My heart is aching

OOPS!! Sorry guys. I accidentally posted this on the wrong blog.

This Thursday my life and my family's life is going to dramatically change. My friend and my best neighbor EVER, Karen Sutton is moving 8 hours away. You might be thinking....get over it.....find a new friend.....you will like your new neighbor just as well. WRONG....because as long as we live here we will never have a neighbor for longer than one or two weeks. Our house is one of a row of three A frames up on top of a hill. The first A frame has already been turned into a retreat rental, now the Sutton's house will be turned into one also. NO MORE NEIGHBORS and FRIENDS. I am being a little dramatic I know, but my pain is so real. After this Thursday.....I will be ALONE!!

I love you Karen and I miss you already!!!!

Judith (The mommy to these great 5 kids)

Happy 4th of July!!!!!!!!!

This morning I woke up got ready to go to breakfast at the lodge and realized that I was not wearing Red, White, and Blue!!!!!!!!!! Oh no!!!! Later on that day I realized I was! You want to know how?!!!!! My purity ring!!!! I has a red jewel a white jewel and a blue jewel! I was so happy! I fit in! Finally!!!!!!! Anyway! Hey comment and tell me what you did for the Fourth of July! I didn't do much! We don't normally go watch fireworks. But I do get to watch the stuff over the lake! Which is REALLY cool because there is a cool reflection on the lake and all!!!!!!!!! Well I have to go! I will talk to you later!

~Lauren~

Birthday's, Birthday's, and more Birthday's!

Happy Birthday Mary Weeks! Yes I know I'm a day late and I'm sorry! I was really busy yesterday! Well I miss you all alot. For though's of you who do not know the Weeks they are some supporters of ours and my best friends! I am so happy for Mary Weeks because yesterday was her eleventh birthday!!!!!!!!! Wippeeee!!!!!!!


~Lauren~

P.S. Today is my Aunt Jana's Birthday!!!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday Aunt Jana!!!!!!! And no I will not tell you how old she is turning!

Glasses.

Hey Y'all! It's Lauren again! Ok yes I have to get glasses and no I am not excited about them! I will have to wear them for a few weeks constantly and after that I will only have to wear them when I need them. Like when I have to read from a far distance like at school or at church and stuff or when my mom tells me to. I am kind of looking forward to being able to see the expressions on peoples faces and stuff! But...... ya oh well! I have to go now! Thanks for reading and for keeping us in your prayers!


~Lauren~

IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey it's Lauren again! Family Camp is finally here!!!!!!!! Today is the first day of Family Camp!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh boy am I excited!!!!!!!!! I can not wait to get started! The only bad thing is that it is suppost to rain the next three days of Family Camp! Umm.... I don't know what else to write! Maybe I can tell you what I did this week after I have done it this week! Meaning I will tell you what I did for today and the day after that and so on! Well I guess I will talk to you all later!

~Lauren~

P.S. Please pray for the weather this summer to be sunny and warm and that we will be able to minister to all the campers for the next eight or so weeks! Thank you all you blogger friends and blog readers! ~Lauren~

Family Camp!

Hey it's Lauren! I am soooooooooooo excited! The Weeks will be here in 16 or so days! Oh I am soooo excited! Can you tell?!!!!!!!!!! Family Camp starts a week before they get here. They are coming for the second week! Which means I will know the schedule by the time they get here! That way I will still feel like the expert!!!! JK! Well ok I have to confess that I don't like it when I am as clueless as they are. Not saying that they are very clueless. It's just that I live here and when they come they always ask me what's next and if I know what we are going to do next. So I like to be able to go through a week so I know a few things! I have nothing against there asking me that stuff I just like to have answers! Well I have to go! I can't wait to see you guys!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!! Please tell your dad to get you guys here ASAP! But tell him not to drive over the spead limit! Love and miss you all!

~Lauren~

Camp Cookout!

