Curtains

We're home from Michigan...but it is short lived. We leave on Sunday to go BACK to Timberwolf for Wyldlife camp (middle school kids).  Pray for us...we are exhausted.

Anyways, while John was working hard this month as a Work Crew boss...I tried to keep myself busy.  I brought my new sewing machine to camp (thanks for the inspiration, Bethany!) and made curtains for our bedroom.  For a while, I decided against curtains in the bedroom because we have those nice, thick, wooden, white blinds...but I had a vision for the window bench area of the bedroom.  I looked at patterned fabric that would go nicely with our duvet, but newsflash...fabric can get pricey!  I found curtain panels for 14 bucks at Marshalls....sold!  They were kind of thin, so I just bought blackout liners to sew onto the back.  

With the window being over the window bench, I had to hem them a lot.  I also decided that since it was such a skinny area...I could use one panel on each window in the bedroom and save some money.  So I split the panel hemmed those sides and then sewed on the liner.

I was kind of worried with how that the teal color would clash with our grey-blue walls..but it works perfectly with our duvet...so I'm pleased for now!  I plan to sew a window seat cushion and create some pillows (buying fabric for pillows will be much cheaper than buying fabric for curtains).  I love the grommet top, it's easy to open and shut so we can keep the sun out!  (Hint - black out liners also keep the heat out, which is nice for our house because it's so old.)

Voila! With the window seat cushion and some pillows...this will look nice and cozy!

A Week at Camp...

Ok... I'm going to attempt to highlight each day at camp.  We have been here 4 weeks! Each week we get a new group of campers (400-500 kids from all over). The days are referred to as Day 1, Day 2, etc., which in turn means that I have no idea what day of the week it is when I am here.  Every second of camp is exciting...however I will only highlight the really important/fun stuff!

Day 1 - Campers arrive! In club, campers hear about the misconceptions and first impressions that they might have of Jesus. Buda (the speaker) asks them to come into this week with a unbiased heart and just listen to what he has to say about Jesus.   The night ends with an intense obstacle course through the woods. Complete darkness. Completely muddy. Complete madness.  The obstacle course is a way to set up the leaders in a leading position, and help knock down barriers kids have towards each other and their leaders.

Day 2 - All Camp Volleyball Tournament!  Leaders have secretly brought uniforms for their cabins (i.e. bumblebees, princesses, avatars, etc.) to dress up and battle each other in volleyball.

Day 3 - Rodeo!  After playing games where the camp is split into "families" (i.e. Hatfields, Clampets, Bodeans, McCoys), they are paired off for a real square dance!  They are then herded back to the clubroom for a Hoe Down.  

Everyone dressed in their hillbilly outfits for the Hoe Down.   From left to right: Laura Tuel, JT Buda, Clinton Bruck, Ted Tuel, Ben Tuel and Chris Buda.

Day 4 - Lumberjack Night! Campers go to club before dinner on this night...when they come out of club there is a tableau set up. It's supposed to look like an 1890's scene. When they shoot off a gun, the people unfreeze and engage in 1890's activity.  They shoot the gun again and they freeze...it's hard to explain but looks really cool! The campers are then told to go back to their cabins and come dressed as best they can like 1890's lumberjacks!  Dinner is served in a cast iron skillet with potatoes, carrots and beef...very authentic!

Tableau scene.

After dinner, the kids go back into the club room for a big production of the program they have been seeing everyday.  The premise - there's a TV show that is being cancelled and needs to be saved so it can stay on the air.  Best part...John is in it!  He plays a police officer who has to arrest Gary the Label Guy (Ben Tuel) for going into Wal-Mart without a shirt on.

Oh yea...and he has to ride a tricyle...hahaha! He makes his own siren noise into the mega phone.

He then proceeds to make his prisoner drive himself to jail so he can ride on the back.

A couple scenes later he then plays the judge, with a questionably short robe and large boots..haha

The wig is really meant to be worn as pig tails.

Day 5 - Breakfast in bed day. John loves this day because he gets to sleep in.  This evening in club, the kids hear about how Jesus paid the penalty for their Sin and died a death that we deserve.  After Buda shares this heavy news, the kids are asked to spend 20 minutes by themselves outside, just to give them time to process and deal with what they just heard.  After the 20 minutes, they come back into the club room. The work crew (high school kids who volunteered to work at camp for the entire month) do what is called a "Cardboard Testimony".  One by one they walk out on stage and show a poster board that says who they were before they met Christ and then flip it over to show who they are now.

