Marisa's Fresh Canvas

Long Overdue Update

2007-10-02T13:20:00.001-07:00

Sorry! This was a CRAZY summer....here are some pictures that will serve as an update. :)

Took a trip to Santa Barbara with Jami and Patric...got to have some fun with my camera. One of my favorite shots is below, from a Rose Garden across the street from the Misssion: In the Beginning of August, I went to Illinois to attend my AmeriCorps Teammates wedding (in Charleston). Five of us were reunited after over a year apart! Joy, Alena, Deanne, and Adam (and me) are below:

Riverside Young Life took 40 kids and Leaders to camp at Woodleaf this August...up quite a bit from the 7 of us that went the previous year! :) Here's a shot of us after the messy games:
And all cleaned up:

After getting back from Camp, I went up to Portland to visit my Best Friend, Cassi (and Sean, her husband). We really like taking pictures in the car:

It was their first anniversary, the day I arrived.

They let me crash the party and we all went out to dinner.

The last night I was there, we rode on the Portland Aerial Tram, for Marques.

Check out this $58 million dollar view (yeah, that's how much it cost to make this crazy thing).

We had a cousin gathering at the beach at the end of August, Mike and Annie and the boys were down from San Jose...

Dylan:

Jacob and Devin, Jumping Waves:

That's it for now...got to get back to work. I'll post some more really soon. I promise!

Left on a Jet Plane

2007-07-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

Marques left for Kazakhstan on July 5. :( He will be there until August 29 working at a clinic and helping out wiht Young Life in Almaty. So proud of him! He's a boy so, he packs light taking only two backpacks and his guitar--for almost 8 weeks! Crazy!

If you want to know more about Kazakhstan, check out this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazakhstan

It's a pretty interesting little country. :)

Pics from Easter...

2007-05-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

... a little late. :) But I thought they were worth sharing.

Hike up Mt. Rubbidoux with Saundra during a Young Life event. :)
Kacey...could she BE any cuter?
Arrianna
Dylan...the next GQ cover model...in about 20 years.

Brother and sister love.

Italy!

2007-05-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the delay, but here are a select few of the 980 pictures I took during our two week trip. It's Italy, how can you NOT take that many pictures! :)

Starting with the best one: Papa Bene! Yep, we were really that close!The Stocks in the Collesium. It was slightly mind-boggling being in a place with so much history.

Taken in St. Peter's after we sang at Mass. The orange image above our heads is a stained glass of the Holy Spirit which is above the altar (we are at the entrance and the glass is on the back wall of St. Peters, just to give perspective). Our Concert with the Vatican Orchestra! Can you find my parents and me?

On our way to Florence...Bus "b" had some fun dancing for Bus "a." Just remember, B stands for BEST!With Miky on the Ponte Vechio in Florence. Florence was AMAZING!!!

Mom and Dad and FLORENCE...you can make out the Duomo just above Dad's shoulder. There's a 12 second delay when you sing there. But the choir still sounded amazing. San Gimigiano...the "Medieval Manhattan." My favorite place we visited.

I can't wait to go back!I fell in love with windows and balconies. Here's one from Sienna.
Saint Marks in Venice. You can really tell that Venice is sinking when you go in this church, the floor is buckling. Crazy! We sang a song here for Mass, Sicut Cervus, that was written by the music director about 500 years ago. Pretty awesome.

Chilling with one of the lions in St. Marks Square. :) We keep in touch.

The birds are CRAZY! They zoom right past your head!

At the Winery where we had our farewell lunch, with Eva our tour guide.

Just walked around the corner and there they were, up in a tree.

I didn't know they did that! :)
Um, Miky...pretty sure you're too big!

It was an incredible trip. Next time you see me in person, I'll show you more, just ask!

Catching Up...

2007-04-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

Pictures from top to bottom.

1. Miky, Mom and I at the Young Life Auction and Drawing which consumed my life for 5 months! :) It was a great event!
2. Kids and Leaders at our first All City Club in February. We did an up front skit play on the price is right. It was a big hit. The kids wore the shirts for the rest of the night!
3. All City Club from this past Friday--we took the kids to play broomball (on an ice rink, with plastic sticks and a ball...lots of fun and slightly dangerous).
4. My "minnie"...my car after the accident. Sad times.
5. My NEW CAR!!! Ladyhawk. I love my new car!!!
6. Miky, Mom and I at Belvedere Castle in Central Park--loving the view!
7. Miky, Uncle Jeff, Daddy and I on top of Rockefeller Plaza Tower--such an amazing view, that's central park behind us!
8. Magnolia Bakery. YUM. Yup, we waited in line for a cup cake. Seriously. And trust me, it was WORTH IT!
9. The cousins at Kitana's 3rd Birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. Fun times.
10. Nana, Ashleigh, Tuesday Kristy and I...haven't seen Ashleigh in a LONG time! She's all grown up!

I promise I'll try and be more on top of the updates! :) I know this is a lot!

32 things YOU can do with beer...

2007-03-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

Had to share this...HILARIOUS! and informative...

personal update to come...topics to include: 2007 Auction and Drawing, NYC, Car Accident and my NEW CAR!!!

