AHHHHHHHH!!!!

Well, today was a lovely day to go to an amusement park! Conveniently enough, I happened to be in Sandusky, OH, so Cedar Point just happened to be near. ;) We had a great time today. I road Millenium Force twice, but chickened out on the Dragster (b/c I'm just not into free-falling for 410 feet!) I'd never heard of Cedar Point before my first summer on this team, but this has been my third time to the park and I enjoy it every time--except for all of the OTHER people who just happen to decide to go on the same day I do! ugh, people--GET A LIFE...and get out of my way!! j/k ;) I came back to the hotel early to take a bath and relax a little before heading to Roscommon, MI...the MIDDLE of NOWHERE! Seriously! There is a Subway restaurant, a Dairy Queen, a gas station McDonald's, the Tub o' Suds laundrymat...and a bunch of bait stores--Oh, there is the Tin Fish restaurant?/bar...and a community buck pole! It's quite an adventure traveling into the wilds of Michigan! We head there tomorrow, start camp on Monday and head back to Nashvegas on Sunday...sounds so simple except for the fact that it's another crazy week of camp and we have to do inventory on top of it all! So I'll be flying home on Tuesday, August 2--is Aug. 2 Tuesday? i've lost all sense of calendar by this point in the summer! I'm tired and this post is extremely random, so I'll say goodbye for now. See ya next week! (quite literally, for some of you! ;)

Long time, no see!

Hey! I can't believe that I haven't posted since the 8th! I just don't have much of a chance to sit at a computer pondering witty and intelligent things to post! I'm too busy directing camp and all! Ugh, it's crazy when life interferes with your blogging time! ;) I got to go to a few of our ministry sites this week and one of those was a dairy farm where the kids were doing random farm chores. I had a lot of fun and took several pictures...I'll be posting those and others when I go home. We will be heading for Michigan this weekend via Sandusky--yes, that's where Tommy Boy's dad's factory was located--and Cedar Point Amusement Park (a GREAT roller coaster park, if you're into that sort of thing...i'm usually not, but this is my third time to go, so even I enjoy it!) Then it's one more week of camp and then home. I love camp, but I'm ready to come home! Until then...

Enjoy 'em, folks...

Sorry to say it but this is probably my last picture post for the next few weeks. We leave for Maryland tomorrow afternoon. We are heading back to Skycroft Conference Center for two more weeks of camp, then it's on to Michigan for one week and that's it! I can't believe it's all going so quickly!

Internet access in Maryland and Michigan is much more limited, so I thought I'd leave you with a collection of pictures thus far. This 'director' gig has definitely cut into my picture-taking, though. I will do my best to catch up in the next few weeks and will post several when I get home. Again, please feel free to send those gifts and packages (that's JUST a joke, Jonathan! well, for Jonathan, that's a joke--the rest of you, GET BUSY!!)

Sing it, Pamcakes!

Roger's showing us how it's done!

The Lifeway Building in Nashville

Union Station in Nashville, TN. This is where we stayed the night before we left for Maryland! It's a really cool hotel.

Here's another group shot of my sweet staff!

Here's Jodie and Matt's version of one day of our training week schedule

Pam's all about the 'Hulk' gloves we found in one of the prop boxes! Here Brad's saying, "hit me as hard as ya can!" (and she did...I think he may have been crying after the beating she gave him! ;) )

Pam's sportin' quite an outfit!

Yes, we still play with dolls! Here, Jodie and Jen are having a facinating conversation through Kim Possible and Scantily-Clad Barbie while Pam, Batman, and GI Joe look on.

Jodie, Jenny, and Rachel are having fun with Kim Possible, GI Joe, and Scantily-Clad Barbie while Batman looks on

Oh, if only this were video!

everybody's in on the action!

Matthew hanging out on the floor of the gym during training week.

Brad (our videographer) videoing me taking a picture of him...facinating, I know! It's kinda like looking into a mirror that is facing another mirror...or not, it's late and I don't know what I'm talking about!

Haley LOVES her soundboard!

Awwww, precious Haley and precious Rachel, my program director and assistant director. Without them...I'd actually have to do work! ;)

Jenny on the phone...what a surprise. And check out that 'Bling-Bling' blinging (I never use that phrase!)

Brad RUINING a perfectly cute shot of Matthew and Kenny! ugh, Brad!!!

What a motley crew! Brad, Pam, Jen, Roger and Matt

Roger and Jodie are 'bubblicious'...and i think Jen's a little jealous! ;)

Kenny and Matthew give me the 'thumbs up' while Brad...hmmm, not sure exactly WHAT Brad is doing! ;)

Pam, Jodie, and Jenny--three cute girls in rain jackets!