"Rejected"

"Embraced"

Since John is a Work Crew boss, he gets to participate. You can't really read his here, but it says  "Looking for purpose in life"

"Found purpose in Jesus Christ"

I didn't take pictures of everyone's but some of them are really powerful.  One kid's said "Almost took my life..." and then "God took it instead..." Another one's said, "Abandoned by my dad..." and then "Found by my heavenly father.." 

Day 6 - Last day for the campers.  In club, the kids are invited to stand up and "say so" if they have decided to start a relationship with Jesus.  If you don't do this, it doesn't mean you didn't start a relationship with Christ...but there is something really powerful about owning up and saying out loud this life changing decision.  

After club and the "say so", the back doors of the club room are opened and all the campers are cheered out by the Work Crew and Summer Staff.  It always makes me a little teary eyed, because it's like their new brothers and sisters are being welcomed into the family of God!

 So that was a quick day-by-day camp highlights blog. It really is incredible.  

On a side note, I've been playing around with our camera trying to learn how to take good pictures....

Timber Wolf Lake YL Camp

For those of you who are not familiar with Young Life camping, do not be fooled by the term "camping".  Brace yourselves for the following pictures...a Young Life camp, is more like a resort.  When campers arrive at camp, they have their beds already made with sheets and blankets, and a towel with a bar of soap and a chocolate on the foot of their bed. The cabins are immaculate (and here at TWL, they are air conditioned!) Young Life is all about the "WOW" factor.  They want campers to be amazed the second they step off the bus.  The landscaping is magnificent; every seat in the dining hall is set exactly the same (the plate an inch from the edge, the cup right above the knife, every serving utensil in the exact same spot on each table...).  The meals are served family style...each table has an individual server that brings your food to you. I'll be blogging more in the next few days about how the camp is run...this is just a quick "camp tour" if you will. Check it out...

The buildings you see in the distance are the campers' dorms.

See what I mean about the landscaping?! It's beautiful! This little creek runs throughout camp and ends in the lake. 

The gym (which is connected to the snack bar, camp store, office and dining hall)

The dining hall aka where John spends his days.

See how all the tables are perfectly set, exactly the same? The servers will change out the table cloths napkins according to the 'theme' for the meal.

The Club Room...where all the fun happens.

Inside the club room. You can't really tell here, but the carpeted area are stairs for stadium seating.  They pack this place out for club. The structure up front is the stage.

This is a view (from left to right) of the gym, snack bar, store, office and dining hall)

Timber Wolf has a lot of grass area.  There is a HUGE field that people just hang out on during the day playing frisbee, football, etc.  

This is a view of the island on the lake.

The majority of the lake.  It kind of curves around to the right just a little bit further. There is a sidewalk all the way around the lake (0.8 miles long) that I run every day. It's so nice!

On the island there's access to canoes and kayaks. In the distance you can see the go-carts.

On the island, there is the blob (the big pillow thing in the water on the left) and a rope swing (right).


  

This one of the camper dorms. There are about 8-10 cabins inside of here, each with their own bathroom (a couple sinks, stalls and showers). They each have a pretty big lobby with couches to hang out in.  You old people are probably saying "Welp, camping sure ain't what it used to be..." Welcome to Young Life.

This is where we live! It is called The Bunkhouse. There are 10 suites inside of here.  A suit contains 2 bedrooms (One with a queen and one with 2 twins; each with their own vanity) and a bathroom.  This is where all the families who come here for a month at a time live to serve the camp.  We are about 50 yards from the lake!

This is the living room inside of the Bunk House.  

View from the other side of the room that includes the kitchen (2 fridges, 2 dishwashers, 2 microwaves, etc.)  We all hang out here throughout the day and night.

This is our bedroom.  Not bad eh?  It kind of has a Pottery Barn feel. Not to mention that I brought my Keurig coffee pot and set it up on our dresser.  My mornings consist of a good cup of coffee and an episode of Friends without even leaving my room!  

 So that was a camp tour...and I promise it did not do it justice.  Timber Wolf is a fairly new camp...it was fully finished within the last 5 years, so everything feels fresh!  I love the rustic feel it has.  There's an adult guest lodge here (and at every YL camp), so if you ever want to experience camp as an adult...you can!  You won't be treated as a camper (unless you want to). But I highly recommend it. The accommodations are immaculate! There's a hot tub....I'm just saying.

