the latter part of october was consumed by retreats and camp life. there were scrapbooking retreats, a quilting retreat, a junior high retreat, a synod conference, and more. most significant, however, was the scrapping retreat, during which the retreat goer's blessed anna with a scrapbooking package! i must have received a thousand dollars of scrapping "gear" - paper, stickers, tools, diecuts, embellishments, organizers, glitter, scissors, punches, and tape. since then, i've had a blast creating! i've made a few cards, a calendar, and have big plans for my scrapping future :) this gifting from the retreaters is a tangible example of the appreciation they express for us when we host them here at camp. it's not always easy (we're still new, and sometimes the demands and expectations are high) but it's always fun!
november swept in with beautiful weather- we've maintained 50's through now! pretty amazing for the plains of ND. this month flew past with lots of bustle - another artistic retreat, a huge Scandinavian supper fundraiser at camp, a spot on the bismarck news about the supper, and hosting Dicken's Festival guests at camp. oh, plus jared's family came out to celebrate thanksgiving here with us! nysse the puppy got spayed (she's healing nicely, stiches come out at the end of the week), the house was decorated for fall, and the Christmas lights were put up outside (utilizing that lovely weather!) here are a few pics of fall at camp:
playing in the leaves,
thanksgiving day (nysse hearts turkey!),
just hanging out.
as november draws to a close, we've had fun. this past weekend the Garrison Dicken's Festival kicked off, and team rendell had the opportunity to host one evening. the festival is based around (obviously) the Dicken's classic A Christmas Carol. Garrison gets all decked out, and people travel from all over to walk main street, shop the English market, see the play at the restored theater, hear live entertainment, watch the parade, and have a wonderful time! so we dressed up in costume and walked around for hours, greeting folks and handing out Garrison dollars! and we got to be in the evening lighted parade (think small-scale hollidazzle)! it was one of the best days we've had here in Garrison.
greetings from the Dicken's Festival!
we have just started decorating our little house for Christmas! pics will be up soon. know that as we prepare our house and hearts for Christmas, we think and pray for and miss all of you very much. we're hoping to be in MN around the 21st, and will be there through Christmas, then we'll spend some time in the Fargo area (25/26-28ish). Christmas cards are in the works, so if you don't think we have your current address, please email it to us! likewise, if you don't have our new address, email us and we'll send it your way. sending much love to you all from ND,
anna
& jared and nysse
