I'm almost Georgian, but not really

So anniversary week was this past one. I spent most of it with 10 crazy Georgian relatives of mine. If I've counted correctly, there was 16 people all living in my granparents' house with two washrooms with only one having a shower. I really don't see that part of my family enough the last time I saw my oldest cousin who is now 30 was six years ago. Now her children that I knew are much bigger and she has a new baby girl (she is so cute!!! absolutely adorable - 10 month old and one of the most beautiful [headbutting] babies I have ever seen, without being bias of course...)

Hey, so I did some research on google to find what her kids would be to me and they would be my first cousins once removed (not second cousins). I can't really explain it well over this blog why but the "removed" part comes from the fact there's an extra generation seperating her from the common ancestors (my granparents). There's 2 for me and 3 for them. Their children will be my first cousins twice removed. Well, I guess you can look it up yourself and figure it out.

But I really don't see them enough of them. Seriously they're such great people. I played Settler's of Catan/Cities and Knights/Seafarers too many times. (If you like stragety games, they're the best board games you can find!). I went to the park and played freeze tag almost everyday with my cousins. I'll tell you a funny story about one of the first nights when I finish this little list. I played a number of games that forced the creativity out of me with one of my cousin's 7 year old daughter. Ummm. Lots of other stuff. Not having a TV and a big family is fun! I had my first Boston Cream this week, they're good!

So the story. Twas probably the Tuesday I think. We (meaning me, my siblings, 2 of my guy georgian cousins, and their oldest nephew and niece, hope that makes sense) were at the park playing freeze tag. It's getting late and my brother's trying to ambush me into getting tagged, when one of my cousins who we'll call Josh, realized that he got a gash in his toe (smart of him not to wear shoes) and was bleeding. So we leave the park. Josh's nephew is the first to get home who exclaims to all the adults at home "Josh is bleeding Josh is bleeding!" His mother, Josh's older sister, who we'll call Rachael jets outside still holding her youngest calling for her "baby". I, thinking she was freaking out the entire time we were at the park about her daughter being out, reply "I've got your baby!" (because I was walking with her - we were tight). But instead Rechael comes running to Josh and tells him to get on her back. So he gets on even though it's just a relatively minor cut, and she's trying to run back. I'm watching the whole thing and decide that I could be help and try to pick up Josh's feet, resulting in them both falling to the ground. Thinking she had just been pushed cries out "Who did that?!" At the time, I was trying not to laugh because I thought it was hilarious but nobody else did. Amongst my surpressed laughter I apologizingly admit to it. I actually apologized many times through out the week. Her bruised knees kept bring the subject up. But after they fell she realized that it wasn't as serious as thought and walked the remaining 20 feet. Joshy got some booboo juice and a waterproof Joe Jonas band-aid later on.

I don't know if I've written that in a way that sounds funny but I couldn't couldn't stop laughing the entire. One of my other cousin is a practising comic, maybe if I were him I'd be able to tell it better but he didn't witness the scene. (Andrew Duvall, I haven't seen the videos but apparently he's on youtube, though not his best stuff. It might not all be clean, he's not a Christian so far as I know) I guess it was more the expressions and the whole rediculous drama; I guess you would have just had to have been there... :S I don't know.

More importantly in my mind, I really want to get to know my cousin Rachael better. I'm drawn to her in a way that perhaps a youger sister is drawn to an older sister. But I can't tell you for sure since I don't have any older siblings. I just want to know her better. I'm intrigued by all the things I could ask her about that I don't know about her. 11 years ago she was in a similar situation to Dragonfly. Unwed and expecting her first child at nineteen. Fortunately, God blessed her with a man who married her and accepted both her and her son. But for example, I could ask her what it was like to go through that or being married.

The night before the bunch left to return home my sister and I were chatting with her while I was giving her a back massage (people tell me I'm good) and the whole thing was just very good, like it wasn't just meaningless banter, I got to know her better from it.

It was also just nice because it was late at night and her three children were in bed. I love them all and their southern talk so so much but sometimes it just seems like her attention is somehow always taken by them. And sometimes, in those moments, I'd wish she could just take a brake from parenthood and give me some attention because we only have the week together until at least another year.