32 Things You Can Do With Beer

By Joe Kita, Men's Health

Beer is so good that you should be able to do more with it than just drink it then flush it away. I'm bathing in it now, submerged in the sweet smell of Original Badebier Neuzeller Kloster-Brau, a German brew of 16th-century origin that costs $77 per 3-liter bottle. It's blacker than motor oil (and only slightly less viscous), but it's uncommonly delicious. In fact, after I had uncorked the bottle and sampled it, it seemed criminal to pour it into a tub of hot bathwater. This stuff is for my insides, not my outsides.
But when I punch on the Jacuzzi jets, my beer bath foams into an impressive head. Had I known about this possibility before, I would be the cleanest man in North America. After 20 minutes of soaking, I step out, heeding the brewer's advice to towel off without rinsing. I expect my skin to be tacky and tart-smelling, like a fraternity floor the morning after homecoming. But my wife buries her face in my chest and says I smell like fresh bread. The yeast — left in to soothe the skin — had made mine smooth and luxurious.
If Badebier weren't so expensive and difficult to obtain (international money orders or cash only to Neuzelle, Germany), I could become a bubble-bath addict.
The experience started me thinking about other possible uses for my favorite beverage. What if beer were like WD-40 — an indispensable product with hundreds of household uses? The next time your bride complains about all the room it's taking up in the fridge, you could argue that it's not just beer, it's lawn fertilizer, a necessary kitchen-safety tool, and an integral part of a chess set.
And, of course, research shows that, in moderation, drinking beer has significant health benefits. It's time, gentlemen, to make beer an even bigger part of our world. Here are 32 new reasons to love it.
1. BATHE IN IT Instead of sipping a beer, try soaking in it. Pour a bottle of German Badebier in the tub and lie back for a real bubble bath.
2. PUT OUT A FIRE Although certainly not as effective as a real fire extinguisher, a can or bottle of beer can mimic one if none is available. Simply shake and spritz. After all, beer is mostly water. This works on small grill flare-ups, and some people have been known to carry an emergency can in their car in case of engine fire. Or at least that's what they tell the state troopers.
3. MARINATE MEAT Beer is slightly acidic — and that makes it an excellent meat tenderizer, says Linda Omichinski, R.D., a nutritionist. This allows you to enjoy leaner cuts that otherwise might be too tough. Beer also won't alter the meat's flavor as much as wine- and vinegar-based marinades do. Poke a few holes in the meat, put it in a Tupperware container (we know you have them) or a large resealable bag, and add beer. (English ale is great for beef.) Marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or, better yet, overnight. Do not drink the marinade.
4. POLISH POTS In days of yore, the last bit of beer from spent kegs was collected and used to polish the copper vats in breweries. Greg Smith, general manager of the Idaho Brewing Company, is keeping the tradition alive by using beer to put a shine on the copper-top tables in his Idaho Falls establishment. "Because of its acidity," he explains, "you can just pour some on, let it sit for a while, then wipe it off. It also works well on Revere Ware pots."
5. MAKE BEER BARBECUE SAUCE Ingredients:
1 medium Spanish onion, diced1 medium banana pepper, diced3 cloves garlic, minced2 Tbsp capers5 ripe tomatoes, diced1 small can tomato paste1/3 c each wine vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar2 Tbsp each Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, honey, Dijon mustard, horseradish, oregano2 Tbsp fresh ground pepper1 tsp cuminDash of ground clove12 ounces amber ale or porter
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and boil for 10 minutes. Lower heat and simmer about 4 hours until thickened. Cool and refrigerate for 24 hours so the flavors can meld. Then baste everything but the dog with it.
6. SHAMPOO HAIR Not only is beer the remedy for a dull party, it's also the cure for dull hair. Dump a cup into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Let it reduce until there's 1/4 cup left. This removes the alcohol, which can dry hair. Let the beer cool, then mix it with a cup of your favorite shampoo. Pour it into an empty shampoo bottle, then wash and rinse as usual. It'll give your hair more shine and luster.
If you don't like to cook, the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Lewes, Delaware, sells 10-ounce Beer Shampoo bars (made with its pale ale) that'll put a nice head on your head. The brewery also makes Beer Soap from its chicory stout. Each bar costs $6 (plus shipping) and can be ordered at www.dogfish.com or (888) 836-4347.
7. LOOSEN RUSTY BOLTS Pour some beer on them and wait a few minutes. The carbonation may help break up the rust.
8. CLEAR UP BROWN SPOTS IN YOUR LAWN According to Andrew Lopez, a professional gardener, the fermented sugars in beer stimulate plant growth and kill fungi. He recommends spraying either home brew or Rolling Rock (both are chemical-free) on those annoying brown spots in your lawn. (Either that, or just stop peeing there.) "The grass will absorb the sugar in the beer and draw energy from it," Lopez explains.
9. STEAM CLAMS OR MUSSELS Fill a large steamer pot with equal parts water and beer, then bring to a boil. Steam the randy little mollusks until their shells open. Couldn't be simpler. The beer imparts a nice flavor.
10. PASS A KIDNEY STONE As you've undoubtedly noticed, beer is a diuretic. It helps flush the kidneys and bladder. This can be beneficial if you're suffering from a bladder infection or kidney stone. "You can drink water or cranberry juice," explains Dr. Alexander, "but beer also works. It helps dilate the ureters [the tubes connecting the kidneys and bladder], which may help you pass a stone quicker and easier. Plus, the alcohol will take the edge off the pain." But don't drink beer if you're taking antibiotics or narcotic pain medications. You'll render the drugs useless and make yourself sick.
11. BOIL SHRIMP Open three 12-ounce bottles of Yuengling Premium or a comparable mild pilsner and pour them into a large soup pot. Wait for the beer to go flat (about 2 hours), then add 1/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning and 2 tsp ground turmeric (to turn the shrimp a rich yellow). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cook for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, rinse 2 pounds of extra-large raw shrimp in cold water and drain. Add them to the pot and stir. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, no more. Quickly remove the shrimp using a large slotted spoon. Serve immediately with cocktail sauce and, you guessed it, more beer. This same recipe makes great lobster, but cook it for 12 to 15 minutes.
12. KILL SLUGS Gather a few empty salsa jars (or similar wide-mouth containers) and fill them a third of the way with cheap beer. Then bury them about 15 feet from your garden, girlfriend, or whatever you're trying to protect. Make sure the rims are almost level with the soil surface. For some reason, slugs love beer. They'll find the traps, drop in, and drown. Do this in the evening, let them party all night, and give them an honorable burial in the morning.
13. FIND DUE NORTH Okay, here's the scenario. A bit far-fetched, we admit, but look who's going to be our next president. Let's say you're hopelessly lost in the wilderness, and all you have is a can of beer, a sewing needle, a small bowl, and a pair of extra-large silk panties. (Because this is a matter of life and death, the camp counselor should give hers up.) First, open the beer, pour some into the bowl, and let it go flat. (Better drink the rest; this may not work.) Next, magnetize the needle by stroking it repeatedly in one direction with the panties. This will generate a charge of static electricity. Then float the needle in the beer. When it stops, it'll be pointing in a north-south direction. Now get outta there!
14. SOOTHE TIRED FEET Pour a couple of cold ones into a bucket and soak your dogs. "Ice-cold beer with lots of carbonation can be soothing for tired feet," says Dr. Alexander. Stop at two; you don't want to start staggering.
15. MAKE A BEER SLIDE Forget volleyball and croquet. At your next party, lay a large vinyl tarp on a slope, then make it slick with lots of beer. Have your friends strip down to their underwear or swim trunks, get a running start, and slide downhill on their butts.
16. LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE John Palmer, a hypertensive home-brewer and engineer in Monrovia, California, puts a handful of dried hops or hops pellets (available at any home-brew store) in a coffeemaker and brews them with hot water. It makes for a bitter tea, but he claims it brings his blood pressure back to normal within 10 minutes by dilating the capillaries. "There may be something to it," says Dr. Alexander. "A person who's intoxicated is usually flushed and sweaty. Some ingredient is dilating the blood vessels, which, in turn, lowers blood pressure." We don't advocate this as a replacement for medication, though.
17. TRICK A CHEAP LANDLORD Live in an apartment where the landlord pays the heat bill and sets the thermostat pretty low? Ice up a can of beer in the freezer, then set it atop the lockbox that encloses the thermostat. The cold from the beer will trick the thermostat into thinking the temperature has dropped so it'll turn the heat on.
18. BAKE BEER BREAD You already know how to put a bun in the oven. Now it's time to go all the way. Here's a healthful, foolproof recipe for high-fiber beer bread from the book Tailoring Your Taste, by nutritionist Omichinski:
Ingredients:
2 3/4 c all-purpose flour2 Tbsp each sugar, baking powder1/4 c ground flaxseed1 tsp each salt, dried basil, dried rosemary, thyme1/2 c unsalted sunflower seeds1 Tbsp cooking oil12 oz beer, at room temperature
Mix all the dry ingredients. Add oil and beer. Stir until dough is just mixed. Put dough in a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 375 F for 45 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove from oven and let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cool some more.
19. CATCH MICE Slugs aren't the only pests with a fatal attraction to beer. According to Neil Herbst, owner of the Alley Kat Brewing Company in Edmonton, Alberta, you can also trap mice with it. He recommends setting out a few small pails or bowls of beer (his competitors', never his own), with a small ramp leading up to the lip. The mice will be attracted by the smell, hop in, drink their fill, then be unable to climb out.
20. TIE A FLY This tip is from the book Curiosities of Ale and Beer, published in 1889: Mix beer, chimney soot, walnut leaves, and a little powdered alum in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then chill. Dipping any natural materials you're using in this solution prior to tying is supposed to make for a tighter, more attractive fly. No promises as to whether it will catch more fish, though.
21. CURE INSOMNIA Greg Smith, author of The Beer Drinker's Bible, says women often show up at his brewery asking to buy not his beer but the hops he uses to brew it. "They sew it into pillows," he explains. "The smell of it is supposed to be a sleep aid, especially for colicky babies. I've never tried it, but we get enough requests that there must be something to it." Hops is a type of flower, though, so be careful if you have allergies.
22. MASSAGE YOURSELF A full can of beer is a great self-massage tool, according to Dori Love-Bentley, a certified massage therapist. For instance, take off your shoes and roll a can underfoot. Or put one in the crook of your back or between your shoulder blades and lean back against a wall, rolling it around as you do so. It works just about anywhere — quads, glutes, neck, calves. "The pressure loosens up muscle tissue," explains Love-Bentley, "and encourages bloodflow to the area."
23. CALM AN UPSET STOMACH Sipping on a highly carbonated beer can settle a stomach just like Seven-Up or Sprite can. Plus, the alcohol helps buffer pain. "I've never seen a true medical study supporting this," says Dr. Alexander, "but I have patients tell me it works. The only time you have to be careful is if you have an ulcer or gastritis. Alcohol can inflame that."
24. BUILD YOUR NEXT HOME Earthship, a house in New Mexico, has walls made of empty beer cans and concrete. Amy Duke, a spokeswoman, explains that instead of using forms for the cement, builders put down alternating layers of mortar and cans. You can do the same to create retaining walls for gardens and other landscaping. Earthship also contains a thermal-mass refrigerator that uses full cans of beer as insulation. The cans line the walls of the unit, helping keep the temperature constant while minimizing energy usage. A ceiling vent allows frigid desert air to flow in during the night. The beer absorbs this cold, but never freezes because of its alcohol content. When the hatch is closed during the day, the beer releases the coolness. The same thing happens when you open one and drink it.
25. COOK RICE Rinse 1 cup jasmine rice in water. Do it twice more, then drain well. Next, dump the rice into a medium-size pot and add 12 ounces of beer. (A nut-brown ale works well.) Bring the mixture to a boil, turn the heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes, then remove from the stove and cool for an additional 10 minutes. The rice won't be lumpy, and it'll have a nuttier flavor — just like you after you eat it.
26. STOP SNORING If your log-sawing is ripping a hole in your marriage, try this simple remedy: Get a pocket T-shirt and a 6-ounce mini-can of beer. Put the can in the pocket and fasten it closed with a safety pin. Just before you go to bed, put the shirt on backward. Research shows that you're more likely to snore when resting on your back. This little setup prevents you from rolling over. Plus, come morning, you won't have to get out of bed for breakfast.
27. BUILD A PLANE No doubt about it, Duane Mathis is just plane nuts. A pilot and aircraft aficionado, he started building model airplanes out of beer cans about 10 years ago. Now, at his Web site(www.bcairoriginals.com), he sells the plans for eight categories of beer-can planes, including vintage tri-wings, helicopters, Warhawks, and ones that actually fly. Brings new meaning to the term "getting buzzed."
28. ROAST CHICKEN To make "Swampman Dan's Drunken Chicken," buy a few medium-size whole birds and a six-pack of beer. Drink half a can of beer, cut off the top third of the can, and add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tbsp liquid crab boil, and 1 tsp creole seasoning.
Then shove the can into the chicken and place it in a secure, standing position on the grill. As the brew boils, it'll intoxicate the bird with flavor. Takes about 1 hour.
Compliments of Swamp Cookin' with the River People
29. ICE A HAMSTRING Frozen or very cold cans of beer make great ice packs. Hold one against whatever is ailing you — a sore muscle, a sunburned neck, a pounding headache. With an Ace bandage, you can even wrap a frosty 16-ouncer against the back of your thigh. Or use a sweatband to strap a can near your elbow after a tennis match. "A metal can will transmit the cold very rapidly," says Larry L. Alexander, M.D., medical director of Central Florida Regional Hospital's emergency department. Just make sure to put some thin fabric between the skin and the beer can to avoid frostbite.
30. BUILD DELIGHTFUL PATIO FURNITURE To start, you'll need:
About 65 assorted beer caps1-foot square piece of 1/4-inch plywoodFour, 1-to1 1/2-inch-square, 18-inch postsFour 12x2-inch strips of latticeFour, 3-inch dry-wall screwsSome tacking nailsA tube of tub-and-tile adhesive
Simply screw the plywood to the posts, brace them with lattice as shown, and glue the caps to the top in whatever creative arrangement you like. Warning: Don't leave the finished table out in the rain, because the caps will rust.
31. TAME A WILD HAIR A few drops of beer is sticky enough to subdue any sudden uprising on your eyebrow or scalp that you spot in a barroom mirror. Just wet your index finger and demurely slick it down. Think of it as Miller mousse.
32. SCALE FISH Nail or glue three or four beer caps to a sturdy piece of wood that's roughly 6 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 1/2 inch thick. Keep the caps in a line and make sure the serrated edges are facing out. Then attack those fish.

