I made it... (updated with Pictures)

well I did it. I survived the impossible week and I'm feeling it now. I'm physically sore and exhausted (from hauling my children all around a mountain and up and down trails), I'm mentally exhausted from the writing I had to accomplish. Ordination papers and sermons completed in the wee hours of the night in my cabin, I'm just plain tired.

I will say I'm grateful that at least in many aspects of my job my family is able to come with me, such as this weekend retreat. Eli and Emerson did so good this weekend and adapted amazingly well to the sudden change in scenery and the loss of their normal schedule.

Lake Tahoe

We left friday afternoon and discovered that even for just a weekend away we require so much stuff. Two pack and plays, stroller, clothes, I had a ton of books I needed to complete my work, etc etc. Our car was stuffed to the breaking point. We really need a new vehicle.

Eli  & Emerson hung out in the car while we packed it. 

How they rolled around unless we were walking up trails or stairs. 

Enjoying some dinner in our cabin. 

Such little troopers.

 We stayed in a cabin that did not have easy access. The only way to it was up a rocky thin trail which is awesome with toddlers. Like I said I'm sore we carried these kids around every where. Luckily there was a road that led around the outskirts of the entire area so we could use their stroller for everything but the trails to the various cabin locations.

The trail entrance to our cabin. Lots of climbing.

Of course this was a work event for me so I was in charge of a bunch of teenagers for several hours on saturday while the adults did their retreat stuff. So we did things like blowing up diet coke bottles with mentos, hiking and playing in the snow, jumping into the freezing cold lake (crazy kids).

Diet Coke + Mentos = lots of amusement for teenage boys. 

One of my youth jumping into the freezing cold lake. It's a right of passage and a tradition that the youth do this every year. It was extra cold this year since our retreat was a month earlier. The jumping in was followed by a lot of yelling, running around, and screaming. 

My youth group is mostly boys so sometimes calming them and keeping them entertained takes a lot of effort. Friday and Saturday nights after the babies went to bed I stayed up working. I had to finish my papers for ordination on Friday and on Saturday night I had to write a sermon. I will say that since we had no internet up there I was without distractions and was much more production than usual.

This morning we woke up early, hauled everything back down the trail and left the grounds to drive the church where I was guest preaching. We made it to the first service with 3 minutes to spare. To say I was a little frazzled for that service was an understatement.

Luckily, by the second service of the morning I was in much better shape, was more awake and overall it just seemed better (and Marcus agreed. He's such a trooper sitting through two church services that are identical). He's funny because he was conflicted about taking communion twice, in the end he said he didn't feel right about taking it twice so he sat out the second time around.

We made it back home around 3 and I finished up my papers, emailed those off, and then took a 3 hour nap. Of course we're not without excitement every. My sister was in a motorcycle accident yesterday and shattered one of her vertebrae. She's in a lot of pain and the road to recovery is not going to be easy.

We went and saw her at the hospital tonight (she was transported here by ambulance late last night) she looks awful and could use lots of healing prayers. She has an 8 month old baby that she's not going to be able to lift for months. I wish there was something more I could do to help her.

Here's to a calmer week (despite another retreat next week).

Now I'm going to bed.