then & now

I was at the mall tonight with my aunt, and I walked by the "proactive" kiosk. You know, that amazing acne face wash that promises to clear up your skin. It got me to thinking about when I first met my dear husband and how very awful my acne was at the time. (But let me tell you, all that proactive did for me in high school was bleach all of my pillow cases). Anyway, I thought about that lovely husband of mine and how good he is for loving me through my acne-striken days. Guys, my acne was bad- sometimes I forget and then pictures remind me. So, all that to say, I decided to look through some of the pictures documenting my bad teenage acne (mostly because I enjoy the nostalgia, not to look at my face...) and I came across this prom picture. The pictures do remind me of my crater-face, but moreover, of the good things that came with high school; like prom with friends. Here we all are, 17 or 18 years old with our ridiculously shimmery prom attire. Now, we have made it through college & we've joyously celebrated each other's wedding as four friends (instead of just two best friends forcing their boyfriends to hang out). I am thankful for these friends, (and that my acne has calmed down quite a bit since high school!)

the luckdragon

This is one of my favorite campers. He has been this size since I first met him in 2005. No, really.

This picture I love, because it portrays all of the elements that make this child just who he is... He is sitting with all of his extremities tucked tightly into his body, he has a stuffed animal in hand and he is reading a book that has something to do with either dinosaurs or mythological creatures.


Let me first begin by telling you when I asked this child what kind of animal he had in his arms he told me "a dragon". Now, I am not an expert at animal identification, but I KNOW that is a polar bear. It all became more clear to me (regarding why he was giving this polar bear an identity crisis) when I noticed the book he was reading was all about dragons, some of which are "real and some are fake", as he informed me. (Again, not an animal expert, but I can assure you this book portrays only highly ridiculous and mythical creatures).


Then he shared with me a little about one of his favorite dragons- the Luckdragon. For those of you who may have been previously misinformed or worse yet, uninformed, about the Luckdragon allow me to clarify. This dragon is actually so large, it could swallow the moon whole. In addition, water is a Luckdragon's nemesis, as it would immediately suffocate or extinguish the flames that the Luckdragon is constantly shooting from it's mouth.


Why do I waste your time with all of this? Because I hope you never run into the fire breathing Luckdragon, however, if you get a chance to meet this child, please have a conversation with him- the information he offers never disappoints.

my best friend's wedding

...was absolutely fabulous. A beautiful day. Lots of friends. Really pretty flowers. Dancing. Great food. And two wonderful friends got hitched!

The weekend started with the girls going downtown for some pre-wedding fun.

And then, we ran into the boys. What's with that?

There was some rehearsing.

Then the day finally came! We are VERY excited for them.

The most beautiful and joyful I've seen her.
What a fun day. The dark circles under my eyes are begging for rest- so for now, goodnight!

and so it begins

They are getting married. After six years. Very Exciting.
Tonight- the "bachelorette party" of sorts.
Tomorrow- nails, rehearsal & dinner.
Saturday- hair, make-up & the wedding!
Bring it on!

they're here...

So, our first round of day campers arrived Monday morning. We have successfully completed two full days of camp! It is fun to see how this property just lights up when all the kids arrive. It is also strange to look out my back window and see 100+ children running around camp, or what I like to call, my backyard. There are so many new kids this summer- and there are also so many returners. Some have grown a lot taller, and some have not changed at all- same adorable speech impediments and all.
Last night I had the great pleasure of working snack shop. It is a terrible thing. Campers and staff alike can go to snack shop where you choose a sugary sweet soda if you like, along with a treat- anything from twix, to ice cream, sour patch kids, m&m's in 3 different varieties, carmello bar, orange-mango slushies, cookies, potato chips, airheads, ring pops... the list is endless really. This beast called the snack shop has already taken control of me. In two days I have fallen victim to the slushie, a dark chocolate and vanilla Haagen Daas ice cream bar, the sour patch kids, and a Diet Dr. Pepper. This is very bad. But what can stop me now?! Maybe that I have to fit into my lovely pink dress for the wedding. Only three more days until THE day. I can't wait!

this father's day...

Yesterday I traveled to Pennsylvania (so that I wouldn't be alone anymore) and so that I could celebrate the marriage of two of my husband's friends from college. I was reminded yesterday during the ceremony of the words that make up the marriage vows. (I am guilty of always getting a little choked up as I witness a bride and groom exchange those vows with one another). But then I noticed my groom (as he was an usher in this wedding) and thought, how important those words are to me now that I am married. I also thought, "wow he must be hot", as I watched sweat drip from his face during the outdoor ceremony; but that is not important. Anyway- I just thought, you know, I promised to be a loving and faithful wife in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health... And I will admit that has been pretty easy this year of our marriage because God has blessed us greatly, we have had a lot to be joyful about, and we are in good health.
Today is father's day. And today's sermon in church talked about disappointment with God. Sometimes I am disappointed with God because my dad is, well, stupid. But, today's sermon also talked about seeing the grace and sovereignty of God through times of disappointment. My dad, who is disappointing himself, did love my mom when things got worse, when there was a lot of sorrow, and all throughout her sickness-until death parted them. If nothing else, I think this father's day I realize how important that marriage covenant is- and I am glad my dad exhibited that when he was married to my mom. And THAT is the grace of God.

