Camp Manatawny may you be a guiding light......

Last evening we went to the Annual Camp Manatawny dinner. It was a special night. The moment we stepped on the grounds of the camp we were greeted with friends we had not seen in a long time. We were first greeted by a young couple that we have known almost their entire lives. Jim had the privilege to perform their wedding 12 years ago. They have two beautiful children ages 6 and 4!!! We then made our way to the registration area and saw an old (or should I say-seasoned) college mate. We then saw friends from a local church in Delaware. All this before we stepped on the paved road!!!

What a great rush of emotions were felt as we talked and laughed and cried and hugged and caught up with friends that we haven't seen!!! Camp is such a special place. This comment is coming for a person, who as a camper, wasn't particularly a happy camper. As an adult, I grew to LOVE our yearly treks to Manatawny. It was evident last evening how camp is such a large part of our lives a a married couple. Our children grew up there during at least 1-2 weeks of the summer every year. We developed great friendships and some that have continued over 30+ years. We saw young couples that now have children the ages that we first met the young couples.

I will be honest, I wasn't truly looking forward to going to the dinner this year. We had a very full, productive week and I just wanted to chill at home. I am SO thankful that Jim encouraged me to attend. We not only caught up with friends, we fellowshipped with over 300 Christians in song as well as sharing memories of camp over the last 40 years and honoring some that were stepping down in service to the camp after many years. The evening ended with a great slideshow of 40 years of Camp Manatawny and then the finale was a concert by Express, a singing group from Ohio Valley University.

Camp Manatawny is one of those places that you can see the ripple effect, the circle of life, hopefully you see where I'm coming from. Camp was a special place for my family and it still is a special place today. How many places on earth can you truly say that!!! If you have never been at the camp, check it out, you won't be disappointed. http://www.manatawny.org/index.aspx

One of the greatest blessings about times like this weekend is that you may not have seen friends for years and with the common bond of Christ, you just start sharing and talking where you stopped years ago. The other cool thing is that you might have seen someone just yesterday at when you get to camp you start sharing old stories of times spent together there. The day was picture perfect with a slight tint of fall in the trees and a slight breeze blowing. The "camp nats" were out in full force, but that too was a memory that all could relate to and we all did the "camp wave/salute" when greeting each other. We we left I was able to glance at the sky which was breath-taking with the stars shining and the clear skies!!! I remember many nights during camp sessions taking a sleeping bag or blanket out into the field and laying down with a close friend looking at the stars and sharing our lives together.

If you have never experienced a camp session, you truly have missed a great earthly blessing!!

Where two or more gather.....

What a weekend!!! I had the blessing of attending a Women of Faith Conference (WOF). I have gone in the past, but this year I was able to attend the preconference, which is a small group of women that hear speakers, usually two throughout the day. There is a time of praise, discussion, and talks. The evening begins with praise time, introduction of all the speakers and performers and some of the speakers begin their talks. It is a weekend full of all emotions on a huge scale. The Wachovia Center was packed (I guess there were a few seats empty, but for the most part it was packed). Thousands of women singing and praising God. Many different Christian backgrounds, but one common thread, the Love of the Lord. What a great experience. I highly recommend everyone to attend at least one. We have been going for a few years now and we already have tickets reserved for next September in Philadelphia. It is amazing, surprising, uplifting and sobering sometimes all at the same time, sometimes throughout the conference it is only one word that is said from the speaker or it is a song, or a one-one-one with one of your sisters that came to with you to the conference. I personally look forward to this weekend all year long. It is a night away for those of like mind!!! It is like a mini vacation, a pampering of your heart and tune-up for your soul, a fire for your lamp (I'll stop, but oh could I continue).

I'm so overly blessed that I could, well burst!!!! I drew much closer to many of my sisters that I've known for many years. I also had the privilege to get to know some of my sisters that, if it would not have been for our weekend away, I would not have gotten to know as well. Check out the website. It might be something that you would benefit attending. Have a blessed week!!!

womenoffaith.com

A new outlook on a familiar story...or is it?

In July Jim and I had the opportunity to have a week vacation in The Outer Banks with some dear friends. We decided one day to "hike" the largest sand dunes on the east coast!! It was a great experience and while we were "hiking" some of the dunes we commented on how what it must have been like for those in biblical time living on the sandy land as well as wondering for so very many years through the dessert as the Israelites. Being on the top of one of the dunes gave me a sense of awe, but also a sense of total dependency on God. Nothing, but His creation around us while we were there. A true sense of His presence. We were amazed at the beauty of the dunes as well as the simplicity of the dunes. We not only felt God's presence through the heat of the day, but the through the scenery that we saw and how the sky seemed to touch the dunes as well as the water at the same time. The "untouchness" of the land made the presence of God, in a sense so much closer.

