Closing Ceremonies at Camp Richiak

Our week had to be cut short due to other circumstances, but we were elated to have three days of Camp Richiak! Today we met twice, once in the morning where we painted frames for our camp photo then the Richardson’s returned in the evening as well for our closing ceremonies. We had to show off to the two dads what we had been up to all week, teaching them the handshake, oath, and our favorite camp songs. Then it was dinner time with Walking Tacos on the menu! Afterwards we swam, made S’mores, then went on a memorable hunt locally. Jon took the amateur cousins on the golf course once it hit dark, (as many of us adults know, snipe are nocturnal). With a flashlight in hand, the “call” Jon taught the kids and a brown bag…they were off to catch that fast critter. Even our neighbors joined us as we tiptoed through the open area keeping an eye out for a beady eyed hairy tiny beast. Score! We actually caught one but somehow that hasty thing made a hole in the bag and sped off before we made it home to show him off to the eagerly curious kids. Ugh! Maybe next year we can outsmart that thing!
Although Cousin Camp has come to a close, we plan to reunite in October for a family campout then begin making plans for Camp Richiak 2010!

We're Still at It, Camp Richiak Day Two

It wasn’t hard to get the kids out of bed today. They knew what was ahead of them, Camp Richiak day two! To launch off the day’s activities, after our camp song and secret handshake, Dylan inspired us to write an oath. We listed things each thought was important and began the writing process setting it aside after awhile for us to ponder overnight and complete tomorrow.

We made rockets and set them off today with Alka Seltzer, made plates as a ‘forever memory’, went on a scavenger hunt, and let’s not forget making our ice cream in individual baggies which everyone gave as a BIG thumbs up!

During lunch today we had some thought provoking questions to get to know one another. We asked:
- What are your three best qualities (honest, loving, etc.)?
-If you were in a movie, what kind would it be and who would you want to be acting with you?
-What do you want to be when you grow up (job)?

The favorite songs of the day we sang were; Bananas, Toot-e-tah, and Boom Chica Boom.

Tomorrow we have planned another grand slam! I can’t wait!

Camp Richiak, Day One

Let the festivities begin! Oh how excited we all were for this day to finally get here!

Our opening ceremonies included each child’s initiation into our elite group, creating then learning the Cousin Camp secret handshake then singing our Camp Song created by one of our very own family members, Jon! We mean business!

With our own hands and hearts, each camp participant worked together to make our camp flag to hang each day outside. Laura and I loved seeing the cousins all plan and conquer their work of art using paint, gems, hot glue, feathers, and glitter. It turned out sweet.

Moving right along, we laughed our heads off with the next item of business, “Laughing Hands!” Since not all would want to do it, we took volunteers on who was willing to get messy and silly (all of Laura’s kids and none of mine…go figure ☺). Then, we assigned a person to either be the ‘face’ or ‘hands’ of the act. Pretty much what happed was, the ‘hand’ acted for the ‘face’ with the pulling of a card then following the task. For example, one card pulled was brushing teeth. As you can imagine, the laughs didn’t end as the ‘hands’ (who couldn’t see at all) spread the toothpaste onto a brush then brushed the teeth of the ‘face’ person’s teeth, without getting up from behind their back (thus not being able to see at all!)
(Here's Blake being a good sport with sister Carlie being his hands! She's shaving his face with whipped cream!)

(Dylan's letting me brush his teeth even!)

(Kaydon's loving joining in on the "manly" act!)

(And Carlie...Baylee's her hands as she 'dolls her up' with lipstick. Check out the before and after photos!)

We also sang silly camp songs, danced the Cha-cha slide, Macarana, and YMCA. We made personal pizzas for lunch, Oobleck, and set off Mentos and soda!

The kids were not ready for our day to end together at Camp Richiak. The good news is this… we all get to do this again tomorrow!

