Journeys

Sitting by the campground pool, feeling heavy of heart. This is the time to start counting blessings. This is a long journey, with many questions, and some answers. How do I have hope for the future when I'm not sure what I'm aiming for? 

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28

I'm sure I'm too wrapped up in temporary things right now.  I know The Lord is after His glory in me.  He is working out the details of my life so I may see His goodness. Contentment. A feeling of calm satisfaction. But more. Satisfaction in the unseen work of the Holy Spirit. Okay with the here and now because I know the One who holds me. 

So the house contract is dissolved and our RV must remain our primary home. We're continuing our search in this area but we are looking in the next county north as well. The boys have adjusted well to their schools, so starting over in new ones isn't our preference, but houses don't appraise well in Palm Coast. People are more apt to purchase a foreclosure. The town is growing on me, though. So the thought of leaving is sad too. 

So today I sit in the shade and ocean breezes by a comfy pool and try to see the good. It's here, all around me. 

Boys close. 

Sunshine. 

Sunday gatherings. 

New beginnings. 

No water bills. 

And so on. 

But mostly 

Secure.  -Psalm 16

Purge, Purge, Purge

It is funny how writing takes on rituals.  As I have been embarking on a new creative venture, distractions abound.  I find that as I am preparing to write that, all of a sudden, menial tasks demand my attention.  Emptying the dishwasher becomes imperative.  The inescapable urge to run the vacuum captures me and I succumb to the pressure.  But then again, this season is also different than most.  Part of the defragging of brain busyness is productive work, too.

The Campagna household has been dialoging about some serious decisions on the table.  This home has been a huge blessing to our family.  It has housed multiple families at multiple times.  It has stayed open all night for friends, and has kept visiting pets.  It has hosted foreign students and transplant couples.  But with the necessary retirement of my husband, this house is becoming too much to handle.   We don’t want the 4700 square feet of family bliss to turn into burden.  So before we find ourselves in a desperate place, we are prepping for change.  

This prepping has created the medium by which I warm up to writing each day. I evaluate possessions.  I find myself thinking about a 1200 square foot home.  If I had to choose, what would I take with me?  Downsizing and eliminating clutter around me and in my mind is good for the soul.  Space is opening up.  The huddled home and muddled mind is beginning to respire.  Oxygen enters.  Those sets of fine china, used what, six times?  They were a fantasy, not practical, not necessary, not even fashionable- four cubic feet of space.  The books that are not pretty or practical enough to be out on display and I won’t read in the next 10 years- 10 cubic feet.  The heart shaped quilt rack- yea.  You get the idea.  This is beginning to hook me.  It’s rewarding.  A stack of boxes is filling up a back room and in a matter of time, it will vanish. It’s freeing to let go…and exciting to know I’ll be ready for whatever decision we make regarding our future. The horizon is foreshadowing a new dawn, a new day, and a new chapter.    

These boys

  Soaked through several layers of clothing, these boys know how to play.  When we get a day to just goof off at home, I get a moment to take a look at them, and I realize they are growing fast!  There's no turning back,  these middle school kids are only getting older.  Love 'em.

Snowside at the Campagnas

 When it snows in Georgia, everyone stops.  There is not nearly enough equipment to clear roads and make them safe, so the run on the grocery store is real.  Today, we managed to get up the driveway, but couldn't get out of our neighborhood, so we made a day of it on our own street.

A morning hike with Joseph and Nico

Ice, ice, ice

Home, note the white dots across the 2nd floor... that would be snowball bombs.

We decided to teach our Korean boys how to skitch.  I think we went through most of their (and our) clothes!

Updates on the crazy clan!

School Year 2013-2014... It really does fly.  There are days that my children even say how fast it's gone.  Well, I usually start with the oldest when I tell events, but I think I'll change it up a bit.

