{"id":284,"date":"2012-07-31T04:07:10","date_gmt":"2012-07-31T04:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kandynolesstevens.com\/?p=284"},"modified":"2012-07-31T04:07:10","modified_gmt":"2012-07-31T04:07:10","slug":"monday-funday-3-things-for-july-30-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/?p=284","title":{"rendered":"Monday – Funday 3 things for July 30, 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have had a week to once again think of all the things that make me smile.\u00a0 Even in a world where turning on the evening news makes me want to cry and pray, I keep looking for the little things that bring me joy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Not our actual camper but one very similar.
Photo credit RVs.com<\/p><\/div>\n

1. Camping – We had the opportunity to go along with some friends on an annual camping weekend at Storybook Land in Aberdeen, SD.\u00a0 If I were completely honest, I would admit that we almost backed out at the last minute.\u00a0 This was not due to the company we would be keeping, but more a by-product of our frenetically paced life.\u00a0In fact, I enjoy every moment we spend with these friends, and this trip was no exception.\u00a0 We had a great time as a family just simply being present.\u00a0 We did activities when we felt like it, or we just sat around and visited.\u00a0 As we weren’t exactly roughing it, it was so much fun to eat like royalty with garden bounty. But of course, it would not be communal camping without nibbing at all the other family tables too.\u00a0 Sometimes, I have non-camping friends who ask what exactly do we\u00a0do while camping.\u00a0 It a 3 word sentence answer: We have fun! This weekend was no exception. When you have 8 families with sixteen children ranging from 3 to 15, there is ALWAYS something that can be done.\u00a0 Watching how all of the kids interacted was awe-inspiring; this included the teenagers making sure to hang out with the little ones.\u00a0 Aside from just having quality family time, my most favorite moment came when the littlest among us learned how to “re-teach” Huck, his one and only trick.\u00a0 After watching Daniel, S placed a treat on Huck’s nose, told him to wait, and finally gave the okay signal.\u00a0 Huck, like a pro, caught the treat midfall.\u00a0 S turned around and said with conviction, “I did that!”\u00a0 Seeing a little boy’s\u00a0eyes twinkle with the same\u00a0sparkle Reed had when Huck first learned that trick gave me a warm heart and a few tears, but it was also worth a giant smile.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Avera St. Luke’s Hospital<\/p><\/div>\n

2. Having a great sense of humor.\u00a0 Since camping and fun are synonymous in our book, it must be said that you can sometimes have too much fun.\u00a0 On Friday, one of our friends nearly sliced the tip of his finger off.\u00a0 I served as ambulance driver and chauffeur.\u00a0 Then during a rousing baseball game on Saturday featuring daddies versus kids, Sawyer had a mishap resulting in a sprained ankle. Since I already knew the route to the ER, a friend and I took Sawyer there for Saturday night\u2019s festivities.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t noticed the parking signs the night before but they stood out the\u00a0second night.\u00a0 The ER parking has beautiful sign pointing to a lot next to the helipad.\u00a0 Now I am rephrasing this but there were then signs that said, \u201cPark at your own risk, you are next to a helicopter landing site.\u201d\u00a0 I laughed aloud thinking that perhaps the hospital was \u201cdrumming\u201d up business.\u00a0 As Sawyer\u2019s visit finished up, I got a giggle when the doctor told us that he was happy to help our merry band of travelers for a second day.\u00a0 That was followed by, \u201cIf you so feel the need, we are open 24 hours a day.\u201d\u00a0 As I was standing next to the nurses\u2019 station upon discharge, I asked if I could get a punch card for future visits.\u00a0 When life hands you lemons, kick back with a great sense of humor and smile!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Courtesy of 4-H<\/p><\/div>\n

3.\u00a0 It\u2019s fair time! Today was judging day for general fair projects for Lyon County 4-H.\u00a0 It is so much fun to see all the 4-Hers hard work come to fruition with the incredible exhibits.\u00a0 Seeing kids flit about from judge to judge\u00a0in a synchronized dance makes me think of Lake Wobegon where all the kids are above-average.\u00a0 (But in this case, it\u2019s true; these kids amaze me with their creativity, hard work, and talent!)\u00a0 It\u2019s fun to eavesdrop as the kids (not my own) speak to the judge about their project. I adore watching the faces light up after the judge hands over a ribbon. As an educator, I am often dismayed when I overhear people making blanket statements\u00a0about the lack of initiative or work ethic among today\u2019s youth.\u00a0 I am guessing that if those who make those comments\u00a0came to\u00a0the 4-H building, they would see kids passionate about learning and doing, and that definitely makes me smile.<\/p>\n

Until next week,\u00a0keep\u00a0looking for the little things that make you smile!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have had a week to once again think of all the things that make me smile.\u00a0 Even in a world where turning on the evening news makes me want to cry and pray, I keep looking for the little things that bring me joy. 1. Camping – We had the opportunity to go along […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[13,16,80,128,304,570,593],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}