If you've noticed a sudden decrease in my blogging, I have a perfectly good excuse. VBS is in full swing, and therefore, I am "M.I.A" for now. I have been actively involved in VBS my entire life and have a deep love for this part of children's ministry. As a kid, we were there every year, and I always dreamed of the day I could become the "youth group leader". Once I attained that lofty goal, I moved on to bigger and better things and began to teach all ages and stages of VBS. For the last four years, I have helped on the planning committee, writing the curriculum and decorating the church. (Ladies who are involved in this, should we even just call it "decorating"....or maybe "transforming" is more appropriate??) And, this year, I began my role as VBS Director for our church. This has been, by far, one of the most rewarding, humbling, fulfilling ministries I've been a part of, and I've been blessed to work with 16 women who are completely amazing at what they do.

Now, along with this blessing of working on VBS, comes a lot of long hours, late nights, and endless to-do lists. And, this week begins what I call "crunch week". Next week is Vacation Bible School, and there are still many tasks left to finish before then. So, this will most definitely be my lightest blogging month ever.

So, in honor of the event that is taking up so much of my time, here is a list of
"You know you're too involved in VBS when...."

1. Your 2 year old knows all about the "rainforest" and uses that word in random conversation. (Our theme is the Amazon Rainforest....also known as the "Jungle Jaunt".)

2. Your 5 year old turns her room into a "VBS" by decorating the walls with paper....only her VBS was a beach theme, instead of the jungle.

3. Your family is actually surprised when you answer the phone. (Today, Cortni said "Is this my sister? You don't have VBS today? To which I said, "Well, I'm actually driving home...")

4. You're too busy to blog about the fact that Carlie is POTTY TRAINED and is loving her new life in panties. Her favorites are the "Halloween Kitty"(Hello Kitty) ones. More to come on that one...

5. Your children "pretend" to be VBS teachers at home. Seriously. I'm not kidding.

6. You wake up at 3 AM and can't go back to sleep (this has happened many nights!) as you thoughtfully consider who will bake for the cake walk, what color wings the giant hanging dragonfly should have, or if the teachers should wear blue or green tshirts. You know, all the important things in life.

7. You feel a deep connection to Cha Cha, the Red Eyed Tree Frog, at Rainforest Cafe last weekend, because you have been reading, writing, drawing, and thinking about rainforest animals intensively for the last few weeks. (I almost felt like I should hug him or something.)

8. You actually take pictures of the ceiling while eating at Rainforest Cafe....and aren't a bit worried about what the table next to you is thinking.

9. You feel suddenly wistful and even a bit worried as you read other people's blogs about their "simple" summers, and wonder, for a moment, why you took this job.

10. In the very next moment, you cry over the smallest success of Vacation Bible School, as you picture the children's faces filled with complete joy as they finally experience what you've been planning for months.

I hope and pray that every minute of work is worth it as those children come to know more about the God who loves them next week. I will be back with pictures of the entire event....more than you even want to see! For now, just know that I will return to blogland soon and can't wait to catch up on each of your blogs when I do!