Camp Barnabas 2014: Ladies Man

Every night at Camp Barnabas, there is a party or a dance...and each night has a theme. The campers are encouraged to bring props and costumes and dress up for each night. Joshua never does. He doesn't see the need when his jeans and v-neck, or shorts and v-neck, are just fiiiiiiinnnnnneee for every.single.day of his life.

Joshua's girlfriend, Jenni, didn't get to go to camp this year, and he was pretty sad about it. BUT, he had a few FRIENDS from home who were at camp with him last week: Julia, Stephanie, Kelly (Jenni's arch-nemesis)...and Nathan, who was actually in the same cabin with Joshua.

And Joshua had some FRIENDS from previous years who were in other cabins. One of them was Matt P., who runs up on the stage the SECOND the "amen" is said in the prayer, and proceeds to do the pledge of allegiance and sing "How Great Thou Art." Three times a day.

I think it goes without saying that Joshua was frustrated with Matt P., because he said, "I love my country and all...but I'm ready to EAT."

Well, Matt P., has a girlfriend named "Katherine," and on the 2nd day of Camp, Katherine asked Joshua to be her date to the dance that night. Since Jenni wasn't there, Joshua agreed to go with Katherine...even tho she was Matt P's girlfriend. Do you SEE what I'm dealing with here? Joshua said, "I knew she was just using me to make Matt P jealous." And yes, I did try to have the talk about how if you realize it, then it's probably not the right thing to do, but...well...look around  your home. If you have a random board hanging around in your garage or wherever, use it to bang yourself in the head several times, and you will get about the same result as trying to talk logic to Joshua.

A headache.

At least Joshua didn't take any late-night hikes this year!

Anyway, on the same day, Julia-from-home asked Joshua to be HER date to the dance that night, and Joshua said, "okay." And then thought he was quite the stud because he had TWO dates to the SAME dance on the SAME night.

This can't go well.

What was interesting about Julia and the dance is that when Joshua saw her on the 2nd day, she was in a wheelchair. And, not to make fun of anyone who actually needs a wheelchair, or who actually may have gotten hurt at camp...or anywhere else...but I chuckled when he told us about Julia. Because, I remembered that last year, on Day 2...Jenni "hurt" her knee and they put her in a wheelchair and her CIA rolled her all over the camp while everyone else had to walk..and...just sayin'. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that these FRIENDS ARE SMART! And hey...not judging. I don't know that I'm above faking an injury to get special treatment when it's hot. Or when you want an extra brownie. Or if you want to get out of going on the hike through the woods in the middle of the day.

I'M KIDDING.

I would never do that.

I'm not saying Julia was faking...but she was busting the moves on the dance floor that night. Maybe it was all the rest she got by sitting around all day.

When I mentioned this possibility to Joshua, he said his famous quote: "I'm not talking about that right now."

We listened to him tell how Julia "hogged" him the whole night, so he couldn't really dance with anyone else. And then later, we listened to him tell Jenni, when he called her on the phone, that he "had her on his mind all week."

Even when he was dancing the night away with two girls.

Things like this help to remind me not to react to all of Joshua's experiences like I would if it was it was me. Because him telling Jenni, "I might possibly love you," well, that would be heartbreaking to hear from my husband. But Jenni just says, "okay. Thank you." And when Joshua signs his letters to her, "from your acquaintance, Joshua," and they've been dating for 10 years...well, not a good sign, am I right? And the latest thing he does is that he intentionally misspells her name. Instead of typing "Jenni," he will type, "Jenny." What in the world? He said that sometimes he likes to do things to aggravate her.

Make a card for THAT, Hallmark.

Fortunately, Jenni has a short attention span, and doesn't really take any of it to heart. Most of the time she will say, "thank you, Joshua. I love you."

He did call her on our way home yesterday, and said that the "ONLY THING he wanted to do was to hold her in his arms."

Awwww...

And he told her that he loved her.

But that was last night, and today is a new day...so who knows?

"...I have put my hope in Your word." Psalm 119:114