Hey it's Lauren again! As I'm sure most of you know I live on a camp with the rest of my family! There are about seven or eight other families that live here full time now. Well to celebrate what we do around here we have a cookout to honor everyone that works full time at the camp. Well this cookout started like every cookout. All of the women made something special for us all to eat. Then we met down in the Lodge to eat. After we were all done eating we went up to play kickball at the baseball/soccer field. I couldn't play because I hurt my toe the other day. So instead I blew bubbles with the younger kids who couldn't play kickball with the adults. After kickball was over I went swimming, in the lake, with (are you ready for this!) Emily and Daniel (my brother and sister), Alex, Sydney and Morgan Lee (there dad helps my uncle and makes decisions), Ben and Joe Toledo (there dad works in the kitchen with my dad), Austin and Jonathan Herdklotz(our cousins),and Madison and Tyler Reava (there dad does maintenance and there mom works in housekeeping)! It was soooooooo much fun! Then we all went home and had a good night sleep! I hope you like reading the fun yet boring life of Lauren Herdklotz! I will write again as soon as I find something to write about! LOL!

~Lauren~

Jonathan Park!

Hey guys! It's Lauren again! So I'm sure you all are wondering what in the world my title means! Well I will stop you wondering! Jonathan Park is a Christian Drama Series a friend bought for me and I absolutely love it! There are four seasons so for and there is another season coming out in the spring or so it says! After a little investigating I found out that it isn't coming out until July 27th! THAT IS NOT THE SPRING!!!!!!! Well at least it is near my birthday!(July 31st)! I can't wait to get the next season! I already have the money so I am totally prepared! If you want to know what Jonathan Park is you can either google Jonathan Park or you can go to JonathanPark.com to see more! I hope if you get to listen to it you will enjoy it! My whole family does, but I think I like it more than anyone else in the family! Love all you fellow bloggers and blog readers!!

~Lauren~

The Best Weekend Ever!

Hey guys it's Lauren. Finally! Yes I know that it has been a long time since I wrote on here last but to tell you the truth there really isn't anything to write about. So anyway. About three weeks ago I was working in the kitchen at the lodge when I saw one of my friends! She was working supper with me! Later on, while we were cleaning up she asked me if I would like to spend the night with her and another friend of mine! I asked my parents and they said yes! Thankfully! Oops first I should probably tell you my friends names. The girl who asked me to spend the night was Keely. Her friend (also one of my VERY good friends) is Joanna. So Joanna and I helped with supper and snack together and then we went and met Keely in our room who told us that we were going up to one of the suits to watch a movie with some of my other friends. We were up there until 2:00am in the morning!! But wait it gets better! Ok so Keely, Joanna and I all went back to the cabin and got ready for bed right! Wrong! First we played Dutch Blitz! (Best game in the world!) Then as we were getting bored of that Keely turned on some music from Hannah Montana, The Movie, and we danced to that or actually I should say we did the motions! We stayed up until 5:00am and we had to get up at 6:00am so we could go work breakfast! Then all three of us jumped into a car with the friends we had watched the movie with (James and Andrew) and headed for the Warren Dunes. We had just left the camp when the driver, Andrew, stopped the car and turned around and asked if anyone knew how to get to the dunes!!!!! I was like um well aren't you the one driving!!!!!!! So anyway Joanna and I put our brains together and got us there! We got to the dunes and had a whole lot of fun! We climbed up mountians of sand, played soccer in the sand, and even rolled down the sand! It was so much fun! When we were ready to go we got back in the car and drove all the way to the mall and ate at Five Guys! Which Joanna thought was a bar!!!!!!! LOL!!!!! Um then we went back to camp and Joanna's dad came and picked her up and then Andrew and James dropped Keely off at her house and left, ending a WONDERFUL day! I hope you liked that Mary! LOL!!!!! I want to thank the people that helped make this memory an enjoyable one for me! James, Keely, Andrew and Joanna! Love you all!

Thanks, Lauren!

P.S. Just so all of you know I am normally left out of all of these things because I am younger than everyone! So this is something I will NEVER EVER forget!!!! Thank you soooooooo much guys!

