Camp Medley

We're back! We've just spent a week at Camp Medley. This is our 3rd straight summer of doing this. Jonathan works as Camp Chaplain for the week and Elijah and I tag along just for fun. So, yes, He's 2 and he's had 3 summers at camp! Camp Medley seems to be a thing around here. The first year that we were here and hadn't been up to the camp we kept running into people at church events that treated them like Medley reunions. I actually didn't get the whole camp thing. I'd been to Girl Guide camp as a kid and went away to a church camp once when I was 15 for a week. But I don't feel that I got the whole experience the way that people who are Medley lifers do. There is a commraderie among them. They know the songs, the games, the routines. It's a whole other culture. It's been great to have taken part of it the last 3 years. I feel like I get it now. And I feel like I'm one of them. The camp in itself is very simple and it prooves you don't need a lot of fancy things to keep kids happy. The games are big and basic (Capture the Flag type stuff). The choice of activities are simple too: swimming, canoeing, crafts, etc. I know it's cliche but it's good clean fun (except for the mud pit and whatever Brennan has organised for the day!). All the kids go to a chapel session a day as well as a chapel service at night. Overall the kids seem to love it and the staff is excellent! They really seem to enjoy their job and they are wonderful with the kids. Already we are talking about going back next year. I look forward to seeing the new kitchen and staff quarters.

Why Rhiannon is one of the coolest people I know!

My friend Rhiannon got married this past weekend. I have known her for almost 4 years. When I first met her she was a student at UNBSJ. Her major was history and her speciality was Italian Fascist History. She graduated first in Arts in her year and won the Lieutenant Governor's award. (So she's a smart cookie). She then went on to pursue her master's (and eventually she will get her PhD), and she had 2 universities fighting over which could offer her the best package. She eventually chose the University of Georgia and moved to Athens. (which in itself is a very cool town, I automatically think of REM). I also need to mention that Rhiannon is musically talented, playing the cello. She also is a very unique dresser. She never follows the fashion magazines, but manages to look extremely stylish and well put together all the time. Sarah and I often use her as an example when we teach the teen girls at our church about how to dress great without looking trashy (as a lot of fashion is these days). So after spending a year in Georgia, we started to hear that Rhiannon was seeing someone down there. We then found out that he was Italian (remember that she specializes in Italian history) and they were introduced by their pastor. So the rest of her year looks something like this: they fall in love, get engaged, he meets her Canadian family, they fly to Italy so she can meet his family...meanwhile she completes her masters degree, defends her thesis and graduates (the ceremony was the week before the wedding). They are heading back to Georgia shortly as she now has a teaching post at one of the colleges down there (she's 6 years younger than me!). She's going to teach on her year off before starting her PhD. The wedding was lovely by the way. Traditional and simple.

Only my boy...

Well, and Jonathan's boy too! Here's a couple of our wonderful 2 year old as only wonderful as he can be!

Head and Shoulders

Once in a while you find odd things online...this one was too funny: Please enjoy "Head and Shoulders" by "U2" here: http://www.mothergooserocks.com/headandshoulders.html

I forgot 3...

As my brother would say, "Where's Kris' famous memory now?". So, I forgot that I saw Jason McCoy, Lace and Paula Abdul. Color Me Bad opened for Paula...remember them? "All for Love"

Post-Concert Wrap-up

Last night I saw the Dixie Chicks in concert for the 2nd time. The first was 6 years ago in Vancouver, and quite frankly I was floored that they would have a show here in Saint John. Totally worth the waiting in the early morning rain for tickets. I forgot what good musicians they are, and their back up musicians are amazing! There were many standouts of the night for me. The first was at the end of Top of the World, each musician slowly faded out until there was just Martie and Janna (backup fiddler) left playing, so hauntingly beautiful. I was absolutely mezmerised by it. I also very much enjoyed their encore performance of Travellin' Soldier, just the 3 girls, simple. Of course I enjoyed other parts of the concert. All my favorites were played including Cowboy Take me Away. The funny thing I was thinking was how different this show was from the first time I saw them. The first time, it was very girly and young. This show was a lot more mature, but just as good, just in a different way. But I guess that's par for the course, I've changed in 6 years too.

