ITALY!!!

Oh my goodness, I am so excited. On Thursday I get to hop on a plane and fly to Italy for 9 fabulous days! Vacation!!

My youngest sister Emily is studying abroad in Turin, Italy (northwest Italy...right near the border of France) so my whole fam and I are going to visit! (My dad is 100% Italian, so my sisters and I are half Italian and I always love rockin' the Italian pride)

We'll be spending a few days in Turin with Emily showing us the city and then we'll take a train to Florence and spend some time there. I was in Florence nine years ago and LOVED it, so I am really looking forward to going back. I can't wait to walk along the Ponte Vecchio, see the David and lots of other art in the Uffizi Gallery, eat gelato till I burst, shop at the outdoor markets, climb to the top of the Duomo Cathedral, and watch all the Italians whiz by on their scooters. *beep beep!*

Peace out everyone. Have a GREAT Thanksgiving.

Mr. A-Z

I had the opportunity this week to see Jason Mraz in concert. He was playing at the Warfield in San Francisco. GREAT concert! He is such a fun performer. He is goofy, charming, has a rad band, can hit notes and rhythms like crazy, and kept me laughing many times throughout the evening. I don't know his music too well, but I dig it after hearing him live. I went with two of my sisters, one of whom is a HUGE fan. She said she'd make me a mix of all his best songs. Sweet.

TRB

I love Mondays. Why you ask? One word, three letters: TRB. Oh, the glories of TRB on Monday nights! About two and a half years ago, our house began making this special dinner every Monday night. Before we knew it, TRB became a weekly tradition. Something to look forward to on your Monday-back-to-work-day.

T=tofu (cut up, cooked in olive oil and sprinkled with garlic salt)
R=rice (cooked in a big rice cooker left behind by an old roomate)
B=broccoli (steamed, then mixed with sesame oil, sesame seeds, and garlic salt)

Put all three ingredients together and you have a little bowl of heaven to feast on with chopsticks.

But I have come to realize that TRB is so much more than just the food. It's the atmosphere of a TRB night. Absolutely anyone can come join the six of us roomates and enjoy a delicious bowl of TRB, along with good conversation, the fun house fire alarm (almost guaranteed to go off every Monday night at least once), maybe a game, laughter, and overall just great fellowship with other people.

I have eaten approximately 130 bowls of TRB and I still look forward to it every Monday night. I wonder if I'll ever get sick of it? (Nah, I doubt it)

Come join us for TRB one Monday night. Your taste buds will dance and sing! And maybe you will too!

I USED to like ladybugs

Awh...aren't ladybugs so cute?

No.

Not when they infest your room.

Every single year at the end of October/begining of November, they come in hordes. They all cluster in my window panes and it grosses me out. I mean, one or two of them-I have no problem with that. But when there's TONS, it's disGUSting.

I don't know HOW they get in my room. I have taped up my windows and everything. They're sneaky, those suckers. And then once they're inside, they have the gall to come onto my bed at night and look at me when I wake up like, "Would ya mind scooting over?" What?! They fly around my windowsill trying to get into the cluster of ladybug friends, eww. They are on my walls, in my bathroom. What's a gal to do?

Kill 'em. One by one. Mwahahahahahaha! Sometimes I have a heart and let them live. I just toss them out the two story window and assume they will fly away to Happy Ladybug Land. But the problem with that is that when I throw them out, they just buzz right back. So, I have pretty much resorted to death. I have two spider friends up in the corner that are helping me with this fine project. When the ladybugs are gone, my two spider friends will be introduced to another friend: the toilet. FLUSH!

I am so heartless, I know.

We're back!!

Hello friends.