Mom in New York

I am sure you may know from my mom's blog, but she is in New York. It is sad without her here, but we are holding up. My dad lets us do things that my mom never lets us do unless she is sick. Like yesterday we watched movies all morning. And last night we had Sydney and Morgan Lee, Brooke, Zack, Alli,and Leah Griffith, Joe and Ben Toledo to watch a movie.  We watched Fireproof.  They were all here until 9:15 last night.  I slept in today until 9:00.  My mom sometimes let's me do that. Today I got done with school at 10:30 and I am used to my mom telling me to help with Joel or get off the phone with Brooke Griffith because I have chores to do. But today she is not telling me anything. I miss her a lot. I hope I can hold on until Tuesday morning cause that is when she gets back. I hope you are having fun Mommy. I love and miss you lots.  Have a great week everyone!!!!!!

Computer broke down

Hey everybody sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything. Our computer broke down so I have not been able to post anything. Well we just got a new computer put together yesterday. I am so happy that it is fixed. There has not been much that has been going on since the computer. But there is one thing that I am not happy about...there is more snow, but there is not enough to sled with. There is not anything to do, but play in the snack shop with friends. There are not many people here that I play with, only about four or five. There is Morgan, Sydney, Alex Lee, my cousin Austin, and sometimes Brooke Griffith comes over. I really like to play with them. We have great fun together. Well if you are going anywhere today or tomorrow drive safely. I hope you had a great Valentine's Day.

*Emily*

Here is your room

Your room is NOT finished yet, but Amy wanted a peek at what I have done so far.  I hope you like it, because I am not changing it back!  I love you girls very much!!

YOUR ROOM IS DONE!!!!

Keeping Christ in CHRISTmas!!!!

Hey it's Lauren! The biggest reason I am writing this is because my best friends keep telling me to do so!!! So here I am!! As we get closer to the these next two holidays I become even more excited!!! I especially look forward to Christmas!! I now have a job and am able to save up money to buy my brothers and sisters presents!!! I have waited all month to give them their presents!!! I have tried to stay in a manor that dosen't make me look like I want to get presents! You know "It is better to give than to receive." Anyway I was doing a pretty good job at it too until I was in a friends van and heard the song "Christmas with a Capital C." ( By: Go Fish) For those of you how have never heard this song, it is a song about how lots of people in the US say Happy Holidays instead of saying Merry Christmas. They go on to say that the reason is because CHRISTmas has Christ in it! That was when it hit me. Even when I say Merry Christmas I don't think about it having Christ in it! I just think about how it's a time to get off of school and spend time with my cousins. Now mind you I'm not saying that this is bad!!!!! I LOVE spending time with my cousins and family!! I'm just saying that without Jesus coming down to earth there wouldn't even be Christmas!
I had another time when I was about 12 when this thought also hit me. I was watching Love Comes Softly with my sister Emily. In the movie Marty and Missy were talking about what Marty did for Christmas when she was back home! Marty told Missy all this stuff and then at the end Missy said "And then you all sit next to the fire and your dad reads you the Christmas story."Marty said no and so fouth. All that time I was thinking "Well my daddy doesn't read the Christmas story to us either." That was when I told myself I was going to read it to myself but my daddy beat me to it. He has read the Christmas story to us the last two years!!!
For those of you who are parents and have kids, or you kids that just want to learn somthing you probably don't get out of a kids book, I suggest you go read the Christmas story to your children or yourself and see if that gives you a better perspective of what Christmas is all about!!!! You can find the Christmas story in Luke 2: 1-21!!!!!
Now as you all get up on Christmas morning remember that God loves you and that Christmas it to remind us of Jesus's birth!!!! Merry Christmas to you all!!!!!!!!

~Lauren~

Wind and tarp...

Well hey there. I just wanted to tell you all about some of the great fun that I had on Thursday!! Well some of my friends and I went to the Johnson's house, because we were bored. We saw them playing a game that looked like fun. We went over there to play. We found out that is was a very fun game. Well here is what they were doing. They were taking a tarp and when the wind came, it would pick up the tarp and the kids would run under it. It looked like a ton of fun so we wanted to try it out. And we did. We went over and started to run under it. It was fun. Then they stopped and got a bigger tarp. It was really really long and wide. It was a lot harder to get to the other side before the wind stopped. Then one time when we were going through, the wind stopped and the tarp fell on top of us. We were trying to get out, but all the people that were holding the tarp put the tarp down and came and stood on the tarp so we could not get out. We were under there for about two minutes. It got really hot under the tarp, but we finally got out. We kept doing it for about half an hour. Then they put the tarp away and it was over with. It was fun while it lasted. I hope that we get to do it again soon.
That is the fun that has been going on. Well got to go talk to you later.
*Love Emily*

Ckick-fil-a!!!!!