Camp Richiak 2009

Inspired by our beloved friend April who has done this for years, my cousin Laura and I were finally able to kick off our first-ever “Cousin Camp,” otherwise known as Camp Richiak. This year it was just our two Arizona families but hopefully with much excitement, we can talk our other cousins from California into joining us for 2010.

Our name is Camp Richiak because we took our two last names and combined them… Richardson (Rich) and Kempiak (iak). We laugh at how interesting and what a mouth full it could be if we do indeed add the Clement and Flanagan side of the family! (Richiakmentagan maybe) ☺

Let me explain our idea! Each day this week we are having a day ‘camp’ with “just us cousins.” In attendance will be Dylan, Carlie, Baylee, Blake, Nathan, Kaydon, and Owen. We’ve planned activities that we’ll all participate in with the best part of the whole thing…being together. The icing on the cake, we even have an original logo (I made last year when we thought we’d get this thing off and rollin’ but weren’t able to) that we've placed on tshirts and other important documents.

Stay tuned at what the week has for Camp Richiak and the directors, Laura and Kymberly! We can’t wait!

A “Wickedly” Wonderful Time!

As our fifteenth anniversary gift to one another, Jon and I bought tickets to the hottest Broadway musical playing right now, Wicked…the untold story of the witches of Oz! Oh how happy I am that it flew our way! Wicked was truly was phenomenal, totally worth all the hype and our savings! The costumes…{wow},
the set…{wow again},
the makeup…{wow-we},
the acting…{wowzers!}
and the music…{wow to the tenth degree}
all of which left me with a realm of emotions; laughing, cheering, crying, and even speechless at times. To say I got sucked into the story line is a total understatement. Did I ever! At intermission I had such a lump in my throat that I couldn’t talk to Jon for a few minutes. The same rang true at the end. One thing’s for certain, I will never watch the Wizard of Oz again through the same set of eyes I used to!

Oh how I wish I could stay overnight for the next showing to catch all those clever one-liners and just bathe in the talent of the cast right next to my wonderful date, my adoring husband Jon!

Which song was my favorite? Oh it’s so hard to say! The powerful song Defying Gravity won’t leave my head, as well as The Wizard and I, and thinking of Glinda and Elphaba saying goodbye to one another forever with For Good makes my eyes well up with tears again! Can I just say I liked them all?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J72thWNW6PE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0m6sclZkH0

Bowling Buddies

For the second year in a row, Nathan joined a summer bowling league with his buddies and this year, Baylee made her own girls’ team too! They’re both in the bumper teams and play two games each week hitting many strikes and spares, feeling great about themselves with each throw. Nathan’s self named team, the Jedi Knights has his cousin Kaydon, best bud Benjamin, fun friend Gavin, and himself. Baylee’s team, the Bowling Beauties, consisted of her dear friend Sabrina and Cheyanne and a friend of Cheyanne’s, Megan. Summer bowling leagues are a lot of fun. It gets us all indoors away from the scalding heat and gives personal challenges for each kid as they are side by side with some of their most dear friends.

Patriotic Healthy Treat

Here’s what the Kempiak Party of Five is munching on this weekend!
{Note to myself...}
And here’s what I want to make next year…

Something Smells Fishy Around Here!

Out of curiosity, I am wondering if it’s possible to leave the ‘high country’, Greer, without fishing?! After much pondering, I’ve come up with the final answer…NO! I think it would be next to impossible (…well, unless the waters are iced over, but even with that harsh circumstance, I’m still not convinced).
This time, all three kids grabbed a pole with Daddy and Papa John and eagerly desired a catch in the ‘back lake’. What a true blessing we experienced because within the first 15 minutes, each kid’s pole had a bite that they successfully pulled in to shore! Isn’t that remarkably mind-blowing!
Baylee was the first…{so cool}. Although it ended weighing in as the smallest, it didn’t’ matter in her heart. Owen was next, needing a little help with reeling because his was enormous! He caught the biggest, weighing in over a whole pound! Nathan, our avid fisherman caught the final one then took them all back to the cabin and really had a blast, cutting, gutting, deboning, and playing with his finned friend’s eyeballs and heads! {Such a curious boy!}

More 4th of July Fun

Hiking and discovering some Hopi petroglyphs, cooking brats on the hibachi, and watching a spectacular show of fireworks in the sky above the Lyman Lake was precisely what we did with the rest of our holiday today! What a delightful time we had!

