Monday, September 29, 2008

Pranks for the Memories...

While we were at Camp Timberlee, bikes kept being...misplaced. There were "certain parties" who would hide Jason's bike while he wasn't looking. In retaliation he put Sandy's bike on the roof of our cabin one night!It was the perfect spot since Jason is quite tall and Sandy is...quite a bit shorter! Eventually it was retrieved, but not before some pictures were snapped and the story had spread all over the campground!
So if you go to the ICHE family camp, keep an eye on your bike!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Wedding at The Refuge

Last Sunday a couple from the campground got married at The Refuge church. Crystal and I were in charge of the decorations, and we thought a fall theme would be fun. Dawn Lee had a bunch of silk autumn colored flowers left over from Jessica's wedding last year which worked wonderfully. Crystal and I went shopping for candles and ribbon and mums on Tuesday afternoon and then Mom helped us arrange everything.

We decided to place mums around the base of the arch that we'd use at the front of the church.


As soon as church was over, everybody pitched in to help get the room ready. We couldn't have done it alone, that's for sure!


The windows and doors had tulle, ribbon and flowers adorning them...


Bouquets on the chairs lining the aisle...
The unity candle...

For a simple, campground wedding, everything really turned out quite lovely. Dan and Magdalena were so pleased!


Pastor John did a great job with the ceremony.



The happy couple...(I really had fun arranging the wildflower bouquets!)



After the ceremony there was cake and punch for the guests before we headed to a restaurant for the rest of the reception.


Jamie and Jess had to pose for a couple of pictures too. After all, the next day was their first wedding anniversary!

At the restaurant, we had quite a time with the cake. It was so moist, the layers kept sinking; we had to put dowel rods in to help hold things up. After everything was finally fixed and we thought things were stable, people started coming in and the vibrations in the floor caused the cake to wobble again.

I ended up in the role of "Cake Supporter" until it was time for it to be cut. Thankfully, they did that before the meal!

Pastor John Kalebaugh with newlyweds, Dan and Magdalena


It's hard to believe it's already been one year since Jason and I were in Jess and Jamie's wedding!
The restaurant was owned by Magdalena's family, so it wasn't open to the public that evening.
Waiting for the food to arrive...

Patience, Jordan - it'll be here soon!

The appetizers were yummy, as was the entire meal. Brushchetta, deep fried mushrooms, kalamari, and chips and guacamole.

Mom, that's my pacifier!

Jordan came up to me during the meal and exclaimed, "Hey, Melody, you gotta come here - I found your husband for you! He's kinda short, but a steady, quiet guy with a comical grin."
Hmm, I don't know about this one...

While we were waiting for the meal, some of us went down the street to a little park. There was a large canon there and the guys had to check it out.

"Hey, there's all sorts of stuff in there. Rocks and garbage..."

"No fair - I can't see!"

What do you do when you have extra time on your hands and someone who has a fairly new camera? Pose for pictures!

Gabrielle Lee

Crystal Kalebaugh (even the photographer has to get in on it once in a while!)
Becky Kalebaugh

Twins - Rachel and Becky




Jason said this one looked like something off a cd cover. Why is it they always choose run down buildings as back drops?

It's fun posing for someone who loves taking pictures!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

ICHE Family Camp

A few weeks ago we went up to Camp Timberlee in Wisconsin for the ICHE family camp. We stayed in this cabin (well, it's not really a cabin but I didn't know what else to call it!) with a number of other families. There was a large room in the center with a fireplace and multiple private rooms surrounding it.

Timberlee is quite large, so we were very glad to have brought our bikes with us. Uh, Jason, I think you need a boat if you're going to continue in that direction!

James, Jason and Spencer just hanging out and talking...
Mallory and Morgan Grutzias at the carpet ball game...


Marissa, your balls look awfully far away!


This is one view (slightly blurry!) of the dining hall. The food was wonderful! I admit that I especially enjoyed the icecream and all the toppings. The toppings included Reese's Pieces and Peanut Butter Cups, M & M's, Snickers, Butterfingers, strawberries, hot fudge, caramel, and whipped cream! Mmmmm!


The lake was absolutely lovely.

There were a lot of hiking paths that I would have liked to explore, but I didn't have the time!

The water slide looked like fun, but it's closed after Labor Day. We had gorgeous weather, but it would have been a bit cold for swimming!

I thought these paddleboats were neat - you could fit four people on them!

I was fore-warned that seaweed fights are a common occurrence, and sure enough - they are!

If you listen closely you can hear Jacob say something like, "Should I look con-fus-ed? That's my normal look." (He didn't know I was videotaping instead of snapping a photograph!)

Sandy and Sarah Wendtland
Jason and Jacob (there were a lot of "J" guys there...Jason, Jeremiah, James, Jacob...)


On Saturday afternoon Jeff Uecke did a chalk talk for us. It was a real treat; I haven't seen someone else do one since I did my training a few years ago. The hidden black light image was of a flying eagle.
The most popular activity for the young people was volleyball, and we played it ALL weekend!


I love some of these action shots.


Anna Barnard would rather build castles and find treasures in the sand than play volleyball!
The courts had lights so we could even play at night. We didn't go to bed until 1:30 or 2:00 in the morning!


Saturday night was the picnic when all the campers were together. The menu included nachos, barbecue, Caesar salad, potato salad, chips, beans, and a variety of cookies and drinks.

Hmmm, so what does cold nacho cheese taste like, Sarah?
We helped with getting ready for the meal - there was quite a lot of work and preparation involved.
Chopping lettuce for the Caesar salad...

Dad is suited up and ready to make sandwiches!


Dessert, anyone?

After the meal, Mr. Grutzias gave a message and then various people who were dressed up as heroes of the faith came forward while we guessed who they were.

Sacajawea (Mia) standing next to Queen Esther (Mrs. Grutzias)
This dad and his son didn't come prepared with a costume, but they found some last minute props. They were Isaac and Jacob and they brought a knife and a board from the altar!
Cool hat, Sarah.

Saturday night also included hayrides. We went on the last one at 10:00.

Any guesses at who started the hay fight? Mrs. Barnard!




By this point everyone was getting rather sleepy. I didn't let myself doze off because you never knew when someone might shove hay down your back!

Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday morning we joined the Barnards and some other friends in leading worship.

Bet you didn't know I could dunk, did you?

Sarah is trying...

This wasn't a regular basketball court. There were about 20 hoops set up and you had to bounce the ball off two backboards and make it into the hoop. Quite a challenge!

Robby has a different view of the world!

All in all, it was quite a fun weekend. My one complaint was that it only lasted three days!