We are back from our fabulous road trip to So. Cal. And what a whirlwind weekend we had. It was so much fun. Where shall I begin? We set off Friday morning and we had six cars in our crew. We all had walkie talkies and cell phones so we were calling each other and talking between cars. I was in a van with some hilarious folks so I pretty much laughed the whole way down. I kept a sweet "quote board" of comments from that ride. And we had a contest between a girl in our car and a guy in another: who could eat 16 Reeses Peanut Butter Cups in 10 minutes. SICK. It was so gross/funny to watch. The guy won. Our girl only got to 12 before she starting to feel queasy.

We hit LA traffic for 2 and 1/2 hours which everyone loved. So we stopped for dinner and let the traffic pass. Our hotel was right by Disneyland and when we arrived the fireworks were going off! No way! We had the most amazing view. My favorite part was everytime a huge firework would BOOM, this one car alarm in the hotel parking lot would go off! Over and over and over. Good times. A bunch of students went to hang out at downtown Disney, but I called my best friend Elissa and her hubby Mike (they live nearby) and they came to visit me which was so great.

Saturday-Universal Studios!!! It was a sunny, breezy, perfect day. There is a new ride there called Revenge of the Mummy, and oh my word, it was my favorite!!!! You go on this roller coaster type ride in the dark and then your car freezes and you go through it BACKWARDS! I think I went on it 4 times. Love it love it love it. We went on all the rides (Jurassic Park is another fav), saw all the shows (Shrek 3-D, Waterworld, Terminator, Animal Planet Live, Special Effects, etc) and just basically enjoyed each other's company. Most of our group stayed together the whole day so I got to spend some time with students I had been wanting to get to know. We putzed around City Walk afterwards and then drove back to the hotel.

Sunday we went to Saddleback Church in Lake Forest/Mission Viejo area. It would take WAY too long to type out everything I thought about the church, the service, and the people, so ask me sometime. But I will say that I am SO glad we went and that church is doing some amazing things. We all went to Venice Beach for lunch and hang out time. SKETCHY place. My co-worker Steve says Venice makes our town seem normal. =) It was fun to walk around and see everything, but I could see in the college students' eyes that many of them were a little weirded out. (But I think it's good for them to be exposed to it. I mean, that's the real world) Our car ride home was beautiful. We took the 101 home and got to watch the sun set behind the Pacific Ocean. Yeah!

My overall observations on the weekend are all awesome and positive. I really felt like I got to connect with a TON of students. I had some great conversations in the car with girls, which I appreciated. We all bonded and grew closer as a group. I love that this road trip fits in with our mission of wanting to build community this fall. All the students seem to enjoy each other. All these different people with different personalities...clicking. That was cool to watch.

I didn't have to work Monday (yeah!) so I came home Sunday night and slept for probably a good 11 hours. I was wiped. But man oh man, what a great trip.

Road trip

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I get to embark on an adventure of gargantuan proportions!!!!!!!! Yes, yes...myself and my boss Charlie will be taking 25 college students down to Southern California for a road trip. BRING IT.

I have been looking forward to this road trip for a long time. I am looking forward to spending time with the students outside of the four walls where we meet for our Wed. night gatherings. I am excited about long car rides where you talk and eat and play dumb games and get delirious in LA traffic. We'll be staying in a hotel near Disneyland, so I can't wait for the shenanigans that will occur there, as I'm sure there will be many. (Our college guys are way too much fun) I am stoked about the fun times that we'll have at fun places like Universal Studios, Venice Beach, and drum roll...Saddleback Church! (Rick Warren, the Purpose Driven Life guy's church)

Road trip, baby...ROAD TRIP!

Hike time=good time

Yesterday was a fun day. The church I grew up in was at camp for their annual weekend retreat. I had the opportunity to lead a nature hike and it was good times. I had adults and children. Here are some observations:

* I love how you can tell kids something is edible in nature and they eat it without reservation. In fact they'll keep eating it like crazy until you tell them it will give 'em the runs if they don't stop. Adults are another matter. They are much more cautious. They sniff the plant, rub it, lick it a little, look at each other with skeptical eyes, ask repeatedly, "Are you SURE this is edible??", and then finally (slowly) nibble a corner of it, decide they don't like it very much and swig another drink from a cherry Icee their child has given them to hold. I much prefer the child's way of doing things in nature.

