Vlog: Let's Try Some Archery and Go Canoeing!

So here it is - the surprise activity I mentioned in our itinerary! My parents got our family a Wii for Christmas, and we've been enjoying the Wii Sports Resort games recently - which include archery and canoeing. Well, since this is a virtual camp, we ought to have some virtual camp activities, right? ;)

Archery

I think it's much easier to aim with a remote than a real arrow...

Canoeing

This is the way to go - no need to worry about getting wet!

I was wrong in that last video - one of my vacation posts from a couple of years ago included a video of me in it ("Beautiful Oregon"). But I think this is my first actual "vlog" where you can really see and hear me... It's not professional by any means, but I do hope the sound and quality are OK. I mean, these were filmed with a little iPod, so they're not too shabby, right? ;) I hope you find the videos fun and maybe a bit humorous - and not too boring, LOL! 

Special thanks to my mom and sister for being willing to do this with me!

See ya tonight at the campfire, where we'll continue today's technology-meets-camping theme!

Campfire: Winner and Farewell

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable time at Camp Humility! I loved participating in this week's activities with all of you, as well as sitting around the campfire together, eating s'mores and discussing God's provision. It is a real blessing to know each one of you, and I'm glad Camp Humility gave us a chance to "get away" for a week!

Before we say our farewells, I'd like to announce the winner of the $15 Amazon.com gift card, according to the List Randomizer from Random.org:

Michelle (scraphappy71)!

Congratulations, Michelle! Be on the look-out for my e-mail!

To all of my campers, thank you for making this week so much fun and so memorable! As my official farewell, I put together a slide show/video like I did last year, except this one includes pictures from the Bald Hills area and Prarie Creek State Park in Northern California, many of which you'll recognize from earlier this week.

The song is called "Faraway Land" by Ron Block, and I think the word fits so well for this retreat we've been on, focused on humility before our Lord.




If it is the Lord's will, perhaps this will continue to be an annual event. In that case, I hope to see you next year at the Third Annual Camp Humility 2012!

Sunday by the Sea

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof."
~ Psalm 46:1-3

When I was glancing through the Psalms for a possible verse for today's post, I came across the ones above, and I just knew they would fit well with what I saw and learned yesterday. I spent my last full day in Texas visiting the island of Galveston with my cousin Virginia and my uncle Wes. I had such a delightful time with them! (The picture above is one I took of the Gulf of Mexico.)

Virginia knows so much about the history of the area, and she was telling me about the hurricanes that have hit Galveston. Hurricane Ike caused a lot of damage to the island when it came through, and the sea wall doesn't offer much of a barrier anymore should another hurricane hit directly.

While the island sees a lot of tourism, and I found it to be quite lovely, some buildings show obvious signs of hurricane damage. I couldn't imagine living in Galveston, knowing how close that beautiful, dangerous water would be to wiping everything away.

But no matter where I am, waters will "roar and be troubled," whether those waters are actual waters or the "waters" of different life issues. But God will always be a shelter, a refuge that will not be wiped away by those waters. The waters will not hurt Him--in fact, He is in control of them. So when they hit, may we cling to Him, trust in His steadfastness, and know that He can use those waters for our ultimate good.

To end this post, I'd like to share a video/photo slide-show I put together from my last full day in Texas. This video doesn't show all of the family that I spent time with this Thanksgiving break, but it gives you a small glimpse of my adventures. Enjoy!

A Variety of Smiles

I hope to give you at least a few different reasons to smile today! Of course, every day is a day to smile when you live in the awareness that you are loved by God. =)

• "If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you." ~Winnie the Pooh (A.A. Milne)

We have the quote above in a small frame we keep in our living room, and I think it is so precious. If Winnie the Pooh doesn't put a smile on your face, I don't know what will!

And for those of you who remember playing the Oregon Trail computer game, I highly recommend that you click HERE. This video on YouTube has a couple of crude moments, but it is ever so funny if you used to play the computer game, and if you remember having to choose your occupation, rafting down the river, and shooting your own food! I first saw this a few days ago embedded on a literary agent's blog, and it really made me laugh! The video is very well done and quite hilarious!

Finally, the following picture was taken on our last vacation, after we had played a round of miniature golf and we were looking at one of the of the other courses. If you watched the Oregon Trail clip above, then you could say I'm the kid who should have been more careful not to get a snakebite! ;) It's a good thing that's not a real snake, because 1) it's huge!!! and 2) my sister doesn't seem to care that I'm getting bit by a humongous rattlesnake! No worries, though--I would never look that happy if I saw a real snake like that!

Feel free to comment on anything and everything--even something completely random that made you smile recently! =)

Vacation Videos

Here are a couple of videos from our trip to Sunriver that I thought would be fun to share with you!

The first one shows a family of deer (a mom and her two fawns). So adorable! The home they are walking by is the house next to the one we were renting. In the first half of the video, they are way in the back, and you can kind of see the mother's silhouette. They come into the sunshine towards the end of the clip.




I hope it's OK with my family that I share this next video! =) I'll have to let them know I put it on here (but hey, if you listen all the way through, you'll know that I warned them!). Anyway, my goal with this video was to let ya'll walk with me along part of the rim of Lava Butte (located between Sunriver and Bend, Oregon--about 5,020 feet tall at the highest point, if I remember correctly).

While I hope you enjoy the sights, I also hope you aren't too annoyed by the sound quality! I actually "filmed" both of these videos (above and below) on my iPod! Isn't that cool?

And my family is too cute in this clip! My mom was teasing my dad about his "obsession" with picture-taking, so she kept asking him to pose for pictures! Too fun--enjoy!

Farewell to Camp Humility

It's a good thing we're talking about making this annual, because I'm going to miss being at camp! But I'm comforted by the fact that what really made camp special was all of you and your wonderful comments and participation--and hopefully you'll all still be tuning in to my blog even after camp! So this farewell is for the end of the camp this year, but not to all of you. There's still lots more summer fun coming up!

I made this video as a tribute to camp. It's a commemoration of our great week camping together, even though I technically made it before camp officially started!

Hope you enjoy it and see you soon!