4th of July Parade in the White Mountains

There is something about the ‘small town feel’ that I love. It’s as if we’re flashed back to the past and that’s exactly what we get each year when we watch the Springerville 4th of July parade. It’s a great start enjoying the holiday commemorating our magnificent country and being together as a Party of Five (plus two…Dad and Pat)!

Camp Neverland!

Once the school year begins, Owen will embark on a new chapter with preschool. One way to help ease him into it as well as give him a “special summer special” like Brother and Sister, I signed him up for a day camp called Camp Neverland at Ladybug Learning Center, where he’ll attend. Talk about a magical four day adventure, wowzers! Each preschooler was to come dressed as Peter Pan on the first day then they accessorized with hats. Throughout the week, they searched for treasures, made swords as if they were pirates and walked the plank. They made jeweled treasure boxes and even were surprised on the last day as they entered the classroom with evidence that Tinkerbell had been there overnight. After collecting the pixie dust the mischievous fairy left behind, an art masterpiece was made by each child. Owen had a spectacular time and wished Camp Neverland would have lasted another week or so with his well dressed buddies in green; Ethan, Colton, and Josh. Who says we need to grow up so fast? Not I!

Arizona Idol

Enthusiast, supporter, fanatic, and groupie are all words that can easily be used to describe the Kempiak Party of Five when it comes to the show American Idol. We aren’t television people, yet when the season is upon us, we’re glued to the tube’s performances. We know we’re not the only ones though. Our lovely neighbors, Bob and Nancy are the same way! As a special treat they gave us tickets, due to their “connections”, to the final night of Arizona Idol’s competition at Fox 10 station. What a wonderful Family Fun Night's activity! It’s so much fun to see the preseason’s steps it takes to pull off our most prized show. (Thank you Bob and Nancy, you’re so sweet. Next year, can you join us?)

Wonderful Wacky Water Wednesday

Our delightful friends, the Reiley family opened their backyard today for a splish splashy summer fun party…just because. The kids loved sliding down the rented waterslide then headed into the pool for some extra added entertainment.

My Prayer Hike

This morning I woke at 4AM to meet with five gals from my prayer group to hike Usery Mountain in Mesa. We vowed to one another that once we exited the car all the way until we returned to it again, we’d stay totally silent, not talking to one another at all. The task was challenging, yet so rewarding! Three hours of alone time with God was wonderful. As I first took route on the trail, I found myself asking Christ for things (“Bless this person, help this other one, and don’t forget so and so…”) until He spoke to me, “Kymberly…just enjoy me!” So from that step on, I just praised him for all his qualities, (“Lord, thank you for always being here for me, thank you for being an unchangeable God, I praise you for your justice and grace…”).

Once I hit the top of the mountain where the Wind Cave is located, Diane, our amazing prayer group leader, gave us an envelope to open. Inside was a lovely letter as if it was written by Christ. It started out, “Come away my beloved. You do not need to make your path like a snow plow, for I say unto you, I go before you. I shall engineer circumstances on your behalf. I am your husband, and I will protect you and care for you, and make full provision for you.

“I know your need, and I am concerned for you: for your peace, for your health, for your strength. I cannot use a tired body, and you need to take time to renew your energies, both spiritual and physical. I am the God of Battle, but I am also the One who said: They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. And Jesus said, Come apart and rest a little while.

“I will teach you even as I taught Moses on the back side of the desert, and as I taught Paul in Arabia. So will I teach you. Thus it shall be a constructive period, and not in any sense wasted time. But as the summer course to the school teacher, it is vital to you in order that you may fully be qualified for your ministry…” (more followed)

I sat, read the letter, and meditated on the words, read from my Bible, then found myself breaking out in song to him for the thirty minutes I sat there overlooking the valley and watching the sun shed its full light.