This year, as we sent one off to college, we decided to bring a new student in.  I am officially the only female in this house - not sure about the frogs, but we'll just assume they are male, too.  So now I have 5 man-children, 1 man, and a male dog to contend with.  Our exchange student joined us in August, slept a ton as he traveled half way around the world, and started school one week later.   He's right in the middle of our boys, coming in at 12 and a 7th grader.

Since we had to be out commuting with our student each morning (Nick usually does the carpool duty), we decided to take advantage of GA Pre-K and put Joseph in at a local daycare.  The only cost to us is the lunches.  It has been great for him.  He's becoming much more independent, taking on chores, and doing fabulous with his numbers.  I'll be pulling out the reader this week so we can begin our lessons over the break.  Not sure what we'll do next year.  If I pursue a Masters degree, we may just transition him into Kindergarten.

Anthony joined his brother in tackle football.  The season just ended a couple weeks back, and we are so glad for the break.  Having two middle schoolers in football really kept us running.  Since they were two grades apart, games were always the same day (thankfully) but hours apart.  I actually wish for slow Saturdays, but with a large family, there is no hope of that soon!  I think that is why my quiet mornings at home are becoming a prize possession!

Nicholas did his 2nd year in football as an 8th grader.  He has been dedicated to the team, and so far, wants to continue in high school.  He joined the yearbook club this year and just this morning, he  presented a holiday excerpt in front of the entire school.  Only one boy and one girl in the 8th grade were asked to present, so this was a huge honor (especially considering there are over 500 students in his grade). Needless to say,  I'm one proud momma.  He was reviewing last night and I know he did great.  He's a good student and the teachers (even one's that are not his), tell me frequently what a gentleman he is!

Daniel winning his first match.  (in the blue)

Daniel has found a new passion, and if you follow him on instagram or facebook, you'll immediately guess what it is- Body Building.  He joined the wrestling team at school this year, and has added a few really neat guys to his circle of friends.  He's about 50/50 on his wins/loses, but for a first year wrestler, this is pretty amazing.  I got the chance to watch him make his first pin and it was incredible!  He's decided to drop JROTC, and we're still secretly hoping he'll pick music back up.  But, he's not ready to commit to any one discipline yet.

 

Joanna (just like her mother) got to college and never wants to come home!  She's had a tough semester with sickness, a heavy writing load, and the challenges of managing her own time and money.  She's one day away from being done with her first term and I think she is super ready to sleep for a month or so.  She's headed to Savannah for Christmas break, so it will be our first holiday apart.  Makes me think back to the early holidays I didn't come home.  My mom must have been devastated.  But I think to the strong women in our family, and it makes sense.  I'm already missing her like crazy but she's gonna have a blast.  I'm so excited to see what God's got in store for her.  Oglethorpe, watch out!

Nick and I have been waiting and praying for direction for our next chapter in life.  I say "next chapter" not because we have an empty nest (cause we don't!), but because a new career is in order for at least one of us!  Since Nick's retirement, he's continued to battle with constant pain.  Either kidney pain, or nerve pain, or muscle pain.  When we asked the doctor if there was anything else he would consider, he said, "there's nothing we can do to fix the pain from damaged kidneys, we can't go in and massage them back to health, we can only pray for healing."  Amen.  This we pray.

This past weekend, some of the boy's asked Nick to take them to an ALS Christmas party.  So he did.  Turns out (unlike previous years), the only attendees were older and alone.  My three boys that went were the only children there.  But they loved on those older people like angels.  They were in various stages of ALS, but my boys came home with stories to tell, and Nicholas' said, "I'm glad we went."  For Anthony, I think it hit home a bit as we discussed Dad's story with ALS.  His eyes grew wide as I sat with him that night and told of God's kindness to his daddy, and that each day is a gift.

For now, Nick's been building furniture.  He's been working on custom pieces through a friend's creative business called "Them Two Birds."  But here you see a piece he made for me!  Another larger locker is in the works out of re-purposed wood.  Ready to have some foyer organization for all those backpacks and shoes. 

Shouldn't you be writing?

