4 Ingredients for a Fabulous 4th

1.  FRIENDS.  We jumped at the invitation to celebrate the holiday with Dorina and her family.

2.  FIREWORKS.  Right away, we all piled into their car for a drive up to Shaver Lake, where we ate our picnic dinner on the beach and watched the kids imaginatively play for the 3 hours it took to get dark.  The fireworks show over the lake was pretty cool and everyone was brave!

3.  POOL.  After a late night at the lake, we carried the sleeping kids to bed, made it to church this morning and then spent the rest of the day splashing around in the pool.

 

4.  BBQ.  We love Dorina for many reasons, her cooking skills are a big one! :)  Our country's birthday inspired quite a menu out of my friend: grilled mushrooms and corn on the cob, Mediterranean chicken, salad, bread, pilaf, watermelon and, of course, a patriotic dessert that the girls could help decorate.

Putting these 4 things together gave us a dandy 4th of July.  Words can't even describe how much we'll miss our very good friends as they sell their home and prepare for a year of ministry in Haiti.

VBS

In case you are wondering if we snuck away for another week, the answer is no.  We've all been completely wrapped up in our church's Vacation Bible School this week.  We are doing the High Seas Expedition program.  Once again, I am leading the Bible stories, Ella is a member of the kindergarten crew, Delia busts out of the nursery as much as her helpers allow to sing (on stage!), make crafts and eat snacks and Dave has been an informal, but invaluable, assistant to me-- helping transform my classroom each day and even coming in to tell a story in character once.  He also created a slideshow with the week's pictures.

VBS is extremely rewarding, but extremely exhausting.  Especially as we all have been feeling under the weather.  Lots of naps, lots of zinc lozenges and lots of housework neglect are helping us survive!  Preparing and presenting the lessons (which are like 20 minute monologues this year) is work and, a lot of times, out of my comfort zone, but I'm encouraged every day when Ella comes home and straightaway reenacts the story she's heard.  She builds a jail, handcuffs herself and is Peter.  She is Paul and she is shipwrecked.  She lays out her mat, puts on her sad face and begs for money like the crippled man outside the temple gate.

We have no doubt God is at work.  But, we won't mind resuming life as normal after tomorrow. :)

Our Great Camping Adventure

After the success of last year's experiment, we knew we wanted to do a family camping trip this summer.  Delia is potty trained and in a bed, both girls are flexible with naps and at an age where running around outside would be super fun.  Everyone told us we had to go to Pinecrest, so we reserved one of the last remaining sites at Pinecrest, a sparkling mountain lake.  A pre-camping stop at Bass Pro was required since the last time Dave and I camped, we were just a party of two and had supplies for just the two of us.  We got the gear together, watched Ella and Delia befriend and name the lures in the tackle box, reprioritized what really needed to go when we had a "Ricardos and Mertzes go to California" moment with our car and took off for the cooler, pine-scented air of Pinecrest.

 

While we set up camp, the girls loved scrambling around on the numerous boulders that made their own playground on our site.















Even though Pinecrest is so ideal for campers that sites start filling up in November and we made our reservation just weeks ago, we got a perfect site, only a short walk from the lake.  When we got our first look at it, it was so blue and inviting!
















We headed straight for the marina, where we rented a paddle boat.  This let us explore the whole lake and map out where we wanted to fish and hike in the following days.




















Paddling and not falling off the back of the paddle boat took perseverance!  An ice cream reward from the busy lakeside snack shop was a must!










We loved Pinecrest for having no shortage of outdoor activity options.  But some of the best time was just spent playing cards at camp, roasting marshmallows, telling stories around the fire, reading by lantern-light and making/cleaning up meals together.





















We also took advantage of a great little sandy beach.  The girls had tons of fun digging in the sand and filling up their buckets.











The lake water was a bit chilly, so they created their own hot tub.  Heated by the sun, this shallow mud bath was much more comfortable to splash in!















We took a fantastic hike around a good portion of the lake.  On the far side, the lake is dammed and we climbed up and over tree roots and big rocks to get a look at the waterfall.