Last update from CO

2007-01-25T17:09:00.000-08:00

My time at New Staff is quickly coming to a close. I can’t express enough how much I am looking forward to 1. warm weather, 2. cell phone reception and 3. In and Out.
Seriously.
I’ve had some great experiences here: sledding, hiking, 80’s music video making, and of course, I’ve been taught by some of the top people in the field (two Fuller Seminary Professors and Young Life staff who have so much wisdom and experience to share). It’s been a long two weeks, sometimes I’ve felt like I’ve been here forever, some days it feels like an hour. The beauty of this place still takes my breath away. Being in the valley where I first truly fell in love with Christ has been incredible and I’m so grateful for this experience. I came to New Staff feeling pretty lonely and a bit burnt out. I’m leaving with a community behind me, and a renewed enthusiasm for my job and calling. What a great two weeks. :)
Those of you close to my home... I can't wait to see you.
Those of you far away. I can't wait to talk to you! :)

grace and peace

Colorado Update number 2

2007-01-20T19:04:00.000-08:00

We are THE 80's girl band, undiscovered. ... And we are material girls. Getting ready for the sledding adventure of a lifetime....not a Young LIfe event, btw. :) It was so cold and my legs are still hurting. Not lying.
Who wants to go in the pool when it's 12 degrees outside? WE DO!!! And it was great, just great! :)

View from the pool. Yes, there is that much snow on the ground. So crazy. You know it's cold when the foot of snow on the ground is not melting or getting hard...

Things are going great here. Just a bit chilly, but we got hooked up with a space heater for our room. We know the people that can make things happen. It's Saturday and I'm a little ready to go home. But I'm trying to just soak in this time away from my crazy boss.

New Staff Training...

2007-01-19T12:31:00.000-08:00

Some pictures! More to come soon, hopefully! :)
At the Denver airport: Do you understand why I had no idea we were landing until 20 feet up? :) Crazy!
On my birthday. Cassi thought it would be funny to send me over the hill stuff...HA! Not so funny (especially to all my readers who actually ARE over the hill...) Beautiful Colorado. This is from the lookout right by the Club Room, which has become our classroom. It doesn't get much prettier, or colder, than this right here.
Chelsea and I...it's so bright outside because of the snow reflecting the sun, we becamed shadowed. :) Oh well...it's still a good picture. By the way, under that jacket is like another 4 layers. Not even joking.

So, more to come, but at least you can picture where I am and see how much freakin' snow there is here. Ridiculous! But, kinda pretty.

Grace and Peace.

Colorado Update...the coldest place ever.

2007-01-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my third day at new staff and i've got to say i'm freezing my butt off! It snowed Friday night (on our 4 1/2 our drive from the airport to Frontier Ranch), and snowed last night and today. CRAZY. There is SO MUCH snow, it's ridiculous. Funny story, when we were landing, I didn't even realize we were about 20 feet from the groud, because the sky was white and the ground was white. 20 feet up, I saw a bush and then we hit ground. SO CRAZY. The fool sitting next to me what a chatty cathy (is there a term for that for men?) and he kept telling me all about how cold I was going to be and on and on...the usual, i have a book open on my lap and I'm looking at the book, not making eye contact, did not even faze him.
So far, we've been learning a lot about fundraising which has been so crazy because it's my biggest hangup in terms of this minsitry that God has called me to. I have to be honest. God has been breaking me big time about this and i've been wiping the tears away like non-other.
I wasn't all that excited about coming here--not gonna lie and pretend like I was thrilled about it. But just in the past three days, God has been showing me again and again, why I love this ministry and why He has called me to it.
Tonight we start our first class from 7:30-10 PM. No joke. Should be interesting, but I couldn't honestly tell you what it's going to be about. The schedule just says "First Class." For a person who likes to know what's going on at all times, this is a huge stretch for me.

