Monday, June 22, 2015

Lake Bash 2015......

Two weeks into summer, Father's Day weekend and another Lake Bash happened.
I must admit I am tired!
I worked my way through four days of vacation bible school (missing the last night) and packed my car for our annual family get together.  It is an undertaking to say the least.
I am very grateful for Tim and Mandy who have graciously accepted the baby portion of the family because I honestly do not know where I would put everyone.  We are up to 29 family members....and growing!  We were short 4 members this year and the Bergeson's made a quick trips to Baton Rouge to welcome a new grandchild....and that is where I would have been too!!
That still left us with two full houses and a crew that probably used two bath towels each everyday....
maybe I need to install hooks because repeating the use of a towel is a totally acceptable behavior!
Fish were abundant.  After four years of severe draught they were probably glad to be swimming freely and feeding on whatever was hanging on the end of a hook.

In order to compete in the "olympic" games every fish had to be carefully measured and recorded on the scoreboard.  We take this whole thing very seriously!
Even the kids are part of the event that always causes a little friction if you are a point off on the leader board.




While some find it relaxing to park themselves in a lawn chair with a trashy summer novel, we are totally into minnows, earth worms and water fun.
Yes, this is totally me pretending like I am young a vibrant and can swim on out to the floating island and climb on board without being pulled in like a beached whale.  It is not just age.  It is weight, arthritis, and the inability to maneuver any part of my body anymore.
It served to entertain my grandchildren and the other part of the crew that was watching from the shoreline.  



Two three year olds on a hot dog.....
no fear in this family!




One of the greatest part of the weekend ...watching all of the kids join in on all of our games!
A shower cap and shaving cream brought more laughter than Richard Simmons in his gym shorts.


Do not give a Shubzda family member a can of shaving cream....
We finished the night with thunder storms, tired kids, about ten more loads of laundry, and lots of great memories.....
I will sleep in tomorrow and then start planning for 2016 because despite the chaos it is the best weekend ever!

Thursday, June 18, 2015

VBX 2015.......

Yes, I did!
I just spent another week with a group of kids at Vacation Bible Experience 2015!
And it was just as much fun as last year.
 I clearly remember being so excited when I took on the task of pre-school leader for bible school last year.  I also remember the sheer exhaustion after spending four hour days, five days in a row with 17 four year olds.  By the end of the week I was beat but so in love with my kids and the fun of sharing Jesus with them.
 There was not question I would be back.  When you think you might have lost God, share a week with children.  
This year was different.  I did not have a group of small children.  I had a group of 10 children raging in age from 5 to 11.  That presented it's own different challenges.  How do you present things to such varied ages?
 I found out it is pretty simple.  Jesus is universal.
Good Christian music, lots of movement, and you have unbridled enthusiasm!
 God has the power to provide, to comfort, to heal, to forgive, and to love us forever!
 I am not teaching bible school.  Every year I am learning that kids have a heart for Christ that is so beautiful.  They love, they share, and they accept.  They are open and willing when we as adults are so set on a path that we are fearful to veer off of.
 It is beautiful to watch the youth in our parish be so willing to give so much of themselves to guide those younger than them.  
It is exhausting...I am tired...
but my name will be on the list next year when they post the volunteer list.  
It is beyond a shadow of a doubt the best job in the world, and there is not even a salary attached.
"And God is able to provide you with very blessing in abundance"
2 Corinthians 9:8

Friday, June 5, 2015

Look Out World.....

Good bye pre-school!!
It has been fun, but I am moving on!!
It is time.  
That going to school three days a week thing was a lot of fun because this young lady like just hanging out but I really think she has learned about all she can in a pre-K classroom.
 It is time to get serious.
I thought this would make me sad, but thinking back sending my kids to kindergarten made me smile.  It was a new world to explore, new friends to meet, and days full of challenges.
Seeing their smiles when they got off the bus was fun.
This young lady is ready to move on and I am ready to watch what she can accomplish....
but until then I think we will pack in some sleepovers while she still thinks hanging out with me is fun!

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Hello Summer!!!!....

Summer 2015 has officially arrived.
  No more picking the grandkids up at 2:00 and playing until dad gets off work.
It is officially play all day for the next three months.
 So what do we do with a 10 hour day?
The thought took me back to the lazy days of summer in the 70's and 80's when my kids were out for the summer.
I did not dread summer vacation.  Actually, I loved it.  No more alarm clocks, homework, packing lunches, and crazy schedules.  We were free...but we were also poor.
We were a one income family so our schedule did not include trips to the aquarium, the museum, or Disneyland.  
 My kids slept in, ate breakfast, and spent the day with legos, hot wheels, and sports equipment.  Days were easy...and lazy.  If the kids were gone for a couple of hours...not to worry.
They were at one of the neighbors and no one cared. 
With that in mind we celebrated the beginning of summer 2015 with simple things.  
A bucket of toys, colors, and construction paper are fun.
 A mid morning snack when you are at Grammas can be an oreo if that is what you ask for.
 What fun is a play day without bubbles??
 Lunch...
a tea party on the patio with the good glass dishes.
Princess Charlotte, eat your heart out!!!

 The park....

and the pool as the first day of summer 2015 is in the books.
It was a great day.  
It was full of funny faces and laughter.  
How can you beat that?  
I think parents are guilted into what they see on facebook and pinterest.
They think they have to create a fantasy summer.
Eat fried bologna, watch television, and drink from the hose.  
Make memories.
I think that staying simple is a good thing.



Monday, June 1, 2015

Just the Facts Friends................

Unless you have been living under a rock ...... which probably floated away, you must know that what we experienced in the month of May in Dallas is record setting.  Record setting rain that is.
It was the wettest May in history and the third wettest month in history.  About 17" this month....
a bit more than we really needed.
 We have had dried up lake front property for three years now.  
Jimmy has actually mowed the lake for far longer than he wanted to...
first the yard and then the lake.....
not fun!!!
This month it was hard to even find a day dry enough to mow.
When the rain let up enough to actually venture out what did I do?
I did what more than just a few lifelong Garland residents did...I stopped the car in the parking lot of the golf course to take a picture of the fairways.  Yes, these are the fairways which now compete with the local lakes for the wettest spots around.
I can honestly say (in all seriousness) that just moments before I snapped this picture two kayaks went flying by.  All of this I find noteworthy of course, because someone in about 50 years will read through the printed copy of my blog and say "Oh yes, I remember my great grandmother telling us about the great rains of 2015". 

Just to clarify the above picture I want to note that the white and yellow specks you see in the photo are the flags that mark the greens on the golf course.  Attached to the flag are 5' poles that are totally submersed under the water.
Also to note for the record book...today is June 1st and we have yet to reach 90 degrees this year.  
I have actually enjoyed the fact that when it rains like it has here for a month you really cannot do much but stay inside.  I have not had to water my plants, I have read about three books, sewed endlessly, and been a bit of a vegetable.  I am ready to move on now so it is okay for the sun to shine and the rain to ease up a bit....but I am not looking forward to the heat of July and August.
We have spent far too many summers fried and suffering from a form of heat exaustion...rain is a good thing.