Apples and Peanut Butter

Before writing this, I sliced myself an apple and scooped myself some peanut butter (is that a compound word?), but like every time I go through this process I am always left wondering if I scooped myself enough pb ( I'm avoiding typing it all out now in case it is a compund word) to make it through the apple slices. I always manage to serve myself too little pb, leaving me scraping the pb off the plate with the last slices. What is the perfect ratio really? I guess it's very dependent on the circumstances; size of apple, your craving for pb...the list could go on. It just goes back to this, and really it's applicable to everything, not just apples and pb: what is the balance? Ahhhh.... life. To explain it in terms of a round object dipped in creamy goopy stuff is a fun tangible way to think of it. God is good, isn't he? That he gives us stuff like apples and pb to equate with life? Now that I made you think , probably not, but definitely laugh (don't think I don't know your laughing at me right now, cause I'm laughing at me right now), I'm going to steer this into another direction.

Currently, I am trying to adapt to the cold. I honestly don't think that will ever happen completely for my person, nor do I think I ever want it to; I enjoy the heat too much. Aren't seasons great? Yet again a great example of something tangible to equate with life. Anyhoo, the holiday season has made me stoked to see people I don't see quite often, thankful for those that I do, and cherish people in my life that have loved me well... once again, God is good!
I'm going back to Colorado for Christmas and it will be good; intentional is the word I'm going to deem as the theme to my trip. Set the bar high for myself I am.

Okay so a few recommendations from the meeks:
If you haven't seen Finding Never Land, you should. It's been added to my list of greats which include, Billy Elliot and Smoke Signals.
Music wise, I have been quite hip to jazz music lately so I'm going to say Stan Gehtz Quartet, and I'm also going to stick with Sujfian Stevens - great music!
And my cereal recommendation is Paul Newman's Blueberry Pecan Crunch, for cold, and for a hot bowl of goodness I'm going to stick with the traditional pipping hot bowl of oatmeal with raisins and bananas.

Like all good things this too has come to an end. God speed and good balancing!


Hey Mader - do you remember the pic? SWEET!

Christmas in October

Maybe you expected a differet title, like "The Past 3 Months" or something to that sort, but instead you get this: "Christmas in October". Let me tell you it doesn't matter what time of year it is you can make it like Christmas... all you need is people, food, music (Jesus is for sure there too!). So then you may ask "why?". Welp my roomate is getting ready to go to Africa for the next 3 months and we wanted to make sure she celebrated it sometime this year and let's be honest, like I mentioned before it is a great reason for food, music and people, and add Christmas to the begininning of those words and it makes them 10 times better.
As for myself, I am doing real good. I love what I get to do and where I get to live and the community in which I get to do all of it. I'll write more later, gotta go on the "after Christmas dinner" walk.

People Are Better Than Sites

Random thought: It is a weird thing to come to the point in life where you catch yourself talking about health benefits with your friends...

Every year in Oregon the "Hood to Coast" is ran by hundreds of people. It's an intense 197 mile relay road race, with up to 12 people per relay. It averages out to about 3 legs of 6 miles each, and the majority of the race takes place during the dark hours... unless your real slow and then your time between night and dark are the same. An average team runs it in about 24 to 28 hours. This year the first place team ran it in about 20 hours with a team average of about 5'30" per mile... if that is the average that means there were miles ran faster than that! Crazy!
Witnessing this has been just one of the few things I have gotten to do since my "time of transition" has begun. In all, I will have gotten to go to five states and been blessed by great time with some of my closest friends and my family. The finish of the "Hood to Coast" happened in Seaside, OR and it was an amazing time of refilling and fellowship with two amazing people, Alaina and Brandon. Not to mention the most intense ping pong matches I have ever played.
I am currently in Colorado getting to hang with the fam and see some super rad people. Then I am off to Cour' delaine to visit some more amazing friends.
If there is one thing I have learned about myself (don't worry I'm pretty sure there is plenty more I have learned..maybe that will be my next blog) I definitely don't travel to site see, but to people see. What a blessing it has been to be able to do so.
So if any of you are wondering if I miss California, I do, mainly the people and the produce, but more so the people.
Oh and one last thing to think about... in life I find that there are two kinds of people: winkers (those who wink at others) and winkees (those who receive winks), which one are you? I would love to know. Could one be winkless (one who doesn't give or recieve winks)? and would it be possible to dewink (take a wink back)? This might be a no brainer to some of you, but do blind people wink? Go ahead laugh, but it's a serious question.
Oh and if you really want something to ponder: Do the stars in the universe out number the grains of sand on earth?
Ahh the great mysteries of our lives.... God speed in your thinking... what is the speed of God anyhoo?

