It's Almost Time to Say Goodbye

Quick and early entry today before turn down, dinner and our end of the week slide show. Another great day, started with chapel, communion and 4 children who were baptized.

From there it was time for my final time with my Bluebirds. Look at these precious faces!

We had a wonderful afternoon with lunch at a restaurant on the beach followed by beach time...until the storms came in. Never saw a beach clear so fast! My boy Brayden had a blast in the water and then enjoyed some R&R sitting on the edge with his buddy Nolan. So sweet!

Now it is time to start the evening activities. It is sure to be an emotional night but hopefully one with lots of laughs too. Tomorrow morning we will have our balloon release and then it is time to hit the road. Can't tell you how appreciative I am of you following my journey with me. Once I am home and have had a chance to process everything, I will write a summary. For now, I will say my goodbyes and put my feet up for a while. They could use a rest! Until then, Blue Skies!

Less Martha, More Mary

There are no typical days at Blue Skies. Each day is different. Today was different. The families were gone (half in the morning and half in the afternoon) on a wonderful boating/snorkeling trip. That meant our morning started a little later. At our meeting we broke into groups to pray for our individual families. That is where the emotions of the week caught up with me. Sometimes when you have a minute to stop being "Martha" and have a chance to be "Mary," that happens. Don't get me wrong. Blues Skies is by no means a sad place, but these families are in extremely difficult situations and I feel that what I do here is temporary and just not enough. Prayer felt good.

After getting Brayden and his family off for their adventure, I cleaned and did laundry. I had a little down time this afternoon which was welcomed. Braydens mom said they had a "fabulous time." My new little buddy maintained his energy well enough to really enjoy the day! Here is a picture of him on the excursion.

Once they got back I spent some time racing cars with him before it was time for me to help with dinner duty for the night. The theme tonight was Red, White and Blue/Western. BBQ was delicious and the best part of the evening followed with the Blue Skies parade. We had some very special guests tonight at dinner and at our parade. A group of orphans from Uganda were in Port St. Joe. They are a talented group, a choir, that has come to the states sponsored by several different churches, to raise money for their orphanage. Melinda invited them to have dinner with us and to participate in our parade. Just before the parade started, they performed. What a treat it was to hear them!

The parade was a whole new level of cute. They decorate their bikes, golf carts and even the rolling luggage racks. The Port St. Joe police came and led the way with sirens and lights. They circled the fountain several times throwing candy at the bystanders. I told Brayden this morning about the parade and he asked me if it was for him. I told him that yes, it was all for him! He "drove" one of the golf carts (He's a crazy driver, just ask him!).

It's been a wonderful week. Tomorrow is our last day. The week has flown by. I really hope I can get a picture with each of my little "Bluebirds" tomorrow. It will be hard to say goodbye to these families and volunteers but I will worry about that tomorrow. Tonight it is time for some rest.

Sometimes, You Just have to be There

I'm going to work backwards today because I am still laughing about our LOL show tonight. The guest kids are invited to perform however they feel led. Some were sweet, some were just plain funny. The ones at the end of the show left me laughing so hard that the tears rolled down my face. Sometimes, the side show was as good as the show on stage...like the boy who went up randomly and enjoyed swinging the sword in front of the screen so that he could see his own shadow...while another guest was singing Taylor Swift.

It ended with a macho man frozen tee shirt contest. 4 grown men WRESTLING to thaw and dress in frozen tee shirts. You had to be there!

But, I think the best, was when a sweet girl named Hailey did a Bon Qui Qui impression...and nailed it!

 

 

Other than LOL I spent most of my day setting up and running the Mom's Spa. We treat them to two hours of pure relaxation and pampering.

 

 



 We ended the night on some great news...no meeting until 9:30! I'm sleeping in!!! My feet hurt and I could use the rest. It was a great day!

Belly Laughs

This morning started with our daily 8 a.m. meeting. Now, did I say before that these people have thought of every detail? Right down to the coffee! We have "Skip's Coffee Bar" upon entry to the meeting. I'm on board with that!