I mention this experience today because I was reminded of the dunes as I attended the first day of our ladies Tuesday morning Bible study at church. It is going to be a great study. We are going to be looking at the Patriarchs, a video series and discussion compiled by the author Beth Moore. It's titled, " The Patriarchs" Encountering The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob", by Beth Moore. Just in the introduction video today I received information that, after years of hearing the generations that came from the generations, that came from the generations (you know what I'm saying) to the lineage of Christ, poked my heart and my head to say, Oh, now I get it!!!! I look forward from time to time sharing the insight of our weekly discussions and possibly some information that God will show to me as do my personal daily study of the series through the scriptures! Something that stroke me today in the video was Beth Moore mentioned hoe God allows us to choose to "do what He tells us we must do" or "He'll do what we told us to do." He is a patient God and gives us the opportunity to "do it", but when we don't and many times we don't "he does it for us" and we then learn from that choice. The intro was dealing with Gen. 11:1-9 and talking about the people talking as one and then wanting to build something for themselves and God came down to "do it" and show them what they should have done in the first place.

I feel it is going to be an excellent study. If you have the opportunity to do a series from Beth Moore, do it. Your life will be changed by the insight that you will learn through your personal daily study time in the word and through the discussions.

New York, New York what a Wonderful Town.....

This whole day came about by one of my dear friends and myself wanting to "do something together" to celebrate our birthdays.

What follows in this blog is the result of our decision. Above our some pictures of our day!!

What a great day! I shouldn't describe it this way.....but I have to do it......forgive me now............the day was totally "Wicked"!!!!!

Our day began early with my first train ride into the "big city". We had no problems and arrived as planned. We made our way to the subway ticket area and boarded my first experience on the subway. It was HOT (later we found out that the particular one we were on had a broken central air conditioning. Our second stop was much cooler. When we got off the subway, we enter the beautiful park--Central Park. We walked and walked and enjoyed the different areas. We even were able to see a wedding in progress. Many of the views were simply breath taking.

It was then time to move on to grab a bite for lunch. New York style pizza was on the menu for us and a place to let our tired feet rest...only for awhile. There was alot of the area we still wanted to explore. We then proceeded to the Gershwin Theater for an afternoon of entertainment. Our seats were perfect and as for the performance....BRAVO!!!! We enjoyed the entire show. Seeing the show and how they incorporated the "Wizard of Oz" characters into it was truly ingenious. Lisa and I both enjoyed the show and definitely got our monies worth. In fact, Lisa loved the music some much she purchased the original cast CD of "Wicked". As also when I attend a performance or such, I had tears in my eyes. There's just something about a "curtain call" and/or an encore that gets my emotions rolling.

We decided to just walk and "see what we could find" because we wanted to do a later dinner. It wasn't long until we came across some blocked city streets and for blocks there were tents and areas of merchants and vendors. We enjoyed looking and buying some items, including some gorgeous pashmina's. What a bargain, it was hard to not get too many.

We experienced the area near NBC studios and Rockefeller Center and even saw Lester Holt preparing or broadcasting the "evening news" or something like that. We also decided to venture towards Time Square and enjoy the walking rather than the subway to "take in the sites" so to speak.

We actually found a great little place that was on the corner of 7 avenue (near Broadway) and the M&N store for dinner. The caption "Best Cheesecake" caught my eye!!!! Maxi's Cafe was the name of the place and the caption was definitely true. Best cheesecake, yum, yum.. even writing this now makes me want to have another slice. Portions were extremely large of everything we ordered.

We then walked towards Madison Square Garden passing many sites and I even got a picture of the Empire State blg, which Lisa had to tell what it was, I thought it was somewhere else in NYC.

It was time to return home so we went to the Penn Station area and boarded the train for home. We were both tired and with that we laughed and took silly pictures on the train on the way home.

The blessing of that day was multi-folded!!!! I was with a dear friend, who I love. I was enjoying the beauty and excitement of a city filled with not only new things, but old historic things. I was able to experience new forms of transportation that many use daily and don't even think about. I was able to see God's amazing creation on such a different level. The day also showed me that there is so much to see and do only 2 hours or so from our home. What a blessing just to live were I live!!!