My son asked me the other day, “why haven’t you been writing?”  Really, I can’t give a good reason.  Maybe it has something to do with my season of life.  I should be writing, but I’ve found it difficult.  It’s been my dream to write, but I find within myself a barrier to pursuing my own dreams.  Maybe it’s some lie I’ve believed.   That I don’t have what it takes, or I should be placing my energy into something more practical.  Yet, why do I write?  Alan Ziegler says that some people write because there are stories we must tell, or because we must tell stories.  We write to remember; we write to forget.  We write to create something new, or to re-create something.  We write for sheer pleasure- or for healing.  We write to move the reader, or to change the reader, or to change ourselves.  I think for me, and most, it's a little bit of all those reasons.

The truth is, I love creating.  Whether it is a hand crafted ornament, or a faux finished wall, or a combination of well-ordered words, creating is a reward in itself.  But chewing my thoughts out on paper is the best time I’ve spent.  For me, writing is thinking- thinking right.  Typing or scribbling words helps me to measure my thoughts.  It’s taking pieces of a scattered, fragmented reality and putting it together to make sense.  It’s a search of the soul that brings about truth.  It’s revelation that leads to gratification. 

Through writing, I question faith, and then find it again.  I seek for divine intervention and find remedy.   It’s not that truth is subjective, or can be found by musing alone, it’s that I have sown truth, hidden it in my heart over time, trusted the God of the Bible to make it efficacious, and when I begin to pour out words in pen, reflections of the truth find their way out, all over the page. Writing is self discovery and God imparting.   Maybe it’s just for me, but I think those little nuggets of encouragement from a child shouldn't be missed.

Summer. Let it begin.

As my daughter so aptly says, "Summer, let it begin."  Joanna just graduated two weeks ago.  She auditions for a music scholarship today, and registers for classes tomorrow at Oglethorpe.  We leave for a family trip tomorrow and we are busy pulling all of our loose ends together.  Daniel is taking Latin on line this summer, so even though the work comes with, we plan to do a ton of hiking and biking, lots of picture taking and sun soaking.

In Georgia, the summers are short.  I don't mean that we have short bursts of heat, we have plenty of that.  I mean we have very little time off from classes.  School begins in the beginning of August so June and July are our only months to build memories and spend unconstrained time with one another.

Once July hits?  Football, JROTC, and wrestling.  August?  Packing and sending a daughter off to college.  And the madness continues.  But then again, "a little insanity never hurt anyone."

Anthony's First Team Sport

I don't know what it is about me, but by the time my fourth child was old enough to begin his own sporting ventures, we were so deep in theater, football, and basketball, that Anthony was the child who tagged along.  For the first time this year, we began letting him stay after class for "running club."  I am so very thankful, though, for his cousins love for soccer.  Because of this, Anthony begged me to play, and when his Uncle decided to coach, it became a no brainer.  Uncle Greg arranged for the cousins to be on the same team under his care.  So I don't even have to drive!  Thank you, Uncle Greg.  Here's pictures of the day of his first game!  Go England!

Nutty and Fun

 Enjoying the goofiness of siblings.  The last thing in the world my 15 year old son wanted to do was take his sister to the Military Ball as a "date."  That was just too awkward.  No matter how we framed it for him, he would just say, "no way!"  I get it, but all I kept thinking was how cool his older sister was...and how many of his friends knew her.  So what does she do?  Convinces me to let her come anyway (I was the candid Photographer), "help" the volunteers and (in reality) crash the party!  Well, it turns out she was a pretty cool friend to have along after all.  No, you will not see one of those formal "date" pictures.  This is as good as it gets!  But I love it!

New Beginnings...do you see the bag?

Yes...she'll be leaving soon.
It's so weird to think that my oldest will be graduating in just a couple months.  There are actually three students graduating in the house- Joanna, Alex, and Isabella.  They each have plans in the works.  Alex is actively pursuing entrance into the US Navy, Isabella is looking into BBC (Baptist Bible College), and Joanna just accepted admission to Oglethorpe University.  WOW.  This is scary stuff.

