First, going to Costa Rica with a group of PDS rising 6th graders and a male teacher and male administrator was a great trip. Being the only female going, I have to admit, I was a little nervous. I think I did a good job hanging in there with all the guys through our adventures-staying in an eco-lodge with no AC and no hot water, sleeping under a mosquito net with lattice over the windows not knowing what could fly, crawl, or slither in my room, walking through the rainforest during the day hearing howler monkeys above us in the tree tops, walking through the rainforest in the pouring rain during a night hike (with possibly the worst flashlight on the planet that I thought was a good one when I bought it), white water rafting (and grabbing the life jacket of Mark Fruitt every time we went through the rapids-ha ha!), zip lining-which I LOVED and was amazed at God's beautiful creation, Tarzan swing-which I didn't love, but I did and didn't wimp out (if you missed the video, you missed a good laugh), being attacked by what I thought was a bat in my cabin, but turned out to be a bird (which I still didn't want in my cabin), meeting great people in Costa Rica and being reminded that STUFF doesn't bring you happiness, meeting and visiting with school kids in Costa Rica and helping their playground situation, taking care of scrapes, homesick, stomach aches, reminding boys to fill their water bottles, reminding them to eat even though our food was a little different from what they were used to eating, and just being a "mom figure" to them for a week was something I wouldn't trade! We had lots of laughs (including late night UNO and I Doubt It card games) and I enjoyed seeing those boys grow in leadership and service on this trip! I think we are going back next summer and if you are reading this and you are a PDS parent of a 5th grader this year, I would strongly encourage you to apply for your son to go...it's a great experience!!! I found out that my boss asked Mark (the administrator on the trip) how many times I cried on the trip and he immediately replied with THREE. I mentioned two of the times above (Tarzan swing and "bat attack" and the third was our first night there when the eco-lodge owner told me I was staying about 200-300 yards away from our group in my own cabin IN THE PITCH BLACK in the middle of the rain forest. Yes, I had electricity for light, but being that far from others scared me some! So, they put me in my own room in the area our guys were staying in but it had a door and I had privacy when I needed it. :)Chris and Caleb went on a Father/Son mission trip and our trips overlapped so we didn't see each other for 2 weeks. I am so grateful for Skype and was always happy to video chat with them! They had an amazing trip! I need to have them post a summary together on this blog soon!
Our family took our yearly trip to the beach with our small group two weeks after returning from Costa Rica. We went to Gulf Shores, Alabama and rented a house on the beach. There were 18 of us this year. One thing that stands out to me was the threat of a hurricane the day after we arrived. It created HUGE waves and it was just amazing to see. I guess those waves brought in lots of sand dollars. We found over 300. I told Caleb when I was little and we went to the beach that it was a very rare thing to find a whole sand dollar. He couldn't believe it because they were everywhere. That was a neat thing...sounds small, but so neat to see them everywhere when you dug in the sand.
After that was my trip to Australia. I was there for a conference for school. I met people from all over and enjoyed hanging out with them for meals (especially my buddies from South Africa, Australia, Canada and the US). After the conference, Chris came to Australia. More bucket list items would include whale watching (one of my favorite things to do), hiking up a mountain in Manly to see the ocean from high above (even though I thought we were lost for a little while!), seeing the Sydney Opera House, taking a train up a mountain to a small village in the rain forest, holding a koala, petting a kangaroo (loose without a cage), diving in the Great Barrier Reef, and just BEING in Australia!
The times I have been home, I've spent with the kids swimming at my sister's, making cookies, and other things that some people wouldn't think are on a bucket list, but we enjoy just being together and having fun as a family.
As summer winds down, I guess I am realizing (not that I haven't always felt this way,) that I am truly blessed. I'm so thankful to be healthy, have a great husband, two healthy and fun kiddos, my family is close, great church, great friends, etc...could go on and on. I hope you have had some fun this summer and hope you take time to reflect on all the blessings in your life!
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