Off To McHenry, MD

Hey faithful readers, I just wanted to give you a heads up, and ask for your prayers. Tomorrow morning at 6am I will be departing for McHenry MD with 42 of my friends (33 high school kids, and 10 adults). On our way down we will be stopping to white water raft the nile..oh wait sorry that was what I wish I would be rafting again, however the Youghegeny will have to suffice for now until I can talk someone into taking me to Uganda to do the Nile again. Then we will stay at a great church called Springs Mennonite - who are graciously letting us sleep on their floors. Then off to Garrett College where we will spend the week doing home repair with Group workcamp. Anyway - with that being said - I will be gone for the week and highly unlikely to be blogging...sorry! I promise I will have some good pictures and stories to tell upon my return. Until then God Speed!!

A Night At the YL Rodeo

One of my favorite nights at YL camp - is Rodeo night - they take us all out in the woods and we get to listen to country music, play fun redneck games, like barrel relays, shovel rides, and mattress lines. It is a blast and then we finish the evening with some good ole BBQ diner with all the fixins! It is my favorite night for so many reasons! But my favorite reason is just sitting with my kids on a blanket in a field, listenin so to some good ole country music!

We are the pirates who don't do anything

The volleyball tournament at camp is not like any other....we dress up in outfits that make us look like we are going to a costume party! We were hot! Not just our looks but our temperature - it was about 90 degrees outside and we were wearing garbage bags! But I must say we had one of the best uniforms at the camp (not that I am biased or anything!) We didn't win a game of volleyball but our girls had a great time getting chips by dancing, singing and tackling guys to get frisbees! I am so proud!

Final Day at Dutch Days

It was a long hot day on Saturday...way too hot for someone like me. So hot that I actually almost fell asleep watching the parade and I love parades. We watched it from the porch swing which was in the shade, Tucker enjoyed it as much as a dog can enjoy a parade. There were lots of tractors - which I must say were some of my favorite things. The floats were fun, as were people who were all around - it was a big event!!

That evening was spent working in the soda stand (or if you are from Potter County - the pop stand) The first two hours I was in the cans - all by myself - they must really trust me.... or they must have been really desperate. Then the rest of the night was spent in bottles. We sold everything.....the drink of the night was Mountain Dew Live Wire...to make things a little more exciting - we yelled live wire everytime we sold one. You can't tell that I work with high school kids can you!

The famous name quilt was auctioned off at 10 pm and it went for 3335 dollars - wow! And that is not even the highest amount that a name quilt has sold for - one year it went for 6000. I can't believe that - that is crazy!!! But what a great fundraiser!

At the end of the night I got in one of the drink tubs (don't worry there were no drinks left in it) and I just stood in the ice cold water - it felt so good. Then it was back to the house for good conversation in the kitchen while we waited for the boys to get done, doing there traditional after Dutch Days celebration!

All in all I must say that it was a fun four days at Dutch Days! I might even consider going back next year - if it is not 95 degrees every single day!

Dutch Days - Day 3

After a long day at work, a visit with my friends up at the Platt Family Farm, I headed off to 3 three of Dutch Days in Richfield. After getting lost taking what I thought was a short cut, I arrived and spent the evening under the pavilion listening to some great stories from the past, enjoying some beef BBQ and spending some quality time with the fam (Joel's fam.) I am very excited to announce that my name is going to appear on the 2008 name quilt thanks to Michele. I would also like to make a comment about meeting new people. Sometimes when you meet new people, you just have a feeling you are in for a long conversation about things that you don't really feel like discussing....I met one of those people, though her intentions were great, I just wanted to tell her to leave me alone (sorry I am being utterly truthful today!) Then later this same woman who was giving me her advise, thought that I was 40 - oh my!!! Not that it is bad to be 40, it is not, but imagine if you were forty and someone thought that you were 50...you wouldn't like it. I think she was just assuming that because Joel is older that I was also older. It is funny how two weeks ago I was asked what year I was in college and this week I was asked if I was 40...wow! Anyway, the other funny part of the night was that at one point the announcer said, a goat has escaped, please be aware that a goat has escaped...only in Richfield! (the announcer said , only in Richfield, not me!).

Turtle Pond Tough Girls

This is the first post of a series of Rockbridge Young Life Camp Highlights. On the first night of camp, the camp does an obstacle course in the dark! It is so much fun...and for those of you who may be a little concerned about me doing such an activity...no worries...I just watched from a distance, took pictures, and designed some really cool sharpie tatoos for their arms!! Since a picture speaks a thousand words I will just post the pictures and you can imagine the rest! Just so you know they are wearing their bathing suits under their clothes!

