Catching Up

Yeah, well . . . I didn't exactly post last week on vacation like I said I would. What did I do instead?

I sat in the air conditioning and watched a lot of Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel. What a great show. This is the job I wish I could have if I wasn't such a wienie.

I sat out on the deck at 5:30am with Carson after he'd wake up so mom could sleep. Uncle Bob was often up after fishing.

I ate a lot of food.

I hung out with family. This is always my problem on vacation. I've been told by several people that I'm an undiagnosed case of social anxiety disorder. I get a dreadful feeling in my gut when I know I have to be around people, even when they're people I like. But as the week goes on I come out a little more and a little more and by Friday I always wish I'd been more social the whole week and I promise to do so next year. . .

But we had a great fish fry at cousin Laura's trailer on Friday night, and we got to see a great variety show put on by lots of little cousins. So overall, it was a fantastic week despite the heat.

Favorite laugh of the week - I was eating supper at a card table with my folks and cousin Janae. Cousin Stephanie (Janae's mom) had brought pizza rolls to the supper and Janae had some on her plate. My dad looked over and said, "What are those?"

Janae gave him a skeptical look and said, "They're pizza rolls, uncle Hugh."

My dad said, "I don't think I'm familiar with those."

Janae then looked at me and asked, "They don't get out much do they?"

I tried to run a few times over the week. Four times to be exact. I surprised myself by running nearly 3 miles each time. But now that I'm back home and we're back to our regular full weeks, finding time to run is no longer an option. So instead, Carson and I take hour long walks on the lake trail.

After vacation, Andrea and I headed to Rock Valley (the town in which we used to live and work) so that Andrea could sing at a wedding of a former youth member (Morgen). We stayed with Steve and Lisa Van Den Top and their family in their new house.

To be honest, I was a little leary about going back. I've been back since, but it's always been on a limited scale while traveling to or from somewhere else. But this time we were there specifically to spend time with lots of old friends.

Lots of those old doubts, fears, and anxieties come up when visiting Rock Valley. It was hard to leave, but we needed to at the time.

I always wonder how much good work I actually did while I was there as I cut my teeth my first few years as a youth director.

The Van Den Top's have three great kids, Zach, Katie, and Brittany. I had all three of them in my high school and middle school youth groups. It was great to have them give us big hugs when we saw them.

Saturday night after everyone sacked out for church the next day, I stayed up late with Brittany and played my new favorite, addictive video game - Pocket Tanks - and we had a great time laughing and blowing each other up.

As I sat there it felt great to see Brittany again. She was just out of sixth grade when we left Rock Valley in '04. Of all three of the kids, she was the one I'd really known the least. Yet she treated me like an old friend after coming back, and I had a great time with her. As we talked, laughed, and played, it was one of those moments when you realize that youth work can be very rewarding.

I head to Salt Lake City next week for Convention with about a thousand high school kids. Then on to Power Connection in Minneapolis to emcee and do some comedy with Steve Hydeen. Steve will actually be on both trips - hallelujah!

Jason