Just another day....September

Have you ever had one of those days where your mind will not slow down...but your body won't move?

I have been having those since the leaves started changing...exactly on the first of Sept. 

First, I can't believe summer is over. Seriously, I missed it somewhere between moving into a 5th wheel camper to moving back home. So weird.
I know summer was here, but right now it just seems to have been a huge blur. 

I remember snippets of a few days. I know there was an entire movie crew camping at the resort, although, I couldn't tell you about any of them alone from the fact that I thought they had terrible bathroom manners. 

I know the 4th of July came and went. I remember a parade, getting tons of beads and a few pieces of candy. No fireworks, it was too dry and risky to set them off.

I know August was hot. 

Mostly, I remember all the things I had planned on doing, but have not accomplished one.

At the beginning of summer, I hauled totes full of  craft projects up to the resort. In my minds eyes, I saw me happily working on all my craft projects after work. For a few days, I had a little cartoon bubble above my head, full of pictures of the fabulous Christmas presents I would create during the summer nights. I had planned to be so proud of myself when fall arrived and I had all of the gifts finished, with nothing left to do but wrap.

HaHa!!
The cartoon bubble popped after about a week. Instead, in the evenings, I found myself looking at the clock, yearning for bed time to come. I remember asking Nathaniel if it was close enough to dark to go to bed. He always told me no. 

Honestly, this summer was about work, work, work, and work.

Yes, I got 2 days off each week, most of the time. The bad thing was that those 2 days were never together. One was spent doing laundry, shopping, and trying to get everything done so that on my next day off I could do it all again. The other day off, was, well, not a day off, I still had to take care of the cabins in South Fork, so those days found me driving to each of them, sometimes cleaning, sometimes yard work, sometimes...well, you get the picture. 

I am thankful that being over 50, I still have the ability and health to work 7 days a week. It seems that when I was a child, people who were 50+ were gray haired and walking with canes. And those were the healthy ones!

I am blessed that we had a nice trailer to stay in. I can't tell you the nightmares I had about that one! (For another post) 

I am able to say we have paid down a few debts, and plan on a late fall vacation to California.

But mostly, I'm plain old tired. 

Fall is here, and I have nothing finished, some I haven't even started, and I can forget about wrapping. I will be doing that the first couple of weeks of December, like I did last year!

My mind is still full of all I want to accomplish, but the body isn't willing.

Someone should have warned me about this stage of old age!!

My name is Melissa, and I am a VBS addict!

I love VBS!


I really do!


For those of you who don't know what that is:
Vacation-Bible-School


For me, summer isn't complete without VBS.
I enjoy having the church filled with screaming children.
I am pretty sure God enjoys that too.
I also enjoy the decorations, the bible stories,
the missionary stories.
I freely admit it, I love it all.


I have had the opportunity to work on the state VBS team for a number of years. Sounds cool? Well, it is. No, I don't get paid to do it. I do receive a t-shirt with the theme emblazoned on the front or back. I have been able to go to Glorietta for training. 
(Glorietta, the western Mecca for Southern Baptists)
I did get to go to a class led by the man who has written the music for VBS for years. 
And, I'm sad.
This is the last year Jeff Slaughter will be writing the music for VBS.
He has served the Lord lovingly and written the most beautiful, meaningful, active songs! Songs that set Lifeways VBS apart from all others. 


Living in a small town, makes it pretty easy to get star-struck.
The first time I met Jeff, I couldn't speak. I couldn't even move.
I just stood there, (No, thank God I didn't drool) and smiled.
I stood in his class, learning the songs, trying hard to do all the actions,
without looking like a total geek, and had so much fun I came home contagiously happy and excited! It was one of my best days.


You might ask what made me so happy?
Well, it wasn't because Jeff is hot. I mean, he is okay, just not my type.
(I prefer shorter balder type men named Nathaniel :-D)
It wasn't because the music was that great. It was good, but I couldn't tell you the songs now if you asked me.
It wasn't the free t-shirt, although I still have that.
It was because God was going to let me, little dorky, geeky, loud, obnoxious, silly, dumb, me, work with children and leaders around the state in VBS!
He chose me to be His hands, His feet, and His mouth to all kinds of different people.
It is such a humbling and honorable and mind numbing experience!
I will confess, every year I find myself asking God, "are You sure You want me?" I am constantly dumbfounded when He tells me, "Yes, I want you!"


Now, I'm nothing special. I really am a normal looking person. I'm not one of the beautiful people of the world. I have no fashion sense. In fact, I really do believe that t-shirts and clean jeans are pretty dressy for all the places I go. I just love God.


Over the last 30+ years, I have been able to work in VBS. I have taught bible study classes, Missions, Music and crafts. I have made and eaten countless cookies, and drank enough Kool-aide to make a small child have a sugar high for years!
I have been able to go to places like Honduras, the Navajo Reservation, and all over Colorado to teach in VBS, and yes, learn.
Serving God in this way is the ultimate fun for me!


VBS lets me picture God like this: Laying on His tummy in Heaven, Looking down at all the screaming children. Laughing as He watches the wonderful way they move to the music. His tongue sticking out with each child as they work patiently on a craft, or listening closely and sitting on the ground as they hear about missionaries from all over the world. Seeing God put His arms around little shoulders when they see themselves through His eyes, and telling them He loves them more than anyone ever could. 


My name is Melissa. I am addicted to VBS. I don't want a 12 step program to help me get through this one. I'm addicted for life!!

Waiting for spring

Waiting for Spring...
In many places, the snow is gone, and in the next few days people will be planting flowers, getting the ground ready to grow amazing plants...


But here at nearly 8,000 feet elevation in the beautiful San Luis Valley,
we wait. And wait. And wait.