I also got to thinking about other concerts I've seen in the past. My friend Steven says he doesn't like to go to shows any more because he doesn't remember them much past the show. I don't know about that for myself. Those that were good were really good and memerable (which is why I wanted to see the Chicks again, I loved them the first time). So here's a blast of my past, a somewhat complete list of show's I've seen over the course of my 30 years. As chronological as possible-it gets a little cloudy for me. Too bad my brother is not here to consult with me, he remembers all of this kind of stuff. Opening bands are bracketed (if I can remember them) and I warn you, for those who did not know me in my teen years, I was very much a bubblegum youth!

Mickey Gilley - Lynden Fair
The Beach Boys - post Mariner's game
Tiffany - I was 11
Debbie Gibson (Bros) - and I had a hat to match
Whitney Houston (After 8) - my whole family went
New Kids on the Block (Perfect Gentleman)- twice! Yes, I loved Joe when I was 15.
George Michael
Jimmy Buffett - another family event
Harry Connick Jr. - Twice, the first time was total swing and rocked! The second was funk, a little disappointing
INXS - the weekend after Princess Diana died, sadly, Michael Hutchence died 2 months later
Hootie and the Blowfish (54-40)
Bryan Adams
The Pursuit of Happiness, the Odds and ??? Help me out Ang! - back to UVIC event
Shania Twain (Leahy)
Trisha Yearwood
Depeche Mode - twice in Seattle
ZZ Top - with my dad
Joan Osbourne
Sophie B. Hawkins - the last 3 courtesy of Jeff
Cube Fest - many R&B artists, including Mace...but I went to see LL Cool J
Ricky Martin
Goo Goo Dolls (the Odds and Sugar Ray) - I won these tickets!
Lilith Fair - the final tour, mostly I wanted to see Sheryl Crow
Creation Fest 2000 - another music festival, the band I remember the most was Delerious?
Spirit of the West
Dixie Chicks (Patty Griffin, Bob Schneider)- twice, see above
Paul Brandt
Dolly Parton (Hot Toddy) - she was a blast!
I know I've got to be missing someone somewhere, so if you've been to a show with me, feel free to comment!

The Blogging World

Quite an interesting place! I had no idea how connected everyone was on a blog, or who reads whose and who finds each other online...I first started blogging on my old site about a year ago. I was inspired by my old university roomie Angela who had started one. A fun and easy way to keep a website running. (Oddly enough, now that I've moved to this site, Angela has started her own on blogger!). I've also found out that it is a source of marital debates...my friend Jen (sorry Jen), is quite disappointed that I've moved here because her husband Chris loves this site and was urging her to keep her blog here, like he does...score one inadvertantly for Chris. I also found out that there are people who read my blogs that I had no idea about, but to be fair, I read theirs too. How do we find each other? Mutual friends links. (Hi Christian!). I'm also pretty demanding for comments, considering how much I lurk around other people's blogs and say nothing...this is going to be part of my blog resolution, to comment more! So I've updated my links, adding blogs that I read from time to time. I highly reccommend Jill's (although she's on vacation now), she is one of the best writers that I know. See you online sometime!

Is this church?