Coming down from the mountain, God have me another thought. With the full light upon the path, it was so much more beautiful than as I had headed up in some darkness. Isn’t that so true?! With Christ (He is the Light), you see things in such different perspective and beauty. Oh how we all need to see his Light!

I didn't miss talking or listening to others speak. I very rarely ever get to rest in silence, yet it’s in the silence when we can really hear loud and clear what God has to say to us!

We had a Blast at Blast X-Treme!

We had a BLAST, that’s for sure at our church’s version of VBS called, Blast X-Treme! Each day the chapel was filled with incredible Bible teachings with creation as the topic and mad scientists to deliver the thought provoking message! Every year I am in awe of how God brought us together as a body to serve one another with our gifts and talents, for His glory. From the music, to skits, teachings in the classroom and in the lab for crafts, nothing was missed and everything was remarkable. I was so proud of the kids who attended this year and their geneous hearts for donating $2,799.16 to the Center of Life ministry!

(Too bad Nathan and I had to miss several days this week for him to recover from his ‘spot attack’ known as the coxsackievirus. I missed my class I was teaching yet it was so neat to see my friend Kelly step up and take over in impressive ways. I did cherish the ‘snuggle time’ I had with Nathan though. Hmmm, not much else can compare in such a wonderful form!)

How High Will They Stack?

As we read Jon’s handwriting from the entry pulled for tonight’s Family Fun adventure, everyone was excited and eager to get started. One by one, each of us stacked those deliciously dangerous Oreo cookies for a stacking contest which then transpired into a messy teeth competition.
Stacking results:
1st place, Jon with 24 cookies stacked
2nd place tie was Nathan and Mommy, both with 21 cookies
3rd place was Baylee with 20
4th place Owen with 19 (boy did he hold his own!)






And for the messy teeth competition…no certificate was rewarded, just lots of laughs! Take a look and see how horribly cute we turned out to be!

Happy Daddy's Day

Owen, Nathan, and Baylee are BLESSED beyond measure! They truly have the BEST DADDY it the WORLD! There is a mutual admiration between the foursome that I love to gaze at! Jon’s fun, kind, patient, forgiving, and gentle with them all, and most of all, he LOVES them! The kids are so thankful to have him for a DADDY.

(photos to come)

Chapter Twelve...Zoe and Brinkley

This vacation was so fun to experience with our puppies, Zoe and Brinkley! They were wonderful travelers and guests at the beach house. We were so thankful that Cherie and Eric invited them to join us.(Zoe...poor girl, you can't see her eyes!)

(Brinkley)

Chapter Eleven...A Few Photos of the Kids at the Beach

Do your eyes easily get attracted to family photos on the beach like mine do? There’s such beauty of the ocean’s backdrop! Our entire time here on the beach, we forgot to pull our tripod out to try to capture a family shot like we did six years ago at Cannon Beach. I am so bummed! Nonetheless, at least I snapped a few of the children that will captivate my heart for a lifetime.

Chapter Ten...the Beach House

Bighearted and openhanded are two simple words to describe Eric and Cherie. To offer us their home for our week’s vacation just begins the generosity we experienced. Both are wonderfully humble, kind, and loving cousins and their home was beautifully inviting and comfortable! Here’s the home the Kempiak Party of Five indulged in…




(My very favorite place in this house...a reading window!)

Chapter Nine...My Cousin, the Artist

I have always loved and admired my dear cousin Cherie in so many ways! Besides our bond through family blood, we are also connected because of our faith (as well as other areas). She is my cousin, sister in Christ, and a dear friend who I can talk on the phone with for hours at a time! Cherie is talented in many ways, today I will share one area of creativity, her artwork that is displayed throughout her beach house we are staying at. She’s offered to make me a few pieces for my home too and I plan to take her up on her generosity! Having her ‘fingerprint’ in my home would be a constant reminder of our love and wonderful relationship. She has a website if you would like to see more…just click here!

