Down by the Bay

Down by the Bay.....
where the watermelons grow.....
back to my home, I dare not go.....
for if I do, my mother will say.....


Ahhh, a fun childhood song! I always felt anxiety when we'd sing this on the bus for a school field trip. What if they called my name and I had to come up with a clever rhyme?  Oh no! I can't think of one! Please don't call on me to be next! They are brutal to those who do repeat rhymes and that's all I can think of!  Oh, the pressure!!!  (I never was called on, that I can remember. This is a good thing. I guess it could be a sad thing too, though.)


This post really has nothing to do with Bays, or watermelons.  But I see these pictures and I think of the song, due to the water! :)

Last week Sunday evening, our church held their annual BBQ and baptism at Derby Reach! It was a fun time. Of course, Hunny volunteered his huge bbq for the event (it can cook up to like 12 steaks at once or something ridiculous like that, which gets men excited!) and so he was helping bbq hamburgers. I think it's great that he does this; it's such a blessing to the church (it saves them $ from having to rent one or more for the size we cook up) and it shows our children that we find volunteering and helping out is important. So I am pleased and proud of my man.

However, at events like this, that means I am a single parent. Which isn't too big of a deal. It's just that...do you realize how hard it is to make up 4 plates of food for wandering children, and carry it all back to one location and not lose sight of said children?  Eek! That's where my anxiety is on edge!  Events are a double-edged sword for me right now. I'm thankful that my Olders are getting, well, older and don't need my supervision anymore, but I'm still outnumbered in hands for the Youngers!

And then, on top of it all, they want to host it at the river side? Do they not know there will be mothers out there with children who like to play in water? Eek!  My Spidey Senses start tingling and I start to think thoughts of children running into the river and being carried downstream.  Eek!  But I'm not paranoid.  I like to think that I'm cautious and am mentally preparing myself for such dramatic events, lest they occur. Yep. Only thinking ahead. Like a jr. boy scout!

Of course nothing happened. And they kids played safely. Bryn told me, after I arrived, that his shoe was soaking wet and it started to float away, but they got it back in time!  Somehow it found its way into the river, much to the surprise of B himself, who does not recall how it ended up there!  (he had arrived earlier with his Dad, Abi and Kai and the bbq)  I cringed, but left the story at that. 

The kids had a blast throwing rocks into the Fraser River. Eden only tried to walk into the river twice, so her shoes got wet, but not enough for her toes to feel the cold (thankfully).  I was grateful that Hunny joined us after dinner by the water's edge! He held onto Eden and I supervised Rhys' rock throwing ("not up, throw them Out into the water!") while the pastors did some baptisms. Four members from JRCC got baptised in the cold mighty Fraser! My heart swells when others make a decision to follow Jesus! I enjoyed our evening (for the most part) and got to answer Bryn's questions on baptism (why did they do it? do we have to do it? what do you have to do for it?) When we were packing up to go home, I actually felt confident that I could do it again! :)

Did you ever see a bear wearing pink underwear?
Down by the bay...