What A Week!

Worked Into The Ground - But At Last, Some Relief!

I've been away from the hovel for so long! But now i'm back to make my excuses and fill you in on the happenings of the last week (so be prepared for a long post!). I've had Kids Club all week, 8-6 almost every day. Exhausting. Especially when you factor in my being fairly sick. And going out almost every night. I'm in dire need of much sleep! But i've got just enough energy to catch you up before i hit the hay.

Monday

After being at church until 11pm the previous night setting up, i was already tired and my voice was already croaky when i arrived on monday morning. But, once i was nicely organised and the kids started to arrive, i perked up. I love the KC kids and i miss them when they're not around! All my favourite kids and leaders were back and the fun and games began. The day ran smoothly and the kids were incredibly happy to see my Weightlifting Buddy pull a four wheel drive around a tennis court with eight people in it. I swear, he's the strongest person ever. Well, strongest person i know, at least.

The major bonus point to monday was our special guest, all the way from ireland. Jools Hamilton! A young(-ish), irish preacher guy who we've heard before at SAYCO came to spend the day at KC. He was a big hit. He gave a sermon to the kids and had the female leaders flocking around him all day. I tell you, it's all about the accent. He congratulated us on the work that we were doing and i got a hug goodbye. I can't wait to go to Ireland at the end of the year! So the first day of KC was great.

PLUS i got the BEST surprise ever. Half way through proving just how far i can throw a cardboard box, i glanced at the doorway - and who did i see standing there but ROZ!!! I shrieked in surprise and threw myself at her, shocking some of the kiddies, i'm sure. She was home a whole month early! YAY!!! She didn't stay long, just popped in to say 'i'm back!'.

That night was the monthly girls dinner, which was fun. Roz and i had fun watching people's faces when she walked in with me. It was good to catch up with everyone, seeing as i haven't seen them in so long! However, Roz and i conked out pretty quickly and headed home to bed early.

Tuesday

Up early again, i prepared for a long day taking a whole bunch of kids bowling. Always an interesting task. I spent the afternoon tying shoelaces, lifting bowling balls for the titchy little kiddies who were too small to do it themselves, trading insults with ShirtlessBuddy, tying his shoes and earning myself hugs and having fun watching our Tom Welling look-alike leader attempt to out-bowl the kids. It was a good day, the kiddies had fun AND i bowled a few spares.

Wednesday

Another long day ahead of us, we leaders were getting tired (moreso)! We put on a performance for the elderly, which was a bit of a trial, but we came out of it relatively unscathed. In the afternoon, Elmo and i led the edible-house-building activity, which was lots of fun... although it did mean that we ate lots of pre-made icing, which led to severe hyper-activity and my spending two hours learning to play the Kazoo (it's much harder that it looks!).

We finished at six (after a quick game of Halo on x-box, where i proved my complete inaptitude for the stupid game) and i took Elmo and ShirtlessBuddy home with me to meet the parents - and then we collected Roz and went to see HARRY POTTER!!! YAY!!! We got din-dins first from KFC (yes, i know it's unhealthy, but everything else was shut!). The guys bought a giant bucket of grease, that was so huge that Roz and i just scabbed off them and had our fill. Then it was time!! We found seats in the back corner. After a conversation that was probably inappropriate for the cinemas and earned us an evil glare from the family in front of us, regarding the definitions of some teenage vernabular that Roz and i just didn't have a handle on. Then the movie started!

I must say, i was fairly distracted throughout the entire movie. Half the time, Elmo and ShirtlessBuddy schemed to scare the living daylights out of me; succeeding most of the time, by putting their arms around me all of a sudden, or pouncing on me in the silent and tense parts of the movie. It was all very strenuous. When the scaring wasn't happening, i suffered from an incredibly loud bout of hiccoughs that the entire cinema must have heard, especially with Roz and i trying to suppress our gales of laughter. Towards the end, in the particularly tense end sequence, i was so swept up in the movie that poor ShirtlessBuddy lost the use of his hand, as i clutched it in a vice-grip. Which i was later payed out about intensely, and again at KC the next day. On the whole though, the movie was great and even though it moved faster than Alaskan snow dogs and left out chunks bigger than mars, i really enjoyed it.

Thursday

Another early morning, we prepared for another day. By lunchtime, Dr.B was on his deathbed, so i sent him home (not an easy task!). With 30 kids and only 5 leaders, i was majorly stressed out, being in charge for the afternoon! Naturally, i ran into a million disasters. One of the videos didn't work, we had to cover the windows in the youth room with paper so that the kids could see the television and then we had to try and boil hotdogs in a kettle because we couldn't find any pots... it was a difficult afternoon, but i survived, and was congratulated on doing a good job, so i was rather proud.

That night, Colv, Roz and Dodd came round. We headed out to the QA to watch She's Alright (Dodd's bfs band) perform. It was hours before they were on, so we amused ourself by playing with fire, in our typical pyromaniacal fashion. Before we knew it, we'd destroyed eight candles... oops! The boys came on and did a good job. It was cool seeing a band when we actually knew the people in it! Some of their music was pretty good (in terms of musicality). It was late before i got home, so i crashed pretty quickly.

Friday

The last day, finally! With Dr.B still out for the count, the rest of us were fairly glad when there were only twenty kids. We went to the Maritime Museum! I haven't been there in ages. First we went on an boat ride to see dolphins - which we did! Then it was up the 74 steps for the lighthouse, where poor LittleM was scared nearly witless when we made him lean over the railing... we didn't quite realise just how scared of heights he was... oops. Then it was lunchtime, after i played chasee with a kiddie on my back for awhile and comforted a little kid who was way too sensitive. Then we played on the Maritime Museum boat, made teensy aquariums out of CD boxes, explored the museum and made paper boats. Fun! Even though i fell asleep on the bus...

We gave one of the little kiddies a birthday surprise with cupcakes, that made him absolutely glow, then eventually they all left, we cleaned up and i dozed in the middle of the floor for awhile before our pizza party debreif. Yum. Then, finally, KC was over. As much fun as it was, i loved (almost) every minute of it. The kids are great, the leaders are good friends and i was proud that Dr.B and his wife thought that i was doing a good job of things. I dropped Elmo's little brother home and chatted to Elmo for awhile.

Home for a little while, then off to Viv's for her last hurrah. She was leaving the next morning for South Africa! Everyone was there, so it was a nice big catch up. It was so sad saying goodbye to Viv - we've bonded lately, going into town together and mutually missing Noodle. But i'm sure she'll be home soon... I'll miss you Viv! I can't even go to the airport because i've got to work!Again, i couldn't stay too long, because i was so utterly and completely exhausted. So i was home by around ten, then it was straight off to bed for me!

This has been the most exhausting week ever. Loooooooong days, constant nose-blowing and ear-ringing, not to mention constantly being cheery so as to keep the kiddies happy... it was fun while it lasted, but i sure am glad that it's over! I'm looking forward to some well needed sleep.

Annie