30 extra minutes of sleep
Cinnamon muffins
Sunglasses
White Rock Coffee Shop
Regular coffee of the day
Stool and tall counter
Mac
OneRepublic
Inspiration
Sketchbook
A little creativity and Mercy
New life for children in slavery
Running store
Birthday gift
Fresh fruit and Easter M&M's
Good conversation
Burrito
Lists
Secondhand Serenade
Work
Bike
Weights
Encouraging notes
Journal
Sunshine
Friends
Call to Pebble Beach
Cajun potatoes
India ink
Dreaming
Picture editing
Carmina Burana in full
Shower
Planning
More pictures
Stretching
Work
Reading
Pillow
Thankful

So this last weekend, several of us made our now traditional trip up to Ray Roberts for camping out and the 3P Challenge. Unlike the snow and freezing temps we endured last year, sunshine and great camping weather greeted us this time around. Our team, the Speedy Ants, came in 1st... out of one team in our division! Let's just say we were the "ants" for a reason, BUT we had a really fun time and enjoyed cheering each other on, as well as other friends that competed in the race. Shots from the weekend:

Team 93...

Puppies like s'mores too...

Felix and Vaughn, our faithful supporters...

Cruisin' down the river after the perfect launch...

And now, a progression on how NOT to disembark a canoe... Got stuck on the wrong side of the stairs, but no worries, the water's only knee deep, so we can hop out... Guess it was a little deeper than I thought...

Sorry Kathleen!

The guy next to us didn't seem thrilled...

Lucky for him, a swim in the river was also in store!

Rachel and Bethany crossing the bridge...

Friends Laura and Jenny...

Jenise and Amber coming up to the finish...

A muddy ride... and the return of the Hannah Montana helmet...

Friends Wes and Chad took second place...

Team shot of the Speedy Ants...

And back to the campground for some grub...

Well, as of Wednesday afternoon, the Camp of the Hills dining hall is no more. Below is a Press Release with details and contact info for ways you can help. Good thing COTH is not about the buildings...

Camp of the Hills Press Release

On March 24, 2010 the main building at Camp of the Hills was engulfed in flames. This building housed the camp’s dining hall, commercial kitchen, nurse’s station, offices and counselor’s quarters, and the fire resulted in a total loss. There were no injuries and the cause of the fire is currently unknown. Because the camper cabins and other facilities remain intact, Camp of the Hills 2010 summer sessions will continue as planned.

Camp of the Hills is a nonprofit 501c3 Christian summer camp located in the Texas Hill Country outside of Marble Falls , TX that serves at-risk youth. The nondenominational camp is celebrating its 20th year in operation and has served over 9,000 campers with a staff of volunteer counselors and work crews. Over 400 campers are currently scheduled to attend Camp of the Hills this summer starting June 1, 2010.

Camp of the Hills serves low-income children from the urban centers of Texas and Oklahoma and the majority of campers arrive for a week at camp without sufficient clothing, bedding and toiletries. The camp previously gathered extra items for the campers, and all of these items were destroyed in the fire. There is an immediate need for new camper supplies. Items needed include twin-size sheets, towels, toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo and deodorant), first aid supplies, and clothing (t-shirts, shorts, socks and underwear) for boys and girls ages 6 to 18. Donations of these items can be shipped to or dropped off at the camp:

Camp of the Hills
1552 CR 344
Marble Falls , TX 78654
830-693-2580

Immediate financial support is desperately needed. The building was insured; however insurance proceeds will only cover a portion of the losses. One-time donations and recurring financial gifts can be contributed online through eGive. On the Camp of the Hills website, http://www.campofthehills.org/ there is a small icon for eGive that will lead to the donation site for the camp. Checks can be mailed to the camp at the above address or donations may be made directly to Camp of the Hills through the American Bank of Texas in Marble Falls .

The camp will also need tables, chairs, commercial kitchen equipment, office furniture and supplies, serving and cooking ware, and numerous other items. A detailed list of these types of items will soon be updated on the camp’s website. To coordinate donations please contact Volunteer Coordinator Kathy Newman at themamakaki@yahoo.com.

Your support is greatly appreciated! Despite this devastating loss Camp of the Hills will operate this summer and the Camp’s mission will continue unchanged. With God’s blessing and your help, we will rebuild.

Nothing frustrates me quicker than being stuck in traffic for an hour after work.

Nothing relieves that frustration quicker than a run in 80º weather. Woohoo!

Ah... weekend o' cold. But, a good one. Woke up to this around 7 am:





Still fun, but the wind and "blizzard conditions" did not make it a great outside play day. Good thing it's already melted and supposed to be 65 tomorrow. Loving the snow, but way over it to. Bring on the sunshine!

Enjoyed our Mercy Project fundraising dinner last night. Great turnout; we crammed about 20 people into our living/dining area and had some good food and fellowship time. I am completely humbled by and grateful for awesome friends with such giving hearts. We were absolutely floored by the response to help the kids in Ghana. Here's to continuing to spread the word about these kids until every one of them is rescued and has some place to call "home".