Thanks Skip! You are my morning hero!

From the meeting, we went to our first Chapel of the week. It truly is a beautiful and worshipful setting. Pictures don't do it justice (guess you'll just have to come down and try it out for yourself!)

The theme of the week for our messages is Ready, Set, Action.

After morning worship, it was time for our H20 groups. While parents attend "Kindred Journeys" the kids go to the activity group of their choice (chosen prior to arrival). I am helping with the "Bluebirds." They are the 5 and unders and there are 10 of them all together, the youngest is 8 weeks. They are cute, fun and active! We take them to the pool and we play and play. I am sooooo glad the pool is warm!  One in particular was having a few issues with my rules so I made him the "Sheriff" of the pool. Once he was in charge, he was on board! I really had fun and hopefully wore their little hineys out for their parents so they could have a good nap in the afternoon.

I'm getting to know my family a little better. Brayden's momma is suffering with a pinched nerve and her mom has come with her to help her out. He has a two year old brother who was in my Bluebird group this a.m. She really has her hands full and I hope that she is getting a chance to get some rest. Brayden had a great time fishing this morning. I was talking to him later on and was telling him about the "Sheriff." Well, he thought that was just the funniest thing and let out a big ole belly laugh...which in turn just made me laugh too. He's not the only one with a belly laugh. I hear it all over and it's just the happiest sound. I can't get enough of it.

Lunch was followed by "free time" for the families. The volunteers are encouraged to spend the time interacting with the families. Most of them were at the pool so that's where I spent my afternoon. I spent the time getting to know a few of the other families and a few of the other volunteers...the Blue Skies family.

 About 4:30, I headed into the condo for some cool down and rest, because soon it was time to get ready for Hoola by the Poola! I didn't take my camera to that because, well, it was a little wet down there but here are Salli and I, in costume and ready to go.

Another delicious dinner and then the games began. I chose to cheer rather than play but honestly, the best entertainment was Melinda and 3 small children, in the pool with water soakers. They would call people over and soak them...every time followed by the biggest belly laughs you could imagine. I took my turn and then sat back and belly laughed with them. Belly laughs are the best. Can't wait to hear some more tomorrow!

Day 1 - The Familes are Here!

First of all, Happy Father's Day! Here at Blue Skies, Father's Day started with a pancake breakfast. My condomate, Allison Gruehn, was up WAY before me as she was on the pancake cooking crew. I heard it was delicious (it's possible I may have missed it and ate my oatmeal instead). My sweet roommate, Salli Beasley, demonstrated her gift of encouragement with this sweet surprise on my bed this morning.

Thanks Salli. I have a lot to learn from you!

We started the day with our morning meeting. Our directors have been great about giving us the information we need without making me feel overwhelmed. Thanks for that guys!

From there, we went to the "green room" (because it's painted green!) to learn where to get our supplies for "turn down" each night. This room is where we go to get things we need for our rooms, our H2O groups, etc. This is only SOME of the supplies. The rest of the stuff is in the resource room.

After setting up our guest families rooms, it was time for lunch. Most days we will eat here at the condo with our guest families but today we were free to leave and do our own thing. After a quick stop for a picture, we had a delicious seafood lunch at the marina.

Once we got back it was time to wait for our families...and wait...and wait. Check in time was between 3 and 4 but my family didn't arrive until after 5. It was worth the wait. My little buddy is PRECIOUS! He has been sick more of his life than he has been well but he is happy, full of smiles and plays the best air guitar you have ever heard! Melinda personally takes every child on a golf cart ride when they get there, honking the horn and celebrating their arrival. Here is a picture of my fella! (whoops. Caught him with his eyes closed.) As luck would have it, he also has a broken leg. That's just not fair!

While we waited there were numerous activities including a huge jumpy house. It was HOT outside but the kids had fun anyway.

After my family got here I spent some time helping them unload and getting settled. Then it was time for our welcome party. It was all about celebrating your team spirit. The overwhelming majority were dressed in Auburn gear (War Eagle!), I was the only one sporting the GT apparel and Salli was repping Samford.