It's my party

I can't believe that I have been alive for 33 years!! Wow! I still think I should be in my twenties but I guess that is how it works as you get older. It was a very fun day...I started out the day by playing golf with some ladies at Bucknell in the Member Guest Tournament - it was super hot outside, but for some reason I decided to play really well (at least for the first half!) and our team won first place!!! It was so awesome....then I also won a prize for getting closest to the pin on one of the par three holes! Despite the fact that I was really tired when I was done - it was a great time and I was so glad that I was able to do something semi-athletic for a couple hours.

Then to top off the day I got some beautiful flowers from my man (it even had orange lilies, my favorite!) After that - a few of my friends came over and we went to Skeeters for dinner - that is one of my favorite places! Once we returned we had some cake and then it was off to pack for the camp trip that would leave bright and early in the morning.

The funniest part of the day...I called my Dad to tell him that I won the golf tournament and he was so excited that I won that he forgot it was my birthday!

PS - Notice all the pink balloons! Thanks Meg!!! You know how much I love pink!!!

Girl's Night

Each year we do an event with the girls to pull out those dresses that you have in your closet that you wore to a fancy event but then you never get to wear them again....well we have created an event just for that. We spend a couple hours at the church getting ready. We do facials, and satin hands, as well as hair, nails, and make-up. This year we took 18 girls and moms and went to Olive Garden. It was a blast! And to top it off - my girls told the waitress about my upcoming birthday and they came out and sang to me and brought me a bowl of whipped cream with a candle in it - I thought that was a bit strange - but oh well! The only bad part was that most of my girls were in the bathroom and missed it all....so even funnier about 10 minutes later they all came out and sang to me again...what a night! Great times with my middle school girls! They are so fun!

Dutch Days - Day 2

So I wasn't planning on being at Dutch Days today, however I needed my car back so I returned the van and stopped by for a little bit - after the long day that I had I must admit I wasn't the most outgoing socialite at the event....which is probably not great since I am always meeting people, and today was probably not the best day for a first impression from me. Let's just say, if people didn't know that I had MS - they may have thought that I was drinking. I did a bit of stumbling and jumbling of my words, and my body just crashed! However I did get to eat of bite or two of a Mr. Sticky's cinamin roll which was very good, then I said hello to all the Snyders (which none of them are actually Snyder's any more besides Joel and his Dad) but you know what I mean....(Ebright, Leisters, Zearfus, etc) I also did get to see some of the old quilts including the first one! So cool! It was worth the walk over to see that!

Then to top the evening off I had to drive home (against someone's wishes!) I wasn't feeling well at all, but when I don't feel well I just want to be home and in my bed, plus Tucker needed to go out, so I am not sure how I made it, other than the fact that God had his hand on my car, because I don't remember most of it. But now I am home and ready for bed, so I will close my report for today. Stay tuned for Saturday's blog - I will write about the Parade, which is a big deal from what I have been told!

Camel Beach

A long day at the water park..but it was a great day for the kids! We loaded up the vans and headed to the Poconos for a day at the water park - all 38 of us! After a bit of a legistical craziness and having to drive to Richfield to borrow a van (thanks RMC you are a life saver!) we were able to get all of our kids in four vehicles. I decided that in order to make it through the extreme heat (100 degree heat index) I should take it easy - so I did...wave pool, scenic chair lift,lazy river, and falling asleep on the lounger chair by the pool. So the good side is - I listened to my body and took it easy...the bad side - I feel like a lazy and boring Youth Director, I would have much rather been out and about riding the waves with my kids, but instead I had to take it easy. I was proud of the fact that my obsession with sunscreen and drinking water really paid off - no dehydrated or sun burnt kids were brought home with us! (I just left all those ones there - jk!) Anyway - we left the park just in time to beat the storms! All in all a great day for the Lewisburg SPY kids!

Dutch Days, Not to be confused with a carnival

I must say that I received an education tonight on what not to call Richfield Dutch Days...do not call it a carnival (Paul how dare you!) Do not call it a fair...it is not a fair...and do not call it anything else that might have either of those connotations. Just call it Dutch Days. I must say that it was a fun evening for the most part. The only bad part was the fact that it was hot and I tire out so easily so by the end of the night I was loving the chair that Joel so graciously got for me. Let me tell you the highlights of the evening....I got to stick my arms in huge (I mean huge) tubs of ice water! Very refreshing. I got to have my first Beef Pot Pie Dinner - excellent I must say, it was almost as good as my Dad's Ham pot pie! I felt like a celebrity since Joel pretty much knows everyone and everyone seemed to want to meet me. I got to watch little Isaac (Joel's nephew) ride the train until the power went out on all the rides - that was somewhat amusing! I saw some people from my church - that was fun and funny! (long story!) I got to meet Nevon and Mary the most mature couple from Joel's church - they were so fun and we talked about Potter County the whole time!!! And I think the best part of Dutch Days is the fact that they make a quilt each year to commemorate the event (I almost called it a fair but I caught myself). They put the names of all the people that come to the fair and they hand quilt it - if my phone actually worked in Richfield I would take a picture and post it. It was so cool! It may just make me like that little town all the more since they quilt there....hmmm I will have to think about that.