A shot of our vans--our homes away from home this summer--in the monsoon that fell upon us earlier this evening. Gees, ya'd a thought that it was a hurricane or somethin'! (j/k--it was actually the remnants of Cindy)

Matthew is being silly while Haley and Rachel practice the creative movement they're gonna actually participate in one of these days!

Sucker = me (haven't I already used this title?!)

I am completely aware that I am a sucker for gimmicks and marketing. Put some regular cosmetic in a mint-green box and offer a 'free gift with purchase' and I'm all over it like 'white-on-rice-and-a-paper-plate-and-a-glass-of-milk-in-a-snowstorm' (random Major Payne quote). I also love to see how things are done so when I happened upon this 'Wolfgang Puck gourmet rich caramel latte' in a new self-heating can, I just couldn't pass it up! I was prepared for mediocre results, but I was intrigued by the process whereby this can became self-heating so I blew the $6 for a 4-pack and set off to see it for myself! And now I will share my carefully conducted semi-scientific experiment. my hypothesis: this self-heating can is mostly hype and the coffee itself will be bad. And so we begin! I will include the 'heating instructions' as well as my own commentary:


Procedure:
To Heat Container: Turn container UPSIDE DOWN before opening and follow instructions. (Rather cleverly, the rest of the instructions are printed upside down so that they can be read while performing the necessary steps--well done Wolfgang!)

1. PULL off tamper proof metal bottom. (And immediately slice your finger on the razor sharp edge that is exposed! OUCH!! A short pause to perform emergency first aid on gushing finger...and we're back!)

2. Place container on a flat surface. Using thumb, FIRMLY push button DOWNWARD until internal foil seal tears and colored water drains into the activation chamber. (huh?! internal foil? colored water?? activation chamber?!?! I was getting a little worried about what I was about to be ingesting, but never fear, those worries are addressed in the WARNINGS section of the can...)

3. Wait 5 SECONDS and turn can right side up. (and a picture is included for those of us who need the extra instruction.)

(steps 4 and 5 are actually printed so that they can be read with the can right side up--again, way think on your feet Wolfgang!)

4. HOT SPOT (located just next to the instructions for step 4) turns from pink to white when beverage is hot--6-8 minutes. (This is where my experiment breaks down just a little as I was called away to handle some minor emergency involving van keys and whatnot--always the director, ya know...anyway, back to the experiment!)

5. Once hot, shake 5 to 10 seconds then twist lid to align opening with pull-tab. Open and enjoy.

Before coloring your views with my own very valued opinion, I will include the warnings:

WARNINGS
--CAUTION! BEVERAGE IS HOT WHEN PREPARED. (In my opinion, this warning is rather superfluous, but ya never know when someone may be scalded by luke-warm liquids!)

--Consume beverage from container. DO NOT POUR OUT. (ok, my big question is WHY?! exactly what DON'T they want us seeing? Is the colored water actually a part of the drink and Wolfgang's just messin' with our heads?! It's kinda like The Monster at the End of This Book --one of my all-time favorite childen's books, by the way!)

--FOR BEST RESULTS store and activate at room temperature. (so what if you're in a room in Antarctica?!)

--Use only as directed and do not reuse. (because it's tempting to reuse a now defunct self-heating container?!)

--Do not use if damaged or emptied. (I get the damaged can warning, but what exactly would the point be if it were emptied in the first place?)

--Do not microwave or freeze. (I really am worried about the people ole' Wolfgang is expecting to buy this product if they must be told not to microwave a self-heating can!)

--Heat is produced through the reaction of a natural mineral and water. These materials have no contact with the beverage in this container. (Whewww! That's a relief!! So now I'm wondering WHAT natural mineral?!)

--To prevent accidental skin or eye contact with heating materials, do not alter or tamper with the container. IN CASE OF ACCIDENTAL CONTACT FLUSH WITH WATER FOR 15 MINUTES. (so what about intentional contact? and exactly WHAT kind of natural mineral are they using that they're worried about skin contact?! YIKES!)

Powered by OnTech (really? POWERED by? this is a can that is literally powered by something?! wow!)

Results: My hypothesis was pretty much dead-on. The drink wasn't very hot at all and it tasted uhm, ok I guess. It didn't have too metallic of a taste as I originally expected, but it isn't filling some unknown void in my life either.

There, I thought that you would enjoy this thoroughly random post. Camp is great. We're about to start week 3. We are in Lynchburg, VA, through next Friday, then it's back to the Motherland (that's Maryland for us. We love Grace and Doug at Skycroft and everyone just can't wait to get back! see ya soon, guys!!) That's it for now!