14 Days...

and I'm not counting. In 14 days I will have my car packed up, tuned up, and headed up north to Antelope, Oregon. If strawberry season was still in full bloom here I would have a box somewhere amidst my valuables. But since we are now headed into peach season, and other round plump fruits of sorts, maybe I'll take some along for my journey. I wonder how many peaches I could eat in 9 hours? Hmmmm. That would be one messy drive.
I bet you are aking yourself (maybe not), "why in the heck is she going to Antelope, OR?"
Whelp let me explain...
First off I have to admit I didn't really think I would actually move back to Antelope. (I lived there for a year previous to living here). As the end of spring approached and what I thought was the end of my involvment as property staff I found myself still interested and excited to the possibility of a position posted by Wildhorse Canyon. I honestly thought I would be going back to school or living in the city again. There was not a bad decision I could make for the fall. All my options were amazing and I couldn't go wrong. So when one is not faced with right or wrong decisions (that makes up 90 percent of our lives) listening to what God puts on your heart is key. And needless to say God continues to put the ministry of Young Life property on my heart and I couldn't be more excited to live, work, and serve along side more amazing people than those in the canyon.
I have 3 weeks between positions and I'm stoked for the time off. I'm going to Colorado for the majority and then I'm planning to hangout in the Northwest.
So now that you might be caught up on my life I plan on posting some pics of fishing in the San Francisco Bay in a few days. God Speed and safe driving!

The Tradition of the Birthday Donut 

Fireworks go BOOM 

Usually I'm good with coming up with some kind of title, but I'm fresh out on this one. Summer is in full swing here at camp and honestly I can't believe how fast it has gone by. It's a good bad thing. So right now besides watching it rain (we have had a freakishly wet June) I think I have finally made myself sick on strawberries. Two key things when eating lots of strawberries: don't forget to breathe and don't forget to chew. It's great living in a place where strawberry stands are more common than McDonalds.
My nephew came out and visited this past week and it was rad that he came out. He is only 12 and it is always a great reminder of what a great place I get to live and work in.
Movie recommendation of the week: X-MEN
Music reccommendation: Kings of Convenience
Whelp I'm off to go try to find a cure for rainy weather and a headache... I know for sure the solution is not strawberries.

THE SUN HAS ARRIVED!

Isn't this awesome?! 

The New Doo 

I came across...

Have you ever read something that you know you probably could have wrote but someone else thought of it first? I came across this as I was reading last night and it was like someone jumped in my head (someone real good with words) and wrote about my life. So allow me to share...

"The Jesus I know and love today I encountered at the age of seventeen. But His name and His tug in my life mean infinitely more now than they did when I first surrendered my life to Him. I came to Him because I did not know which way to turn. I have remained with Him because there is no other way to turn. I came to Him longing for something I did not have. I remain with Him because I have something I will not trade. I came to Him as a stranger. I remain with Him in the most intimate of friendships. I came to Him unsure about the future. I remain with Him certain about my destiny." - Ravi Zacharias

It was at the age of 17 that my life changed forever and it was just (for lack of a better word) really cool to come across this and read these words that my thought had not yet formulated into words.

Too many strawberries

Is it possible to eat to many strawberries? It is strawberry season and I am loving it! I have never experienced such a great season, fruit wise. Another great season that coincides with strawberry season is cherry season! I might turn into either a strawberry or a cherry by the end of June... or maybe I'll just turn red. That's not too hard for me.
Besides eating a mass quantity of fruit, today was the first day in a week that it hasn't rained. Tomorrow I will get to perfect my lawn mowing skills once again... game on!
I have a recommendation for movies: Hotel Rwanda, but don't watch it before you go to bed; it's intense. And Master of Disguise with Dana Carvey, it's funny.
The tunes I have playing in my cd player are: Sujfian Stevens (I am diggin this guy) and Iron and Wine. If you have time check 'em out!
Other than fruit, movies, and music, God is good and is teaching me patience. I love how lessons from God are always life long. It makes it part of the adventure. Until next time... I need a haricut and God Speed and good fruit!

Friends and Sushi.. Friends who make sushi..what can be better? 

Alaina's Birthday...Seaside, OR 

Why...hello! 

I Don't Know Punctuation or How to Spell

Sorry for anyone whoever reads these and is annoyed by the very common misused punctuation and for my lack of spelling skills.
Just to let you know, it's raining.

The Unknown

Okay so I decided to hop on a rocketship and join the blogger universe. It seems like an easy way to keep others included in my life and perhaps even drop a few pictures in what I am up to these days.
I am ready for summer to roll in and for warmth and sun to fill the days. The rain is... well let me just say it is more than the average 8 inches a year Colorado gets. It's more like 100... no I did not miss type; it is 1oo inches, on average, per year! For us native Coloradans it is a sick joke... really for anyone. The good thing about the rain is it has improved my painting skills (you can't do much landscaping, however wearing a rainsuite is really, for lack of a better word, cool). Okay maybe I'm being a bit sarcastic when I say a good thing. I would prefer not to use the words "painting" and "I" in the same sentence ever again or atleast if it involves painting a house; in particular bathrooms.
I have decided to leave Woodleaf at the end of summer in hopes to become a professional surfer. Just kidding. I only wish. Honestly though, I don't know. It leaves me with an anxious, excited, nervous feeling. So if any of you have any divine inspirations let me know, preferably by August 15, 2005. I need time to buy an airplane ticket if that's what the inspiration may be. Let me just give you a run down of the things that the fall could hold: seminary, traveling to Spain or some spanish speaking country, visiting Colorado for more that 4 days, going to Tennessee...the list goes on as far as where I would like to travel. I for sure know that I'm going to watch season 4 of 24 with Laura, but that will only take a few days. The world is my oyster! Actually I don't like oysters so I'm going to change the phrase to: THE WORLD IS MY MANGO! They taste much better... at least I think so and since this is my blog I get to decide what my world is.