She was saying that she hadn't been able to get any good rest that week because she'd been worrying about our Papa and how her parents would react if the dreaded news were to arrive ever so shortly after the 60th anniverasry. The following day she credited the good rest she got to the massage I gave her, but I told her that I had prayed that God would give her rest. So I'm thankful that she got some much needed rest.

I almost went back to Georgia where I would've been able to stay at her house to help babysit or pack for her family's new house they're moving to and I would've been able to have more one-on-one, face-to-face conversations with her. That was my parents slammed reality in to my face telling me that I simply didn't have the money to get back... They simply weren't willing to let themselves spontaneously go into dept for the adventure of my life. They also wouldn't let me go into dept to them for it either, but I don't think they're honestly to blame. I'm an adult now. I have to gain independancy one day. I have to be able to provide for myself one day. And doing that wouldn't really help me out in the long run. The sense is all here, although the fun was in the thought of going. But not really. Getting my hopes up was fun like getting all pumped to hear your first joke, anticipating the punchline and then having the comedian die right before you hear it is fun. Rather disappointing.

So the actual anniversary was very good on Saturday the 18th. I served food. My Papa got to dedicate his great granddaughter, Rachael's youngest, to the Lord. There was probably 3- maybe even 400 people there. And the whole thing was very beautiful.

Just shortly now, a note on camp. I called one of my friends who went, asking for the report. ........And they had no kids. I'm not joking. The community that had planned to come cancelled, so they essentially did PR work in the city to get a good name out for Eagle's Cove by doing day camps in different areas.

What I've learned is that you should never think that you know everything about any situation when bringing it before God in prayer, and that all plans belong to God and that He's big to handle any given task.

I think that's all I really have to say right now. Quite a bit, eh?

Camp Week

Hey so, this is the beginning of the week of camp for my friends who are going up to Thunder Bay. If you guys could just be praying that God would do some really great things up there whenever you think of it, much thanks to youu.

This week I'll be at my grandparents. I get to see all my cousins together again. I'm so excited!!! I love it when we're all together. But another prayer request - my Papa had mini stroke recently so his well being is something of concern, espescially before the anniversary. Pray that he would get better please.

I got a video camera which I'm super excited to start using for cool things. I've just kind of been playing around with it so far. I wanna do some video journals - that sounds fun!

Now cool story. When I had finished grade 1 I moved with my family to where I live now. But I always remembered some of my friends from kindergarten and grade 1. I found one of them on facebook like a year ago and was disappointed to see who he had become because it's the total opposite of the kind of friend I would want now. I remember him being fun, smart and creative (and honestly wanted to marry, when we were in grade one). But he's just different.

Then, I find my gr1 class photo. Recheck his fb page. Start looking through some pictures and find the kindergarten photo and tagged was one of my other friends who's last name I couldn't remember. I decided to add her and we've been chatting and I would definitely call her a Christian based on what I know. She's an Egyptian, (how cool, right?) so she's of the Coptic Orthodox "brand" I'll say. I think there's a few minor theological differences but Jesus is definitely Lord. So it's just really cool and I hope to keep chatting with her some more. She seems like a really cool person and as disappointed as I was about the first guy, I'm excited that I found her. Pretty cool... :)

Hello again :)

Hi. I guess I'm finished my fast now. I had originally planned on posting something for the first but that turned out to be a bad day. I've been away this past week living with some cousins. Went camping, did some cliff jumping, dog walking, campfires ...oh and some unplanned skinny dipping one evening before the sun even set(nothing happened, no one saw though). Fun stuff!

So obviously I'm out of the loop and have got some catching up to do in time. I was kind of hoping that Sam would have something new up. but I've been learning a lot. I've got a really great C&C group that I actually need to be getting ready to go to right now... but it's awesome, way closer to what church is really is supposed to be like and I absolutely love it!

I should be posting more, summer can get a bit inconsistent but you know, I'm 'round. Feel free to check up on me if you wanna hear from me and you haven't. Ummm. I've really got go turn off my stove. So ya I've miss you guys, thanks for the prayers!