Hey, don't let people tell you New Yorkers are not friendly, helpful people. Everyone that we spoke to on our trip to NYC were friendly, polite and helpful. We felt very safe the entire day.

I know that there will be more trips to the city and different areas of the city. Next time, Greenwich Village and lower Manhattan are on the agenda. Personally a full day enjoying Central Park and the places to eat and enjoy there will be great too. The shows will always be a high priority.

As you can see, the day was very special for me and having a dear friend like Lisa enjoy it with me was the "strawberry on the cheesecake".

Next time an overnight stay!!!!

God's blessing through living are lives

I can't believe it, but it's September already.

This past week has been filled with mixed emotions and blessings. Our dear friends lost a family member that had been suffering for awhile. The blessing is that she is now at peace and feeling no pain. The mixed emotions are she left behind a devoted family consisting of a husband, two daughters and a son, as well as grandchildren and brothers and sisters.

I had the opportunity to provide some meals for the family while they were together this week as well as assist with the food following the service. The outpour for our friends was such an applicable, yet simple way of how God's grace works. We didn't know many of those we served, but they truly felt special and honored to be there enjoying the feast that was provided and to celebrate a life of a loved one.

I also had the opportunity this week to have another dear friend over for a breakfast to discuss our upcoming trip to NYC!!!!! I have never done this before and I am truly looking forward to the experience. I guess I should say that I haven't gone without my husband and we only went to a show or Radio City Music Hall. My friend and I are going to see Wicked (awesome), but we plan to enjoy some sites earlier in the day and then find a place to eat dinner after the theatre and some more sites and of course some window and purchase shopping!!! We're leaving early in the morning and returning........later in the evening, just the two of us. We are both blessed to have supportive husbands and this is "our birthday gifts to each other" a day together. I'll share more about the trip when we return.

This next week I begin my private music teaching schedule again for the fall as well as my two ladies bible studies and I am going to play with a symphonic band in our state. I have wanted to get back into playing more consistently for years and I am able to this fall. All of these activities begin this coming week!!!

Another exciting event that is coming, but not until October is a "Girls Only Weekend". It will be here at our home and we're planning a time at the spa and lunch at a local Penera's (yum, yum), followed by (who knows) with a late dinner that we'll fix and enjoy at our home, hopefully much like what we would get at the Melting Pot. It will be a time of fellowship, fun, tears, great discussion, shared memories and a dip or two in the hot tub with some chick flicks possibly thrown in. Lots of estrogen that weekend.

Again, God has giving me daily blessings through serving others, celebrating family and friends and growing closer to Him through my personal walk.

Have a GREAT weekend.

Cashed In-Part 2

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!!!!!

After the past week or so, I didn't know if I would be ready for some football. I am SO glad that I didn't let other things change my plans with having a night out with our son. Frankly, it was "the best medicine" I could have received. Here is our our Thursday went :-) Even writing about it I feel the excitement again.

We first went and visited dear friends who just had a major loss in their family. I was touched that Matt wanted to go with me and didn't hesitate about stopping by. We dropped off some food for incoming family members so our friends did not have the burden of preparing meals at this time.

We then left for Philly. Thursday night was my Mother's day gift from Matt, our son. It was fabulous. I "cashed in" on my May gift!!!

We ate dinner at Chickie and Pete's and watched the ending of the Phillies game on the large screens while we "dined". We then parked near the stadium and made our way to the gates. The stadium was the neatness thing for me to see once we were inside the stadium. Frankly the outer parts , where the concession stands and things are, look like any other convention area.

We had GREAT seats too, row 6 on the EAGLES side near the 20-yard line. We saw EVERYTHING. I was really surprised with the gift and touched that Matt thought I would enjoy. He was SO right. Even though the EAGLES didn't win, it was a super bowl night for me.

After our evening together, I gave thanks to God for the gift of our two wonderful children and how blessed we are to continually be involved in their daily lives. They stay in touch with us and we know that many their age rarely talk much to their parents and we enjoy time together doing things even with our full individual schedules. Thank you God. Our daughter, Megan and Jim went to a concert on the riverfront in Wilmington. It was Megan's idea to "go with her dad" since I had "other plans".

Living are lives together!! How great a God to give us these daily blessings.

Enjoy the pictures: activities before kickoff, the "aussie kicker", #5, and me and my date are some of the pictures that I was able to take.