Reece's Baptism:
*YAWN* "I'm a bit tired today, can I get baptized another day?"
What do you mean they're gonna dump water on my head, can't you see I'm already a bit chapped?! (poor guy has very dry skin! not for lack of lotioning though!)
The Annual Rottschafer Christmas Tree Hunt!
This was the year of tree toppers- the Heemstras and the Harveys went home with just the tops of a tree- a tree that would normally be too tall except that other people had chopped off the bottom branches making only the top useable. Surprisingly, they make beautiful Christmas Trees!
The customary "Andy picking our tree up over his head" pictureWelcome to the Belfast Christmas Party!!
Belfast Babes. Like our sweaters?!
Please ignore the effect primary-colored horizantal stripes has on my body...unfortunately it's not flattering!
Kristin with her Charlie Brown Tree for Talia- a taste of our White Elephant Gift Exchange.
Belfast Babes. Like our sweaters?! Please ignore the effect primary-colored horizantal stripes has on my body...unfortunately it's not flattering! (For you photography buffs out there- why do my jeans look all digital-y?)
Belfast Boys :)
Grace and Jeff were a matching set. Kinda like their sweater vests and turtle necks.
Belfast Boys :) Grace and Jeff were a matching set. Kinda like their sweater vests and turtle necks. Kristin with her Charlie Brown Tree for Talia- a taste of our White Elephant Gift Exchange.
Grace modeling their gift- a lovely Santa wall hanging.
Ho Ho Ho.Rottschafer Extended Family Christmas Party
Miss Molly was none too happy about having her picture taken under the tree.
Reece says: "Yay! Presents!"
"They're for me...right?"
Like all of my neices and nephews Molly just loves me. You'd be hard-pressed to rip her from her auntie's arms...
The kiddos with their slinkies! The most fun for 99 cents.
Miss Molly was none too happy about having her picture taken under the tree. Reece says: "Yay! Presents!" "They're for me...right?" Like all of my neices and nephews Molly just loves me. You'd be hard-pressed to rip her from her auntie's arms... The kiddos with their slinkies! The most fun for 99 cents.
I dislike goats. But this picture was kind of funny...
A Trash-Bag Baby outside The Bob
A butterfly made of onyx. I sat next to this artist at a wedding, his wife told me to "look for the butterfly at The Bob" I was expecting a painting and actually had forgotten all about looking for the butterfly until we were in the car headed home and I realized I'd taken a picture of it!
Went with the boys to the track in Martin for drag racing. Andy got about 13 seconds!
Don't blink!
Conrad watching the cars go by.
Hank and Joy
Course it depends on the activities of the day to which degree he is sprawled, but you get the picture. (sorry about the picture by the way, which is a bit of an assult on the eyes- it was dark in there and hard to focus).
This is also the face we get every morning until about 11am (if it's a Saturday or a day off). He likes his sleep. And won't budge from that spot till he's good and ready. In fact, I think he's pretending to be dead. Having been caught with one eye open he's now decided to embrace it and go for the "dead dog" look. Go ahead, try and rouse him.
I'll start out with this guy since he's somewhere in between the staff and the kids. For lack of a better term he was my "junior intern" and came along to help keep the peace and be an extra set of responsible eyes, ears and hands. Scott is very intelligent and very thoughtful, especially about faith. He always has a new perspective on the topic at hand that most of us had never even considered. Though not a full-blown leader, I was grateful to have that extra guy to do things like leading impromptu hikes in the rain.
Zach and I see eye to eye on a lot of things. If I needed a second opinion on something or even a deciding vote, Zach was often it (he even helped me decide which PJ pants to buy in Anchorage since I was stuck between the two moose patterns!). Zach is the one who seemed to get what I was thinking and would give me a knowing look or smile when I wasn't sure anyone was getting my point. Though not overly outgoing, once you get to know Zach you've found a fierce friend. Watching his friendships grow with the other kids on the trip and seeing those relationships create incredible results when it came to emotional support or getting work done on the house was wonderful.
