Just use it like a cigar.

This past week was the junior high mission trip to San Antonio. We worked with Urban Connection, a day care in the state funded housing downtown. It was an... interesting trip.

The kids did great when we worked all day at UC, from like 8:00am - 3:30pm. They worked hard and were respectful. 

The rest of the day, from 4:00pm - 1:00am was mostly a different story. It was a fun, good trip, but man it was hard! I do like those kids a lot, though.

I don't have too many inspirational stories from the week to make this blog awesome (what's new). One of the girls made me a bracelet during craft time which was cute. The legacy kids seemed to have a small realization about how much they have by how little the UC kids had. Most of our kids came to the trip with an average of about $70 of spending money, which they promptly spent all of. I think that for junior high kids, realizing that you have more than other people and are lucky is probably a good first step.

I got to pet a dolphin when we were at sea world! It was awesome. One day I will swim with one.

We made it home with minimal injuries. Only a lost tooth on the van, nobody got punched in the face. I could only find a tampon in the first aid kid, no gauze, so we suggested he just use that. Telling a junior high boy to get anywhere near a feminine product is hilarious, just for future reference.

Ben and the family he is staying with for the summer were in Dallas when I got back to Legacy, so they waited for me to get in town and we all went to lunch. It was great to see him, but also terrible since it was just an hour. I miss too many people!

While sorting through the medical release forms before we left for the trip, I came across a really old one and this girl has the luckiest combination of allergies I have ever seen...

Food Allergies - Tomatoes, Spinach, Broccoli, Mushrooms

She must have had a great excuse to not eat her vegetables as a child.

I have one and a half weeks left in NRH for the summer. We don't have any big trips or events left. This next week will basically be wrapping up the summer. How strange! It went so fast, and so slow at the same time.

I need to find a place to host the girls sleepover I planned. Apparently someone is having a rehearsal dinner in our youth room? Sort of a strange place for that, but oh well. Hopefully I can get someone with a pool, that is always fun. Since we have only office hours left in the summer, i'm sure you'll get a few updates.

- Steph

P.S. Dear Red Robin,

If you are going to randomly put watermelon as a side with your sandwich, please put that in big letters on the menu. Even bottomless french fries doesn't make up for that

The juice got on at least 60% of my fries. What a waste.

I'm hoping it has a Pavlov's Dog effect.

VBS went well! It was very busy, but quite fun.

The planning for the other VBS in San Antonio is still in the works. We leave in less than a week, so now is when all of the kids finally start to turn in the things that were due a month ago (much like I always did in high school... sorry past youth ministers). Getting ready for that trip plus Jason being out of town should keep me pretty well occupied. At least in the office.

I visited Ben in Sweetwater this past weekend. I saw a rattlesnake, a horse almost ate my head, visited a giant windmill, heard cows mating (maybe a cat too... not sure), and saw Inception so I feel like the trip was well rounded. Everyone I met was really nice! And I guess seeing Ben was ok too... Joke. It was a wonderful trip, and I was sad to leave (but that's the last time all summer!).

The museum in Merkel, Texas. All of the signs and the museum itself were labeled as "Whoa! Merkel!" and I have no idea why. But I found if funny enough to take a dangerous driving picture of it while I left town.

I don't think anyone but me or Ben would find that picture interesting or funny, but 1) I still think that blogs without pictures are interesting and 2) it was the only picture I took during my visit, and it was definitely a picture worthy visit. I just fail at taking pictures ever. I should work on that!

- Steph

Nooo, Corey with a C.

This week is VBS here at Legacy. 

By day, i'm a youth intern. By night, a children's intern.

During my office hours I plan a VBS for the Junior High Mission Trip to San Antonio. I'm basically planning the whole thing alone as far as our time at Urban Connections goes. Crafts, games, puppet skits, veggie tales movies and snacks. I am even holding the meeting with the junior high kids and their parents all by myself, Jason will be out of town. So far i've got the schedule for the day, the Bible lessons and most of the games picked out. The parent meeting isn't until Sunday so i've got some time to get everything together (enough time to update a blog, obviously). I like working with kids so i'm excited for the trip. Also, i've participated in more VBS's (VBS-i? Weird plural) than I can count, so I feel like this is a job I can definitely handle.

In the evenings, I help kindergartners tie-dye shirts and talk about how cool everything they say is. VBS is way more fun when you get to talk to the kids, they really do say the darnedest things.

Last night while helping the 5 year olds tie-dye (side note, I didn't know this would be my job until halfway through the night, so I was wearing jeans and a white shirt... whoops) there were 2 boys named Corey standing next to each other in line. Confusing. Trying to figure out a solution to the name situation, this conversation occurred:

Stephanie: Hi Corey! *Both turn and look at me* Umm... have both of you had your shirts done yet?

Corey #1: Yeah, the bald guy has mine. I want blue.

Corey #2 (simultaneously with Corey #1): Nope. I want red.

Stephanie: Ok awesome! Let me take your shirt Corey.... what is your last name?

Corey #2: Mullins (or something with an M, i'm bad with names)

Stephanie: Can I call you Corey M.?

Corey #2: NO. Corey. With a C. CCCCCorey. Not an M.

Stephanie: .....i'm sorry! I'm silly. Of course it's with a C. I'm going to call you Red Corey since your shirt is red, and your friend will be Blue Corey. How does that sound?

Corey #1 and #2: I don't care.

Stepahnie: Great!

I then made some comment to myself about them joining gangs in the future. While the preacher was, unbeknownst to me, standing behind me. Don't worry though, he laughed pretty hard. It should be a pretty fun week. I love VBS. Kids singing is one of the funniest/cutest things ever.

This is when all of the kids got on stage for the "biggest chorus ever" during the opening. I wish i'd taken a picture when the stage was all set up, it looked pretty cool. I'll try to get one of the market place sometime this week. (I just feel like blogs are more interesting with pictures).


I am now off to lunch. By that I mean I am going to the library to eat my homemade sandwich with the secretaries and children's minister. I have no idea what the men of the office do for lunch on most days. 


- Steph