Book Convention

TheInternational Christian Retail Show kicked off Sunday evening with a worship service led by Laura Story, Stephen Curtis Chapman and Max Lucado. Next there was a music showcase with a lot of new Christian musicians, but it didn't really get started until almost 10:00 so we only stayed for a little of it. It was hosted by Matthew West. Republican Rick Santorum spoke and so did Danny Goke from American Idol season 8.

Getting ready to register.

Monday morning kicked off with a  20th birthday celebration for Veggie Tales. 

Cake at 8:30 a.m.

Jasmine filling a bag for the homeless in St Louis.

Jasmine with the author of The Shack. He is one of the friendliness authors I've met (although I'm not actually a Shack fan). He signed book 2 today, and I have a friend who really wanted it.

You never know who you'll see at ICRS.

With Tosca Lee

Randy Singer

With Karen Kingsbury's daughter and SIL.

With Karen Kingsbury.

Singing her a song.

Getting a caricature done. A father and son team were both drawing them.

We volunteered Torry for it too. Who better for a caricature?

With Kathi Macias

It's a cutout advertising an upcoming book.

Randy Alcorn

Two long term Christian fiction writers-Lauraine Snelling and Lori Copeland.

We got books from a lot of other authors but didn't take pictures of all of them. 

We're back on the floor again early tomorrow. 

Who's your favorite Christian author? 

St Louis and Peanut Camp

Yesterday Jasmine and I went to Six Flags in St. Louis. We are not the best ones to be at this park because most of the rides are roller coasters and other rides that go upside down or have large drops. It's probably my age, but I get headaches too easily to do those rides, not that I'd want to be upside down anyway, and Jasmine just doesn't like them. But we found enough else to do.  

We did the Scooby Doo ride, two water rides on which we got drenched, and several others.  We went to two shows also. 

Here we are, brave adventurers on the train. They had a water park but it was a very hot day, and the water park was wall to wall people, so we decided it wouldn't be worth it.

Today we went to Grants Farm. It was packed too.

Feeding the goats is my favorite part.

We bought the fun pass that includes two bottles for the goats, a carousel ride and a snocone.

I don't actually like snocones, but I sucked the banana syrup out of it :)

We left when it started raining hard. It turned into a big storm after we got back to the hotel, and we had no electricity for two hours.

They posted  more camp photos, but there were none of  Kaleb. The photographer must be on Kayla's team and just take pictures of the other teams when she can get away. Or at least she certainly favors Kayla's team.

It looks like they took the kids to sing somewhere.

This is probably when they are taping the team presentation for the DVD.

Tonight is the commissioning when the first group of older kids is sent out to their countries. The little kids commission to go home and spread the good news. Rick, Jessica and Adam are there for it and to bring the twins home.

Jessica has had to deal with too much stuff at home while I've been gone. Some are taking advantage of me being gone either to do whatever they want and come in way too late or to do nothing and let Jessica do it all. Sometimes when I'm gone nothing gets done unless she does it :(  I will have to do something special for her when I get back. Other people are going to face the consequences of some things that happened while I was gone. But at least with her there, I know things will be taken care of. 

She will be home alone for a week while the rest head up to Indiana, and I think she is looking forward to a break from dealing with people. 

Book convention kicks off tomorrow night with the worship service and the music showcase.

Camp and Road Trip

Jasmine and I are in St Louis after two long days. Today shouldn't have been bad but I 24W is under construction so we spent a couple of hours going between 5 mph and 15 mph!!

We got settled in our hotel, and then headed out to sight see this evening. We are actually staying in IL not  MO.

This was not worth the price at all. We rode up and down the block on the river front once for $30. I thought we were going to tour the park.

Jasmine really wanted to go up in the arch, so we did.

The stadium from the park. Yeah, we got in that traffic.

Jasmine trying to look scared.

I have more camp photos. For some reason there are lots of Kayla's team and only a few of the other teams. I wonder if it's one of Kayla's leaders taking all the pictures?

Building sidewalks. They combined the teams who were to build the sidewalks and plant the flowers into one team.  Must have been two small teams.

They learn good skills plus how to follow instructions and work as a team.

Here's the only one of Kaleb. I e-mailed that he was supposed to wear his glasses at all times and they told me he was. Hmmm. He is sneaky.

Yay. They retook Kaleb's team picture. I suggested that they do since the other one was half in shadow and the kids get an 8x10 to keep.

Obstacle course. Just wait until she graduates to preteens and sees that obstacle course. This one is no challenge for her.

Finding Noah's animals.

Tomorrow Jasmine and I are headed out the Six Flags--if I find the envelope with the tickets!! And directions.