Monday, June 28, 2010

a day in the life of ruthie lou: frosting & hugs

whew! first day of arts camp was fantastic and flew by way too fast! it was great to reconnect with participants... some i hadn't seen since last year, others i get to hang out with quite a bit. another one of the students (age 12) just surpassed my height. i remember when she barely reached my waist. "hi miss ruth! (hug) is it really true? Are you leaving? But you can't leave. Mom said you're leaving, but are you really?" (she takes a deep breath) I jumped on the opportunity to get a word in... "yes, its really true. i am leaving but i'm still coming to visit. before i go, we're having a bbq, wanna come?" the smile comes back. "yup! ok, miss ruth... i guess its ok. you can go if you want. i'm gonna miss you." so... i guess i can leave, i have permission. :)

we got there early to try to get a quick staff meeting in but it was first day of camp! first day of camp means everyone wants to show up WAY early! can't wait! it was great fun. a short time of worship and prayer followed by lots of laughter as they learned new choreography, reunited with friends, met new people, met in their small groups and went to workshops. we added a few new workshops this year... cake decorating was a hit!

they got to mix their own colors and experiment with different techniques and designs. and of course, eat frosting. they also had workshops in drawing and vocals. they got to help plan, act and film a commercial. they shot a lot of the footage right outside the door of where i was working on boring stuff like performance scheduling, emergency contact sheets, etc. i heard lots of laughing followed by forced quietness while someone acted or delivered lines and occasional outbursts of laughter as they cracked themselves up. silly is good. laughter is good for the soul.

at the end of the day, we learned that miss harmoni's baby got to graduate from the icu to a normal hospital room today!!!!! we were whooping and hollering, laughing and jumping around, praising jesus! miss harmoni had helped with the camp for 5 years straight when we first started out. her and hubby antonio had baby Eva-Camille on May 6 and she has had a rough time. they were even told by the medical staff that there was only one option left for her and she was too weak to be moved to hospital where she could get the treatment... but it wasn't too late for God! she survived the transfer, she coded and started breathing again... everything that should be wrong with her, isn't. the doctors said she is beyond a miracle. so we ended the camp day by celebrating!

one camper said, "i feel happy, and excited and that is a good way to feel." hope he will still feel like that in the morning when the soreness starts settling in after the first day of dancing.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

first post: cross eyed bear

this a blog that i am calling ruthie lou unedited... so if you are looking for neat, precise thoughts that have been mulled over and are prepackaged and easy to swallow this is not the blog for you. life is messy. and fabulous. and in my case, life is usually slightly out of control.

why ruthie lou? it is a nod to my brothers from another mother. you know who are. you have taught me a lot about love, sacrifice, and many other things we won't go into here. haha. thanks for dropping unexpectedly into my life. miss you already.

i am starting this blog at a time when life is about slow down (i think)... a time of change... a time of going back to my roots, a summer filled with family, working the 9 to 5, and hopefully a time of creativity. *if your just now hearing about my move, I will write more later.* everything i own is packed and ready to go... even my clothes. this week i am l
iving out of a suitcase as i help run the 7th annual arts camp here in chicago. what a weird week. a time of lots fun in camp and many sad 'see you laters'. earlier today, during team time we were doing an activity where we had to pick out a picture to explain what this week was going to be like and i picked this...
no, i'm not cross eyed. but this is how i feel. like i am trying to balance myself while juggling camp, friends, good byes, tears, laughter, responsibilities and the list goes on... like i said, weird week. camp is monday through friday. going away party is saturday. i move on sunday and start work on monday. here's the thing, though... if i didn't think it was possible, i wouldn't be doing it. it is possible and i intend to live it up and have a blast. since camp starts in 8 hours, i better stop writing and catch a couple winks of sleep.
peace out, ruthie lou