I guess what they say is true, after you get married you forget your friends and everything else. Not necessarily, you could say I've been a little busy.
Since the wedding, time has torpedoed and yet it feels like one of the longest summers. Soon after we got back from our honeymoon we were given a house. Let me be more specific, we were given a shell of a home. We've spent all summer renovating it and finally moved in two weeks ago.
I interrupted building and spackling for a week of fun to experience The Gaunlet. Our church does this every summer. It's a youth retreat in Daytona where over 3,000 teenagers and 1,000 volunteers get together to worship and have a lot of fun doing it. Each volunteer is assigned 2-4 students to room with and mentor during the week. The signup begins in the spring but since I knew the wedding would be taking a lot of time I didn't sign up. Even though I was eager to go. The Friday before they were to leave that Sunday night, my friend Cam called to say she was in a pickle and desperately needed someone to take her place because her graduate classes started the week we'd be gone. Thrilled and feeling like a prayer had been answered, I faithfully said yes. Two of the three girls were ones she had the previous year.
Each morning the leaders and their group of 2-4 kids had quiet time. It was a hopeful site to see this every morning.
The girls: Sierra, "Mini", and Briana. All three just graduated high school and were each in a position of, "What do I do with my life???"
I got to reconnect with a girl I went to high school with, Jules (blondest one). We weren't close in school but we ended up spending so much time together with our girls that now I'd consider her a real friend. She'll be joining my ladies group I'll be starting next week.
Praise for technology! Even though the students weren't allowed to have or use phones, we facetimed mama Cam to let her know the girls were doing just fine.
Thursday morning early baptisms. Hundreds got dunked!
When they got a hold of my phone and went crazy with selfies...
This summer Stigall and I have spent almost one day a week with the Cattafi's. Phyl and Mike got married last year. Stigall knew Mike from a men's group they were in and they've remained close. They recently started a homegroup with another couple, Jim and Lu, that we've joined. Usually groups are within a similar age range. However, Chris and I have always gravitated toward people older than us and we thrive on their wisdom and humor. Every Thursday night we have dinner and talk about what the Lord is doing in our lives.
Phyl and Mike are always up for anything so we've had some adventures with them.
Helen is about an hour away so we took off on one of the hotter days to tube the Hooch. It's a two hour long float down a river and through the town of Helen, which looks like an old German town. It rained while we were there but, hey, we were wet anyway. We also had the best cupcakes I've ever eaten.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...that is Saluda. When I grew up we would always have "Cousins Day" during the summer. I remember one year everyone also brought their dogs. It's been a good while since we've had a cousins day but because my cousin, Jamie, and her daughter Hailey were coming down from Colorado, the aunts put together a cousin shindig. Quite a few weren't able to make it but it still brought back fond memories.
I love the bottom pictures because I remember when we were the "younger" cousins and hated getting our picture taken (I guess I still hate that). Now most of us first cousins' (top pics) babies are in the bottom pictures.