* Wasps were having a HAYDAY yesterday. Luckily no one in my group got stung, but dang...every where I looked before and after the hike, I saw kids crying with swelled up lips, arms, and backs. Parents were holding ice against the stings and trying to console them. Poor little guys. Apparently, some kids had accidentally stepped on a wasp's nest or something. One little girl got stung 10 times because a wasp got stuck inside her shirt. Ouch! They're so brave.

* We went down to the creek at one point and I used some rock paint to make a little boy look like a TIGER. He was so excited and starting roaring at us.

* It was a beautiful day! The sun was out, but for most of the hike, we were covered by the shade of the trees so it was perfect. It was so neat to see points where the sunlight snuck into little crannies of the tree branches and shone down on the trail.

At one point, I was holding up some redwood needles and talking about how cool the redwood tree is, when it hit me...do I really live here?! Am I really surrounded by redwood trees? In the middle of my little schpiel (however you spell that), I just had a moment of "Wow-I-love-living-here".

What do you love about where YOU live?

Yea!

My first talk EVER is done. Wow, I have so many thoughts and emotions running through my head right now. How do I put into words what I am feeling?

Ecstatic, thankful, relieved, humbled, exhausted, joyful.

I think my favorite part of the talk was about 1/4 of the way through when it didn't even feel like me talking anymore. The words were just flowing and the Lord was takin' over!! Watch out! =) It was such an amazing experience. I had some great conversations with students afterwards and I was so blessed by that. Thanks, God. It's all for you.

** A special shout-out to my girlz who came last night for support: Jenners, Copey, and Emmy. Love you ladies. **

Ok, I'm off to take a very long nap. Ahhhh.....

"I am not in control"

I grew up going to Sunday school. This picture is a perfect example of what my Sunday school teachers would put up on the felt board as they told the Bible story and I would sit wide-eyed, listening and looking at the image.

This is the story of Jesus calming the storm. It's found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And it is the story I will be speaking on this Wednesday night at college group. My first time speaking EVER. Am I a bit nervous? Yes. Am I excited? Heck YES.

We are in a series called "5 Things I Wish My Parents Had Told Me". Week 1 was "Life is hard." Week 2 was "You are going to die." (Morbid title, I know. But it's basically like, you are going to die, I am going to die, let's live life accordingly. How do you want to be remembered when you are gone? What do you want your legacy to be?) And then there's Week 3 this Wednesday: I am not in control.

So, Jesus and his disciples get on this boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. The water is nice and calm, many of the disciples are trained fishermen and they're comfortable with the water, no prob. They're in control. Jesus is exhausted and takes a nap at the back of the boat. And then...the HUGE storm comes. All of a sudden, they are not in control at all. The wind is going nuts, the water is spilling into the boat, the disciples are afraid they are all going to drown. They cry out to Jesus for help.

I honestly think there is no better topic for me to speak on for my first time. God has been at work in my life this past year (more than any other year) and this is one of the biggest lessons He has shown me. I am not in control. I may try and have control and make my own plans, but I have learned to leave my ideas, will, and plans with Him.

It's so comforting to know I can cry out to God when I'm afraid...and I know He is there and He will calm my storms. I am not in control, but I know who is.

$1 Scoop Night

I like ice cream.

I like when ice cream is only $1 a scoop on Tuesday nights.

I like friends.

I like walking to Baskin Robbins $1 Scoop Night with friends.

I like mint chocolate chip. It's probably the best flavor known to man.

I like laughing with friends and talking about "Chester", the man we think is living in a van on our street.

I like my life.