I'm off to Colorado!

2007-01-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

I leave tomorrow to begin the adventure that is New Staff Training for Young Life. I'll be flying to Denver, Colorado (hopefully it won't be SNOWING!) and then I journey down to Frontier Ranch in b-e-a-utiful Buena Vista, the heart of the Rockies. Frontier is built on the side of 14,197 foot Mt. Princeton...which means it's going to be COLD! I will be celebrating my 25th birthday there (on Monday) which should prove interesting. Last year, I was in Florida--quite the difference in climate and surroundings. Last year: Beach with all the Ameri-Homies. This year: Mountains with a bunch of crazy Young Life peeps. Hopefully next year I'll be home! :)

Prayer request: safe travels, good weather and that I don't get sick! I've been staying up late for the past week trying to get all my work done (the require a bunch of pre-event assignments) and stay on top of work here in R-side.

A couple of fun pictures from the past week:

Saundra and I like making faces...it keeps us out of trouble!
That Saundra and Marisa, they are so hot right now.

Gramps, Dad and Miky (gotta love Miky's helmet)For my Dad's birthday, we went on a ride up the coast: Miky on "his" bike, Dad and Gramps on the Harley. And Mom and I? In the 'stang. :) My Gramps is 79 years old and had never ridden on a motorcycle until this trip. This was his second ride with my Dad. Rock on Grandpa!

Inspiring

2007-01-09T01:45:00.000-08:00

In honor of my amazing family members and all those we have SURVIVED. In gratitude for those who spend their life researching for a cure! In memory of those who have passed on.

Women of the World!

2007-01-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

So, I leave for Colorado this Friday and it's cold there...and there is snow. Not something that I am very used to, on either account. So, I embarked on a journey yesterday...to find some boots to keep my feet warm and dry during my two weeks there. :)

I went to 8 stores, that's right, 8 looking...and I found a whole lot of nothing!

They my brilliant mom reminded me that I should ask my brother, since he works at Sport Chalet.

Duh, Marisa.

So, I called him up and he informed me that I was looking for an "After Ski Boot"... but they were wiped out at his store in Irvine. Luckily, we have a sport chalet here in R-side! :)
This morning I made my way over there and sure enough they had some boots.

BUT!

All the boots for women that were waterproof and would do me any good were like $100. Not exactly my price range! Then, the nice guy that was helping me said that I could try a kids 7 because it's comprable to a woman's 9.

And you know what, THEY FIT!!! :) I prompty informed him that he had just opened up a whole new world for me. The kids boots were $40 and I got my brothers 25% discount...that's what I'm talking about.

Women! If you have the option...take your shoe size and minus 2 and that's your kids shoe size. They go up to size 7. :)

Christmas Pictures

2007-01-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

So, I tried posting these earlier, but there were some issues... so here they are now!

Making Christmas cookies with my Grandpa...out family is part elf.

See...Santa comes to visit us on his Christmas Eve run...That's my cousin Amber, she's 13. Honestly.

Traditional Christmas Eve outing to the beach with my brother. It's not Christmas in Southern California unless you go to the beach.

The fam Christmas morning.

2006 ... Year in Review. CRAZY!

2006-12-31T21:18:00.000-08:00

Another year has come to an end...it's been a busy one! Some reflections on what I've been up to and where I've been this past year:

January: Brought in the new year celebrating my Dad's 50th birthday with friends and family. Returned to Charleston, South Carolina for another 6 months of AmeriCorps! :) We journeyed to Fort Myers, Florida to work with Habitat for Humanity. I celebrated my 24th birthday there...spending time at the beach and an Italian restaurant where there was 9 other people celebrating their birthday's too!

Dad's Birthday Present...a Harley. :)

February: I was in Biloxi, Mississippi working with the Lutheran Episcopal Disaster Response. I worked as a case worker helping people who had lost so much because of Hurricane Katrina (there was a 30 ft storm surge that completely wiped out everything about a mile inland). I lived in a big circus tent with 35 bunk beds and pallet flooring. Also, I shared a bathroom (10 port-a-johns and 10 portable showers) with about 300 people). I visited New Orleans for the first time, celebrating Mardi Gras with my teammates and other NCCC corps members. Bourbon Street can be fun. I also lost my very amazing and wonderful Grandmother, Rosemary Ann Stock. She lives on in all our hearts.

My Grandma kicked butt! How many grandmothers do you know that will shoot hand guns with their grandkids off her sons porch? So much fun! She was amazing.

March: Off to Louisiana. Construction work with the United Way. I never thought I would come to love a group of people so much, but Cajuns rock! Food, music, Cook-Offs, small towns...they are AWESOME!!! Lived on an "experimental" farm with cows on three out of four sides. I don't think I've read that many books in that short a time since college. Awesome.

April: A visit to Grandpa on our way back to Charleston via Gulf Breeze. Good times. Spring Break in Charleston...the worst sunburn of my life (all Theresa's fault). A Week long project as a trail crew working on the Palmetto Trail. 8 days. No showers. Abandoned warehouse. sleeping bags. SWAMP! Stuck in the mud...red clay mud!

Hacking a dead tree that was in the path of our hand rails...about 30 feet from the swamp floor.

May: Easter Seals, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. An amazing project working with incredible people. The stories from this project are seriously endless. A major highlight was going to the Grand Ole Opry. I'm such a country fan and this was a huge event for me. I saw two of my favorite singers live: Travis Tritt (It's a Great Day to be Alive) and Martina McBride. The show was a tribute to Ray Charles. Ah-mazing. :)Living conditions? A camp on a peninsula in the middle of God's beautiful creation.

The team at Chili's...our last night out at Easter Seals.

June: The end of our project in Mt. Juliet and the end of AmeriCorps. Saying goodbye to my team and other corps members that I met was difficult--emotionally and physically. Physically? Oh yeah, that's because my knee got caught between two vans when we were parallel parking the 15P in downtown Chucktown for Trivia night. Major bummer! My amazing mother and brother flew out for graduation and to help me get my "booty" back to Cali. Fun times!

In case you're wondering, the moose head has come to be our symbol...no clue why.

July: I began my new job with YOUNG LIFE! I moved back to Riverside and I live with an incredible woman named Ardie. She rocks! I have a pretty cool boss and an incredible job. A week after I started, I went to camp with 5 high schoolers from Riverside. Not too shabby. July also afforded (during my two week transition) a road trip up to Nor Cal to visit my good friend Joe and to see my family. Along for the ride, the infamous Punk, Brandon. :) In case anyone's wondering, I drive like the old woman I'm about to become (yikes).

August: My best friend's wedding. Doesn't get much better than that! :) Plus, my Mom celebrated her 50th birthday with a beach bash and dinner at Duanne's (with our favorite waiter Bogart. love him!) and my parent's celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary. Still going strong. Can you believe they only knew each other 8 months the day they wed? Crazy times. What's even crazier is that the same is true of my Dad's parents...anyone else see a pattern here? YIKES!

September: The first big "banquet" for Young Life that I was officially involved with...I ended up wearing a blond wig with a beach towel stuffed into my shorts to become part of the incredible du-o "Flo and Marge." Somehow I ended up in the pool, but I suppose it was worth the $300. The other BIG event first for me: being present for the birth of Jonah Bradford McClain, my little friend. I had the privilege of being in the room for the whole she-bang.

My little friend is here!

October: Wow. This month seems like ages ago. I did a little bit of this, a little bit of that. We started our leadership training and went to the YL Fall Leadership Retreat down at Oakbridge. I started doing Contact Work at King high school, working with the Drama program. Fun!

