Halloween's a comin'

In three short days, Halloween will be upon us. As I've been putting together a costume, it got me thinking back to the Halloweens of years past. We've all had many different costumes, haven't we? Is there one that stands out to you? Your favorite? Or most memorable?




When I was 10 years old, I decided I wanted to MAKE my costume that year instead of buying one. Well, actually it ended up being my dad who made it, but you get the gist. We brainstormed on all sorts of ideas until we came up with the perfect idea.

A box of popcorn.

I don't know WHERE the idea came from. I think we were trying to think of something original and unique. Something that no one else would be. And so the project began! My dad found a long, thin cardboard box which we (he) cut holes in for my head and arms and then painted red with blue stripes. We (he) then drew pictures of popcorn and wrote "POPCORN" in big yellow letters at the top. I wore a long-sleeved white shirt, white tights, and sneakers. And then as the finishing touch, my mom found some felt which we made to cover my head and then crumpled up white paper and hot-glued the top of the box and my head. Tah-dah! A box of popcorn. My finest Halloween moment.



How about YOU? What is your favorite (or most memorable) Halloween costume? Describe it in detail so I can really picture it. =)

boring

Sorry I haven't been blogging very much. I feel like life is pretty much the same. Kinda boring. I am dealing with a couple of things (professionally and personally) that I probably won't blog about (gotta keep some stuff for just me, right? =))

So instead of rambling about nothing, I will share a quick video. This is from last night. After college group, a group of students hung out till pretty late. And when it gets late, they tend to get loopy. They found out that "Big Rob" is pretty ticklish. And he has a funny laugh when tickled. Enjoy.

Rob's laugh

more October

* It has officially been 3 weeks since I got my braces! I am actually very surprised (and happy) that they have not been a huge issue. It hasn't hurt (except for the first two days) and I haven't needed to use wax once. And already my bottom teeth are straightening out. Go team! There might be more issues once I get my top ones put on (and rubberbands!) in December, for now I'm doing fine.

* I spoke last week at the college group on "Dealing With Life's Tragedies". I felt that I sucked. Big time. I dislike that feeling afterwards. This is definitely an area I am weakest in my job and it is also an area I want to grow in. *sigh*

* One of my roomates just left to go to Ecuador for 5 weeks to do nursing. Go Annie! We love you and miss you already! We expect you to come home fluent in Spanish, so no pressure.

* I helped at a golf fundraiser last Friday to raise money for our intern program. My job was to help with registration, do organizational stuff, zoom around on golf carts (my friend Jenn and I got yelled at by the staff for dive bombing down a hill with the golf cart. Totally worth it.) delivering water and giving "golf claps" to the men playing, and then talk to them at dinner about our intern program and what we do.

* I watched "Waiting For Guffman" the other night for the first time. LOVED it. It is probably my favorite Christopher Guest movie after Spinal Tap.

* The parents and younger sis Emily were in town this weekend at a nearby Christian camp. So good to see them! Had the opportunity to lead a couple nature hikes for people at the camp on Saturday. Man, it's so refreshing to be out in God's creation. Especially with such nice weather. Crisp autumn air, sunshine, trees everywhere, we even saw a banana slug!

* Found a new favorite YouTube video. It's a clip from Mad TV (which I don't watch, but someone showed the clip to me). My friend Amy is going to dress up as Bon Qui Qui for Halloween.

* My hip hop class has introduced me to fun music (I probably wouldn't normally listen to). The songs we dance to pump me up and then when I get home, I jump on iTunes to see if I can find them. Favorites right now: Cassie ("Me & U"), Kardinal Offishal ("Dangerous"), Craig David ("Walking Away"), Ashtar Command ("Blister of the Spotlight"), Timbaland ("The Way I Are"), etc. And by the way, do you all know that David Cook has his first single out!?!?! Go get it, friends! It's called "Light On".