Laughter at the mission

<< WARNING: the following post contains a swear word. I did not say it, I am merely repeating it. I hope it doesn't offend anyone. >>

Let me give you the background to this story. Last night I took 8 college students to a homeless mission. It is located downtown and every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night it serves food to the homeless community. They have a service in their sanctuary from about 5-6 pm and then food is served after that. A couple weeks ago, we had a "Service Night" at our college group, talking about ways in which we can serve in our area. I had imediately thought of this mission because I took high schoolers there all summer and LOVED it. Sadly, in the summer we only made the food, we never got to serve it. Making and preparing the food is just as important, but I wanted the college students to actually have interaction with the homeless, so this was perfect.

So we arrived at 5:30 and got straight to work, preparing everything to be served. There was a group from a nearby college also there to help, so we had tons of people. The college students were totally into it, so I helped for a bit and then decided to go sit and talk with some folks. So I sat down and had the best/most interesting conversation with a man named Mike.

Mike was probably in his late 50's, early 60's. (He's actually in the top picture, sitting down on the left side of me. He has a long beard and is wearing the plaid red and blue shirt and baseball cap) He was very sweet, polite, smiling, and friendly. We chatted while he finished his meal and then THIS is where things got fun. He pointed to his cap and I noticed it said "Vietnam Veteran" on it, so I asked him if he wanted to share about his time in the war. (My dad was in the Navy during Vietnam, so I am always interested in hearing other people's stories) He started right in and began sharing some adventures.

THEN, he tells me that when he finished fighting in the war in 1968, he was visiting some friends in Texas and he and his friend started smoking weed. "Umm, ok..." I thought (about the sudden change of conversation). And then he turned to me and asked, "And Sarah...guess who came over and started smoking with us?" I had no idea. So he smiled and said, "You'll never guess...Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Janet Reno, Barbara Boxer, and Colin Powell!"

I quickly put my hand over my mouth as if I was surpressing a cough, but I was fighting dearly not to laugh out loud. He was smiling so big and was so proud of his story. "Yup! We all got STONED together!!" You guys, I was dying. And THEN, it got even better! Can it get better? you ask. Oh yes, it can.

So as I was getting myself under control, he then brought up the topic of the world today. He shared that our government IS the terrorists, we should not even have a government, and he doesn't trust anyone to be president who once got stoned with him in Texas after the Vietnam War. And then to cap everything off, he said in a matter-of-fact way, "And besides, soon Jesus is going to come down here and bitch-slap the world."

Oh. My. Word. I don't know about you guys, but when I am shocked by something or don't know how to respond, I always end up laughing. Which is super inappropriate and doesn't help the matter at all. But honestly, I didn't know what else to do! So I started to chortle and tried to choke it away, but to no avail. I began giggling like a fiend in the middle of him still talking. I was so embarassed, but I seriously have no self-control when it comes to laughing. I could NOT believe he just said that! I kept giggling and giggling and he was just staring at me. And then HE started giggling, too. Either he realized what I was laughing about and thought it was funny too or he just laughed at my laugh. Whatever reason, we both sat there giggling like crazy for a good two or three minutes. People were fully turning around and giving us looks. And then after about 5 more minutes of talking, he had to leave so we said goodbye.

Side note: (Please don't be offended...it might have been a "you had to be there" moment, but if you had seen the look on his face and the tone he used, the scene would have struck you as quite hilarious)

As he walked away, I remember thinking, "That was the coolest and weirdest conversation I have ever had. I will never forget Mike as long as I live."

Aren't you all glad I shared this story with you? =)

Smell the autumn

Sometimes I think summer is my favorite season. Other times I think, "Maybe my favorite season is spring?" But no, I have come to realize that autumn is my favorite season of them all. And it is upon us now. I can smell it.

There are so many things I love about autumn. The sunshine with blue skies, the brisk-cold-fresh air, pumpkin patches, the wind blowing in the trees, long walks outside, chilly nights where you want to bundle up and make hot chocolate, pumpkin scones (I am a sucker for them and they have just started making their appearance, which makes me very happpy), the feeling of harvest...but the thing I love MOST about autumn is the leaves.