November: Took a trip up to Portland. So nice up there and the people aren't bad either! :) Spent Thanksgiving down in San Clemente with the parents and the brother. My Dad, Mom and I ran in the Dana Point Turkey Trot. My first 10K and definitely not my last! It was awesome! My friend Susan came out from Texas and we saw her brother in APU's production of Pride and Prejudice. Good times hanging out with the old APU crew.

December: Ah, the end of the year...last month was CRAZY!!!! Lots going on with work and getting ready to celebrate Christmas! Jesus, oh, what a wonderful child! My Grandfather came out from Florida to stay with us for a couple of weeks. It's always awesome seeing him--he's quite the character (explains my father and me a bit more). Also, Mike and Becca and their two cutie pie girls came down for a visit and we had a blast with them, as always.

Overall, it was quite a year. I've never felt so blessed. God truly is amazing. He is everywhere.

love it!

2006-11-28T22:44:00.000-08:00

I always hated not knowing what words meant when I was a kid. It was inevitable that you asked someone and they didn't know so you would have to look it up and then I would start to look up the word, but get fixated on another word and usually never end up looking up the word that I originally wanted to learn.

...or maybe it's just me. :)

Thanksgiving

2006-11-28T08:52:00.000-08:00

I had an amazing Thanksgiving. So much fun! I went down to San Clemente on Tuesday and stayed through Sunday. It was a much needed break and time with my family. Here are a couple of fun pictures from my extra long weekend!

My brother all dolled up for his 80's night club. He goes everyweek. Him and a friend started dressing up and this past week they had a costume contest because of it. Of course my brother was in the bathroom when they did it, but his buddy got first place! :)

Going for a ride with my number one guy--my Dad! :) We went up to Laguna and back. So much fun!

The morning of the race--The Turkey Trot 10k. My brother took this picture when he was waiting for the race to start. He couldn't run because he injured his back, so he was our official photographer!

Starting strong and trying not to get run over by people or strollers. Lots of people ran with their kids in those fun active strollers. CRAZY!

Half way done and still having fun! :) How awesome is this picture? Way to go Miky.

All done! Now we are ready for some TURKEY! :)

Trip to Portland

2006-11-20T16:39:00.000-08:00

Portland was a BLAST!!! I had such a great time hanging out with Cassi and Sean and all the other homies up there. Good times, good times. AND it's actually cold up there...albeit a little TOO cold for me, but better than 90 degrees. I think that Southern California missed the "winter" memo. Oh well.

This picture is for Scott and Susan, the lime people as they are affectionately called by the waitresses at our taco night location.

Jinx and Mr. Boo being friendly. Aren't they so cute? This trip they didn't spend as much time jumping near my head while I was trying to sleep. However, Jinx started playing with what I can only guess was a bouncy ball or something similar at 3 am Sunday morning. So much for sleep.

We spent a lot of time in the car. No need to go into an explanation why. We still had lots of fun--taking pictures and video. For those of you on myspace, you can check out the video. For those of you not on myspace...sorry!

Cassi asked me what I wanted to do while I was up there. The only thing I really wanted to do was go to Powell's. An AMAZING bookstore. I got three books for 15 dollars: A collection of Short Stories by Flannery O'Connor, A Passage to India by E.M. Forrester and Running in Heels by Anna Maxted. :) Good times!
Have to give a shout out Don Miller because he is the reason why I know about Powells from his book Blue Like Jazz. An incredible book.

We had to get a little girl time in, so we went and got pedi's. Unfortunately, we were both wearing boots and rather than sit there at the nail place forever waiting for the polish to dry, we walked out to her car BAREFOOT. CRAZY! And then we walked around in flip flops for the rest of the day. Oh the things we do for beauty. Silly girls (however, the nails do look fabulous, if I do say so myself).

Other than the above mentioned adventures, we played a lot of games, drank some coffee (gingerbread latte's--so yummy) and went to our favorite restaurant, OLIVE GARDEN, for dinner. Overall, it was just a fantastic time, even though it was a bit on the short side. :)

Fun Times

2006-11-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Susan was in town! Yea! We had fun at her brother's play and hit up BJ's after so that we could have ringing ears for the rest of the night. Seriously. Why is it so noisy in that restaurant? It makes me feel real old to say that, but I just gotta be honest, that's how I roll...

In JONAH news...I saw him this morning and we were just standing--well I was standing, holding him, in his room after Sue had finished feeding him. They have KSGN on 24/7 in his room, so I was singing along to whatever song was on and he was just smiling and smiling. Probably the best feeling in the world. He is officially the cutest kid ever.

I'm off tomorrow for a short visit to Portland. SO EXCITED and I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT! yea for friends. I seriously need a little break and I think the best way to achieve that is by going out of state. I probably can't make a habit of it though...that would be way to expensive! :)

Grace and Peace.

Funny....

2006-11-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

I got this as an email from my Aunt and had to post it...It just makes me laugh.

GONNA BE A BEAR
In this life I'm a woman. In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear. When you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.
Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too.
When you're a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.
If you're a mama hear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.
If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.

You, gonna be a bear!

something to think about... he he he

Mercury and the Sun

2006-11-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

A previous transit of Mercury in front of the disc of the Sun (image: NASA)

I forgot to post about this earlier today...
Yesterday at the plaza the Riverside Astrological Society was camped out in front of Borders with about 10 telescopes pointing up at the sun. I was kinda curious and I wondered what was going on. So after my fabulous lunch at Panera (it's becoming a home away form home) I made a pit stop there on the way to my car.
So, I casually walked up to the first guy and the first telescope and asked what was going on. :) He explained that Mercury was passing in front of the sun and they brought out all their telescopes so that everyone would be able to see it as it only happens a couple of times a century. So, I got to sit in this cool chair and check out the planet Mercury passing in front of the sun. PRETTY COOL.

Here's a short article about it from the Discovery Channel Website:

Watch Mercury pass in front of the Sun LIVE
Updated Thu. Nov. 2 2006 2:32 PM ET

Amy Bonin , DiscoveryChannel.ca

On Wednesday the world will be able to view Mercury as the planet passes in front of the Sun for the last time this decade.

The transit of a planet across the face of the Sun is relatively uncommon: we can only see Mercury and Venus' transits from Earth because we're further out in the solar system looking in.

Most people in Canada will be able to see the event more or less in its entirety. The transit begins at 2:12 pm ET. The Sun sets just before the whole event finishes in Eastern, Central, and most of Western Canada, though viewers in B.C. will be able to see the whole thing.

Watching in your backyard

Since Mercury appears to be only 1/194th the size of the Sun, astronomy enthusiasts will need a telescope with a magnification of 50x or 100x and a special filter made for solar viewing to watch this rare wonder.
There are only about 13 transits of Mercury each century - even fewer for transits of Venus, which occur in pairs about once a century.

The next time Mercury will pass in front of the Sun is 2016.

Hilarious

2006-11-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

So, yesterday afternoon I was at Panera checking email and trying to get some work done (our internet is out at the house and we have yet to get a new office...woe to me).
As I was sitting there enjoying my salad and doing lots of important things, I noticed an elderly couple sitting two tables over that kept looking in my direction and talking. I didn't want to think the worst, so I just tried to ignore it.
Well, finally the lady said, "We're talking about you."
"Oh," was my quick reply.
"We were looking at your computer. We don't have one and we were thinking about getting a laptop."

Whew. I thought it was going to be totally something else... I told them what I knew about my computer, which is VERY little and then they asked how much it cost. I told them that I didn't know because I had gotten it from work.

A couple of minutes later, the man asked if I used it for personal and work stuff. I told them that the line separating the two were very blurry.

"She's either a spy or a hooker," said the woman.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! :) I was trying to hard not to laugh it was ridiculous. A spy or a hooker?

Had to pass that one on. It was just too funny to keep to myself.

Oh yeah....