I think a lot about church. What do most people think of when they think of church? To some it's a place...a place of comfort, a place they grew up in, a place they remember going to sometime in the past, a place they were married in, a historic place to visit on holiday...simply a place. To others, it is something that some people do, but not for them, they couldn't imagine stepping inside unless it was for a friend's wedding, or something like that. As a child I went to a church. Loved Sunday school and have some happy memories of having tea at the minister's house. Later on in life, church became a place we went once in a while, usually at Christmas or Easter perhaps, but not always. It was not something that was immediate to me, it was just a nice thing to do once in a while. I was what some would call "de-churched". I had gone in the past, but no longer went to. It was something I went back to later in university...probably because I had a huge surrounding of Christians in my life, the family I boarded with for 2 years, my 4th year roommate and my 5th year roommate. They all involved me in church somehow, be it telling me about it, or taking me to the occassional service, or university young adults event...any way I think about it, it just became an awareness in my life again. Those that know me now may be surprised to know that I only became an avid church goer about 7 years ago. I got to know Jesus through a program called Alpha. Which is a great program in that it explains Christianity extremely well and is a safe place to share a meal and ask anything about Jesus. I loved it! Back then I was very happy to be going to church because it meant meeting with Jesus and others who loved him every week. I made some very good friends at that church (including my husband). It suited me very well because there were several people there in my age group who did more than just attend a Sunday service. We did improv drop-ins, photo rallys, went to the beach, hung out in coffee houses, went dancing... basically we were people in our 20s who did what most people in their 20s do, but we also had God. To me those people and the time we spent together was church...more than a building. As time has gone on, we've all gotten married and moved to different parts of the country and I'm looking (longing) to find church like that again. It's true, I go to a church. I'm learning a lot from our minister in terms of church leadership and bible teaching. And that part has been great. I would love; however, to seek God in a different way. To just meet with people, to worship together, to pray together (and for each other) and to read and discuss scripture together. This is a place I could call home. Not the buisiness of church, but really being the church.
I often wonder too about friends of mine that I had before I became a Christian, how would they fare in what we call church? Most of them would never set foot in the door. It it not a comfortable place. It is a culture all on its own. How can we make meeting with God a reality for them? It's definately possible, but we (I) have to go to where they are at and love them. Chuch can't be the mold we've made it into. It is too foreign, not something that is part of their childhood, like it was mine. There are no fond memories there for them. I know of some wonderful ministries that happen in parts of the world that are not church as we would traditionally define it, but are definately churches in the sense of people meeting together to meet with God in the culture that is relevant to them. Churches that are skateparks where the skaters worship God by skating. Churches that meet in pubs and coffee houses. I would love to see more of this. Everyone has the opportunity to know and love Jesus, but we the church as traditionally defined have got to stop standing in their way and trying to force those of another culture into ours. Even I, who have great childhood memories of church and am quite comfortable in a church building, have a longing for something a little bit different, a little less defined. Something that relates more to who I am, building on my life before I set foot back in the church building. I want church to be real. To have more of Jesus. He met and ate with people where they were. Would he be found in our buildings today? Or, would He be elsewhere? In the pubs, in the danceclubs, in the skateparks, in Starbucks... When we look at it that way, how can we be anywhere else?

Camping

We just arrived home from a camping trip to Cap Pele, NB. Not terribly far from Saint John, I know, but we'd never been there and when travelling with a 2 year old, you want to stay pretty close to home!
Elijah was very thrilled with the whole idea of camping. He doesn't remember our failed trip to Cape Breton last year (rained out). The entire trip was pretty much the best time he could imagine. There was a toddler play park in the campsite. We were right on the beach and best of all we were in a tent. Thursday night bedtime went something like this (remember bedtime for him is 8:30). His eyes flashed around the tent looking at everything. "A tent Mommy!" "Yes, we're in a tent"..."A tent Daddy!" "Yes, we're in a tent"..."Camping Mommy!" "Yes, we're camping"..."Camping Daddy!" "Yes, we're camping"..."time to sleep now Elijah, put your head on the pillow"...(head goes on pillow for less than one minute, he looks around again) "A tent Mommy!"....this goes on until after 10pm, when finally the excitement somewhat wore off and our little boy finally drifted off to sleep...I'm assuming, I think I drifted off before he did, so much for the romantic evening by the campfire with my husband!