It’s been unseasonably cool here in southern Arkansas over the last day or so. It’s in the mid-60s this morning. I think it only got up to around 85 yesterday with the same forecast today. I’m absolutely loving it.
I hope this cooler weather continues this week. I’m heading out tomorrow for a week at church camp. I’m excited about it! This is the first time I’ve been to church camp in probably 10 years, and this time I’m going as a sponsor. When I signed up I asked if all I had to do was keep the kids from doing what we used to do at camp. I was quickly told that they come up with new stuff every year. I’m sure they do!
I have a lot of great memories from church camp. We used to go to Daniel Springs Baptist Encampment at Gary, Texas. It was hot – really hot. The cabins were not air conditioned, but after the first day, no one ever seemed to notice. This year we’re going to Ozark Baptist Encampment at Grove, Oklahoma. It’s a 7-hour drive, but I’m told the cabins are air conditioned! We have about 40 kids signed up, and I think around 20 of those are boys. The other two male sponsors and I will have our hands full.
I’ll be tweeting all week from camp. I hope to have lots of good news to share. I accepted Christ as my savior at church camp when I was 10, and I hope we have a lot of similar stories to tell when we return. Please pray.
I’ve never ridden in a taxi. Don’t hold it against me. I grew up in a town of less than 1,500 people. The only taxi cab we had was the one Mama drove!
While in Oklahoma City for the CASE District IV conference, Jeanie Bismark, executive director of the SAU Foundation, was determined to get me in a cab. I was excited. The opportunity came on Sunday night as we prepared to hit the town for dinner. Cattleman’s Steakhouse in the OKC Stock Yards would be our destination.
Like someone who was very sophisticated and seemed to know what he was doing, I walked out the front door of the Skirvin Hilton Hotel and asked the valet to call us a taxi. He asked where we were going, and we told him. Without missing a beat, the valet looked up to the back of the parking lot and beckoned a black, stretch limo. Our ride awaited.
A limo?!?! Yes, a LIMO!!! Needless to say, we were a bit giddy. Josh Kee and I actually had photos posted to Facebook before we ever left the car. It was too neat to pull up at the restaurant in a black limo. I felt event more sophisticated than when I had asked the valet to hail a cab for us!
The driver gave me his card and asked that I call him when we were ready. The only thing neater than arriving at the restaurant in a limo was leaving in it. I must note that the driver worked on tips only and that no university money was spent for the limo ride.
Later in the evening, some of our colleagues from SAU rode in the limo. The driver remembered us. I guess we were the only ones to get that excited over the ride that night.
I still have the driver’s card. I guess I’ll have to look him up next time I’m in OKC. It was a very memorable experience to say the least.
Well, in case you missed it, we made it through Founders’ Day at SAU. I know, I know, in this new media age, I should have written this by 10 p.m. on April 1, but I was busy. I didn’t even get home til then!
What a day it was. I got to work about 7:20 a.m. and began implementing the plan that had been put together over the course of several months. The plan had been fine tuned only hours before I left work on Tuesday. I’ve got to stop here and note that there was an absolutely wonderful out pour of support from the entire SAU community that helped make Founders’ Day a success. I don’t know how we would have ever pulled it off without their help. I am blessed to work with such wonderful people.
So after arriving at work, the day soon began to pick up steam. Volunteers began pouring in to fill balloons, ice down 3,000 cokes, set up tables for the cook-out, and so much more. At the same time, the student activities staff was working with the professional stage company on the mall to erect a huge, and might I add very impressive, stage on which Tracy Lawrence would soon sing.
Then noon came, and it was time for the first major event – the groundbreaking for the SAU Alumni Centennial Bridge. I went over to the Welcome Center for that event, and then stopped by the baseball field for the 1 p.m. game. It was part of the celebration, and it allowed for a brief break and bite to eat. My hat’s off to Don Davis who was grilling for us.
Life is extremely busy for me these days – and I mean EXTREMELY busy. I’m not really complaining, I guess.
Coming up on April 1, SAU is celebrating its 100th birthday. We’re calling it Founders’ Day, and as chair of the Centennial Celebration Committee, my plate has been pretty full. The stress is getting a bit more intense as we get closer, but I know a lot of that stress is coming from trying to force myself to perform up to standards that I may have set too high. We’ll see. There is a wonderful steering committee behind the celebrations, and I am blessed to get to work with them. I’m determined that there will be abundant sunshine on April 1. Please pray that I’m right. For more information on the festivities, click here.
Besides Founders’ Day, there’s Muleriders on Tour. That’s where we’re going around the state holding gatherings for alumni and friends of the University. A lot of work, but there should be a lot of profit in the end by getting alumni back involved in the University. We held our first MOT in Texarkana this week. It was extremely successful.
I’m thinking about taking a vacation at some point in the early summer. Now I just have to decide where to go and what to do.
Although I hope to stick to writing about things closer to home, I found an interesting article on CNN.com that says more women are robbing banks these days. Since 2002, the number of women bank robbers has jumped 25 percent! The article notes that many of the women claim they were forced to rob banks in order to feed or by diapers for their children. What kind of excuse is that? Aren’t there government programs that can help struggling mothers until they get back on their feet? I’m not a big supporter of welfare in general, but I think it’s perfectly fine for a single mother (or a family for that matter) to take advantage of the benefits long enough to get back on their feet. And isn’t it really the church’s role to help people in these times? What ever happened to that?
I could go on and on about this topic.
Speaking of women bank robbers, do you remember the “Barbie Bandits” from last year? I think they just wanted to buy some new clothes.
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A limo?!?! Yes, a LIMO!!! Needless to say, we were a bit giddy. Josh Kee and I actually had photos posted to Facebook before we ever left the car. It was too neat to pull up at the restaurant in a black limo. I felt event more sophisticated than when I had asked the valet to hail a cab for us!