Chapter Eight...Channel Island Vacation...David

This is my lovely cousin David who I cherish deeply. He has always been someone who is easy to love and over time has been the one family member that reminds me most of my brother. Several years back, David went into surgery to have a lump removed because of skin cancer. Once surgery was over, praise God that the cancer was gone but so was his arm, shoulder, and scapula. The doctors had to remove it all in order to give him ‘life’.

This trip was the first time I’ve been able to be face to face with him. I treasured every minute of it! Being able to reconnect was great but he also inspired me in so many ways. His physical challenges have not stopped him one bit! He’s surfing, canoeing, and much more!

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore" ~Andre Gide

“Life challenges are not suppose to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” ~Bernice Johnson Reagon
“The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome.” ~Helen Keller

Chapter Seven…Channel Island Vacation…Kids’ Ocean Adventures

Ever since Jon and I returned three days ago from our Sea-doo escapade with Eric; Baylee and Nathan have been chomping at the bit to have an ocean quest of their own. Eric and Cherie returned; bless their hearts, to make it possible. Eric and Jon took the ‘big kids’ on the water with the intention of keeping them in the Chanel canals. They were unsure how the kids could handle the waves of the ocean as well as the mode of transportation and temperatures that come with splashing through the cold waters. Well, both Baylee and Nathan surprised both men and sooner than later, they were out in the ocean being surrounded by many large pods of dolphins. Everyone out there agreed that they saw at least a hundred, if not two! {I'm crazy jealous ☺!}

Once in site of us on the deck of the beach house, both Baylee and Nathan were practically screaming as they boasted of the sites they encountered on the Sea-doos. Nathan exclaimed, “I could even hear them breathe Mommy!” {Nice…my daughter and son lived a dream of mine!}

Owen wasn’t thrilled when his brother and sister’s adventure began so Cherie and I took him out on the canoes. Once I got a handle on the balancing act needed for two, we had a blast maneuvering on top the water. Then once Daddy and Eric returned the Sea-doos, we spontaneously agreed to take Owen out on a ride, sandwiching him between us. We didn’t go far, nor fast, but Owen felt like he was a part of something pretty important and he was greatly satisfied! It was precious!

Chapter Six...Channel Island Vacation...Biking

We thought it would be a fun day to travel around the neighborhoods and ocean side by bike. The kids giggled the whole route as Jon and I used every ounce of leg muscle to get our Party of Five from place to place. It was a fantastic day to be outdoors.

Chapter Five…Channel Islands Vacation…Boating

We were off at sea daily in Eric and Cherie’s electric boat that they adorningly named “Our Sausalito”. Whether it be breakfast, lunch, dinner, or for hot tea with dessert, each and every day the Kempiak Party of Five had at least one meal on board as we tooted around the Channel canals. Between seeing all the other boats in many sizes and their fun names, the homes and restaurants lined up from end to end, the wildlife, and Pacific, we were fully entertained.

We had a brainstorm the last day and decided to grab a bag of frozen anchovies to feed the seals that same up close to ‘Sausalito’ which was a big hoot for the kids. Mostly the birds benefited from our donations however a seal or two did as well.

{Note to self…grab the frozen treats at the beginning of our adventure!}

Jon wasn’t the only sailor in the family; each kid had their chance at the wheel and often times it was our sweet Cousin Eric showing them the proper technique. No drivers license necessary to sail this ocean blue!