The girls took turns riding on Dave's shoulders since the terrain was moderately difficult to hike.  (Our beloved hiking backpack would not fit in the so-stuffed-we-barely-had-room-for-the-kids car.)









A really cool footbridge let us walk over the pounding water.  We saw a big rainbow and where the river rapids are redirected into the forest below-- some sites that were totally worth the hike!

Ella was just dying to try fishing for the first time.  At Bass Pro we picked up a pink fishing pole for her.  She was quickly disappointed when she dropped her line in the water and a fish did not immediately bite.  Since fishing is a lesson in patience, the girls didn't end up doing too much of it, but Dave got up early to try.  We never did catch any fish.

Ella and I made some great memories when we went on a date at the "Movies Under the Stars" Pinecrest Amplitheatre.  We laughed and cried together as we cuddled in the camping chair and watched Toy Story 3 on an outdoor big screen.  With the lake behind the screen, bats fluttering above us and the full moon guiding us back to camp in the dark, this was an experience neither of us will ever forget! 

Over the past few days, the girls have never been dirtier and no one slept great, but we all had a load of fun and were even scolded by Ella as we packed up camp-- "Why didn't you bring a hammer and boards?  Then we could build our own house and live here I love it so much!"  For our first time camping with kids, I'm gonna go ahead and call this positive experience a tradition-in-the-making.

Good Genes

I think I have just enough time to squeeze this Father's Day post into this Father's Day. :)

As the girls grow and show us more of who they really are, I am constantly thankful for the Daddy they come from. I love how Ella is crazy smart and has Dave's long eyelashes and how Delia is happiest when she's climbing or jumping off of something and has his dimple. But so much more than that, some of the character traits I admire most in them I know are because of Dave.

Ella just has a knack for the Bible and theology. Her Mt. Hermon counselors tell me in amazement, "She knew the whole story already!" or "You can tell she's the pastor's daughter!" She has always had a heart for God and a real desire to know more about him. Not just the stories in the Bible that every kid likes, but deep truth about sin and God as a heavenly father and redemption. I know this because of the questions she asks and the comments she makes.

Delia has this magnetism. I told Dave, after watching her at Mt. Hermon, "She is enchanting." She makes everyone in her life feel special with her affection and enthusiasm for them. I watch her exclaim over and run up to hug church friends and I know they feel so loved. Dave (and his siblings, in fact!) has this same gift-- everyone he interacts with feels important and special and knows they have his attention. It's for this reason I was one of about 7 girls in high school who had a crush on Dave and Delia has a constant flock of friends following her around!

If my girls grow up to be even a part of the impressive person their father is, I know everyone they serve and love in their lives will be blessed!

A Father's Day Message for Grandpa:

End of the Week Program

One highlight of the week is the Friday night kids' program. After a super-fun week of Day Camp, each age group (starting at 3, which Delia missed by weeks) gets on stage and performs a little something they learned during their time at Mt. Hermon.

The 3-6 year olds said their Bible verse:

And then sang a song:

When the kids are ushered off stage, one remains to answer questions. This year Ella was the one picked to be interviewed! In case you can't hear in the video she is asked, "What is the five-finger phrase you learned this week?" She answers, "God is above all things." When they ask what her favorite thing was, she replies, "The nature hike."

When the high-energy program is done, we all enjoy an after party. We get to eat treats, watch the camp video and run around outside in the commons with our friends one last time.

Redwood Canopy Tour

Mt. Hermon does not change much from year to year.  Don't get me wrong, we looove it, but we know exactly what to expect.  This year I had the opportunity to do something so once-in-a-lifetime and different, it will top my Mt. Hermon 2010 memories forever!  Our family camp built the world's only Redwood Canopy Tour last year.  Campers can take the nearly 3 hour tour for a fraction of the price that everyone else pays.  The tour is essentially 6 zip lines and 2 sky bridges over a valley about 150 ft. in the air.  Let me say it clearer: Coastal Redwoods are the TALLEST TREES IN THE WORLD, we were HALFWAY UP IN THEM and FLYING from one to the next!!  I did this with my Mt. Hermon girlfriends and we left the tour on an adrenaline high and aching from laughing so hard together.