Some other things that are here that I don't have pictures of are the ropes course, the zip line (starts in the trees and ends in the water), a whiffle ball field, outdoor basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, tubing, and a 3-person death swing.  Each Young Life camp has unique characteristics, but they are all amazing!

Stay tuned for some programatic pictures/info of specifically how the days are run here at TWL!

Little Brother

So John and I went to Charleston this weekend for less than 48 hours for Sam and Whitney's wedding.  It was actually perfect timing because we came home on my brother, Connor's birthday. So I was able to go to dinner with my family to celebrate his 18th birthday!  Being a  new blogger, I was very excited to hear that my family had been reading my posts!  Connor ended up making fun of me for how into it I was.  He also made comments that made me think that he will not be regularly reading my blog...!! (tisk tisk)...So I thought if I paid tribute to him in an ENTIRE post..he would be more willing to keep up with the blog.  So Connor Lawerence Tyree, in honor of you turning 18...here's to you!

Top Ten Memories of Connor:

10.) Is it too cliche to write about when he was born?  Well, it is quite a story. Like clockwork every year on Connor's birthday either Mom or Mawmaw Billie will reveal this story.  It is a miracle story... I won't ruin the mood that I am trying to set here (i.e. funny, sweet, nostalgic, embarrassing etc.) but if you want to hear it...ask Lisa.  Ps. I was a GREAT big sister.

9.) Connor basically sucked a bottle until he was 5.  He would ask for anything to drink in the bottle...it was actually quite common to see him drinking coffee from a bottle.  I would consider this a bit young to start trying to acquire a taste for coffee, but hey...he definitely defied the saying that "coffee can stunt your growth"....what a load of crap.  Connor is like 6'2" now.

8.) Almost nightly, I would be scared to sleep alone.  I would sneak into Connors room, belly crawling on the floor, jump up next to his bed and scream so he would be scared and startled.  Then I would quickly ask him "Since you're scared...do you want to come sleep with me?"  Worked like a charm.  Ps. I was a DEVIOUS big sister.

7.) We vacationed in Hawaii one year when Connor was about 9. Considering the time difference, Connor did not adjust well and he was sharing a room with Bobby and I.  We made him sleep in the bathtub (It was a jacuzzi so it was PLENTY big). We told him to stay in there and play with his action figures until the rest of us woke up. 

6.) I don't think Connor had a speech impediment, but for some reason he said his L's like "ya".  One evening at Grandma Jo's house, Connor kept requesting for "CANTA-YOKE". Dad and Mawmaw could not figure out what he was saying...for about 20 minutes he kept repeating "CANTA-YOKE, daddy!!!"  I come sauntering in the kitchen, and dad asks me what the heck Connor is asking for. Connor looks at me and says "Sissy...CANTA-YOKE...please!!"  I walk over give him a piece of CANTALOPE and walk away. 

5.) One peaceful evening, Connor, Dad and I decided to go fishing at a nearby pond (Connor was about 5).  I wound up to cast my line, and then I realize it's caught on something and never actually made it into the water.  I think Connor's blood curdling screams was a pretty good indication....my hook was stuck in his back.  Dad had to rush him into the emergency room to get it removed.  After he came back and I apologized, all he could say was "They had to cut my FAVORITE shirt to get to the hook...thanks a lot."  

4.) When mom was potty training Connor, she basically told him he could pee anywhere outside, so he wouldn't risk the chance of peeing his pants as he ran to the potty.  I remember countless times when Connor would be playing out back of our house, drop his pants and pee on a tree.

3.) When I was leading Young Life in college, we would go on our fall weekend retreats at a place in Webster County, WV. A couple times we shared the weekend with Charleston's Young Life.  I remember the first time Connor went with Charleston when I was leading for Morgantown.  I was so excited to sit in the same room with Connor as the speaker shared about how much Jesus loved us. I had given my life to Christ my freshman year of high school at a Young Life camp, and to know that Connor had that same opportunity just warmed my heart. I helped Ben Tuel lead a song that weekend (Now I know I don't have a great singing voice, so I'm guessing he asked me to help because of my stage presence..haha).  I saw Connor in the crowd just laughing at me/with me, so happy.  

