The week ended!

Whew! With a closing service last night where the parents came to see what the kids learned all week, including their special song with arm and hand motions, Vacation Bible School is over for 2009! Only yesterday I mentioned that our numbers had reached nearly 40 for Thursday but last night we had fewer than that as our larger carload of kids did not come. We had two families from the community that came with vehicles packed to the rafters with kids but for some reason, did not finish up with us. But, we still did have one new child register, a cousin to children who are alumni of Precious Lambs, so that was Good News!

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One daddy who brought his little one each night sort of hung around a bit after dropping him off since "Chase" would often cry right as the door closed. He will be a part of our preschool in the fall and this was a good way to introduce the child to structure and the other kids, as well as introduce Dad to separation. He told Betty and me that this was as hard on him as it was on Chase! My heart melted, how I loved to hear that! How brave of him to admit this! Oh, for more fathers who felt this way about their children....Since they are 'newer' to our preschool family and such, it was a privilege to have them join us this week!

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My primary job is to sit at the registration table and check the children in when they arrive for VBS. One of our newer members, Betty, brought her three great-grands to VBS with the youngest of them, Krystyna, giving me a present Thursday evening. She had made a picture of a mountain with a cross on top, with flowers blooming from the cross, a butterfly and the sun in the sky. At the bottom she wrote: "Mis Kim I drew this because I thought you would like it." Talk about a special special present! She barely knows me yet so I had better live up to her expectations!

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At the closing service, Pastor thanked all the parents for sharing their children with us, and then he thanked the staff who worked so hard all week to make this happen. He said he guessed we would all go home and sleep soundly---I sure did! I did not wake up for the last time until 8:00 a.m. today, with the sun shining across me. I must have wakened earlier because I had changed the station at some point, which I can do without looking or even being conscious! My first order of business was to send the link to my blog to two folks who asked me for it last night (I am so tickled about that!) and then posted some photos of VBS.

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On Fox and Friends this a.m., besides talking about the passing of Walter Cronkite, a reporterette is in Twin Lakes, WI, at a country music festival. My aunt and family used to live in Twin Lakes and that was the first time I was ever on a boat and ever caught a fish---a blue gill! One of our members at G. S. is from Twin Lakes (not far from Lake Geneva where the Navy has a training center) and might possibly be in this area during the weekend concert. I know they are traveling so I would not be surprised that they are up in WI right now, freezing, as the reporter is! According to the weather report, they are expecting drizzle and/or rainfall, which is badly needed, today with the high temperature of 67 above zero! So, why was she wearing a sun dress?

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While at VBS last night I got a phone call from my downstairs neighbor. Since we have known to experience leaks of the liquid nature in our building, I thought I had better take the call. Tracy, mom of the pianist, reported that she was moving her bedroom from the back of their home to the front, riverside, but were being barraged by the consistent thumping of music, mostly the bass. She wanted to know if I was making big music upstairs, or if Justin was home and playing music. I assured her my home was devoid of bodies, especially the kind that play big music. My guess is that the lower level people in the end unit, home to two teenaged boys and their parents, had the surround sound music going. It is about time for them to start playing it this a.m. also, as folks come over for breakfast on Saturdays and they gather on the riverside patio to smoke and eat and listen to music. This does not bother me, but I am an early riser and do not mind the smoke and sound. Tracy is allergic to smoke so I hope they do not have to move their furniture back again!

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The shore birds are lovely this a.m., swooping and diving for their breakfast or for a bath! There appears to be a breeze going on and several boats are scooting along in the water which is glittery and flat. Speaking of flat, has anyone seen the newest thing being promoted on TV commercials, the neckline slimmers? It looks like a nebulizer on a spring which one props under the chin and then pushes up and down to slim the neck. Who is going to go first and get their chin lifted? You can do the neckline slimmer while wearing your Snuggie, right, Linda?

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My friend, Ellen, also likes to shop from the TV, ordering things from the all-shopping channel, which I cannot remember right now. I used to dread the day that Justin discovered the shop from TV stations because when he would see something on regular TV that he thought his grandma or I would like, he would write down the toll free number for us to order. At one time Justin was intent on getting his grandmother a hand-held sewing machine "so she can sew on the bus ride down here". I can just see her sewing away on the Greyhound bus, making those cute shorts and shirts outfits for the boys!