Greetings To All:
How are you on this fine Oregon summer day? Summer is finally here. We had our share of rain and cool weather (we were still using our wood burner during the first half of this month) and now we can break out the shorts again. Along with the warm weather came a slew of people to the base for various schools. Our population has just about doubled. Changes have been made to accomodate all of the people: two seatings for lunch, fifth wheels brought in for housing, and (unofficial) water restrictions. To do our part, family has decided to save water by not washing our hands after we go to the bathroom. Just kidding. The child population has more than doubled, which makes for a busy playground. Dakota loves to go down there and jump on the trampoline; she is getting very good at doing flips (not joking). Desi loves to go down there and sit in her stroller or on any lap that is available.
Our life has been a bit busier than usual. Of course we are still adjusting to being a family of four, but that has gone relatively smooth. Kathy and Desi are off on a tour of IN. They've been gone since Tuesday and will return Monday. YAY! I was still able to do some work on the course elements. I would take Dakota with me and she would play on the nearby elements. She also got to have several tractor rides with me. Never in my life did I think I would be giving tractor rides to my daughter, but she loves it. As a matter of fact, I think that Dakota loves any moving object.
Another project that kept me busy for a while was a Ropes Course in Eugene, OR. A Baptist-affliated camp contacted us at the beginning of the year to see if we could build them a Low Ropes Course. So, we did. Just after Memorial Day our team went down and built for a total of three days. It was so fun to be a part of the entire process from conception and scouting their land to building and completion. We added a couple of brand new, never-before-seen elements to their course. I kept saying to my teammates,"It's a CHALLENGE Course, not an EASY Course." We actually got kind of jealous of what we built for them , so we came back and changed some of our things around. The creative freedom that the challenge course industry/experiential education industry allows is refreshing.
I am always thankful that God has placed certain aspects of His character and nature into each and every one of us. No two people are exactly alike. And when you think about all of the people that have existed since Adam, that is a lot of diversity in creation. What else should we expect from a limitless God? He has shown us how He loves to create and to be creative in doing so. And He wants us to do the same! I encourage you to find whatever it is that you have as a fun, expressive, and God-given talent to use and explore it. He put it there so you can use it. Whether it is quilting, woodwork, building houses, building furniture, painting, cooking, gardening, or scrapbooking, do it. Please. If you don't, you are cheating God out of what He has put into you by not living up to your fullest potential. I speak to myself as well. I love to be creative, and it wasn't until fairly recently in my life that I have been able to pinpoint that part of my character. And since I have, I have achieved a little better understanding of God and how He views His creations (us.)
There is some food for thought. If, after you have chewed on that, you would like some dessert, you might be able find Lynetter and Marcus and have some of their wedding cake. Today they got married! Congratulations and blessings to them!
Thanks for taking the time to keep up with us. Kathy has the camera with her, so I don't have any pictures of the new things on our course. But when she gets back, I'll try to post some with a future entry. Please pray for an uneventful flight back to OR for Kathy and Desi.
Blessings To You,
Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desi