Ahhh, the autumn leaves. Trees that I have seen with green leaves for 6 months or so are beginning their ritual color-change. Suddenly, I am noticing the bright reds, oranges, browns, and yellows emerging. Bright, vibrant colors just shouting out at us to have a look. Then, the ritual falling from the tree. Just the other day I stopped and watched as the wind blew and hundreds of brightly colored leaves fell gracefully to the ground. The sunlight would catch them as they twirled around each other. Amazing.

Do you remember as a kid, walking home from school and walking on all the leaves you could? There was something deeply satisfying in that CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH sound. I was always bummed if I stepped on a leaf and it was silent. No, no, no, the crunchy ones were the best.

So, needless to say, I am pretty stoked that autumn is here. And to take full advantage of it, I'm off for a bike ride so I can continue to enjoy the sunshine, fresh air, and colorful leaves.

Smell the autumn, my friends. It's a beautiful thing.

Scavenger hunts rock

I have just finished week three of my new job. And praise the Lord, I am loving it. It was a very tough transition for me, but now I feel I am getting the hang of it. I have met almost all the college students (about 30-40) and they are all special in their own unique way. I enjoy spending time with them and getting to know them. We're starting to develop friendships, which is rad.

One of the big things my boss and I are trying to do this fall is build community. We want to have fun in the group and build those relationships. That way, in January when we start small groups and deeper teaching, the students will feel more comfortable listening, sharing, opening up, etc. One of our big community builders was last night: the O-so-fun-Digital-Camera-Scavenger-Hunt.

I did a Scavenger Hunt this past summer with the program staff which was a BLAST! Why are they so fun?! Maybe there's just something about driving around town, making fools of yourselves, and taking pictures that brings forth sheer joy and excitement.

We had four teams last night and I was with a team of all chicks. "We're gonna WIN!!!!" I kept screaming as we would haul up and down Pacific Avenue. I just KNEW we were...I don't know how. I just had this feeling. We all started screaming it as we ran and people sitting at coffeeshops would start screaming it, too. "You're gonna WIN!!!!"

In Anytown USA cities, people would look at us as if we were crazy and/or on drugs watching us do the stuff we did. But not here. We sang "Ring Around the Rosie" in front of a movie theater, while holding hands and circling with a dramatic "FALL DOWN!" and people clapped for us. We ran into a market and screamed at the top of our lungs, "Auntie Em! Auntie Em! There's no place like home!" and as we booked it out of there, the store employees were like, "Right on, sisters..."

We found a busy sidewalk and all sprawled along it, blocking it completely for one whole minute, pretending to be asleep. Rather than be mad at us, passer-byers patiently waited, smiled, and a couple even offered to take our picture for us. We ran through Jack-in-the-Box, making crazy animal noises and laughing hysterically and a homeless couple outside shouted, "I hope you win!" as we all threw ourselves back in the car. We found a restaurant and sat down with a family, acting as though we were part of their family for a full two minutes. After their intial shock of us, they totally got into it and pretended we really WERE their daughters and took a picture with us. (The pictures above are: 1) college student Jessica pumping a stranger's gas and 2) us screaming at the "mummy" we had just made in the ladies' restroom)

I could go on and on about all the fun stories we had last night. Our final task was all 5 of us ran into the ocean and got completely soaked for 1000 points apiece. And because of that grand finale...we indeed did WIN. But even cooler than that, was that through all those amazingly embarrassing things we did...I totally bonded with the other 4 college students in my car. We ended the night hugging each other and acting like we've been BFF's forever. A couple girls were new and had so much fun, they are going to start coming to our college group on Wed. nights.

Is this really my job??

Thank you!!!....and a joke

Ok, I am so thankful for friends and family. I have been asking for prayer for this hard, transitional time I am going through, and I just feel so (beyond) blessed at the outpouring of love and encouragement I have received. Thank you! It makes me realize I have so much to be thankful for. I am doing a lot better and am feeling less anxious and fearful about my job. God is continuing to stretch me, teach me, and bring me closer to Him through it. It's still hard, but I believe things will get easier as time goes on.

