Thank goodness for Gmail!

I was able to find an email exchange from a year ago where my sister sent me her Cornerstone Festival packing list.

This year's festival is only a few days away. Here are some things I'll try to bring, courtesy last year's list:

Tent & tarps & stakes & poles -- and means to get stakes into ground?
Sleeping bag & pillow (optional) & aero bed (optional but good!)
Breakfast foods (since expensive on site and easy enough to do at tent) -- granola/cereal bars, juice packets that can stay good despite the heat (i.e. not OJ that needs refrigeration).
Limited food prep stuff - for sandwiches / etc - knife, napkins, bread, peanut butter ought to do
Cooler / ice / water bottles / etc.?
Shower: shoes, container to take there, 2 towels, clothespins (optional)
Clothing: shoes for mud, shoes for dry, socks, hat
Medical: sunscreen, tylenol-type product, aloe (?)
Other: small mirror, flashlight, camera, batteries, ziploc bags to keep stuff dry in bookbag on rainy days, etc.
Bible & notebook
Here's the one we've found to be quite handy over the years -- instead of bringing my clothes and stuff in a suitcase, I bring it in a rubbermaid container. If it rains, your stuff will stay nice and dry. Of course, if it's hot and humid, you're stuff with get hot and humid in there, so that's an issue. But when it rains, it's wonderful!

The Fourth of July is coming. And so is the Fifth.

While Christians, including myself at times, bemoan the devaluing of our sacred holidays, especially Christmas and Easter, the same holds true of secular holidays. Most people probably can't tell you the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. People think both are there to honor vets, but that's not completely true. One is for the living, the other for the dead, which would seem to be a big distinction.

Even the national holiday celebrating freedom has been co-opted. When was the last time you heard someone talk about Independence Day in reference to anything but a Will Smith Movie?

The holiday has a name, so why don't we use it?

You Are Marge Simpson

You're a devoted family member who loves unconditionally. Sometimes, though, you dream about living a wild secret life! You will be remembered for: your good cooking and evading the police Your life philosophy: "You should listen to your heart, and not the voices in your head."

The Simpsons Personality Test