Friday, September 21, 2012

Camp Yeshua, Part 3

Well, I promised you Camp Yeshua, Part 3 which would be about the theme nights, the girl's purity session, and the women's swim, so I thought I would write that tonight.  Then I will only have one more "catch up" topic left...which should have me current with all the fun stories of my life come Sukkot.  :)  And then I'll have even more stories to tell! 

As you all know, Camp Yeshua is a highlight of the year for me, and it was once again.  Each year, we have various theme nights.  This year, we had Pop Culture Night, Neon Night, International Night, Tribulation Night, and Exodus Imminent Night.  I participated in the International Night by dressing up with my Israeli silk skirt, matching shirt, and Israeli covering along with a necklace I got while in the land.  This was the outfit that I was always getting mistaken for being Israeli in while I was in the Land.  Tribulation night is the night that I wear by camo headcovering to have some fun!  And the Exodus Imminent Night is our semi-formal night which I of course dressed up for!  :)  It is always amazing to see what the kids come up with for each night. 

The girl's purity session was on Monday afternoon which I co-lead with Ann Judah Stropes (Monte Judah's daughter).  She and I had worked separately on our parts, talked them through together, then finalized them on Friday right after we got in.  The session went really well, and I think the girl's lives were positively impacted as we talked about not just waiting for the right guy but being the right girl with a heart focused on Yahweh. 

And finally, my other favorite part is the women's swim.  This is when all the lady counselors go down to the pool after the kids are in bed.  This is a fabulous time for us to decompress, share our joys and struggles, and get some chocolate in!  It is just the boost we need as ladies to get through the week. 

I must close now with a Shabbat shalom.  And don't forget, if you haven't already seen them, you can check out my camp pictures by clicking here

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Yom Teruah and more...

This week has been a good busy week, and the beginning of the Fall Feasts which I absolutely love! 

Friday, Momma took us for a tailspin by having incredibly high eye pressure which I mentioned in my last post.  It is doing better than it was, but it is not all the way back down to normal.  Plus the medications are not fully agreeing with her body.  It is making her tired with minimal appetite; however, she is up and doing some again.  Please keep praying for her full healing.

Tuesday was Yom Teruah, and our congregation had a cookout out and gathering in honor of the High Holy day.  We had a nice group here with such a sweet spirit.  We provided the hot dogs and buns, and everyone brought a side dish to go with it.  We had a true feast.  After enjoying a great time of fellowship and feasting, we had a midrash on Yom Teruah which would be properly translated Feast of Shofars.  Everyone participated in the discussion...contributing some insight or question they had. You can see pictures by clicking here

Yesterday, we went to see Gaga (my grandfather) and take him his new bedspread for his room which he loved.  It was nice to see him so happy with something I had picked out just for him.  :)  We watched a bit of television with him while I knitted.  It is hard to find things to do with him due to his dementia/Alzheimer's, but we can often find an old timey show like Andy Griffith, Bonanza, etc or play Uno with him. 

Now today, I have been working on getting that to do list done, and it is looking pretty good.  The next thing to tackle is the Sukkot meal plan and working with each family as to their assigned categories.  I enjoy that...but it is a big task at the same time...coordinating each of the families. 

Well, off to work on finishing that to do list... 

Friday, September 14, 2012

Update on the farm, bakery, family, congregation etc...

Well, I guess it is time for an update on the farm, bakery, family, congregation...

The farm is doing well.  We have our two cows, a calf, chickens, and even a hen setting on her eggs, so we are hoping for baby chicks in a few weeks!  We also have two many kittens...that we need to find homes for.  We've been working to get our girl kitties fixed; however, we have a neighbor who has an unfixed male...so that doesn't help matters!  Daddy's bees are doing well...even though we lost part of a hive to wax moths.  The whole hived died out, but part of the bees moved in with another hive to make it stronger.  The two remaining hives are doing well, so that is good news. 

Our family bakery has been BUSY this summer.  We were working 16 hour days most of the summer with only Shabbat off.  It is nice to be slowing down now.  I did make a website for our bakery which you can check out at www.bakery.restorahtionfarm.com.  I guarantee you will be drooling!  You might even place an order.  :)

My family is doing well.  Daddy has been busy with architectural work plus the bakery and farm.  Momma has been too.  All the changes with Gaga (my grandfather) were hard on her, but she's done well.  Now, just to get her eye pressure under control.  Her eye pressure has been and is incredibly high and causing her extreme pain today. We went to the eye doctor, but the eye drops the doctor gave Momma aren't helping. My dad went to the pharmacy right before Shabbat for the only other medication which might help, but I know prayer works...so please pray for a miraculous lowering of her eye pressure!  That is our main family concern....

Our congregation is doing well.  We grow and change in numbers, but our core group stays steady.  We are busy preparing for our gatherings on Yom Teruah (Feast of Shofars often incorrectly called Feast of Trumpets) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).  I'm really excited about both!  They are always special times.  

Well, I will close now and wish everyone Shabbat Shalom!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Moving Gaga aka Grandfather Update

Well, life has been so busy here lately, but now that summer is dying down, I want to get back consistent in my blogging.  I thought I would start today by sharing an update on my grandfather. 

Many of you know that I'm very close to my grandfather whom I call Gaga.  He also has Alzheimer's and has had it for 14 years.  He had been in Marysville which is only about 15 minutes from us; however, due to some care issues, we moved him to Columbus Alzheimer's Care Center.  It has been a change for us.  He is farther away - twice the distance.  Plus we are now around all Alzheimer's/dementia patients.  We were used to most of the patients being "normal" versus seeing the memory loss in all.  Over time, I feel like this is going to become home.  They are very understanding of the memory issues and the related issues which is very helpful.

We had our first care conference this week which went really well.  They did something nice which most other facilities do not do.  The nursing aid who works directly with my grandfather was also included in the conference.  It was nice to get that specific hands on report.  So while the road has been rocky at times, he is overall holding his own, and we are adapting to the new place quite well.