Bible Surf 2009

I admit that I hadn't been all that excited about signing up to help at VBS this summer. Truthfully, I was still burnt out from teaching and helping with VBS over the past ten years. Knowing that Colin would say he wanted to go, then change his mind making it difficult to drag him with me, made me a bit reluctant. However, the pull of being at a new church and it being Colin's last year to attend VBS, I decided to go ahead with it against my better judgement. God was to have the last laugh and show me that not everything turns out as expected...
First of all, there were around 12o kids enrolled which made the opening extremely fun and dynamic, not to mention loud. Pastor Bill led with fantastic music which Colin loved and continued singing in the car long after VBS was over. Bill also came up with some great competitions between the "lifeguards", including a soda drinking contest and having to eat saltines then whistle. All the kids loved it! And, volunteers? Between the youth and adults, there was plenty of help to go around. I was in awe!

I helped with crafts, which was a really good place for me to be. All the kids loved the projects we did each day, including the 4th and 5th grade class, which are usually the first to moan and groan. And, speaking of the 4th and 5th class, it was the largest! They had over 40 kids in the group. Not only were they excited about being there every day, they were looking forward to next year when they could sign up to be lifeguards.

This was the day we made whales with Jonah's inside. The theme of Bible Surf 2009 was, of course, water. This being the case, the kids were invited to wear their swimsuits and bring towels because during the game station, they'd be getting wet. This was an absolute blast for Colin. And, everyday one of the lifeguards got doused after the kids were dismissed. I believe the picture below is of Kayla getting the big splash.

Colin was excited that he'd be hanging out with his good buddy Nathan at VBS. A surprise came when he saw Joshua, a neighbor friend. Unfortunately, Joshua's brother Gabriel couldn't make it for the week, as he was home sick. But, the three boys had a hoot together. And, there were other kids attending that the boys knew either through church, school or sports.

Probably the biggest highlight of the week came during opening on the last day of camp. Pastor Bill had a whipped cream eating contest for the lifeguards and did not forsee his impending doom. Some of the lifeguards had extra hidden cans of whipped cream which when done with the contest proceeded to coat the pastor with lots of white fluffy cream. You hope the kids would remember the lessons they learned at VBS, but I'm pretty sure its this memory that will stick with them the longest.

To this day I'm amazed at how much fun Colin had attending VBS and how much I enjoyed volunteering. Although I was tired every day, the work was gratifying because all the kids were well behaved and really enjoyed being there. It truly was what I'd hoped VBS would be each year, but unfortunately would fall short. SVLC's program and leadership was outstanding and I'm astonished to say that I will totally sign up to help again next year.

Summer Baseball League

Colin enjoyed baseball this year so much that he decided to play during the summer. He ended up playing with Stod's, a league out of Newcastle, run by ex-Mariner pitcher Bob Stoddard. The season was a lot of fun and it didn't take too much out of our schedule.

Colin ended up playing with the 11-12 year olds. There were 3 teams within this age bracket and his team was the Spartans. Since every Sunday was a double header, the teams played each other every week. Although the kids, of course, cared what the final score was, the games were really low on the competitive scale. They did provide an umpire, but no official score was kept.

The pitching in this league was very good. The boys could throw fast and accurate. One boy even had a wicked curve ball. Pretty fun to watch, but I know it sometimes was frustrating for Colin. Although when the kids did connect, they could hit the ball pretty far.

The defense was fantastic. Fly balls were caught, lots of kids were thrown out at first base and the Spartans even had a double play during one game. The games were a lot of fun to watch and the weather, being summer, was always cooperative.

Colin at Kids Appreciation Day with the Mariners

Colin had entered a drawing at the Mariners Team Shop early in the season to be a part of kids' appreciation day. We found out a mere 5 days before it took place that Colin had won a spot. Colin was exctatic! I was thoroughly bummed because I'd be in Tennessee and couldn't be there to see it. They didn't tell him what his job was until that day. His job... playing tug-a-war with the Moose on the field during the middle of the 5th inning. We were hoping it would be on TV, but no such luck!

The kids had to be at the ballpark at 9am to rehearse their jobs. Although I'm not sure how much rehearsal one needs for tug-a-war.