Well hey there it is Emily again. Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. Well a couple of days ago (I think) Chick-fil-A had a contest. You had to put your business card in a bowl and if your card got picked then they feed all the family's in your business. So one of the men in my dad's business put in his business card. Today we got fed by Chick-fil-A. We got chicken sandwiches. I am so very happy because I love Chick-fil-A. Well that's what's up. Well got to go. Talk to you later.

*Love Emily*

Returning from Airizona!!!

Well hey there it's Emily. I just want to share with you what I did on September 13-22. I went to Arizona with my mom. It was fun. We were there for about ten days. It was one of the greatest experiences that I have ever had. Well we got there on Saturday and we went shopping. But the place that I remember we went to is the mall. I only remember that because I got a surprise!!! My Grandma got my ears pierced. I was excited when my mom told the guy that I wanted to get them pierced. I was happy. Then we went back home. Then the next day was Sunday and we went to the natural bridge. Is was a little water fall. And there was a cave under it. So got to go under in the cave. It was fun. Then on Monday we went to the Grand Canyon!!! It was so awesome. I was glad to go to the Grand Canyon. So we were there like all day long. It was fun. We took pictures. Then that night we slept at a hotel because we were very far away from my Grandma's house. Then on Tuesday on the way home we went to a place called Slide Rock. It was fun too. It was some little water falls the you could slide down in your swim suite. I would of done it, but the water was way to cold. So we just walked by the the water. That was fun. Then we got home. The rest of the week we shopped, watched movies, and swam in the pool at my Grandma's!! By the end of the week, I was ready to go home. I missed everybody very badly!!

Some new photos of us

Just somthing I thought God wanted me to write!!

Here is one of my favoite verses!

Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you,
not as the world giveth give I unto you,
let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid!!

John 14:27

I just felt like God wanted me to share that with somebody who reads this blog! I don't know who but I just felt like He wanted me to!!!!! Love all of you bloggers and blog readers!!!!

~Lauren~

The best birthday party ever!!!!!

Last Friday was my Birthday party. It was so much fun. First we went to the Dunes. My cousin Austin was there at the dunes waiting for us. After we got there Austin showed us the creek and there was a part of the creek called Atlantis. It was one of the coldest parts of the creek. So we all held hands all of us went under the water. So we all conquered Atlantis!!!After that we went back to my house and dressed up like cows because it was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. We all dressed up and went there and got a free meal. We all got the same thing, except for our drinks.After we ate we went back to the camp and picked up Anna and went back to my house. Then we went on a treasure hunt to find my the present that my friends got for me. My last present was a Pink Digital Camera. I was so excited when I saw the box. I couldn't believe it was really a camera!! Then Anna had to go home so we walked her home. After that we went swimming and it was about nine or nine thirty. We swam until about ten thirty. Then we went home and watched The Bee Movie. The next morning we woke up at ten forty-five. At eleven two girls had to go. We were all still in our pajamas. So they went and got changed and had to leave. I was so sad. After that all the rest of the girls lived on the camp so we just hung out the rest of the day. The end!
Well talk to you later. Emily

Happy Birthday Anna Carol Weeks!!!!

Hey guys this is a post for my best friend Anna Carol! Her birthday is on July 13th! Oh wait!!!!! THAT'S TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is turning 13!!!!!!!! Wow Anna you are soooooooo old!!!!!!!!! JK!!!!!! I am turning 14 on July 31st!!!!!!!!! Now that is old!!!!! Hahahahahahaha!!!!!! JK!!!! Hope you have a wonderful birthday Anna Carol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~Lauren~