2006-11-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There is:
1
person with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

However, there are 26, 997 people in the US with the first name Marisa. It is statistically the 1108th most popular first name (probably right behind Mary, ha!).
There are 10, 589 people in the US with the last name Stock--who knew? Where are all these long lost relatives hiding I wonder. he he

Something to Think About

2006-11-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

I choose love…no occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I choose joy…I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything les than an opportunity to see God.
I choose peace…I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I choose patience…I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is to long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
I choose kindness…I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I choose goodness…I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.
I choose faithfulness…Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My family and friends will not question my love. I choose faithfulness.
I choose gentleness…Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it only be in praise. If I clench my fist may it only be in prayer. I f I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I choose self-control…I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I chose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

by Max Lucado

Amore...

2006-11-05T22:25:00.000-08:00

Calvin and Hobbes... now that's good stuff.

(P.S. if you click on the image, it will make it bigger so you can read it...:) )

simple things that make me happy...

2006-11-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

...when I am having a bad week:

10. Monk-e-email. If you haven't heard of it, check it out. It is the best email ever. (www.careerbuilder.com)
9. Having lunch with a good friend who is generous with advice. :)
8. Knowing the weekend is coming!
7. Finding a new book to read.
6. Hanging out with Jonah (and Scott and Sue, of course)
5. Homemade soup for lunch. Yum.
4. Long walks with my IPOD.
3. Non-work emails.
2. Playing my guitar and singing.
1. Taking off Friday afternoon, driving down to San Clemente and having some quality time with my Mom and Brother (Daddy-O was out of town). The air smells so much better by the ocean--it's invigorating.

Halloween

2006-11-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

I was the purple people eater... the kids that came to the door thought that my hair was cool and "shiny". :) It's all about the kids.

Trip to Disneyland

2006-10-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, I went with my Uncle, Aunt and Cousins to Disneyland--the Happiest Place on Earth. So much fun was had by all. Good times.

The trip into the park...classic tram shot.

Having fun in line for the rocket ride...what a boring line! Good thing we all know how to have a good time.

Waiting for the parade to pass by...fun times.

Christopher and I--what you can't tell from the photo is that I am holding him up and taking the picture myself. Multi-tasking folks...it's a real talent! :)

Someone's tired...I guess we had a good day!

Car Dancing

2006-10-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

So, I like to rock out in the car when I'm driving...and lately it's been getting me some odd reactions. :)
Like today, these two guys in a bright yellow truck started waving and blowing me kisses. I didn't even realize they were next to me at the stop light.
I'm not really sure what to do about this. I can't stop dancing! I'm a car dancing queen! :)

any thoughts?

I'm an Adult--America's Next Top Model Style

2006-10-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

I have my own business card? How is this possible. Yikes. Does this mean I'm a responsible adult with a real job? AHHH! Oh Dang...

This means, I'm super cool now. Watch out!

BAM!!! Where did all these come from? OOOooohhhh!

I could eat these if I needed some extra fiber...

Is it just me...or do these make me look good? :)

Look at me, all grown up. :) Yeah, I know I'm kinda a dork. But I accept that.

Maybe, just maybe, I was a little bored today! But this was my 200th post. Gotta make it memorable! ;)
Peace out and lots of love to all.

Some Recent Pictures...

2006-10-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hello to all. I've been having major internet issues lately. NO FUN! So, I thought while it was working, I would post some pictures from the past couple weeks that I really love and want to share! :)

These are from Aunt Teresa's 55th birthday party:

Dylan decided to attack my camera, silly boy...but a very cute silly boy! :)

Kacey, my protege. :) Just look at those piano fingers!

Karl and Jacob. How cute are the father and son? :)

My new favorite Ameri-picture. Deanne gave this to me when we had dinner together before she left for Colorado...it was taken the morning of our last team breakfast/beach day before the end of AmeriCorps. Gotta love it.

Angles Game and More BBQ pics

2006-10-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

So, a couple of weeks ago, I went to an Angels game with Brandon, Eric and Lisa. It was a lot of fun. I was going to post about it earlier, but I've been waiting on pictures from someone...you know who you are.

Here we are: Having fun. Way to go Eric taking a good pciture! :)

Brandon also gave me a couple of shots from the BBQ in September. Good times, I thought you might like to see a couple more shots of Flo and Marge because we were hot!

Pictures:
Roxanne Skit in full effect and my backside view. No padding folks. :) Yeah right!

More to come soon... lots going on and lots to talk about! :)

Love as Kids See It

2006-10-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

Ardie passed this on to me and I thought others should be able to see it. :)

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?"

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
_______________________________

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."

Rebecca- age 8
________________________________

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."

Billy - age 4
________________________________

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."

Karl - age 5
________________________________

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."

Chrissy - age 6
________________________________

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."

Terri - age 4
________________________________

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."

Danny - age 7
________________________________

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing,you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"

Emily - age 8
________________________________

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."

Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
_______________________________

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."

Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
________________________________

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."

Noelle - age 7
________________________________

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."

Tommy - age 6
________________________________

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."

Cindy - age 8
_______________________________

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."

Clare - age 6
________________________________

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."

Elaine-age 5
________________________________

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."

Chris - age 7
________________________________

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."

Mary Ann - age 4
________________________________

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."

Lauren - age 4
________________________________

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an image)

Karen - age 7
________________________________

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."

Mark - age 6
________________________________

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."

Jessica - age 8
________________________________

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"

Goober

2006-10-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

And the award for biggest goober, starring in his own life, goes to:

Sean Potter

Cas-sometimes, you just have to wonder about this one.

Baby Jonah

2006-10-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday, September 27, I witnessed a miracle...the miracle of life. Sue and Scott McClain (my bosses) had their baby boy-Jonah Bradford McClain. I had the priviledge of being in the room for the delivery and it is something that I will never forget. Here are some pictures of the cutest baby!!! I know everyone always says that about babies, but I seriously think that Jonah is ADORABLE!!!

Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever-fresh and radiant possibility. -Kate Douglas Wiggin

Young Life BBQ

2006-09-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I promised that I would post some pictures from the BBQ and here they are! :)

Jamie and I were "Flo and Marge" two southern ladies bringing a glimpse, a touch, a look, a window, if y'all will to the area where Scott (my boss) was reared.

Here we are, doing our thing!

All of our lovely volunteers doing a YL skit called "Roxanne" where the women put a marshmellow in the guys mouth every time Sting says the name Roxanne. It's hilarious.

After that skit was over, they auctioned me off to jump in the pool. Yeah, my DAD payed $300 ... the bidding started at $10. :)

Me in the pool. IT WAS COLD!!!! And I lost my wig!

My Mom spoke at the event. She is awesome!

Overall, it was an incredible event and we raised a lot of money for Young Life. It was great.

Blessings.

Farewell to Crocodile Hunter

2006-09-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

As expected, there was one empty seat at Irwin's personal stadium - the one set aside for the late and hugely popular "Crocodile Hunter" himself. On the stage sat Irwin's widow, American-born Terri, and their two children, Bindi, 8, and Bob, 2 - all dressed in Irwin's favored khaki outfit. It was their first public appearance since Irwin's death.

"Please do not grieve for Steve, he's at peace now," said Steve's father, Bob Irwin. "Grieve for the animals. They have lost the best friend they ever had, and so have I."

Later, Bindi Irwin told the crowd at the ceremony that she had the "best daddy in the world."

"I will miss him every day," she said.

Flags on the Sydney Harbor Bridge flew Wednesday at half-staff, and giant television screens were set up in Irwin's home state of Queensland for people to watch the service. Three of Australia's main television networks carried the hour-long ceremony, which was made available to U.S. and international networks and which family officials said could be watched by as many as 300 million people.

One of Irwin's favorite Australian country singers, John Williamson, sang one of the naturalist's favorite songs, "True Blue."

At the end of the ceremony, Irwin's utility vechicle, packed with camping gear and his favorite surfboard, was driven from the stadium - through an honor guard of Australia Zoo employees - to an encore singing of "True Blue."