This is so random, but I heard this joke the other day and it made me chuckle, so I felt like sharing. Keep in mind this is the kind of joke our parents probably share with their friends when they go out to dinner for a good laugh. But I thought it was cute just the same:

A 60-year old couple is walking down the beach one day and they happen upon a lamp in the sand. "Hmmm...I wonder..." says the husband. He picks it up, rubs the side of it, and sure enough - out comes a genie. "Ok, look," the genie begins before they can say anything, "Yeah, I'm a genie. Yeah, you got me outta the lamp. But I only grant ONE wish per person, so make it good."

The couple is so excited and the husband lets his wife go first. "Well, I've always wanted to travel throughout Europe!" *POOF* At her feet, a box appears filled with first class plane tickets all around Europe and hotel reservations in all the major cities. She is thrilled.

Then, the genie turns and looks at the husband. "And for you?" he asks. The husband smiles real big, rubs his hands together, and says, "I've always wanted a wife who was 30 years younger than me!!"

*POOF* He turned into a 90-year old man.

(*imagine your parents laughing hysterically*)

Mountains and Valleys

There are times in life when you feel on top of the world. A "mountain-top experience", people might say. Life is going great, no worries. I have that feeling a lot and I love it. And then there are times when life gets hard. You go through difficult times. It's more of a "valley" experience. I praise the Lord that the good times WAY outnumber the hard. But right now I am feeling like I'm in a valley.

I could sugar-coat this blog and say that everything is going great...but that's not honest. I always want people to be real with me, so I am choosing to be real with you guys. I am struggling. I have fears and doubts and sometimes I really feel Satan is trying to attack me in my new job.

It is going to get better, this I know. My God is a good God. Every day I focus on a new attribute of God from a list my mentor gave me. It goes alphabetically starting with God is "Able" and will end with God is "Zealous". I'm on the "F"s so far. Today's characteristic of God? "FAITHFUL". And He is. He will see me through this. Walk by faith, Sarah, not by sight. These feelings are only temporary, even though they seem to overpower me sometimes.

If you know me, please pray for me. I will keep you guys updated. I am looking forward to climbing up that mountain once more...

The Carmel Mission

Isn't vacation wonderful? I have enjoyed the last week not working and just resting. One of the fun things I have done during vacation was go to Carmel. What a cute place. If you haven't been yet, please go check it out some day. It's great to putz around Ocean Avenue, window-shop, eat yummy food, and walk down to the beach.

One of the things I wanted to visit when I was there was the Old Carmel Mission. I had heard about how beautiful it was from friends, so I was looking forward to checking it out. I walked around the grounds (gorgeous!), the cemetery (weirded me out a bit), and finally the huge basilica.

I don't know about you guys, but that is always my highlight when I visit a chapel, church, or cathedral. I just like to sit in the pews. Just sit. Listen to the quiet. Glance at all the paintings and/or stained glass windows. Be still. Not talk or move or think. It's very peaceful and my heart is moved every time.

It makes me wish I had a room like that in my house. A separate place to go and sit in the quiet with no distractions. My own little "basilica". Get away from the loudness and busy-ness of life. Just a place to meet with God in quietness and stillness. Wouldn't that be great? They should build houses with that new feature: "New on the market! 3 bedroom, 1 and 1/2 bath, living and dining rooms, big backyard, and your very own 'Sacred Space' room!"

I'd be stoked. =)

Bittersweet

Bittersweet (adj) - Pleasure (happiness) mixed with sadness. -- Webster's Dictionary


I am finding myself using this word a lot. There is a lot of change going on in my life. It's not bad, it's all very good. But this word seems to pop into my brain when I think of how to describe these transitions.