Chapter Four...Channel Islands Vacation...A Song & My LORD

One of my favorite sites to look at in the entire world is the sun setting on the ocean. I could do it nightly and it would never grow old or mundane. As I was snapping this shot enjoying the vast of the waters ahead and the magnificent colors of the sky, the lyrics to “Ocean” by Ten Shekel Shirt came to mind and I couldn’t help but sing it to my precious, remarkable Creator and Lord…


Lately, I've been thinking about You
And lately, I've been dreaming of You
And lately, I can't get You out of my head
Get You out of my head

(chorus)
There's something about the ocean
Makes me rise up and praise
Something about the heavens
Makes me stand in awe again
Something about the sunrise
Reminds me of Your faithfulness
Something about the ocean
And I'm lost in love again

I'll sing until I sense a smile
Upon Your great and lovely face
And till I know Your glory's in this place
Your glory's in this place

Chapter Three...Channel Islands Vacation...Sea-doo and Family Reunion

Can someone pinch me?! Today was simply fantastic in every way! It was better than I could have ever hoped or prayed for! It began with Cherie and Eric coming out to the beach house and Eric graciously taking Jon and I out of the Sea-doos for an adventure on the Pacific while Cherie watched the kids (and gave Baylee some artistic drawing and painting pointers)! Jon, Eric, and I ended up on a ride of a lifetime, about fifty miles round trip at speeds around 45 miles an hour. In the three or so hours we were out, we rode out to Anacapa Island (one of the eight Channel Islands of California and a National Park). ). Eric, our fearless, careful, attentive tour guide showed us all angles of the island as we rode around the entire thing. On the backside, the waters were like a river, so peaceful and calm. The island was breathtaking with its rock formations and birds flying in all directions. One day, I’d love to get out and walk the island to see the vegetation, lighthouse, wildlife, and more. During our round trip, while riding on the cool water, we saw plenty of seals and a few dolphins which truly was amazing (Jon’s thankful for no shark sightings!) Seeing the seals and dolphins in their natural habitat was breathtaking.

Oh and if you could have seen the three of us upon arriving back home! What a crackup it was to look in the mirror, salt crystals were all over our faces and hair and we definitely had a sun and wind glow appearance to us. There’s no guess work to it, we wouldn’t have won any modeling contests for an advertisement for a Sea-doo company.

(Here we are, off for an adventure of a lifetime, wrapped up to make sure we'd be warm enough!)

(Eric our leader)

Arriving back to the beach house later than expected, the house was full of family ready to celebrate my Aunt Evey and Cousin David’s birthdays. We made it as much of a reunion as possible but surely missed all those that were not able to come. Growing up I had my cousins around me all the time, they were my closest friends yet as an adult, I can’t remember the last time we were altogether for “good” reasons (verses funerals). Oh how I loved every single minute of my time with the family today. Mostly we just hung out and caught up as much as we could, but also the kayaks, electric boat, and hot tub were powered up! Oh Cherie and Eric, you were such generous, bighearted hosts! (My dad and Pat were even able to come for a short visit today which was really neat!)(Our birthday girl.)(...and birthday boy, Cousin David)

(Baylee and Cousin Phil)

(Baylee and Cousin Cherie)

(Owen and our playful, silly Cousin David)
(Our loving and super hosts...Eric and Cherie...bless your hearts for your graciousness!)

Chapter Two...Channel Islands Vacation...The Beach

Most days we hung out at the beach ALL day. Wouldn’t you? From building sandcastles, endless dolphins and seal sightings, bird and people watching, sand castle making, as well as quick naps on the warm conforming sand, the Kempiak Party of Five would rank them all as ideal days! This California gal has been away from the Pacific Ocean way too long!

(Every day we'd see this sailboat take passengers along the ocean...Owen thought it was a cool "pirate ship")


(Cocoa had to join us in our family adventure. He liked the lazy lifestyle too!) (Notice Cocoa Kempiak's vacation shirt too?)
(Nathan especially had amazing focus on building this castle with me. We'd tell stories about the people who lived inside and those wanting to enter the kingdom.)

(As most kids, our's loved to run from the waves and did this for hours on end.)



(We couldn't get enough of the beach time play so we'd stay until the sun would set often! Temperatures really cooled down but that didn't stop us.)