After the truck left the stadium, a group of employees spelled out Irwin's catchword "Crikey" in yellow flowers on the ground.

Doing What You Love

2006-09-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

I am a very blessed person. I have a great job! I think it was Albert Einstein who said, "Pick a job that you love and you'll never work a day in your life." Wise words from a wise man.
All that to say, work is going very well. I've been officially on staff for a little over two months now. This Saturday we are having a pretty big fundraiser. Kind of excited about it. My friend Jami West and I are doing a "walk-on" which means that we get to be some crazy characters and come out and have some fun with the audience. I won't spoil the surprise, but rest assured, there will be some pictures of the event on this site!

Via, Veritas, Vita
Semper Eadem

WOW

2006-09-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Came across this article today. All I can say is, what is airline travel coming to when you have to win an argument about paper.

J.K. Rowling Challenges Airport Security
Sep 14, 9:17 AM EST

The Associated Press

LONDON -- British author J.K. Rowling says she won an argument with airport security officials in New York to carry the manuscript of the final "Harry Potter" book as carryon baggage.

Had security agents not relented, she said on her Web site, she might not have flown, she said in a posting dated Wednesday.

"I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't — sailed home probably," she wrote.

The author had participated in a book reading for charity on Aug. 1 with fellow writers Stephen King and John Irving. Security was drastically tightened after Aug. 10 when British police said they had intercepted a plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners.

"The heightened security restrictions on the airlines made the journey back from New York interesting, as I refused to be parted from the manuscript of book seven.

"A large part of it is handwritten and there was no copy of anything I had done while in the U.S."

Eventually, she added, "They let me take it on, thankfully, bound up in elastic bands."

Rowling said she was still considering two possible titles for the last of the boy wizard's adventures.

"I was quite happy with one of them until the other one struck me while I was taking a shower in New York," she wrote.

"They would both be appropriate, so I think I'll have to wait until I'm further into the book to decide which one works best."

What's New?

2006-09-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, yikes! Things have been busy and since I've left AmeriCorps, I haven't felt the need to update my blog as regularly. Not that my life isn't interesting, I just see people more often. However, for those who do not have that privledge, here's some stuff that's been going on with me:

Work is going really well. It's almost been two months since I started and it's hard for me to imagine that. I have an awesome job. I feel so blessed and I couldn't imagine doing anything else right now.

FUNNY STORY! I went to get my hair cut last Friday...My hair stylist, Ermanno, is so awesome which is why I drive to San Clemente to get my hair done. Anyways, first off, he said my hair cut was too conservative and that I needed to spice it up. He said some other things about my hair cut, but they don't need repeating. The really funny part was that he mentioned that he met my Dad. Here's how the conversation unfolded:

Ermanno: I met your Father at the store.
Me: Oh, really?
Ermanno: Yes, he was with your Mother. Is he your Father or your Step Father?
Me: He's my Dad.
Ermanno: He's a good looking guy. I mean, I'm straight, but I just call it like it is.

I was DYING. What was even better was telling the story to my parents. We all had a good laugh.

Let's see, what else has been going on in my life? Oh yes, I finally finished my AmeriCorps scrapbook. Now, I realize that isn't hot news to many of you, but it has been looming over my head since the beginning of July and I just finished it this past weekend. I really like it. I do have to add some more pictures, but then I'll be done. Good times!!!

In closing, I recently bought Casting Crowns CD Lifesong. I have pretty much been listening exclusively to it since the purchase. All of the songs are pretty powerful, but I especially like the chorus of the song In Me:

Cause when I'm weak, You make me strong
When I'm blind, You shine Your light on me
Cause I'll never get by living on my own ability
How refreshing to know You don't need me
How amazing to find that you want me
So I'll stand on Your truth, and I'll fight with Your strength
Until You bring the victory, by the power of Christ in me

Birthdays and Flooring

2006-09-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

My Mom turned 50 (!!!!) at the end of August. Yeah, I know this is a late post. CRAZY! Both of my parents are now 50 and I'm not going to lie, it kinda freaks me out. Just a little. :) Anyways, we had a really fun celebration: beach party on the Saturday before (26th) and a fancy dinner with all of her siblings (minus Aunt Cris because she's currently in Atlanta) and with Nana at Duanne's at the Mission Inn. And, we had our favorite waiter, BOGART!! Love him!

Mom and Her Siblings! A Pretty motley looking crew if I've ever seen one. :)

My Amazingly good looking parents...can you believe they are both 50? They sure don't look it!

Nana and her two pingitos...she knows how much we love her!

In other news, I recently helped out my Uncle Chris with a little flooring in his Master Bathroom. Man it felt good to hold a hammer in my hands again. I can't believe how much I miss it. It was a mini AmeriDay for me. AND, to top it all off, the floor turned out great!

The Amazing toilet room... you can't really appreciate it unless you know how hard those angles are to cut. It took FOREVER and we almost ran out of wood!!

Don't hit me! I didn't do it!!! Just Kidding, Uncle and Niece hard at Work

The rest of the bathroom...not too shabby, huh? I'd say it looks pretty darn good.

Cassi's Wedding Extravaganza

2006-08-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

Although I was up in Portland a little while before the wedding fun began, everyone was there as of Friday August 18. Here's a couple pictures of the Bridal Luncheon. So much fun! Yea for Olive Garden!

We had a lot of fun...and then we went straight to the rehearsal! It went off without a hitch. Whew!

Thankfully their minister was a hoot and he knew what he was doing. Unlike the wedding coordinator (let's not get started on her). :)

Friday night was the Bachlorette Party...those pictures are too explicit for website postings (plus everyone would probably shoot me if they ended up online).

rehearsal dinner was Saturday night, Wedding party and parents only. :) Fun times!

Cassi, Sean and Gale (Groom's Mother)

Cassi, Sean, Ronnie and Trish (Bride's Parents)

Cassi, Sean, Dallas and Diane (Groom's Father and Fiance)

The night was a little rough considering Dallas made us all go around the table and toast Cassi and Sean. There were a couple of tears shed, I'm not gonna lie. But they were tears of joy, celebrating their love for one another.

Sunday, day of the wedding. We were at the salon from 8am until 2pm. Yikes! But it was time well spent because all the girls looked fabulous!!!

Cassi's hair turned out fabulous, wouldn't you agree? :) And I promise my hair looked pretty good too, even though you can't see it!

And of course after we got back and started getting ready, my camera got pushed to the side. Plus the photographer showed up and I trusted his eye much more than my own. He was great! You can see the wedding pictures in about two weeks or so on his website www.peterpaulrubens.com (click on current events/images and it will take you to a listing of his recent events where you'll find cassi and sean listed, but it won't be for a little while).

One parting shot of the beautiful bride!

Cassi and Sean

2006-08-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

CASSI AND SEAN ARE GETTING MARRIED!!!!!!
YEA!!! :)

I'm leaving in just under an hour for Portland, OR. Home of soon to be Mr. & Mrs. Sean Potter. YIKES! Folks, it doesn't get any better than this!
Please keep me in your prayers for safe travels... crazy stuff is happening in the world right now.
Peace Out. See all you Cali folks in 10 days! :)

Going to the chapel and we're gonna get married!

Off to Camp

2006-07-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning, bright and early I head off to camp, Woodleaf, in the mountains in Northern California. I'm only taking 2 girls (cousin Saundra being one of them), but I think it's going to be great. Please keep me in your prayers for health and wisdom. Especially my knee, as it has decided to start giving me problems. Isn't that wonderful. :)Plenty of fun pictures and stories to come.

grace and peace

How well do you know...

2006-07-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

So, I made a little quiz about my time in AmeriCorps and my current life...

http://www03.quizyourfriends.com/quizpage.php?quizname=060721154932-824823&

just cut and paste and see how you do...if you don't do that great, maybe we should catch up soon! :)

Grace and Peace.