For example, camp ended a week ago. Best summer ever. (I like to speak in extremes) I am so happy that I got to experience this summer at Ponderosa and I loved all the kids and staff I met. But I am sad that those kids and new friends are now gone.

Another roomie just left this week...precious Laura (aka: Lola). Just like when Cara left, I am so flippin' excited for Lola and her new job up in Oregon. She is going to have a blast! But...I miss my friend and roomate.

And lastly, yesterday was my last day as the intern here at camp. On Sept. 7th, I start my new job as the college mininstry associate at my new church. I will miss working here with such amazing people, but I can't WAIT for this new opportunity. I think it is going to be a great job.

Bittersweet feelings.

I think it's good to be sad about what is gone. It shows how much I loved it and how much it meant to me. But then it's good to look ahead at what God has in store for me next. And I'm STOKED! I am all about adventures...so bring it on.

The Klamath River and shooting stars

People experience God in different ways. One of the ways I do that is through His creation. It could be hiking through the redwood trees or bobbing on my board waiting for the next wave. I just got back from a white-water rafting trip down the Klamath River in Nor Cal. Those days were full of fun, laughter, and me praising God for the beauty He has made that we get to enjoy. Here are my highlights from the trip:

- Gotta love 9 hour car rides crammed in a 15 passenger van. Hilarious conversations and MASH ensued.

- the rapids! Woohoo! So much fun. "Dragon's Tooth" and "Rattlensake" were the best. Class III or IV, I believe. And I don't think anyone from our group fell out. Sweet.

-I have never gone rock-jumping before and I did it! It was only 10 or 15 feet, but it was so much fun! TONS of water up the nose, though.

- We hiked to a waterfall on the first day. After jumping over this one rock so we wouldn't get bitten by a rattlensnake that crawled under it (I think I jumped over it and yelled, "I'M GONNA DIE!!!" but I was ok) we made our way to this gorgeous double waterfall. Some people swam up between the two falls but I went around and got pushed down by the strong water. Scary! Luckily, a friend grabbed my arm and pulled me out. I guess you appreciate something a lot more if you have to work hard for it. =)

- We saw a bald eagle chasing an osprey in the air right above our raft. One guide said he thought the osprey had a fish and the eagle was chasing him to snag it. Go, baldie, go!

- I swear, I saw probably close to 136 dragonflies gettin' it ON just on the first day alone. They were EVERYWHERE. They were super colorful and beautiful, but definitely getting some loving. Some couples even had the audacity to land on my leg, as if I would be ok with that. I would quickly blow them off and they'd be on their merry way. Enjoy, little ones.

- The second day, our raft was lucky enough to have Charis, my boss' 3 year old daughter. Which meant we could attack other rafts as much as we wanted during water-fights, but if they tried to retaliate, we'd scream, "No! We have Charis! Don't get us!!" Hahaha *evil laugh* We rock.

- At one point, we all got to jump out of the rafts and ride a rapid ourselves! Feet forward, of course. (Safety first) It was so dang fun. I was lifted up and down in the water like a baby. I felt so ALIVE! =)

- We hiked to a place called "Clear Creek". Clear is RIGHT. The water was this pretty blue and completely see-through. And also completely freezing. So I chilled in the water watching little fish, an orange lobster/crawdad thingy, and friends rock-jump.

And lastly, one of my biggest highlights was on the second night we were there. After dinner, I went off with my dear friend Holly. We lay on the rafts by the river and had a "heart" convo. While we were talking, the sun went down and the stars came out. AMAZING NIGHT!!!! Oh my gosh, you guys. Being away from city lights, it felt like we could see every star in the sky. We even saw the Milky Way. And while we were talking, God gave us a little show: shooting stars. I was just awestruck. They were flying all over the sky. Two good friends having a deep talk, listening to the crickets and frogs, bats flapping above us, seeing a skunk waddle right by us, watching the stars fly and explode into nothingness. It was the most incredible night.