Happy Birthday To Me

Hey there its me Emily. It has been a LONG time since I have posted. So I decided to do it now. Well today is my birthday. I am turning 12. I am so excited that it is finally here. This does not sound like much fun, but I have babysat a lot today. It has been a great experience. My brother Joel and I have been having a lot of fun together. So far we have watched movies and played outside some. We have great times together all the time.
So far I have only opened one present yet because we are waiting for tonight to open the rest when everyone is here. I have opened three letters and have gotten 22 dollars. I can not wait to open my presents. Well one of the most sweetest things that happened to me today was at supper my mom decorated the place that we ate at with signs and streamers. It was so sweet. Then we came home and I opened my other presents. There was a Three Musketeer, Scotch Tape, a Sudoku book, the movie Dreamer, and a Scrap book kit. I had so much fun. I just can not wait to watch my new movie at my sleep over on Friday. I also can not wait to start to scrap book. It is going to be so much fun. Oh one last thing, please pray that I will do my quiet time more often. If you have anything that I can pray for you about please tell me by leaving a comment. Well talk to you later.
~Emily Kay Herdklotz~

Our friends and family camp

Well hey it's Emily. It has been a long time since I have blogged and I am glad to do it again. As most of you know I live on a camp and during the summer we have what is called Family Camp. I love family camp!!! We have been through three weeks and are half way through the fourth and I can already tell that before it is all done I am going to be sick of it. Anyway the third week our best friends came and we played together all week long. They have eight children and ten in the whole family. They got here at about three thirty on Monday. They usually get here on Sunday night. Well we only see each other about two times every year. So when one of the s came in I ran as fast as I could and gave her a big hug. We were together most of the time. We would go to the children's clubs together,eat together, play together and just sit together when we were bored. We had a good time. I could of spent more time with them then I did. I am sorry that I did not spend as much time with them as I could. Now I wish I had spent more time with them, but I will be shore to spend as much time with them as I can in March. We are going to see them in March. I am very excited. I can't wait to see them again. Well please don't take this wrong but I am glad they left when they did. I am only saying that because I got sick the day after they left and I would not of been able to play with them and that would have been tough on me. I am still trying to get over my sickness so if you could pray that I fully recover soon that would be very helpful. Thank you. Well got to go. Talk to you later.
~Emily~

Weeks, Weeks, and more Weeks!

Hello again! It's Lauren! Ok some "friends" of mine have been telling me since forever that I need to get on the blog and write! Well I didn't have anything to say so I just decided to tell you about them!
Picture info from left to right:
Top Row: Anna Carol, Rebecka, James, and Elizabeth.
Middle Row: Mrs. Paige and Mr. Jimmy Weeks.
Bottom Row: Mary, Joy, Jonathan, and Sharon.
Note: Just so you know some of them have done a lot of growing and changing in the last year. This picture was taken in the summer of 2007.



Ok I am friends with everyone in there family. They have eight children and obviously they have two parents. I'm going to tell you every ones name and age, but I won't tell you the parents ages! They would probably stop supporting us, or I could just be truthful and tell you that I don't know how old they are! Oh and I might get some ages wrong so just hang in there! Elizabeth/17, Rebecka/15, James/14, Anna Carol/12( but will be thirteen on July 13th!!!!), Sharon/11, Mary/9 (turning ten July 1st!!), Jonathan/6, and last but NOT least Joy/3! I think I did it! If I got any of them wrong guys just send me a comment or an e-mail and I will change it ASAP!! There parents names are Jimmy and Paige and there last name is Weeks!!! I met the Weeks when I was about seven or eight. I was out playing hide and go seek on a Saturday morning during Family Camp, which is when all the families have to leave. Well I decided to hide in the Joy's John's (or porta/potties). Well while I was in there Anna Carol opened up the door and was shocked to see me standing there. She was so shocked to see another person in there that she didn't realize that I had just pulled her in there with me so I wouldn't be found out. So that's how we met! I was very excited when we became best friends! Anna Carol and I are now having a Bible study together even though they live in North Carolina! We are going though Psalms and the book called Lies Young Woman Believe! It is an awesome book!!!! It has changed my life tremendously! I try to call them every Sunday because that is when cell phone service is free!!! Anna Carol and I have our Bible study first and then she goes and gets the rest of our "crew" and we all talk. The "crew" includes James, Anna Carol, Sharon , and Mary! Anna Carol and I have been becoming better friends every day!!!! Yes we have had our share of arguments and fights, but we normally get over them the day they have to go!!!! Although this January we went down there for about two and a half weeks (for a Summit the Blue team did!) and got in an argument and were over it about two days before we had to leave!!!! We are hoping to improve that number of days until it takes more like two minutes instead of two weeks!!!!!! Sharon is the next child in line. She is also a very good friend of mine!!! Oh and Mary's cool. I guess. I'M JUST KIDDING MARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you!!!!!!!!!!!! James is also a great friend of mine and the rest of them are just good friends! Well I am really looking forward to the 16th of June!!!! Why? Because the Weeks are coming up here for Family Camp on that Monday!!!!!!!!!! I am soooooooooooo excited about that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well I better go! I will talk to you later!!!