Colin was thrilled to be able to hang out "backstage" pre-game. He was hoping to get some autographs, but he didn't get to see anybody. Well, Jakubauskas was there, but he already has his signature.

You're going down Moose and Captain Plastic!

Even though they didn't show the contest on TV, they did put it up on the scoreboard.

Looks like the victory goes to the kids! Nice job! Didn't see that coming.

Justin and Nicole's Wedding - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Here are some pictures from my younger brother's wedding I went to in Tennessee on July 25. I personally didn't get a whole lot of good pictures, but will post the "official" pictures as soon as I get copies. Ahem, ahem... :)

I'm so glad I got to go. I'm bummed that we couldn't get Matt & Colin down there with me. (I wasn't the only one...) But, I'm happy that I got to see my family. It had been a long time and I was missing them.

Leon's Lagoon

How do you survive the warm, humid summer nights in Tenneesee? Chillin' in a lounge chair by Leon's Lagoon with a margarita in hand and either a good book or good company. That's how!

I love seeing Jan's garden in full bloom. It's one benefit to being there during the summer heat.

One morning while enjoying a cup of joe lagoon side, I patiently waited for a lilly pad flower to open. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the two frogs that inhabit them.

I did see one of the turtles! I had to slowly come up to him, otherwise he'd hide further under the water. They will come to the surface when the koi get fed.

I had never seen a bee like this before. I asked the locals what it was, but sadly they didn't know. They were all over the flowers in the garden. My favorite bugs of the south were out in force at twilight - fireflies! Or as I stood corrected - lightening bugs. Yes, it's "coke", not "pop"! I know...

Leon's Lagoon has a gorgeous cascading waterfall that feeds into the pond. Not only does it look beautiful, but sounds lovely too. The night after Justin and Nicole's wedding, Jan and I sat out by the water watching the dry lightening storm in the distance and finishing an unused bottle of champaigne. Definately good times!

2009 Tacoma Rainiers Baseball Camp

Tacoma Rainiers skipper Daren Brown ran a tight ship during camp this year. He came around to all the different stations and gave the campers lots of instruction and advice. Coach was even nice enough to pose for pictures. Too bad he was seated right in front of the restrooms.

Here Colin is with player Calix Crabbe, who was so popular he had a sandwich named after him at Cheney Stadium - the Crabbe Sandwich. Although popular no more, as he was recently sent down to the Mariners AA farm team the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. Bummer! What's even more funny is that Colin skipped getting a picture with pitcher Doug Fister, who this very night I blog is debuting as a Mariner starting pitcher. Doh! I did, however, get a picture of Fister goofing off with some of his teammates. Yes, that's him with the glove on his head.

At camp, the actual coaches and players run the activity stations. The pitching station, led by pitching coach Dwight Bernard, was one of his favorites. But, I do vaguely remember Colin telling me the batting stations were his favorite too.

Last Day Camp Hoorah

Colin attended his last Cub Scout day camp as a second year Webelo this summer. It's always fun to be big man on campus. His buddies PJ, Luke & Kyle were there too. Christine signed up to volunteer for two days this time, but was assigned to being a walking leader. This was much easier than being a station leader. The first few days were cool & cloudy, which was much appreciated. Friday was a bit too warm to be out on a dusty, grassy field with a bunch of 9 & 10 year olds. "Stop playing in the dirt, please!" she repeated about 1,000 times.

The boys made some cool things at camp. At the wood working station, they made a candy dispenser and a marble maze contraption. They also made pillows, tie-dye backpacks, firestarters and mini camp stoves, checking off quite a bit for the craftsman requirement.

Outdoor cooking was a favorite among the scouts. One day they made popcorn using only tinfoil and oil. Some of it turned out. However, most of the boys burnt the kernals. More successful were the mini crescent roll hot dogs.

Archery and BB Guns were definiately the most popular. They only got one turn at each station, but luckily they got to do them each day. Friday was different and fun. The overall theme for camp was circus, so the last day we got to do a bunch of carnival activities such as juggling, balloon making, bouncy toys, snow cones and cotton candy. Good times!