2.) Connor getting pretty teary eyed....ok crying (sorry Connor) at my wedding.  He and my dad kept saying after the wedding "there was just something in my eye..."

1.) I used to brag all the time when we were little that I could "beat Connor up"...until the day came (as EVERYONE warned me it would) when he grew into a grown man's body and took me down.  Now he can just pick me up and throw me around like a barbie doll.    We used to say that "the hulk" was coming out in Connor because you would just see a slow rage grow when he got mad ... I don't dare mess with "the hulk" anymore...

Hope that wasn't too painful!

I wish I had an old picture of Connor on my computer...he in all his glory - bowl haircut and spiderman pj's. What a cutie.

It's funny, Connor and I are 5 year apart in age.  They say that if kids are raised more than 4 years apart, they are treated like "only children"...but Connor and I have a surprisingly close relationship.  He has the ability to make me laugh and then 5 seconds later make me cry.  We know how to push each other's buttons...which can get pretty ugly. But I love him so much!  And I think he loves me...  We are so similar in so many ways, especially our humor...we can make each other laugh when we are in the worst moods. So anyways...Connor - I can't believe you are an adult now...to say that having you as a brother is entertaining is an understatement. Can't wait to add more memories to this list.....will you read my blog now?

Week 1 Michigan Adventures

John and I moved into our room at Timber Wolf Lake on Saturday, which I was really impressed with! It has a Pottery Barn feel and it is very updated (unlike our Rockbridge Assignment last summer). I'll post another entry later on the layout and look here at camp.  Anyways, right after I moved all of our stuff in, I repacked a few things and hopped in the car with Laura, Ted (5) and Sophie (3) Tuel to head up to the Santen's lake house, which was about an hour and a half north on Crooked Lake. Stacy and her kids were spending a week there and invited us to join! It's a couple minutes from Lake Michigan, and about a half hour from the infamous Mackinaw Island (if you're familiar with that).  Whew, was it a crazy couple of days!  Stacy Santen was my cabin leader during my first trip to Young Life camp my freshman year of high school.  She is the pastor's wife at River Ridge Church in Charleston and they have 4 kids (Ben-6, Will-8, Riley-12, Emily-14...I think these are the correct ages, if not, they are pretty darn close!)  If you're wondering if I spent a few days with 6 kids at this lake house...you are wrong...there were 7! Emily brought a friend named Cassidy.

Ok first off a little background info...Laura's husband, Ben, married John and I, he was also our Young Life leader in high school.  He is on staff with Young Life in Morgantown, WV and they have really become our great friends.  Ben is doing Program (the funny stuff) at Timber Wolf this month, so we're excited they are here! 

So anyways, I was VERY excited about this trip with Laura, Stacy and the kids.  Laura and Stacy totally invested in my group of friends and me all throughout high school.  We met for early morning bible studies and they really just taught us how to have a relationship with Jesus.  Trust me this was NOT an easy job....they will, to this day, tell me how we gave them the run around and caused them many tears! We were a wild bunch! We have come a long way!  So it was very special to be able to spend some great quality time with them and their children.  I love listening to their wisdom and truths on marriage and parenting (not that I'm looking to be a parent anytime soon! Especially after having kid overload this week!  Stacy joked a few times about how this trip would be a wonderful birth control method for me!!)  But in all seriousness, these kids are great.  I was surprised that I did not retreat more to my bedroom by myself to get away.  They are a hoot!

When we got there Saturday, we went out on the boat for some tubing, ate dinner, laid around and went to bed.  I started a new book The Help by Kathryn Stockett, while I was there. Many people suggested this book to me, and I'm very happy with it! (Thanks everyone!) I spent lots of time reading on the boat, in the hammock, on the dock, at the beach...it was very relaxing!

On Sunday, we woke up (which by the way is early when you have young children, for those of you that didn't know) went to a church that met outside in a park right on Lake Michigan! Very cool! According to Sophie, the coolest part was having "no classrooms!!" She was very happy to be able to sit with everyone during the service.