Today was designated “house shoe” day at work. Of course, I was the only one who participated, but I still felt ok about it. Add in a few unreliable people, a crazy Creative Director, and the scrapping of our $5,000+ photo shoot from last week… and it was a typical day at the office. I did however get to step outside the dungeon for 3.5 minutes (long enough to inspect a kitchen sink of a co-worker who is remodeling his house) and was greeted with BRIGHT sunshine and warm temps. Just beautiful outside!

Plans are in full swing for the WR Kickball Game benefitting Mercy Project. Can. Not. Wait! 3 weeks and counting… The roomies and I are hosting a little fundraising dinner, a Mexican Feast of sorts, at our place on Saturday night. Hope it’s a hit.

I’ve had this uncanny feeling lately that I shouldn’t waste a second of time. Normally I bounce from one thing to the next and am incredibly deadline driven – certainly have to be in my line of work. But I like to have chill time too and the chance to relax, read a book, cheer on the cowboys in Amazing Race. But for some reason this week, I’ve just had this anxiousness, like time is running out, like I need to really seize the spare moments of time that I do have. Weird.

Running again! It’s been awhile, but I feel like I’m “back in the saddle” on the workout front. Trying to ease into things still, but feeling good about the gradual buildup. I think the time off was warranted and probably my body telling me to slow it down. I’m learning to build overall muscle strength as I go too (that's right, David B.!). Tends to keep things from breaking, I hear... But, the weather is getting warmer, and I’m aching to hit the road. First on the list, the 3P Challenge next weekend. Time for a camp-out and some canoe/run/bike time. This year, the girls are taking on the 6-man team challenge. Promises to be adventurous, since we’re all terribly out of shape. Me, I’m just hoping for no snow this year.

In the process of camera researching/hunting/purchasing. Let me know if you have any suggestions, but I’m starting to narrow down my selections. Woohoo! I’ve been looking forward to this since my old film SLR died 4 years ago. It’s about time, and I refuse to go to Ghana without a “real” camera. :)

Anyway, much of the same here, yet lots of excitement planned in the weeks coming up. I’ll try to get some pictures up in the next few posts. Much more interesting than my rambling...

Well, I'm marking March 10th down as a day in which (as Kathleen and I used to say) I loved my job. Those come rare, so when they do occur, I feel like they should be documented. This is not to say that I hate what I'm doing, but usually the days consist of staring at a computer for 8-10 hours. Not much to report there. But today, today was stellar.

The day began with a mad dash getting ready. Had to be at work at 8:30 instead of 9. Rough, I know. (While I would like to say that I get up early and workout before leaving the house, reality is, I don't. I like to sleep.) So I arrived on time and the next 9 straight hours were spent on set in the photo studio. Woohoo! Without going into a great deal of detail, we spent yesterday doing model fittings for apparel (sorta like a dress rehearsal). Then today was the actual shoot with 6 models, full outfits and accessories. Learned a lot, got to work with some awesome people, and LOVED every minute of it. Totally in my element. A sesame seed chicken lunch was thrown in the mix at some point. I sure didn't order the broccoli that arrived with the chicken and rice, but ya know, I branched out. I gave it a shot. (Cheering from Mom in the background.) And it was disgusting. But I tried it. So I then proceeded to crack open a fortune cookie and read: Avoid unchallenging occupations – they will waste your great talents. Ha! What does one make of that?! Anyway, throw in a hail storm and a putting contest, and it was an awesome "day at the office".

Wrapped things up around 6, too late to make it out to Rowlett for our CC time. :( But, I did make a run to the store for fruit and salad fixins. Quaker Oatmeal Squares were on sale, 2 for $4. They're my fav. Sweet. Made it home around 7, checked email. Doorbell rang. Our 9-year-old downstairs neighbor Jordan would like to know if Amber is home. Sorry, she's not. "Well... would you come play with my friend and me?" Granted I was the second choice, but who can pass up Candyland? So the next hour was spent hanging out with Jordan and her friend Roquena, who is from Iraq. Very cool. I was always better at Chutes -N- Ladders, so didn't fare too well in the game, but I felt like I held my own in the 3-man Duck-Duck-Goose game. I at least learned that there is such a thing as a "Double Duck", although I'm not sure what that means...!

And so, March 10th. Fantastic. Check. Here's to a good night of ZZZZZZZZ's....

Well, I'm a week overdue, but here are a few shots from Emme's party this last weekend. Teddy bears were the theme, and it sure was a hit. Pa and G.T. once again provided an amazing cake... Pa crafted the bear topper, and G.T. created masterpiece cupcakes. I hear she's going into the cake business, but not sure how reliable my source is on that. ;) The afternoon included teddy bear coloring, stuffing bears, and Going on a Bear Hunt (read by our own Katy Reid, master storyteller). Fun afternoon, and we are so grateful to be able to celebrate a year of blessings with Emme Kate.