Home from church outing

Hi, I’m ho-ome! I have two audio blogs posted and I have typed a manuscript on what I rambled about for those who don’t want to listen.

I have lots of pictures of Tony at Church Outing, but only a few good ones. I have a created a web page with some pictures on it. Check it out here.

I will spend the next couple days cleaning and putting away all the stuff I’ve used for the last ten days, and doing a ton of laundry. A five-year-old boy can go through a couple changes of clothes real easy. There are acres of rain-wet grass to play in, mud puddles to jump in, and dirt to build towns in. There’s spaghetti and cereal to eat, juice to drink, and watermelon to wolf down. Let’s not forget the effects in the middle of the night of six pieces WATERmelon, and playing so hard a five-year-old boy doesn’t stop to take care of business in the boys’ room.

It’s hard to share ten days of experience. If I had to choose one experience to share it would be…, no, maybe it would be…., oh yeah, I could share… OK. I’ll tell a couple. The first would be Wednesday during the evening meeting, (not a time when I told the continued story) when I was hiding before story time. I was the one telling the guest story that night. A friend of the director came over to see how things were going and heard the director say, “Where’s Miss VJ? She should be here. Hmm, has anyone seen her? I guess I’ll have to just get started.”

This was all scripted as it led into my story. The friend didn’t know this and became quite concerned that I wasn't there. She left and started looking across the campus for me. She was gone several minutes before returning with the news that I wasn’t anywhere to be found. By that time, I was telling my story and the leader was waiting out on the sidewalk for her friend. When the friend was set straight on the matter, we all had a good laugh.

Another would be Saturday afternoon when I finished up my continued story. I really got into the story as I led the kids on a search through the object of our story, the cave. As I tiptoed through the kids holding my imaginary flashlight, I happened to glance at the adults and almost cracked up. They had the same big-eyed, slack jawed look as the kids. I guess that would be a complement to my storytelling skills.

And finally, Saturday night when we had a performance for all the adults in the big auditorium. Once the kids were lined up on the stage, the director and I got down on the main floor to help the kids with the actions of the songs. I was having so much fun waving my arms, twirling around, and shouting out loud, that I heard someone comment behind me, “I don’t know who is having more fun, the leaders or the kids!”

Already, the director and I are planning next year’s program. I think we’re going to do a space theme and use little blank paper books she found for passports to different planets. I have a big called “Voyager” that will work great for the program, and she has a puppet skit that is perfect.

And finally, for the first time in a week and a half, I get to go to bed before midnight!