Whew!

Vacation Bible School is O.V.E.R.

Whew!

Whew! Whew!

Since I believe one should serve where one has skills and gifts (either natural or from the Lord, which really is redundant because all comes from God), I took the job of Head Snackmeister for pre-k through 5th grade.

I like food.

I like making food.

I like serving food.

I like eating food.

:-)

Let's just say I had 300+ kids who were excited to see me. Or my helpers.

I love Vacation Bible School. I really do. But when it's over, I crash. Why is it so physically exhausting to put crackers on a plate?

A week-ish or so ago, over on the ACFW loop, chatter occured on being shy. You know, extroverts verses introverts. I just wanted to smack some of the shy whiners upside the head and say, "Put on your happy face and go perform."

Mary Connealy said, "Fake it." Basically, pretend you are giving an Oscar-winning performance.

VBS is like going to a writing conference.

Smile. Interact. Be happy and stay optimistic despite the HIGH number of kids and the LOW number of helpers you have. Don't get upset that you have to walk about a mile each night going up and down the stairs...that you have to go and down the hall and back...that you have to go downstairs to the gym annex so you can get food to take down another flight of stairs to the drama folks because they can't leave their room.

While I walked, talked, walked, talked, and walked some more, I didn't mind because VBS is one of my favorite church programs.

But, boy, was I tired last night when it ended.

I like to socialize. VBS is a great opportunity for me to meet church members I didn't know...and to visit with those I don't see often. And who doesn't enjoy flirting with the little old men?

The reality is I'm not an extrovert. Socializing is draining.

Is the cost worth the gain?

Yep!

I've already signed up to be Head Snackmeister again. :-) I love Vacation Bible School!!!!!!!!!

Google is Your Friend

I'm not sure how many writing loops I'm a member of, but time and time and time and time again, some writer posts a request for information on something.

Now I'm okay with asking around for information.

But asking around shouldn't be a writer's first step in research.

Last weekish, I needed some information so I took the lazy writer approach and e-mailed my sister because I knew she'd know the answer. She did. She also sent me a nice second note that said (paraphrasing, of course), "Google, you nitwit."

What a dork I am sometimes.

Duh.

I google things all the time when I'm working on one of my historicals, yet I didn't think about googling something for my contemporary. And my sister kindly sent me some links after she googled.

In my ACFW historical writers group is a gal who is an encyclopedia of information so folks in the group constantly ask her for information. From the phrasing of their questions, that they didn't google first is abundantly clear. Why, why, why?

I'm guessing for the same reason I didn't google before asking my sister.

I was being lazy.

And logically, why do the work when we can get someone else to do it?

My kids feel the same about housework.