~Lauren~

Family Camp started!!!!

Hey there you guys! It is nice to talk to you again. I am very excited that family camp has started. I love it when a bunch of family's come to listen to someone preach. In this case it is Mr. Tom Harmon. He is a very very good speaker. I love to listen to him speak. I have sat through all of his sermons but one. Here is a little list of things that I like about him.

1. I like that he is very funny when he is preaching. He does not just preach in the preaching he gives a funny story every once in a while .

2. He always entertains every one through out the whole service.

3. He is very very close to God. And loves everyone that comes his way.

4. And he will teach about God were ever he is no matter if he is in a church,building,or outside.
So that is all that I have to say about him. I hope you will sign up for a family camp or try to listen to a sermon of Tom Harmon. Well talk to you later.

~Love Emily~

You Only Have ONE Life!! Spend It Wisely!!!

Hello again! It's Lauren here! I was out in the woods the other day when I saw some deer. They just froze and looked at me! I was thinking about how much God has made for me! I live here where a lot of animals live and yet I still felt like God had left something out. Well it was then and there that I realized most people can't come out there front door and see deer, foxes, raccoons, and even sometimes birds! Well I get to see all of that everyday and much more!! The evidence for creation is all around me and yet I fail to see it. God has made this entire universe and all I see when I come out of my house is a bunch of trees and dirt that have been there ever since I was born and long before that! I remember talking to my dad a few days ago about a similar thing. He was talking about eating. Yes I know that has absolutely nothing to do with this, but hold on a second. I'm going to make a point with this. My dad said that he had been listening to a talk show and the host of the show was talking about a good way to lose weight. Ok stay with me here! Anyways, the host said that you should sit down for every meal and eat one bite at a time. They said to take one bite and then stop for a second to enjoy it. They said the average person rushes though his/her meal with in ten minutes and eats way more then there body can handle. Well it's kind of the same with nature. People don't have the time to go watch a squirrel climb a tree or sit down and watch a deer drink from a stream, but they have enough time to surf the Internet and watch TV. People just rush though there days wondering how the next one will be. Well that's NOT how it works. God created this entire world for us to live on so we could glorify Him. But we are to rushed to sit down and praise God for what he has created, because we think it would be to boring. It is like telling God he made life to busy for us to look at what He has made! That is definitely NOT TRUE!!!! We are the ones who have made life so busy! God loves us and gave us what we needed to survive right from the beginning, but we wanted more because we are of a selfish nature! Chill out!!!!! Take a vacation. Go to the beach. Go to a park and watch a squirrel climb a tree. Spend time with your family and read the Bible! God gives us all we need to satisfy us!!! In the Bible!!!!!!! Now that summer is coming up you need to get out and enjoy life!! Ok enough preaching!!!!
I won't keep you much longer, I just want to tell you the good news!! I bought both of the movies that I've been tying to get the past few weeks! Hooray!!!!!! The movies I got came from Amazon.com. You can get movies cheaper there then in a store! I got movies that were supposed to be $20.00 dollars EACH(which would have been $40.00 dollars plus shipping which is $3.00 dollars per idem the total coming to about $46.00 dollars. I got them both for only $28.00 dollars!!!!! That also includes shipping costs!!! Ya man!!!!!!! Just incase you have been wondering the names of the movies, they are Moondance Alexander and Love's Unfolding Dream! Well I will talk to you later!!! Love you all!!

~Lauren~