looking all "in theme" and different for the kids to walk in and see the first time. It's like their own little mini Disney for a week. We're actually not in the church proper, but in the family life center. I do tons of painting and scavenging of props, etc. Anyway, it's fun. My friend Kim just had her 12th baby. Unbelievable. (pictured above) I started walking again. I do it every time I have a baby or some weight to lose (which seems like my whole lifetime!) so that's good. I'm trying to go 4 miles most days. Right now we're cleaning up the yard after a huge storm blew through yesterday and knocked a jillion branches into the yard. That's about all.