Camp Cherith day two

July 21, 2020 | Stacy

We woke by 7 to a glorious morning and headed off to breakfast by 8AM. We came back to our cabin to do our devotions, and then we went to our first activity, which was swimming. I didn’t take my camera. I sincerely enjoyed, to the core of my being, my conversations with the two women who are swim instructors/life guards. One was from FL and one from IL. I was so soothing to talk with them and find they felt the same way I do about this “pandemic” and the lockdowns. They also were so encouraging to my reluctant swimmer and they played with Katriel and their cool toys. Our family had the WHOLE POOL to ourselves.

We headed back to the cabin to prepare for our next activity.

ARCHERY!

Our wonderful archery instructor does this FOR FREE every summer as a ministry. God bless these leaders. I am just in awe.

My girls are naturals!

Tab shoots left.

I even took a turn.

WE WERE HUNGRY!

Then we went outside for our post-lunch devotional activity.

This one focus on how we need people in our lives to support and encourage us.

We had cabin quiet time. Here she is reading her Bible storybook to me.

Finally we had a craft period.

Again, we had a lovely adult leader who met my girls where they each were at for crafting. Different than at home, where mom is all about calculating the mess, our leader was all about helping them see their vision come to be.

We hurried back to the cabin for swim suits and we were at the Tuck Shop the moment it opened for our daily ice cream.

Tab used free time to read while we hit the pool again.

Dinner was delicious.

We played on the lawn a bit.

Then a game before campfire games.

Our family was the only group to finish the map relay race on time. Tab is an expert mapper. (It runs in the family.)

Devotions and treats.

And SLEEP!

Camp Cherith

July 21, 2020 | Stacy

NY has a lot of Christ-centered camps that operate year round, with a special emphasis on youth camps in the summer.

Covid stole that from most of them.

Camp Cherith, in Western NY decided to offer family camp for units traveling together. Each group got their own cabin and their own dedicated bathroom facilities and dining table. We also got to rotate between activities over six times slots on three days. They also provided us with post-breakfast personal devotion material, post-lunch family devotional material, and after dinner songs and campfires with testimonies and games.

We left our house around 8:30AM to be at Cherith by 10AM.

We unpacked, played a game, and then decided to drive by Houghton before lunch so that the girls could see where Stewart goes to college.

There were some yard games set up.

There were also bees.
Katriel got bitten, or stung, or something.

People responded with help, and after some ice and a topical medication, she felt a little better.

After lunch we did an activity to demonstrate what happens when we “poke” people with our words.

We signed up for our activities for the next three days. Today we would have time to go out in the canoes.

Afterwards, some of us used freetime to swim, and Tab set up her reading station in the back of the van.

Dinner was at 6PM. We took a different route.

A few mores games.

Then at 7PM we went to the pavilion and each group rotated through the four games they had set up for us.

Then we had songs. Smores. A testimony.

Bed! We were the good kind of whooped!

This isn’t a normal Butler vacation, but this is not a normal year.

Tabby’s turn!

July 15, 2020 | Stacy

Marie was able to get her braces OFF before we went into lockdown misery, but not before Tabby got hers on.

Her braces ended up getting put off a full three months…

but finally it’ was time to get the tooth train started.

WE WENT OUT!

June 23, 2020 | Stacy

Praise the LORD, the sky is blue and the big girls and I went out for lunch and shopping. Oh – yeah – well – we do have to wear these infernal masks in order to comply with the mandates, but we got to go out and eat and shop.

It is great to be able to do things again.

On one hand, these outings humble me. They help me recognize how many privileges we enjoy in this country, that people around the world can’t even begin to understand. Fast food? Air conditioned department stores? Frozen treats? The things we have lost are truly the extras in life.

On the other hand, these outings make me so angry. How dare our officials manipulate us like this?! They were elected and now they are using data against us. I strongly believe all the parties that be are using the lockdowns to manipulate the election in November. Will they use this fear mongering to push for mail-in voting and are they already tampering with it?

It was fun to be out.
It was sad to see so much product at Kohl’s deeply discounted to move it, and to make up for months of lost sales.
It was sad to see TJMaxx all but empty as they had little product to see.
It was great to see the cloud lift off my girls for a few hours as we laughed our way through life some more.

May the 4th

May 4, 2020 | Stacy

The cookies were out of this world.

Tabitha is 14!

April 16, 2020 | Stacy

Lockdown has changed our approach to birthdays!
I didn’t let the mask requirement stop me from going to the Dollar Tree for balloons. “Essential” is in the eye of the beholder!

She was touched by how we’d gone into decorating.