It is now the beginning of mud and wind season.
We don't have spring.
We never have.
We have mud and wind.


The sun is getting a little higher in the sky, and looking out of my
now winter dirty windows, I see the promise of spring.


But it is a false hope. It never happens.


You know this the moment you step outside, into four inches of oozing mud,
feel the 40 - 60 m.p.h. winds, and you know it is still a long time until June.


I am spending my days, staring at wonderful seed catalogs. 
I can almost smell the wonderful scent of my lilacs, 
feel the cool green grass under my bare feet,
and taste the wonder of freshly made sun tea.


I admit, I have a serious case of cabin fever.
I yearn for a bathing suit and a beach.
I crave lunches of cheese, crackers, and fresh grapes.
I stare for endless amounts of time at my beach screensaver.
I wonder if I will look too orange if I use a fake tan spray.


Alas, I step through the mud, clean my shoes off in the snow,
and wait.


Summer is coming, and we will eventually be able to open a window
without fear of it freezing open.
We will eventually be able to use our four wheeler and venture into
the near by San Juan Mountains. 
Yes, dear people of the San Luis Valley,
We will persevere! We will conquer the mud and snow!
We will stand as the strong wind blows! 
We are Colorado Weather Warriors!!


But until then, anyone want a cup of hot tea and some pumpkin bread?
I'll put the boards out to cover the mud, and would you mind shoveling
some more snow on your way in?

Town Stars

Small towns rarely offer stars, but ours has a big one.

No, I'm not talking about the movie kind, I'm talking about the shape.

Del Norte rests under a small hill known on the map as Mount LookOut.
The people who live here call it "D Mountain."
Which is convenient since there is a huge white "D" painted on the side of it.
The "D" has been there for years prior to my birth and will remain for years after I am gone.

You can see the "D" across the valley floor on clear days.
Two times during the year that little hill turns into something wonderful.
Sitting atop the hill, strung between three poles, is a star.
(On Easter it is a cross.)

The star is normally lit the first weekend of December, and remains lit until a week after New Year.
It shines so beautifully on the hill, and after a fresh snow, it glows even brighter. It can bee seen, lighting up the sky from all around the valley.

A few years back, some people tried to tell the town it was a religious symbol and had to be removed so it wouldn't offend someone. Well, because it has been there for so long, and is a local icon of sorts, it remained.
(Sound of Rasberry being made) Haha to those who deem the world must remain politically correct.

Yes, that is how we here in this small town deal with people who want us to change something that has been around for years and years. We love the star.

It's light leads us home after a night full of shopping in Alamosa.
It welcomes the weary traveler as they journey through on the way to somewhere else.
It is the best part of our towns Christmas decorations, and should never change.

Sometimes, I admit, I am afraid the cost of maintaining it will cause it to be turned off.
We have had our share of vandals who have hiked up the hill and thrown rocks at the wonderful lights.
Yet, it remains lit.

Inspiring to us small town folks who do have legitimate fear of the outside world. It reminds us that no matter what, that star will be there to guide us home, give us light, and for a few minutes every winter, Del Norte has a "Star!"

What not to do..??!!

What not to do....if you are staying in a motel, lodge, or with friends and family. (And yes, I have personal experience finding all the wonderful things people have left, or changed, or...well, you get the point!)


Unlike Emily Post, I am not a pro in the manners department. In fact, I'm a huge klutz! Just ask anyone that has known me for more than five minutes. Regardless, I do know there are some things you should never do when staying away from your own cozy bed. 


Smile, it is pretty good advice.


1. When staying in a motel, remember that someone, at sometime, purchased the ugly carpet and coordinating bedspread to cover the dirt. It is incredibly impolite to remark on the ugliness, after all, someone actually purchased them for your enjoyment!


2. When staying at a lodge, it is never okay to leave leftover food under the bed. Yes, it is convenient for those ever popular midnight snacks, but you will always forget you put the pancakes there, and even though everyone generally likes the smell of maple syrup, it is not a great room deodorizer. 


3. When staying at a friends house, tell them if you have sleep walking issues. Your host and hostess may be shocked if you crawl in their bed in the middle of the night without warning.


4. If you find yourself staying in a motel and something doesn't work, you should tell someone right away. The repair guys get paid by the hour and love coming to your room in the middle of the night to fix your running toilet, the heat or a.c., or show you how the coffee maker works. Waiting until the next morning to complain won't get you a discount on the room, that is an old trick and never works. Instead try complimenting them on the matching decor!


5. If you find yourself in a lodge and what you flushed seems like it is coming back to visit you, don't flush again. There is a little rubber bowl with a stick on it nearby. You can use it, and if I have to explain how, you need a book called, "Plunging for Dummies!" Quick, the last copy may now be purchased at Amazon!


6. If your hostess makes something you simply hate, don't put it in your napkin unless it comes on a roll and is disposable. Instead, keep the intolerable mess and toss it outside when no one is looking. If you are lucky, the evidence may not be found for weeks, and by then, you are off the hook!


7. In a motel, remember, the toilet is not a bong. Yes, there is water conveniently placed there, and yes, there are straws near the coffee maker, but there is simply no excuse for leaving your umm... medication, on the toilet bowl. 


8. If visiting a lodge, and the television doesn't work, throwing it off the balcony will only make a mess. Instead, unplug it and move it to the dining room table. Someone is more likely to find it there, and who knows when the snow will melt enough for someone to find all the parts!


9. When designated to the couch at your friends, it could be considered rude to remove the cushion and look for spare change. They may be saving it for a rainy day!


Last but not least: Tip your housekeeper, unless you like your alarm clock set for three in the morning!


I hope you enjoyed these basic rules that can be used in a variety of settings.