A Sad Tale of Irregular Jelly Bellies and Combat Boots

While I was getting ready for camp a few weeks ago Herman came home from a trip to the dollar store with a couple of bags of Belly Flops. These are Jelly Belly Beans that didn't make it through the production line as nice uniform beans. So they collect the weird looking ones, package them as Belly Flops, and make a little money on their big mistake. Corporate genius at its best, I'd say. Well, when I saw these beans I thought that they would be a perfect thing for me to use for the evening devotional I was planning for my girls at camp. I could have those beans along with the perfect looking ones, and I could talk about how it doesn't matter what we look like on the outside. We're still just as yummy on the inside. Or something like that. Really I hadn't taken tons of time to refine my message because I was going to wait until we got closer to camp so that I could let the Spirit guide me on that.  So don't judge me too harshly for coming up with a super lame devotional idea. :o)

So the weekend before camp arrived. Herman and Spencer had been away at Boy Scout camp for the entire week, and they had just arrived back at home. It is always an adventure when they get home from scout camp because it is almost like Herman's truck just backs to the door and throws up into my living room. I can't complain, though. The same thing happens after Girls Camp. After the obligatory hour of recap of the events of the week (and, by the way, I know that I'm not getting the full story there -- Herman and Spencer both know that I would probably freak out if I knew all of the adventures involving knives and fires and wrestling that take place at scout camp) but anyway, after hearing the fun Spencer and Herman had that week I figured that Herman would be ready for a shower and a nap. He did take a shower, but instead of taking a nap he volunteered to make a quick trip to the dollar store to pick up the 25 packages of Belly Flops I would need for my devotional on Monday night. I was super grateful that he volunteered to do this because, like always, I had procrastinated my planning and was cramming it all into my Saturday, hoping to be prepared for an early morning departure on Monday. 

So Herman took off on his quest to meet the needs of his damsel in distress. . . . and I didn't see him again for three hours. Whoa! Three hours! There must have been some crazy lines at the dollar store. When he got back home he was positively giddy. He had found no less than six pair of army combat boots. Brand new combat boots that he was convinced would make my girls camp experience absolutely perfect! He got various sizes, none of which were necessarily the sizes of the people in our family. But he said that it didn't matter because somewhere out there he would find someone who could use a solid pair of combat boots. But that's not all! In addition to a whole load of boots Herman also found several pair of army pants. Several years ago the army changed the pattern for their uniforms, so you can always find lots of clothes with the old pattern in local thrift stores. Herman felt like he had hit the jackpot that day, so he brought several pairs home to hand out to the girls and me. And if we wouldn't take them, that's okay, because there would be tons of young men who could use them camping later in the year. Who could turn down combat pants, right? 

I have to admit that I may not be the world's best wife in these sorts of situations because I just can't garner up enough enthusiasm to match Herman's when he comes home with such a stash. But I think that is part of the fun for Herman -- seeing my lack of enthusiasm for his great buys. Luckily we have enough children to compensate for my lack of passion when it comes to camping attire. Spencer, of course, loves the stuff, but Savannah was also willing to let Herman plan her girls camp wardrobe. The day was saved, and Herman was happy to have provided at least one of his girls with some sweet rugged clothing to get her through the week. 

Here's Savannah leading the songs
at camp and modeling Herman's
idea of proper attire for a girl
at camp. To properly finish off the look
Savannah made sure to add a
Ron Paul campaign shirt.

So everything's great, right? I thought it was, so I decided that evening to go out with Herman since it was the only chance we would have for a date between the two camps. We headed out for a late dinner, and as we were waiting for our food to be served I began to wonder what he had done with the packages of Belly Flops. I needed to make sure to pack them so I wouldn't forget them. So I asked Herman where he put them, and he gets that look that all of us get when we remember the important errand that we were supposed to complete but instead end up doing something completely different. He had completely forgotten the Belly Flops, and the dollar store was closed for the day. I wouldn't be able to get any on Sunday, and we were leaving before the store opened on Monday, so there were not going to be any Belly Flops for my lesson.

Oh no!

What was I going to do now?

I was going to have to move on to Plan B when it came to my devotional. But all was well. I managed to say something that didn't sound completely ridiculous. I don't know if the girls felt any lasting life lessons from the devotional I gave, but they sure did enjoy my completely perfect Jelly Belly beans that I handed out during the lesson. But the best news of all? . . . We, Team Blau, now own at least fifteen pairs of combat boots and probably twice as many army pants. When the zombie apocalypse arrives we will be ready!