Little did they know...

When my church hired me they had no idea what they were getting. I look like a mild mannered person but really deep down I am as accident prone as the best of them. Since being hired I have managed, with the help of the youth, to put three holes in the wall (4 if you count where I gouged the wall), broke two lights, and gave myself two possible broken toes that looked oh so lovely. All of which happened at work. And ohh I managed to put a cut in the linoleum. The crazy part is I have only been there for a year and a couple of months. The good news is they keep letting me come back. So at this moment I have been accident free for about 2 days, 22 hours : )

Ahhh the church kitchen

So anyone who has spent anytime in a church kitchen understands how strange and interesting it is. Don't deny it you know what I mean. What is even crazier is the church fridge. Where else can you find a giant tub of mayo along with about 10 other containers of mayo. Now if you are like me every time you open that fridge you go through a debate. Do you toss some of those old containers of mayo and risk making the ladies of the church mad or do you leave them in there even though no one is going to even come close to touching them because who knows how long they have been there? But in case you ever decide to chance one of those containers of mayo to make a sandwich, well you are in luck because there is just as many mustard containers to go with your mayo. Then there is the mysterious jars of jam, string cheese from who knows how long ago, and the one giant tub of butter that seems to be never ending.

Today I thought I would be brave and toss out the opened block of cheese that had been there for about a month. Unfortunately someone saw the cheese in the trash and questioned my tossing it out. I tried explaining how old it was, that it had been opened and not covered but it seem to fall on deaf ears. Oh well it is all part of being a church.

The bigger debate is how to wash the dishes. We have a sanitizer. Not a dishwasher. And while that might not seem like there is anything to debate but ohhh you have not lived until you have listened to people debate on how to clean dishes with a sanitizer. Do you wash it with soap first? Do you just have to get all of the food off? Do you add soap to the sanitizer? And if you run out of powdered dish detergent can you still run the dishes through the sanitizer and get the dishes clean? These are things that I think keeps some people awake at night. I know it has caused me a great deal of consternation at times ; )

While I may not understand the mysterious of the church kitchen I know that it will always provide me with endless hours of fascination.

They grow up so fast...

It is still hard for me to believe but my nephew is 12! 12 I tell you! I still remember him being 3 and doing things like eating dental floss (a story for another time). And not he is in middle school. 6th grade! eeek. If he lived here in town with me he would be in my youth group. That is a scary thought. Probably better that he does not live here because this way he can an experience without his Auntie Meg at youth group with him.

Unlike my brother who has always had his sis at youth group with him. He two has gotten older on me. 17 going on 18 and graduating. Ugh all of this also means that I am getting older. Guess that is part of life. The crazy thing is my brother is graduating from the same HS I did only 12 years later. Who would have thought that to happen? Not I that is for certain. But I love him and am proud of him.

There will be many graduating from youth group this year. I will miss them all but at the same time wish them all the blessings God has to offer them as the move forward in life.

Messy games are fun!

When I was a youth one thing that we did every now and then were messy games. Usually they ended up being pretty funny as well as messy. Now it is my turn to make messes with the youth and laugh at the silly things they do. Like shaving cream hair that you have to stick fruit loops to. Or cracking an egg from the balcony. I have to admit though that I am nicer than the previous youth leaders. They would have someone lay down and then someone try to crack an egg from above and have it land on their face. And this was a raw egg too. For me while the evil youth leader side of me is half tempted to do it I chose to have them crack it and try to make it land in a container. It is just a little bit more sanitary. And still funny to watch them try. Plus the youth love being able to say such things and I put shaving cream on someone and cracked eggs from the balcony. Oh how I love having a gym to play such games in. Who knows what I will do the next time. : )

The Joys of Being the Leader

There are times when I really love being the leader. Tonight was one of those nights. Part of the joys of my job is getting to plan wacky games that others have to play while I watch. The first activity required them to take pictures of themselves doing various activities. It was a picture scavenger hunt. One group managed to take all of their pictures in the girls bathroom.

The next game required people to run through the church, someone to walk around blindfolded, and someone to have to drink sugar water colored with food coloring. The kicker was the person who had to drink the sugar water was fed the water by someone else. They could not use their hands. It was hilarious.

What was even better is when I had them write down questions they wanted answered and as a group they discussed what they thought the answer was. I just got to sit back (although I did add my two cents here and there) and listen to them discuss such matters as how do we know Christianity is the right religion vs other religions. It is so cool to watch them grow and learn with each other. Life is such a wonderful blessing sometimes. So is being the leader : )

Tennis Shoes vs Flip Flops

Top Five Reasons to wear Tennis shoes vs Flip Flops to Youth Group:
5. It is easier to run when playing games
4. If you have not clipped your toe nails in a while no one will know
3. No one has to smell your feet unless you take off your shoes
2. It is not as easy for anyone to try to take your shoes
And the Number One reason to wear Tennis Shoes vs Flip Flops to youth group is....

1. When you and are another person are both going for a Frisbee and their shoe runs into your toe you are less likely to have a black and blue, swollen, possibly broken toe!

Danger Will Robinson

Whew so much has been going on. Yesterday was the HS kick off and Wednesday is the MS kick off. And just last week we added a new youth service on Wednesdays. Plus add a parish picnic and planning a 3 day conference for the whole diocese I am feeling a little bit on overload. A good overload but overloaded none the less. Ohh wait as if I did not have enough on my plate I am now officially the head of the Youth Ministry Commission (YMC). Maybe that is why I felt the need to stick my face in a pie at our parish picnic.

At least I have people watching out for me at church. I have gotten a gold star from the front desk for my ability to sign in and out on the sign board. Someone else has taken on making sure people are not wearing high heels that are to high... Yes you read correctly the height of peoples shoes are of debate among some people. Then there was the nice parishioner that found the boxes of condoms in the kitchen that removed them before any of my youth could find them. So many nice people so little time to get out all of my thank you's. It has been a fun couple of weeks and I know it is only going to get crazier, busier, and a whole heck of a lot more fun.