Joanna was thrilled as she filled out her housing application but at the same time afraid that it might not work out.  She's got a good bit of money to figure out, but there are a lot of scholarships available to Oglethorpe students, thanks to many of its alumni.  We told her to act in faith and put it in God's hands.

As I sat with her guidance counselor this morning, I was encouraged by the respect her peers and teachers have for her.  Joanna has been invited to fill in gaps in ensemble competitions, join shows, run tech for events, tutor other students and the list goes on.  Her counselor at school fully expects to see her in film.  It's awesome to see Joanna grab onto the gifts God has given with both hands.  We'd love to see the finances for OU come together, but I also know that God wants all of us to trust Him, so here we go! 

Learning a new sport and loving it! (MY #38)

Go Campagna! #38

Recently, our middle child decided he needed a sport he could call his own, and football was his choice.  Secretly, I dreaded the endless mandatory practices and stinky jerseys and hours on a concrete bleacher.  But to watch my son invest his time on the field and off practicing, studying the play book, and making lasting friendships has been a true delight.  It's so fun to hear the guys yell, "hey Campagna, good game."  Every Friday is Jersey day, and the boys all plan when and what tee shirt/ Jersey color they'll wear to celebrate their team. 

I'm glad for the end of the busy season, but also can't wait to get him back in for spring training.  I'm resisting the pleas for wrestling and lacrosse right now.  The amazing news is that all the 7th grade team did well in their academics throughout the three months.  Nicholas has all high B's and A's.  Last year, during a talk the principal gave at the elementary school, the students were all encouraged to be active in some school related extra curricular activity, such as sports, or chorus, or ROTC, or a club.  Research shows that students who participate in these activities actually do better in school and are more likely to finish well.

I can see that for my kids.  The ones that are involved are motivated to keep up in their work, and they are doing great!

Look at the size of those boys Nicholas is trying to block.

Headed for the action

He's coming in...

Taking the fall

A new school year...

The high school complex

It's August and our county started classes on August 1st.  How crazy is that?  The four older kiddos all began new experiences.  Joanna is a senior and is as busy as ever.  She is currently assistant directing Snow White in preparation for her senior project.  In November- January, she'll be directing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  She's currently applying to college, prepping for the ACT's, and studying for several EOCT's (kinda like a clep test for certain high school classes, but not really).  She cannot fail them or she loses her GPA status and that affects everything else.  We've been to several doctors recently to see if we can get her body functioning better.  She's been 1 1/2 years off of gluten, but a lot of her symptoms are still mysterious.  Hey, pray for her.  We desire to trust the Lord through this year.  She desires to be able to focus better on her schoolwork without the fog and pain that she normally walks through.

Daniel is now a high schooler!  He has joined the AFJROTC.  Uniform pictures will have to be posted shortly.  He also recently learned that in order to join the Navy, he must have a 3.0 or better.  Since he has a clean slate in high school, he has been working very hard to keep on top of his work.  He even looks for other students that excel to help him when he's struggling.  That means that he's not so needy of tutoring at home, which has made my job easy!  Funny thing, Daniel joined beginner band, even though he has no experience.  He told the band director he plans to play the drums.  Talk about faith!  So now we're looking for a used drum set and a teacher. I think he'll take off with this one.  He has a natural ear for rhythm and is hitting the drum pad daily.   He also has found a new love in tumbling.  He's been taking private lessons and just graduated to a group tumbling class.  He loves it.


Nicholas entered 7th grade and joined tackle Football for the first time.  He left this morning (on Friday) wearing his jersey.  He gets out the playbook regularly to study, and talks all the time about what he's learning.  For a little guy, I think he packs a big punch, so I'm curious to see how he does in the game.  Here's the thing I love about Nicholas.  He comes home and does his assignments ahead of time.  I saw a note from the teacher yesterday to say that a paper was due, and when I read the assignment, I realized that Nicholas had done it earlier this week, printed it and had it ready in his binder.  So cool!

