▵ Anna, what what? more camp pictures? reeeeaally?! I know ━ too much camp, too much camp. But Barnabreak just happened! That means we are exactly halfway to another summer spent at Camp Barnabas & my campers are so excited that all they can say is: I love camp. we get to go again. only *insert months, days, hours, and minutes__________* till camp starts. We are trippin' a touch closer to more chants, more pineapple dump cake, more snuggles, more water slides, more talent shows, and more coffee parties under the fold out tables. I tell ya, when Barnabreak takes place - camp ain't too far away. to us. So many gorgeous faces & autumnish vibes ━ I can't help but show you a few of these pictures. This weekend, as I watched the videos of Barnabreak ━ I started thinking about all the campers that found joy in the tiniest of things. like really, the smallest of things make them so happy. They have a mini heart attack when they see pumpkins lying on the ground. those pumpkins are the most loved objects. The campers explode with "OH MY GOSH - HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT WAS MY FAVORITE?" when you hand them a single Oreo cookie. They scream and laugh when you buy them a cheap fidget spinner. You hand them so little & they act like you handed them the world! I think they know that the LITTLE BITS IN LIFE COUNT. The little bits add up & rapidly turn into the BIG things we are constantly seeking. I find myself so often overlooking the little things in life & focusing too much on trying to find the bigger things. Watching this little boy with Down syndrome hug this bottle of bubbles like it was his best friend; made me look closely at the small bits in my life. what I find special. what unconsciously brings a smile to my lips. and how often I need to stop and think about these things + say thanks to the God that put them there. I put together a list of small bits found in my days that make me happy. A list that I can look at when I loose sight of what really counts. what's really big. It was perfect too, because all of my gajillion notebooks were begging me to put something interesting in them. something other than blog post outlines. phone numbers. addresses. accounting. emails. and pen scribbles when I was trying to get the ink out. I wanted to share the list with you & encourage you to make your own too! Buy a pretty notebook, a black gel pen, *might even see me cramming a dozen packets in my cart* and make yourself some tea. No list is too long! Mine actually went for quite a ways ━ I laughed a little cuz' I ripped it to shreds in order to fit it into one blog post!
I hope you know that life's greatest lessons are taught by people like my campers.
fuzzy things - you have no idea how much I like to touch things. I literally run my hands over everything because I want to see what it feels like. Fuzzy things are probably my favorite because your hand just sinks in + it's so cozy + so soft. I was in Jo-Ann's last week and found the softest, fuzziest, biggest roll of yarn ever! I just could not stop rubbing my fingers through it! Snuggling with fuzzy cats always ends terribly *sneezes for the 1 thousandth time* but do you know how much I love it?! pumpkin seeds - seeing all those pumpkins made me think about the seeds! Pumpkin seeds are so yummy & autumnish. Covering them in butter + salt and roasting them in the oven make my day! I remember sitting on the counter with my older sissy when I was little and munching on these small treats. christmas songs - I'm a rebel and sing Christmas songs all year round! I love them to death! Sissy often tells me - "Anna, no Christmas songs till after Thanksgiving..." but she always joins in. If you sing Christmas songs before thanksgiving, leave a comment below because I want to mentally hug you! My favorite songs are Cold December Night, What Child is This?, Need a Little Christmas, When Christmas Comes to Town, Carol of The Birds, and Angels We Have Heard On High ━ ahh, much love for those. christmas lights - Every year, my family and I go on car rides to look at Christmas lights. They are so magical and beautiful! The houses always look so snug covered in the lights and Christmas wreaths. The fancy neighborhoods are always the best because the lights are so elaborate and a touch crazy too! We love the houses with the lights synced up to the Christmas music - also, we admire whoever untangled all dem' lights & whoever hung up all dem' lights. boots - The only shoe shopping I like is boot shopping. Boots are the prettiest things ever, so many kinds too. The fall weather has let me wear my boots & I just love it! canoes - I do so love canoe rides, *even though I just learned this past summer.* Confession: I use to always flip them over. oh, and I sunk one too. But I love canoeing! It's so calm & relaxing and the water ripples sound so pretty. I went canoeing this summer & it was the smoothest ride in the history of Anna ━ I was just grinnin' the entire time and wishing Clayton + Joel could see that I was actually capable of giving a good canoe ride. coffee - Preferably in those BIG, BIG mugs! Like the soup mugs that you can buy. Nothing makes me happier than a cup of coffee. It relaxes me so nicely & I drink ridiculous amounts everyday. If I was good at writing poetry, I'd write a poem to coffee.
littlest brother: *shhh* he is too loved! He is my best little buddy: my puzzle partner, the biggest Star Wars fan, my tight hugger, and secret handshaker. He says the funniest things and ____ little brother interrupts: "Hey, are you writing about me?" Me: "I actually am this time." little brother: "Oh, so you're finally making me famous.." Hey Jacob, you are so special! lotion: I just love lotion. It makes my skin feel so smooth and gosh, it's so creamy and full of nice smells! My favorite is this cocoa butter that is the coolest, lightest, good smelling stuff out there. walks in the park - I love to go on walks with m'people. Especially when it's nice outside and our town is all quiet. Just a touch relaxing & on my list of favorites. rain - Something about the sound of rain makes me so happy! It is the most relaxing, safest sound ever. I like my Sunday's rainy because everyone gets to bundle up to go to church and then you come home to your fuzzy blankets & socks.
cobblestone - I just really love cobblestone roads & sidewalks. They're so unique. I love the way they look and the pitter patter of busy feet on them. Oh, and cobblestone means that of course there's a cute shop nearby. pie: I love pie! Pie is the only dessert I could eat multiple pieces of ━ even better than cake! I love pie with my whip cream *I mean, whip cream with my pie* and milk to wash it down. I made a pumpkin pie last week & it was the prettiest pie I have ever made. I usually burn them, so the hallelujah chorus rang in my head when I took the magazine cover pie out of the oven.
YOU specials - Y'all are just great! I absolutely love your support & encouragement & advice as I blog. As I work on posts I end up thinking: Ben will probably remember this. Essie will be shocked I put up this. Emily will laugh at this. Jenna this is for you. Cade, you made it into a sentence. ━ I actually think of all you & smile pretty hard too. You are so special, please know that! TELL ME, WHAT'S A SMALL THING IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU LOVE?