* T-minus 4 weeks till my nephew is born!!

a letter to two men

Dear Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama,

Election Day is only two and a half short weeks away. One of you will be chosen by this country as our next president. And I have to be honest with you...I am bummed. I don't know if it's just me (or if it's my generation), but I am not a fan of politics. I feel like I have become disillusioned and cynical. I have seen and heard politicians make claims and then not follow through and it makes me lose faith in the the whole political system. I go into election time hoping that maybe this time things will be different (it's naive, I know). Maybe this time the candidates will be courteous, kind, and have the country and its people as their top priority. But sadly, I get blinded with name-calling, pointed fingers, and attacks on opponents. You two seriously make me not want to watch TV. (I don't care for your ads)

As long as I'm being honest here, I am going to admit that I am not super stoked on either one of you. That makes me sad. However, I love living in a country where we have the freedom to express opinions and vote, so on November 4th I WILL be voting for one of you. Just please understand that this citizen is weary and wary.

Sincerely, Sarah

NYWC

I'm back from the National Youth Workers Convention in Sacramento. Boo-yah. I am a bit on over-load from all the people, seminars, and general sessions. But it was good and I came home feeling encouraged. Here are the seminars I went to:

* Speaking Techniques (basically how to become a better speaker)
* Building Bridges with Gay and Lesbian Youth
* Youth Culture
I wanted to go to this one, but will have to get the MP3:
* A New Kind of Apologetics: The Emerging Questions of Todays Students

In the general sessions (where all 2,500 youth workers would gather in a big auditorium), here were some of the worship and speakers we had: Sherwood Carthen ("Amen by myself"), Phyllis Tickle (75 year old sassy woman! Loved her! And best name ever), Mike Pilavachi, Mark Yaconelli, Lincoln Brewster, Mercy Me, Starfield, Shane and Shane, and these funny skit guys called um..."The Skit Guys".

We were there from Thursday till yesterday. I came home sooo tired from the conference but feeling supported and equipped in what we're doing. That's always a good thing.

Today I am working from home. I woke up pretty tired and out-of-it. I went downstairs to start some laundry and it wasn't until it came time to put in a new load that I realized I had washed the first load...with no soap. So my clothes got wet, but not clean. =) Anyways, I've been doing laundry, cleaning my room, cleaning our kitchen and hallway floors, unpacking, and organizing. I still need to go to the bank, post office, and grocery store, clean my car, and work on my talk for Wed. night. Whew. It's nice to not be at work today and recover a bit from the convention.

Peace.

October continues

Hi friends.

I'm home and recovered from the road trip. It was fab. We drove down Friday, went to Knotts on Saturday (hardly anyone was there - we were literally walking onto rides!), and LOVED Mosaic church on Sunday before we drove home. I feel like I got to know the students better and even had some deep theological conversations with a couple of them in the car. I was sooo tired when we got back (I always am) but it is so dang worth it.

Tonight at college group we had a "Fun Night" where we played the game "Bigger or Better". Have you ever played? Oh my goodness, it is so much fun. Everyone got in teams of 4 and started with a paper clip. You are supposed to go door to door and ask for something bigger or better than the paper clip. And you keep going for an hour and a half. Whichever team brings back the biggest or best thing....WINS.

When I came back into the parking lot at the end of the game, my heart stopped. I saw a fire truck by the house where we meet. A fire truck! I freaked out. "Oh my gosh! Did the house catch on fire?! Is everyone ok?!?!" I ran out of the car and started asking what happened. The students were cracking up. "Sarah, that is what one team brought!" What.The.Crap.

Yes, one of the teams went to a fire station and convinced the men to drive their truck to our church. And in turn, give me a mini heart attack. Once I calmed down, I did admit that was pretty sweet. They didn't win because the rules stated you could only go to homes, but it will be something we'll all remember. The winning team came back with a computer monitor, a TV, and a table with 4 chairs.

Tomorrow I leave for the Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Convention in Sacramento. I have been looking forward to this for a long time. The high school and college staff are going so it will be fun to get away with everyone and hear some great speakers.

And so October continues...

Fall Road Trip

Things have been so crazy lately. September flew by and it's already October. What? And this month is super busy, too so I'm sure it will fly by as well.

Tomorrow I take off with some college students for our annual road trip down to Southern California for the weekend. Three years ago we went to Universal Studios. Two years ago we hit Disneyland. Last year was Six Flags Magic Mountain. And this year we will be going to Knotts Berry Farm. What I'm looking forward to:

* getting to know our students better
* rollercoasters
* visiting Mosaic church in Pasadena on Sunday
* car ride madness
* In N Out

Have a great weekend, everyone!