Chris is a quiet but strong kid. As with so many people with more sense than me to keep their mouths shut, when he decides to say something, it is always thought out and relevant. On this trip I came to love hearing him laugh. It was spontaneous and uplifting, I was never sure what would trigger it but it always made me smile. He's also a very hard worker and went about every job he was given with a determination to do it, and do it well.
Tony is a friend of Chris' that has come along on two summer trips with TCC. Like Chris, Tony is a bit more reserved but an extremely hard worker and always thoughtful in what he contributes to a conversation. I admired him for being able to travel all the way to Alaska with a group he barely knew and then seamlessly becoming one of the gang. 
As one of only two female students on this trip Issie did extremely well at jumping in and putting her whole heart into it. I know it had to have been hard for her at first as she hadn't spent a lot of time with most of these guys but I was so impressed with how she found ways to connect and include everyone in whatever was going on. She was my little encouragement team and constantly asked how I was doing and if there was anything I needed. I don't know what I would have done without her!
Just thinking about Mike makes me smile. I would be hard-pressed to find a more mature 19 year old. There were times on the trip I thought he might be better suited to lead than me as he's infinitely more patient and often more level-headed than I could ever hope to be. One of the great things about Mike is his dry humor, which is only accentuated by his monotone voice. He mentioned once that the lack of inflection in his tone has been a struggle for him, but everyone in our group agreed: its part of what makes him Mike! And only makes us love him more.
Trevor is one of the most confident kids I know. He'll try anything and give it his all. He always has something to add to the conversation and usually has an interesting tidbit of information to share. I love that he's positive and up-beat; whether it's raining, we're all tired, or we hit a road block in our work, Trevor looks at most things as challenges to overcome. He's also extremely helpful and respectful when it comes to sticky situations which I totally appreciated on the trip. 
There is no truer thing to say about Kaleigh than that she loves people. This love poured from her throughout the whole trip- on our team members, on the Camp Eaglecrest Staff, and on the people we met on the work site. I loved listening to her shyly tell about her "God Sightings" each evening as they usually revolved around, not a beautiful scene in nature, but a person who made her smile. Kaleigh, in turn, has the same effect on others- she makes all of us smile, all the time. 
Poor John takes a lot of crap. As the youngest in the group the older guys made it their job to toughen him up for high school. Eternally enthusiastic, full of energy, and with a permanent kool-aid mustache, John brought laughter wherever he went. He could have gotten the award for "dirtiest kid" on the trip as I had to force him to shower and he seems to have an obsession with burying his feet in the dirt around the campfire. Nevertheless, you can't help loving to spend time with John, who, when asked what he was most looking forward to in high school answered truthfully: "Geometry." 
These are the Aubreys. I don't have an individual picture of Mike so I'll talk about him now before moving on to the rest of the family.
Gracie is the oldest of Mike and Sharon's children, though Mike has 2 others from a previous marriage. This girl is as outgoing as they come and craves attention from everyone she meets. She can swing a hammer like nobody's business but usually just wants to give hugs or style everyone's hair. She is also quite a singer and loved the serenade us every chance she got. She loves Hannah Montana and told me very matter-of-factly that "We have to pray for Miley's brother, because he is not saved." Her mother says she's always been hyper-aware of her calling to lead people to Jesus, intently watching those she'd meet and deciding they needed prayer.
This little guy is all boy. He's currently doing his best to wear out his Carhartt overalls as the local fair has a contest for the most-used pair each year. While we were there he tried to dig a hole to China (starting, naturally, at the top of a hill) and repeately gave me guilt trips when I didn't help him dig by saying: "But my mom has always wanted to go to China!" Unfortnuately I think she'll have to save her pennies for a plane ticket as the effort was abandoned when he and Jason "hit bedrock" on day 2. At age 5 he has an IQ of 139 and is extremely attentive to detail. On the last day he finally asked me: "Why do you wear the same shirt every day?" To which I wanted to reply: "look who's talking" but instead tried to explain that we hadn't been allowed to pack a lot of clothes on the plane, but I'd already lost his attention. Bummer. I guess he'll just remember me as the dirty girl with the Dairy Queen shirt.
And Rosie.
And Sam.
Can't forget them!