confessions of an extrovert

There are a few things in life that I do not really care for. Meaty meals, the scent and taste of "original" trident gum, cats, aquariums, and being alone. I just hate being alone. I think people are the most amazing of God's creations and I want to surround myself with people always.
Tonight...
I am...
Alone.
My husband left for Pennsylvania this afternoon. He is in a friend's wedding- and I won't be joining him until tomorrow. Now that I am a married woman, when my one and only roommate leaves for the night, I am alone! I do not like it. What am I to do with myself? Let me clarify, I also miss my husband... but let's be honest, this is really about my inability to function without the company of another. NOT normal.
So far tonight...
I called my aunt. Basically, we both surfed the internet at our respective homes and paid little to no attention to each other on the phone. I really enjoyed her company. No, really.
And, I painted my nails. And decided tonight, for the 1,658th time that I will stop biting my nails.
You may be wondering- is this the first night they have spent apart since they have been married? No my friends- I must confess to you that I have left my husband home alone a few times now. I have traveled to visit friends in Georgia on a weekend that he couldn't go, gone to a wedding in Alabama with my aunt, visited another nearby camp for a staff retreat that he was unable to attend... and I believe that is all. The difference? I am a selfish person that does not like to be the one left alone. I am simply fond of the company of others. Gregarious, if you will.
Oh well, I think I will make it through the night.
Wish me luck.

the sleeping game

Part of my job as director of day camp is to plan activities for the various age groups. I came into this job with the activity of the "sleeping game" already as part of the daily schedule for the smallest day campers. The game goes as follows: all of the tiny 4 and 5 year old campers (affectionately known as the 'tadpoles', as all day camp groups correspond with a frog name) lay down on these squishy blue mats. They are told they have to "pretend" to fall asleep for this game, and who ever does the best job gets candy (candy is a common tool of bribery here at camp). Most of them swear they won't actually fall asleep, but they eventually do, and then, are almost impossible to ever wake up again. So now that you are familiar with the sleeping game, let me tell you- there has been a revolt against said sleeping game. A few tadpole parents in the past have expressed that their kid really doesn't need a nap and that is fair, some kids don't. Yesterday, however, a parent who's tadpole will be returning this summer stopped in to find me. I wasn't around but there was a note left for me that she would like to talk about...you guessed it, the sleeping game. Apparently her children LOVE camp, but they do NOT love the sleeping game. I am not upset- in fact, will be changing the sleeping game to a quiet reflection time. (Some kids can sleep, others can sit and look at a book... but regardless, I think some quiet time is important, at any age). Anyway- I just want to say, I wish someone would designate 30 minutes of my day for a sleeping game. Seriously, I can't believe the tadpole mutiny that is over this "game" which takes place in the air condition while soft music plays in the background. I'm just saying... you don't know what you got 'til it's gone my small tadpole children!

one thousand kindergarteners

Today I bring you an offering from my husband, 8th grade teacher extraordinaire. He often comes home with stories from his day of teaching. When ever he and my best friend (a third grade teacher) get together, they can't help but to share ridiculous stories of the things that their students say or do.

This story from my husband though, is quite possibly my most favorite yet. While walking through the halls he caught two 6th graders engaged in a rather serious debate. Both students presented convincing arguments for their side. The issue? Who would win in a fight between two Hulk Hogans and one thousand kindergarteners. It may seem silly at first, but think about it- two Hulk Hogans, as the one student argued, would be a lot of raw strength. Then again, that is a large "garden of children", one thousand scrappy little 5 year olds attacking the old washed up wrestler. I don't know...I just don't know.

day one of seventy

Today marks the first day of one of my very most favorite things in life. Today was the first official day that kicks off my summer. Today, was the first day of staff training to prepare for the 8 weeks that are "summer camp". I love camp. A lot. I don't really like getting dirty, I don't really like humidity (mainly because I have curly hair) or temperatures above 80 degrees, I don't really like getting in the water (pool, bay or otherwise), and I am not really keen on that thing we affectionately call "low elements" (aka team building exercises that I always screw up). BUT, for some reason, I just LOVE camp. Even the heat, the water, the humidity and the team building. I mostly love camp because it is 8 weeks that I am able to share God's love with a bunch wonderful kids. I also love camp because it is how I have spent most of my summers for the last 15 years of my little life. This is only my 7th summer to attend staff training... and that is because, naturally, I was a camper for the bulk of my summer camp experience. I LOVED being a camper. That is what got me hooked. I have a late birthday... so at one point, I was the only "camper" who was going to be a sophomore in high school. It isn't even cool to go to camp at that point in life. But I didn't care. See, I LOVE camp. So, to kick off this summer I thought I would share with you a photo from my past- a photo of me with my "cabin" of fellow campers. Can you tell which one is me??

everybody else is doing it, so why can't I?

That is how I feel about my decision to start a blog. I have been thinking about it for quite some time now- because truthfully, I am an avid blog reader of a few of my dear friends. Well, at the end of the day when I have checked all of my daily reads online, I am left with nothing to do- so I thought, why not start my own blog? I mean it's not like I have a ton of time, but for some reason I enjoy the world of blogging so much that I make time. But then I thought no, that is silly, who would want to read my blog? I don't really do a whole lot. All that to say, I decided to do it... why? Because of The Cranberries. When they launched their first CD I was hooked as a middle-schooler. Their debut album is entitled "Everybody else is doing it, so why can't we?" Again, how I feel about blogging. It's what all my cool friends are doing, so why can't I? The Cranberries were successful, so maybe this blog will be too.

I have decided to launch it today because this day marks one whole entire great year of my marriage. Happy June 2nd to you all. I have been a Peddicord for one year now, and I think it suits me just fine. So now, as I enter my second year of marriage, I am ready to let you into my little life on America's largest estuary (the Chesapeake Bay of course).