 Anthony loves taking 5th grade Chorus with Mr. Gunderlock, who also leads worship at Sovereign Grace Church. And he can't wait for the local track club to get started.  He plans to start running so he can join a team when he gets older.  He's still working on making his bed in the morning and keeping up with his socks.  This is the one kid that I walk around after.  He always leaves his mark!

Lastly, this year also marks the expansion of our household. ( No, we're not having a baby!)  But we did acquire 7 new inhabitants.  Well, 8 if you count the dog.  Nick's sister and clan are sharing the home with us and it has been a blast.  Everyone gets along well, and with our families sharing the expenses and responsibilities, the load around here is quite manageable.  We have three seniors in the house!  Looks like we just may need a big party come May!

Brigadoon!

Joanna joined her first adult only cast in February 2012!  She played "Bonnie Jean" in Brigadoon.  Again, she got to act along side Dad!  Nick has the best accents.  He would teach some of the cast how to speak in an Irish accent, and then teach the main character how to talk "New York."

A Christmas Carol 2011

So it's been a little too long not to post!  Much has happened in the last year!  This past school year, Joanna did her first Shakespeare show, a minor role, but good experience in "Much Ado about Nothing."  She also began performing back at Elms Street Arts (formerly Towne Lake Arts Center).

Here's her first performance back on the stage in Woodstock! (with DAD) Once she started, she kept going.  Also, she began attending Etowah High School in January, so there was a lot of transition in our home. 

In A Christmas Carol, Joanna played one of the charity workers, and Nick played Bob Cratchet.  It was a long running show but loads of fun.

The (latest) Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

So this year, I got the chance to direct The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I took over directing mid-year to serve one of our teachers at Masters. This production was primarily middle schoolers. Joanna helped with make-up and back stage managing. It was neat to sit up in the tech booth and orchestrate the behind the scenes stuff, wearing our cool headsets. Haha.

Here are a few fun pics of the students (Daniel is the Dwarf :).

Work and Wind

The Cast of Wind in the Willows

It turned out to be a tougher school year than we thought! I think we are finally (after 5 months) beginning to find a rhythm. First we had to cut back on a lot of outside activities. Then I began spending a lot more time with my older children to keep them on task! Now, back to helping the little ones more again! How does one make this all work?

One thing is a constant. Joanna will forever be an entertainer! Since Annie, she played Ms. Hawkins in Treasure Island, co-directed Anne of Green Gables, ran tech for It's a Wonderful Life, and did some reenacting for a "Ghost Tales" tour of downtown Woodstock.

She also led worship solo at school this past fall. It looks like she may be playing and singing more in the future!

This semester, she and some great friends at Masters performed The Wind in the Willows. Joanna is "Mole." She's made some longstanding friends at Masters, as have the boys. Up and coming? Daniel will play the Dwarf in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe this spring!

"Mole" and "Ratty"

"Frog" and "Mole"

Our little darling :D

Autumn

Since Facebook entered our world, there's much less posting here. But I finally decided there are enough people out there that would like to still see a picture or two, that I'm putting a few recent ones up!

In this post we were in week 13 of school- 10th, 7th, 5th, 3rd. We manage to get schoolwork complete most weeks, and were are being fed, but I need a maid. Any takers? We have no money so we'll have to pay you with smiles and thank you's for eternity :). Joseph has entered the world of running and talking - and loving toothpaste. I have to pull the tube away from his little hands every morning. LOL He doesn't know how to get the lid off, but he tries to suck any residue. Minty fresh!

We took one day this fall to hit the apple/pumpkin country around here, and here are some fun pics!

Annie Jr.

In her next show, Joanna played an awesome role in Annie as Miss Hannigan. She was amazing! Here are a couple pics!

Joseph's Baby Dedication

March 28, 2010 The day we dedicated Joseph to the Lord!