Playing kick ball with another family group that was there for the weekend also.

A hard-hitting game of volley ball in the gym Saturday evening. Dick's step-mother (sitting on the sidelines) found out just how hard-hitting it was -right on her nose!

A favorite time of the weekend - singing and sharing around the campfire on Sunday mornings.

Gone camping

We're leaving for Camp Hebron. Have a great weekend! I'm quite sure we will!

Going camping again

We had an early start this morning, as I had a 7:40 AM appointment for blood work. From there we went to my pastor's wife's house for our Thursday morning prayer meeting. I hadn't been there for about a month, so it was so good to be back again. I don't know what I would do without these dear "sisters". They are so "there" for me, no matter what.

After that we went to the gym, then to McDonald's for a drive-through lunch (we like their snack wraps), then to the grocery store to stock up on the food I need for camping this coming weekend. Destiny fell in love with a little stuffed hamster named Rosa while we were there. I let her hold it all the way through the store and told her that after I pay her for her jobs this week she'll have enough money to buy her. So she kissed her goodbye. She'd better still be there next week, or I'm in trouble!

We will be going to Camp Hebron above Harrisburg this weekend with Dick's family. It's an annual tradition for many, many years, and always lots and lots of fun. We are so looking forward to it. It sounds like the weather will be lovely, although the Stauffers are expert campers in any weather. We have truly "weathered" it all over these years (well, maybe not snow!!)

I just made a huge amount of chili. I always serve the Sunday noon meal - Mexican Pile-up. No one ever seems to tired of it. Now I need to make the dessert - peanut butter rice krispie treats with chocolate on top. Then tomorrow morning I'll make my other traditional Stauffer camping food - strawberry jello with fruit cocktail mixed in.

I'm so excited about Lisa coming in two weeks. They've never been up since we moved here, so now I suddenly have a mile-long list of stuff I want to accomplish before then!

A full day

We got some GOOD rain overnight last night, even into the morning. This was a beautiful, sunny day.

And a full day. We went to the gym this morning, then Destiny had her regular Wednesday afternoon play date at her friend Fufu's place. While she was there I did some work at school and also at church. I was working at recording a song for one of my coworkers. Her young adult foster daughter had written some lyrics that she wanted me to put to music. I've been working on it off and on the past week or so, and I think I can soon cross it off my list of things to do.

At 5:20 I had my annual mammogram, then I went with a group from church to sing at Hamilton Arms Retirement Home in Lancaster. After that I went to my friend Chris's house. She's a dear friend from church whom I trust very much. She has so much wisdom and insight. We were talking and praying about Destiny's needs.

AND BREAKING NEWS!!! On my way home from Chris's house I listened to a voice mail from Lisa. They have decided they are flying up for my family's annual weekend July 6 - 8. It will be short, but that's okay. We're planning to go down in August.

Cleaning out

A teen girl from church offered to babysit Destiny today because she wanted to earn some money to buy a birthday gift. She took Destiny swimming. I took advantage of the uninterrupted time to clean my bedroom closet and all my dresser drawers. I threw out a big garbage bag of stuff and have another garbage bag full to sell at a yard sale later this summer. Wow, that feels good!

Lancaster County is having severe thunder storms this evening. So far it's just dancing around us. The sky has been very dark for an hour and it keeps thundering and lightning, but you can tell it's not here. Besides there's been no rain so far. WE NEED RAIN!!

The Louisiana trip

Dick got home from his trip to Louisiana late Saturday afternoon. We got his pictures developed that evening, but our day was too full yesterday for me to post them. Below are some of the pictures.

Yesterday at church each member of the group shared some of their experiences. Some things were funny, some things were very touching. One extremely moving story was of how affected the one bus driver was by our group. He worked along with some of our guys down there and spent most of his time for an entire week with our group. There was a tremendous bond formed with him this week. Near the end of the trip he wanted everyone to listen to him as he shared how he has never driven for a group like this, where there was such unity and working together among all age groups.

Darlene, the one who headed up this trip, said yesterday morning that he called twice on Saturday evening just to say again how much the week meant to him. She thinks we'll be seeing more of him.

The crew, including the two bus drivers. (A bunch of our guys buzzed their hair off after they got down there!)

This comfortable-looking bus was not at all comfortable when Dick was trying to sleep at night! He ended up lying across the aisle on the floor to get just an hour-and-a-half of sleep that first night!

The hills of Virginia.

En route to Lake Charles, they took Route 10 through New Orleans. This is the New Orleans skyline.

As they drove through New Orleans on Route 10, they saw many roofs that still have blue tarps on them as well as houses with grass and weeds growing on their roofs.

The infamous superdome.

Finally there! Our group was hosted by Sweet Lake Methodist Church near Lake Charles, LA. This gym of the church served as their dining hall, basketball court, and men's sleeping quarters (as you can see in the background.) The five females in the group slept in the church nursery. They loved the air conditioning, the comfortable mattresses, and spacious kitchen to work in. And regarding basketball - the young guys found out that the oldest guy (Dick) is still a force to reckon with!!

Les and Darlene Stauffer did a GREAT job of organizing this trip.

This alligator, found in a drain pipe under the street, was the first cause of excitment!

One evening the bus driver took them to the beach to watch the sun set.

Unfortunately, there was no swimming at a beach that looks like this!

The sunset was worth waiting for, however.