I have an excuse, actually several

For those faithful readers, I do have an excuse for not writing on a consistent basis, really I do. First of all - I have been gone alot - in fact I was gone all last week, I didn't have a computer or a cell phone, it was like freedom!!! But my other excuse is this... I have lots of stuff that I want to blog about such as camp, my birthday, and other really cool things like that, however... I like to put pictures with my blogs, but that requires having enough time in the day to download them and transfer them to my home computer...so sometimes it takes a little while to get my blogs done....so I appreciate your patience!

Love Out Loud

This past week I had to take a blogging break as I was living in a high school library for a week. I had the opportunity to lead worship at a Group Workcamp in Baltimore OH. It was a great week! There were about 400 campers and staff, and it was life changing for many people, including the residents and the campers. Since I was also doing my training as an MC I got to do some extra things that were really fun like MC the Variety show....there were some amazingly talented kids and adults there.

The theme for the week is Love Out Loud....I John 3:18 which says Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other with words, but let us show it with our actions. What a great verse, that seemed to go very well with the message I shared at church yesterday.

Who is this Me?

This week has been one of the toughest weeks I have had in a long time. I have really struggled with my health this week, which in turn has set off my emotional health as well. I am not sure how to deal with all of this, so for me when I get overwhelmed or consumed by something, I tend to write. But I am going to be honest, I don't usually let anyone read what I have written. However I feel as though I have struggled to put into words how I am dealing with my MS, so tonight as I laid here once again consumed by my fears and worries, I found myself writing for the first time since I have been diagnosed.... so here it is

Who is this Me?

Written 6/27/08

This disease called MS is ruining my me…

It’s sucking my life out, why can’t you see….

The thoughts that are raging and consuming my mind

Are irrational, cynical, angry, and mostly unkind

It’s like a war that raging from deep down inside

The pain and burning does not seem to want to subside

There are days filled with energy that seem to be so good

But they are hardly remembered, although they sure should

They should be my focus on the really bad days

But when bad days come, they are but a haze.

I am tired of dealing with this, and it’s just been a year

I feel as though I have lost myself, and that is what I fear.

The fears consume me; they seem to rupture my soul

The tears rush like rivers, drowning out all my goals.

I had different plans God – why can’t you see

This disease is destroying this person I call me

Who is me anymore, or dare do I ask

I am not even sure; it’s like wearing a mask

I am empty, I am broken, I am just a big mess

All I want is to be me, and that would be a success

But now the question is back to square one

Who is this me, to this question I succumb…

Who is this me that I search for, is there even a hope

I struggle to find out the answers, Lord please help me cope

You see I know all the answers, I have the degree

But it doesn’t take away the memories of the old me.

I should put things in the past, most people would say

And put on a smile, and celebrate this brand new day

The advice sounds legit a good place to start

But how do you begin to overcome the funeral in my heart.

Right now in the midst of this troublesome time

I must cling to the hope that only in Him I can find

The me that I long for, I may never again know

But I am sure the Great Healer will stand my side as I go

This is a comfort, but truly honest I must be

That when life’s filled with darkness His light’s hard to see

So right now as I wrestle, with the thoughts of despair

I get by with the promise that God will always be there

Although this storm, seems to be wrecking my well planned out life

I cling to the promise that I will never be left out of His sight

Lord, I need you to hold me, to get me through this life’s storm

Show me a new me, one to which you will form

Form me into a servant; give me a heart that will love

Show me new ways to show your mercy, ways that comes from above.

And now as I rest, hold me tight in your arms

For only You can give shelter in the midst of the storms

Farewell Lorelai and Rory!!!

I can check one of my New Year's Resolutions off the list. This afternoon I watched the final episode of Gilmore Girls. It was sad...and I must admit I cried...not because the show is over, but because it was a happy sad ending to the story that has been going on for years. I really enjoyed the show (with the exception of a bit of smut that was thrown in, without my permission of course) but good. Thanks Mom Storm for getting me the first two sessions during my treatments last year. These Gilmore Girls were so fun to watch, but this may sound silly, they actually have helped me get through many of my bad days when I couldn't get out of bed and had no TV to watch to pass the time. Also a big thanks to Jeanne and Betsy for keeping the ending a surprise, I know that it must have been very hard since you would watch a whole season in a night, and then had to keep it a secret for months - I am impressed!

