Aaahhh Summer!!!

So here's my problem with summer........my memory of the summers of my youth!  Do you remember when summer was a full 3 months??  When days belonged to you, your group of friends, and your imagination.  Now it seems we get maybe 2 months.  I've been feeling for a few years that I don't even have a summer.  I think part of that is because summer days are like the rest of my days, in that since I homeschool, I am with my kids 365 days of the year.....there's no change and I love that, don't get me wrong.  But it does something to your summer. 

The other problem, or issue is that right at the end of June we have that big group camping trip to CreationFest, we've been doing that since 2005!!  That requires at least a week to regroup and reorient, then we hit Vacation Bible School!!!  That's a huge, amazing, exhausting week!  Then, after that, I do crafts for a week at a summer camp, Delanco Camp, to be exact!  So there are three huge events; one for each month of "summer"!

In April, I think that I begin looking ahead to the summer and only see these three big events!  I end up feeling like there is no summer and frankly, that's sad.  I've been seeing tons of bucket list ideas on Pinterest and thought that maybe if I came up with one, I'd appreciate all of the inbetween days and would come to honor summer in a way that is fit and proper.  I haven't done it (which I'm not surprised) but what I have done is become more intentional with those inbetween days and at noticing what fun summer things we are doing!

So, here is my unconventional bucket list of sorts!!  Things that we've already accomplished this summer!

1.  The Gardens......exploding with gorgeous color, texture and fragrance!!

2.  Bonfire......our first of the summer!!!

3.  Service.....we brought these beautiful hydrangeas and a meal to a family in our church who needed some love <3 

4.  Summer Photo Shoot

I love taking pictures, I love taking pictures of my kids.  Sadly, I cannot usually get them to comply.

This day however......I had me a taker!!!!!!!

5.  Blanket/Pillow Forts in the living room!!!

6.  A welcome home party for Jessica when she returned from her trip to Michigan!! 

It was supposed to be a party in a box, which was a plan set in place to soothe the broken heart of Julia (but she bailed on me) So this is what she got instead!!!

7.  The largest camping trip everrrrrr.......with 60 - 80,000 of our closest friends!!! 

CreationFest North East

8.  Drive-In Movies!!!!! 

We saw Brave and The Amazing Spiderman with some of our great friends!!

9.  Crafts!!!!  I made these cute summer bracelets!!!

10.  Planning a summer birthday party!!!!

My baby turns 8 this friday!!!!!

11.  Vacation Bible School!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had upwards of 300 kids each night!!  It's an incredible week, full of chaos, excitiment and lots of activity!!!

12.  Jessica's monthly Disney Themed Movie Nights!!!

{In honor of her Senior Class Trip Junior Year} Complete with fish food, crab and fish cakes, sand dollars, The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo and night swimming

13.  Lazy Days by the pool!!!!!!

Our pool is officially open and we've been out there two days in a row - it feels like summer to me now!!

14.  Freeze Pops!!!!!!!

I haven't bought these in years, I kid you not, years!!!!!!

I am so thrilled that I compiled this list!!!  I just got tired of looking at my summer in a negative light!!  An actual bucket list scared me because I have committment issues.....not to people, but things, plans and events.  So I knew there would be a good chance that I'd make the list and not do any of them.....how embarrassing would THAT be!!!!  I like this much better!!!  We do so many great things that, unless we put a spot light on them, go completely unnoticed!!!

How is your summer shaping up friends??

Move!

Hey guys - It's Jess, I haven't written in awhile because I've been trying to get as much sleep as possible. Why, you ask? Well, last week I had the amazing opportunity to go to a MOVE conference put on by CIY. You can read a little bit about it here! The theme this year was Where Heaven & Earth Collide, or more specifically, the sermon on the mount. I have to admit, one of the simplest things I learned this week was that the sermon on the mount doesn't start and end with the beatitudes. The sermon on the mount consists of Matthew 5-7. Read it, you'll get a lot out of it!

The week consisted of sooooo much that it's hard to summarize it all right here. But, I'll try to mention the highlights of my week! On both Monday and Thursday we had the awesome opportunity to visit Lake Michigan. Let me just say, New Jersey's definition of a lake is a large pond. Michigan's definition is a small ocean. See for yourself...

On Monday we also got the opportunity to eat out at a Mongolian grill and finally check into our rooms after a 14 hour drive!! Monday night kicked off the conference with awesome worship by The Matt Bayless Band and hearing from Chad Ragsdale, one of our speakers. I can't go through the entire week night by night, but some of the topics we covered were the beatitudes, forgiveness, anger, lust, being the light of the world, etc. I would encourage you to google CIY Move 2012 and find out a little bit more about it. It's a really awesome experience and one that you won't forget!! One of the main points that I'm taking home is that just because I don't go to public school doesn't mean I don't have an outlet to be a light. I need to encourage my family and my sister, setting an example for her in how to live and act.

Well, tomorrow morning we're leaving for Creation Festival, so I've been resting up and today I had the opportunity to unpack and repack! :D By the time you read this, though, we'll already be there! MOVE friends, comment and tell me the best thing you got out of last week!

~ Jessica

I dare you to MOVE........

So yesterday, Jessica took off with about 16 other youth and leaders from our church to Holland, Michigan for the week!!!  They're up at Hope College for the Christ In Youth MOVE Conference!! 
MOVE is a 5-day high school only event held all over the country, designed to amplify the call of Christ on students lives to become Kingdom workers.


I'm so proud of this group of kids, who selflessly give of their summer time to go and learn more about being an effective Christian. 

They arrived somewhere around 1 am and are spending the moring on Lake Michigan at Saugatuck Dune Rides!!!  18 people packed into a topless jeep!!!!  Sounds incredible!!!  Here are some of the pics that they are sharing!!

Saugatuck Dune Rides

The area is completely breathtaking!!!  What an incredible experience!!!  How I wish that I were there!!!

Lake Michigan

Registration is later this afternoon and the conference will get underway at 6:15 with a pre-session for the students!!!  They will be filled to overflowing with lessons, challenges and personal goals that God will set for them!!  They will be joined in unity as brothers and sisters in Christ and gain a God worldview on serving others.  Five days of intensive learning and loads of fun and worship opportunities!!!!

The youth leaders that didn't go on the trip were assigned a specific youth to pray for each day in very specific ways - what an incredible opportunity!!  We were also supposed to connect with these kids before they left and also check in throughout the week to see how things are going!  Upon their return we are to set up a time to spend with them so that they can fill us in on all that took place while at the conference!!  What a wonderful way to make intentional connections!  There's just something about being connected to someone specifically and praying for them - it's amazing!!!

I just know that God is going to do amazing things in and through these kids this week!!  They will have opportunity to serve at the Holland Resuce Misson on Thursday and will head back home on Saturday!!!  Would you join me in praying for this team?  That God would move in a mighty way in the hearts and minds of these young people, that they would be kept safe, would be challenged "to do hard things" and that their hearts would be softened to serve others!!  Let's not forget to pray for their safe return on Saturday!!!

Thanks so much!!!  Have a blessed week friends <3 Lorraine