Words and pictures will never ever ever do this experience justice, but I'll try to describe it.  We arrived, signed a bunch of waivers and got strapped into these snug and flattering zip line suits.  We then were given some lessons in zip lining at ground school.  Each of us took a turn braking and backward climbing up a rope on a "bunny hill."  Then we ascended to the first platform via a shaky rope bridge.

The first platform was the lowest, but the new height was enough to turn us all into a bunch of tree-huggers!

Each of the 6 zips took us zig-zagging across this valley.  The longest zip was 440 ft. and for many we couldn't even see the destination when we took off.  The entire time we were in the trees, we were fastened to a safety line with 2 giant caribeaners.  Our 2 guides not only handled all our equipment and safely loaded us one-at-a-time onto each line, they also gave us these amazing lessons about the Redwoods on each platform.

Imagine having just flown several hundred feet, viewed a river whizzing by deep below you and are perched on a platform circling a Redwood trunk over 100 ft. in the air.  In this "classroom" we learned things like the canopy of the Coastal Redwoods has more species diversity than the Amazon rain forest!  Or the roots of Redwoods are shallow, but extend for miles.  Each of the Coastal Redwoods from San Luis Obispo to Oregon are literally connected and rely on each other for life! 

At the sky bridge in the middle of the tour, we ladies got our "Canopy Cover Girl" look on, while our guide dangled on a line opposite of us with our cameras.  We decided we are lovely enough to make a calendar for Mt. Hermon.  This shot is called "Scared!"

This is the view up.  Incredible, huh?

And this is the view down.  At this platform we were 150 ft. in the air. 

Mt. Hermon is all about reconnecting with family and God.  I can't think of a better time or way to worship our Creator.  What awe we were all in!  Be sure to check out the slideshow to the left (double click to see it larger) for more pictures of this experience and Mt. Hermon in general.

Train Day

Our train day was a bit different this year, but still fun!  We missed the friends we usually share this day with, but still found plenty of good company on the train ride down the mountain.  We sat with Gramma Jean and all our church buddies.  Gramma Jean doled out Mentos and snacks while we sang together and clung to each other in the "deep dark tunnel."  We rode inside the train car for a change.

When we reached our Santa Cruz Boardwalk destination, the girls and I took off on our own.  I bought Ella and Delia 3 rides each and they had to decide for themselves which ones to pick. 

We wandered up and down the boardwalk and beach for a while, just taking it all in and trying to make wise ride choices.

Both girls wanted to ride the Shamus and boats, so they did this together.  Then Delia picked the merry-go-round and assured me she'd be brave to ride it alone.  She did great!  Ella tried a new flying helicopter ride.

We took the early train back up to Mt. Hermon and enjoyed our sack lunch as a picnic on the ride.  We found a few more church friends to sit with on the ride home-- this time in the open air car.

Another day of fresh air and excitement and the hard work that is choosing how to best spend your tickets wore the girls right out.  Delia napped in my arms while Ella peacefully watched the forest go by like this:

Beach Day

As we've done in previous years, we ventured down the Mt. Hermon mountain to the beautiful Santa Cruz beach to meet up with Dave during the afternoon he spends there with the Hi Camp crowd.  The girls and I were thrilled to see him trotting across the sand.

On beach day, we spend a few hours doing beach-y stuff: building sandcastles, burying each other, walking in the surf looking for ocean treasures and jumping in the waves.

Delia was so delightful in her desire to run into each wave.  Ella is still scared of the ocean and its unpredictability.  Delia was shivering so hard, we had to make her come out!

We were given a great gift on beach day when we found this otter playing in the surf right where we were playing!  We watched him for a long time, backstroking and bobbing in and out of the waves.  Some of our friends even went out a few feet in the water to meet him.  He was so close and so unafraid of us!