On the Fourth of July, Stacy volunteered to watch ALL of the kids and let Laura and I venture out to Mackinaw Island...what a treat!  This place was amazing.  You have to take a ferry to get to it, which by the way costs 22 bucks! AND THEN you have to rent a bike (5 bucks per hour) or bring your own (8 bucks total) if you want to get around the island because there are no cars! When Laura and I got off the ferry and looked around we both thought the town looked like a creepy, picture perfect town, like Pleasantville or somewhere the Stepford Wives live.  We took an 8 mile bike trip around the entire island and it was wonderful! They have horses and buggies to cart people around, so if you are a bike rider you had to watch out for the poop!  The lake was gorgeous and huge! It really just looks like an ocean.  After our bike trip, we ate lunch at Hotel Iroquois which was a cute, boutique hotel right on the harbor.  The food was delicious!  On the lawn next to the hotel there was an annual Rock Skipping Contest going on. The Guinness Book of World Record holder was actually there making a special "guest appearance"...55 skips!! You know you live on a small island when a huge crowd gathers for a person skipping rocks...wow.  So we learned that basically the island is open to tourists from May to October, after that the ferry stops and people who live on the island have to cross the frozen lake by snow mobiles!  Crazy!  So anyways, if you are looking for a weekend getaway..go to Mackinaw Island!  

On Tuesday we packed up the boat and drove through a series of lakes and rivers until we arrived at Burt Lake.  We found a beach, anchored in and ate lunch.  Life on the lake is so cool.  I really enjoyed it.  I still can't decide if I would rather have a lake house or a beach house (not that we can ever afford either, but I can dream). We hung out for a while, ate dinner and then left to head back to Timber Wolf (camp).  You know when you leave a vacation, you get sad to go back to "reality"? Well I didn't have this feeling...I'm basically going from vacation to vacation this month so leaving was easy! (Plus I kind of missed John.) So the trip was a definite success, so much fun and such a blessing.  Those two women are amazing. I'm so blessed to be able to maintain a friendship with them after so many years! I'm looking forward to many more! 

Tomorrow, John and I are driving NINE hours back to Charleston for Sam and Whitney's wedding.  John is a groomsmen. Then driving NINE hours back to Michigan on Saturday.  According to John, I'm a terrible car-rider which makes sense because I HATE riding in the car! Pray for safe travels for us!  This should be interesting...more to follow later! 

Enjoy the pictures!

View from Church on Sunday!

All the kids on the beach of Lake Michigan (minus Ben...he had sand in his eyes)

Water time with Sophie!

Sand castle building techniques with Ted

Sleeping on the beach. Yes, Ben is under that towel asleep...sand in the eyes really puts a damper on the day.

Captain Stacy! She graciously and wildly drove us around the lake all week!

Mackinaw Island

Mackinaw Island view from the ferry

View from lunch on the harbor on Mackinaw...beautiful!

Biker picture post 8-mile trip around the island

Will and me tubing!  

Laura, Me and Stacy

Emily, Cassidy, Ben, Me and Sophie...Lake life ain't so bad...

Santen Family Lake House...Thanks Santen's for having us! What a wonderful trip!

Here I am!

Welp, I did it...I gave in.  I have been reading blogs (both from friends and random) for about a year now, and I was hooked.  I love catching up on my friends' lives, reading popular blogs about decorating/cooking/sewing, and even reading about random people I don't even know!  When John suggested that I start a blog I honestly thought he was crazy, simply because I thought our life was boring...we don't have kids, we're on a tight budget so we don't do "extravagant' things, we're newly weds, etc.  But then I realized, for these exact reasons...it might be exciting to write a blog! We don't have kids yet so we get to do some crazy things! We're on a tight budget and honestly its really fun sometimes...I'm excited to share funny stories and helpful tips on decorating, do it yourself projects, shopping and more tricks on a budget.  We're newly weds...and I seriously have the funniest stories about "Shawna and John-isms".  John is on Young Life staff. Enough said...the stories there are never ending. In fact, I decided to start this blog while we are on our Young Life assignment month at Timber Wolf Lake, Michigan.  John is a dining hall boss, and I have no job so needless to say... I could possibly be blogging quite often!   So anyways...I hope you will enjoy reading about our lives.  I named the blog "Livin' Life" because so often I look at John and say "I love living life with you", because that is exactly what we're doing. But the title goes even deeper than that...I remember when we were volunteer leading in college and we would learn in our Young Life Leadership about how sharing our lives with these kids was a way to show them Jesus.  Since high school, the one verse that was burned into my brain and heart (Thanks Ben Tuel!) was John 10:10 - "...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Jesus offers us life to the fullest...and that's exactly what we have and what we're doing! Livin' Life....and life the full!  So wish me luck! It will be a rocky road...but hang with me... I think this could be really great!