My mind was reminded of a couple verses in Pslams that put into words what I was feeling. So I had to go and look it up. It is in Psalms 19:1-2:

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
The skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
Night after night they display knowledge."

Ok, how cool are those verses?! Go ahead and read them again. The heavens declare the GLORY of God. Man, I experienced God during this trip. Not just on the water (being surrounded by the hills covered with green trees) but at nighttime, when I looked up at His heavens. Thank you, God, for the Klamath River and shooting stars. What a great trip.


Disclaimer: I have NO idea who those people are in the rafting picture...I just snagged it off the internet. =) Ha!

"I'm not strong enough..."

Last night at camp we did something we have not done any other week: we had an outdoor movie night. We sent the campers to their cabins to put on pj's, grab their sleeping bags, pillows, and mattresses, and meet us back on the lawn. We had a huge screen up against our meeting room wall and showed The Incredibles. I was super excited because I don't think I have watched a movie all summer. I was like a kid in a candy store, with my eyes the size of dinner plates and my jaw to the ground. Ooooooo....movie!!!! *drool*

I saw The Incredibles when it came out in theaters, but I have not seen it since. I liked it the first time, but I enjoyed it even more the second time. If you haven't seen it (all five of you), it is about a family of superheroes who have to conceal their powers and try to fit into "normal life". There is a dad (Bob), mom (Helen) and three kids - Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. There was a scene in the movie that totally hit me that I feel like sharing about. Bear with me as I set it up.

So, Bob is in a job he dislikes and misses the old days of being a superhero and saving people. He starts to accept jobs from a secret organization so he can re-live his glory days. I guess you could say he went through a mid-life crisis. He buys a new car, starts working out like crazy, is just basically stoked on life. However, things turn bad and he finds himself in danger by the movie's "bad guy" - Syndrome. (dumbest name EVER for a bad guy, by the way) He is chained up and can't move when he hears that his wife and kids have crashed the plane they came in to save him. He is devastated.

Later, he finds out his family survived and he is beyond relieved. They all fight off bad dudes and finally get off the evil island back to their home. But they are followed by this crazy ball of destruction that is intent on killing them. He and his wife are driving towards it and he gets out of the car and tells them to stay there while he goes to fight it. Helen, the wife, is insistent that she goes with him. This is the part that got me last night.

Bob, the dad (Mr. Incredible), is pleading with her to stay in the car but she still wants to accompany him. He quietly says, "No...I'm not strong enough..." She gets mad and thinks, "What? Is this one more challenge that will prove you are strong enough!?" And he just looks at her and again quietly says, "No, I'm not strong enough...I can't lose you again."

Picture all these junior high campers just sitting, waiting expectantly for the next action sequence to occur, and then there's me, freezing cold and shivering, and totally tearing up. What was my deal?! I'm tearing up over a Pixar movie? But I couldn't help it. His words were so beautiful to me. I couldn't shake off what I was feeling when he said that. It made me think. He realized how much his wife and kids meant to him and he was so sad when he thought they had died. He couldn't bear the thought that his wife could die if she joined him in fighting this machine. He wasn't strong enough to lose her. Ironic, huh. The guy with super-strength wasn't strong enough for that. Because things like that affect the heart. It's beyond physical strength.

Is it wrong for me to want that? To be with someone who will be so in love with me that he never wants to lose me. And is it wrong for me to want to feel that for someone else? To love them so much that the thought of losing them would devastate me.

Maybe this is a topic too deep to take out of a kiddie flick. Maybe this is just me and my hopeless-romantic side coming out. And maybe this is something a little personal to share with anyone who reads this. Sure, maybe. But I can't deny that it DID hit me when I watched it. That was the thought that resonated with me as I left the cold air after the movie and got into my car and pumped up the heater.

"I'm not strong enough..."

Birthdays? Yes, please

Woohoo, today I turn the big 2-8. I am so excited!

28 years on this beautiful earth.
28 years of experiencing joys and sorrows.
28 years to be where I am today.

Thank you, God, for life.