Everything around here is a party and meals are no exception. The tables are decorated beautifully and let me tell you, the food is ridiculously good AND abundant. The menu tonight was marinated grilled flank steak, salad, mac and cheese, rolls, baked potatoes, green beans and this amazing ice cream type pie. Yum!

After dinner we went down to the beach to watch the sunset and to release lanterns...only we couldn't release lanterns because the wind was blowing the wrong direction (which would have set the resort on fire). So instead, blue balloons were released. The sunset was gorgeous tonight!

 

 

Each night we will end with a short time of worship and thanks for the day. Tomorrow we start at 8:00. So happy to be here and so blessed to be able to be a part of such a great ministry. Thank you again for all of your support and prayers. 

And So it Begins...

I'm here!!! Where is here anyway? At Windmark Beach in Port Saint Joe Florida (between Panama City and Apachicola Bay). I drove with 3 other women which was great. Good conversation makes a trip go quickly! Thanks to Garan for doing ALL the driving! Amazingly, we got everything in the car for 4 women and lots of Blue Skies supplies.

Once we arrived you could just see and feel the excitement. Those who have served before were glad to see familiar faces. There are volunteer kids everywhere, on their bikes, running around. They are going to be an important part of this week. Do you really think the kids who are here want to hang out with me? Not likely. But those kids are going to connect in a big way with each other.

After unpacking, we made a quick trip to the Piggly Wiggly for essentials. Once we returned, the meetings began.

 

 

We started with a long game of introductions. I had the pleasure of interviewing and being interviewed by Claire and Libby. Favorite question was tell us something about yourself that people wouldn't know. That launched into a long discussion of my very large Mr. Potato Head collection. Ask me about it sometime.

 

 



Claire and Libby are rising 8th graders. Cute girls! Enjoyed meeting them. There are so many people here. I hope I can remember a few of their names. These will help!

 

 

Next was dinner and then really down to business. I learned about my H20 Group which is the Bluebirds. For 3 mornings while the parents are at Kindred Journeys, I will be co-leading the group caring for the 5 and unders. We have around 8 kids, one is a 9 week old baby. I think we will have to draw straws to see who gets to hold the baby! Next, I learned about the family I will be hosting. It is a single mom with a six year old boy who has a brain tumor. He has a 2 year old brother (who will be one of my Blue Birds!). Now I know WHO to be praying for after all this time. CANNOT WAIT TO MEET THEM!!!

A quick walk down to the beach and it's time to think about getting to bed so I am rested for tomorrow. Until then, Blue Skies!

It's About to Get Real!

In less than 48 hours I will be in Port Saint Joe, Florida for my first Blue Skies Retreat. I am a lot excited and a little nervous...but mostly excited. I attended our final meeting this past Sunday and let me tell you, the directors and the people who have been organizing and planning this retreat for months have done an extraordinary job. Their attention to detail is beyond impressive. So many people have put in hours too many to count out of a love for these guest families that they haven't even met yet. They truly have a servants heart.

My house is clean, my clothes are washed and my theme night outfits are ready. I have 100 chocolate bars ready to be made into smores (can't promise there will be 100 when we get there. Pray there isn't a chocolate emergency along the way!) and so much other "stuff" I fear my ride down there will look at it and tell me to drive myself. It could happen.

Apparently, the most important final preparation is the Blue Skies Pedicure. That has been quite the topic of discussion on Facebook over the past few days. Who knew? The choices in the shades of blue polish were almost overwhelming. Here is my final result;

 

 

As I listened on Sunday to all that is coming up, I again started to question my ability and preparedness for the upcoming week. I am reminded in Hebrews that God has called me and he will equip me. I know and I believe that...here's what the Bible has to say about it:

 

"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Hebrews 13: 20-21

 

Next time you hear from me I will be on the retreat. Until then, nothing but Blue Skies Ahead! Thanks for following along!