The Next Great Adventure

So our lunch adventure today was a big hit we had 28 kids come to our pool party. It was so entertaining to watch my kids have such a good time. There is a huge group of 5th graders moving up to Branching Out (our Middle School Youth Group). The whole day was one laugh after the next, the kids were doing flips on the board, in the one picture below Nate is doing his one time a year sit up (that is my kinda kid!!!) Then the other picture is of our kids walking in a circle around the pool to create a whirlpool. They are such a fun group!

We are also doing a study of Ephesians and this week we focused on the importance of praying for our friends and our church family!

Lunch Adventure #2 - My 16 kids

I have gone places with my kids before and I have had people ask me which one of the kids was mine, and I would laugh and let them know that none of them were actually mine, I just borrowed them for the day....but this time the question was a little different. Last week while we were enjoying a bit of a rainy day at the park I had a woman come up to me in front of all 16 kids and ask me if these were all my children....so I laughed and said...well not all of them are mine....then after she said, wow and walked away, I realize that I just lied to a complete stranger and pretended that some of the kids were actually mine. The kids thought it was so funny that everytime she would walk by our site one of them would say, Mom can you help me, or mom Johnny hit me. It was so funny...so I really look old enough to have 16 children who don't look alike at all? I mean I am all for adoption, but wow! Anyway - we had such a great time despite the rain, I even built a fire so we could all stay warm after my crazy boys jumped in the 50 degree lake! (I have some more cool pictures but they are being held hostage on my cell phone) Stay tuned for our next Lunch Adventure!

Anna & Joel's Wedding

Well my posts have been a little absent this week....but I feel like I had a great excuse. I had the priviledge of being the wedding coordinator for my dear friend Anna. It was a crazy busy week but we pulled it off and it was a perfect day for the bride and groom. Here is a picture of Anna and I just before I was off to be sure everyone was in the right place. It was so fun to help with the wedding and help reduce the stress for the family. If I had more energy I would do this as my job, but I think I will have to pass on that for a while, until my energy levels return (if they do!)

My three Dads

In honor of Father's Day I thought that I would do a little tribute to my Dads. You may be thinking to yourself - Dads I didn't know Jana had more than one dad...I do ....I actually have three....I will explain I promise.

First is my Dad - the man that I call Dad...the guy that changed my diapers...(at least I think he did) the one that let me cuddle up on his lap when I was cold (big guys are great for that) I remember him giving me M & Ms when I got my stitches out. He is a great man...he has overcome many obstacles in his life and he has become an even better dad through each one. During this past year we had a huge scare...my dad was life flighted to the hospital with a massive heart attack, it didn't look good, but by the grace of God, he made it through - he has lost 75 pounds and looks and acts like a brand new man - I hardly recognize him when I see him. I love my dad! I long for his approval (too much so sometimes) but I am proud to be his little girl and I am honored to be called Charlie! (The picture is from Christmas 2006)


My next dad - is my father. By defination the father is the one who is the male that had a role in creating you. That is my birth father. I do not have a name for this man, I don't have a picture of this man, however I do know a few things. I know that he was tall...6'3, I know that he has blue eyes and blonde hair, I know that he is around 51 year old. He has fair skin, has a slim build, and was very intelligent. From these facts I am assuming that I got my big feet and big hands from him, my blonde hair from him. But everything else must be from my mom since I am not tall, I have brown eyes, and I am dark complected and I am not very intelligent (just normal intelligence). As I said before - I don't know him, but I do love him, and I pray for him - thanks for chosing life!

And lastly but most importantly - my Abba Father...God - our show yesterday Get Real with Dave and Jana featured the topic Abba Father and it was about God's longing to have an intimate relationship with him. Abba is translated - Daddy - which is a very intimate relational term. It is a reminder of how much God the Father loves us and desires to have a relationship with us, he longs to comfort us, to shine his love through us, and to give hope to us. That is what he has done for me over this past year. He has given me hope, when I have been overwhelmed by life. He has given me comfort in the midst of the challenges of MS, and he has given me peace in knowing that my identity is in him and not the things that I can or can not do. Abba Father - thank you for loving me despite all my weaknesses, I am blessed to be called your child.

Impressive!

I am so impressed with myself, I blogged 14 times in one day! I think it must be my competitive nature that still lurks inside of me, that when I set out to do something I want to do it well, so once I declared it in my mind that it was National Blog Alot Day I thought I should live it up! So that is what I did, and it may just be a record - do you know of anyone else who has blogged 14 times in one day....if you do let me know. I am now off to count pills for the Guatemala Mission Trip. Have a great day!