Road Trip

2006-07-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

So, this past weekend I went on a little road trip up north with Brandon (aka the Punk) to visit Joe Lee (friend from Young Life). On our drive up, I saw the coolest license plate that reminded me of my team, GOLD RUSH. It was great:

The trip itself was great. We stayed with my fabulous cousins Annie and Mike in San Jose (love you guys!!!) and then drove into Santa Cruz on Saturday for a fun filled day with Joe. Which means that I got picked on mercilessly by Brandon and Joe. A definite highlight was running into JON AXTELL! He happened to be at the camp where Joe works and so I saw him Saturday morning. SO GREAT seeing him. :)
Also, we saw You, Me and Dupree--funny movie, if you like Owen Wilson, you will like this movie. I was laughing almost the entire time.

P.S. Do you know how much cooler (temperature)it is in Northern California. So not fair! :) It was ridiculously beautiful there.

Riverside

2006-07-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

So, I'm officially back in Riverside, CA now. CRAZY times. It's so stinking hot here, but at least the humidity isn't in full effect like all those crazy places in the south. :)
I start work next week with Young Life and I am VERY excited! It's going to be an amazing job, I'm working with awesome people. And I'm living with one of the coolest ladies in the world, Ardie! If you're in the area and you get the chance to meet her, you won't regret it!
Not much else to report. Now that I'm settled, I'm going to try and catch up with all the friends I haven't seen in a VERY LONG TIME. That means YOU! :) Let's hang out, ok? :)

Grace and Peace.

NCCC Graduation

2006-07-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

So, although it's a little late in posting, I thought I'd say a few words on Graduation. It was surprisingly enjoyable. No crazy antics, but a couple of enjoyable speeches and of course, the enivitable goodbye's. No fun there. :) I had to include these last pictures from that day: a final Gold Five picture and all of our family and friends taking it. :) Good times.

My Reflection from ESC

2006-06-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

At the end of every project, we have to write a reflection about our project. This was mine.

Knee Injury :(

2006-06-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

So... while ground guiding on Sunday night, my knee got pinched between the 15 passenger van and a mini van that we were attempting to parallel park in front of in Downtown Charleston. :( To make a long story short... the top picture is the original brace I had on to immobilize my knee and I am now currently on crutches (oh so fashionable for Awards night--the bottom picture with my buddy DJ). Diagnosis: a torn MCL and some damage to my miniscus (however you spell that silly word). Time will tell what is going to be done to me...at the very least Physical Therapy, and a chance of surgery. Way to go out with a bang! :)

ESC staff

2006-06-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

some of my favorite staffers... Janelle, Paige and Becca.... Parting is such sweet sorrow. Maybe we'll see one another at camp next year!

Cake Wars '06

2006-06-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

A little cake fight after our last Easter Seals Camp Staff Friday Meeting Extravaganza. :) It started out simply enough (bottom picture), but it got a little crazy when Lifegaurd Russell decided to "shampoo" my hair with icing. Gross! :) Good memories though...

Hats for Sale

2006-06-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite campers, Miss Brenda. We were having some laughs getting ready for Skit night (during Adults with Developmental Disabilities).

ESC Prom Night

2006-06-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

My Prom Date Randy.. he was also one of my campers. We had a good time rocking out. :) Also a picture of Joel, Adam, Deanne and I at Prom. It was a fun night. P.S. Prom is one of the evening programs at Easter Seals Camp during Adutls with Physical Disabilities Week. :)

Back in Charleston

2006-06-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

Last night, my team and I got back into the lovely city of Charleston, SC after a nine hour drive from Mt. Juliet, TN. I have to say that it was a little weird pulling back onto base. It almost felt like the 6 weeks spent in TN was a dream.
As wonderful as it is to be back on base and know that the end is so close, it's also very sad to be faced with saying goodbye to my teammates and fellow corps members that I spent the last 10 months of my life with. A very bittersweet ending awaits me on June 27, the day of graduation. On a positive note, my amazing mother and fantastic brother are journeying out to be here for graduation. I'm glad that they will be able to see Charleston and what life is like on base. In some respects, you really have to see if for yourself to understand what it's like.

Our project at the Easter Seals Camp finished well. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to work there. Having never really worked with that population before made every moment an opportunity to learn and I left with such an incredible amount of respect for each individual I worked with and every camper that I spent time with. After working with people who have no control of their bodies, or can't verbalize their thoughts and feeling, I have such an appreciation for the body that God gave me. I know that I will never be the same because of my time spent at Easter Seals Camp. That is probably true of my entire AmeriCrops experience, but it really rings true for this last project because the challenges were so much harder and the rewards were so much greater. When I see you in the future, ask me about my time at Easter Seals...I probably won't be able to shut up about it for awhile, so make sure you have time to sit and talk. I wish that I could have posted more stories during my time there, but we were working about 90 hours a week. Any down time we had was spent sleeping, showering or spending time with one another. :)

A fun thing that happened was that I was able to speak to the Tennessee commission for National Service about NCCC and our work at Easter Seals. It was awesome and afterwards one gentleman approached me and told me that I was dynamic. You don't hear that everyday! It was a pleasure to speak about our time at Easter Seals and to share with the group what we do and why they should continue to support NCCC.

I will try to post some pictures from my time in TN soon....10 days until I'm back in California! YEA!
Grace and Peace. And Happy Father's Day Daddy and Grandpa!!!

Easter Seals Update

2006-05-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

So, I have been in Mt. Juliet for a little more than 3 weeks, 3 weeks left. So far I have enjoyed the following activities:
1. Assembling a fish chute for the Annual Fishing Tourney
2. Participating in the Fishing Tourney--it only took me an hour and a half to catch a fish. My camper caught one on his first cast. His participation award was for "Best Casting." :)
3. Files, oh the files.
4. Fixed a printer by merely touching it. True story.
5. Assembled the staff manual--it only took 3 days!
6. KP (kitchen patrol): I've worked in the kitchen during the majority of my time here. Cooking, cleaning, dish washing...so fun. I've actually had a great time with it and I will miss it now that I have to be an official counselor starting Sunday.
7. Spent sometime in Downtown Nashville for Meredith's 23rd Birthday party. It was exhilarating just walking down the street. I'm such a dork.
8. Learned how to canoe properly and how to flip a canoe (and also how to check for leeches--no joke. so gross)
9. Filled my brain to the brim with information and the population I'll be working with over the next three weeks. In case you're wondering, the sessions of camp we will be working are: a. Adults with Developmental Delays b. Children and Adults with Autism and c. Adults with Physical Disabilities.
10. Crying a lot because I'm so homesick. It's really ridiculous how much a miss everyone at home.
The camp we are at is beautiful, can't beat it really. And the summer staff are all wonderful people. Our first couple of sessions has been really great so far, I'm just a little nervous about being a counselor on my own. I know that probably doesn't make sense to you because you're not in the situation, but I'll explain it when I come home in 32 Days!
Until then, I'll try and update as often as I can. No promises. As you can see, it's taken me 3 weeks to post. Last week I worked 89.5 hours. I'm not kidding here folks, it's ridiculous.
Miss you all and love you so much.

*****UPDATE...so I wrote this post last week and I wasn't able to post it for some weird reason. who knows.
I'm at the end of our first session: Adults with Developmental Delays. It has been a doozy. I have two campers, but I'm in a wing with a couple other counselors and campers. We really work as a unit to get things done. I have one camper who is about 250-275 pounds who is in a wheelchair...total care=HARD WORK. If I never have to change a Depends for the rest of my life, I will be so happy. The worst is when she has a BM...and I have plenty of stories to tell about that. On the other hand, she is a very happy person and I've really enjoyed her. She likes to say "I love you" followed by, " Know how much?" and then on a good day/time of day "$400" or if she's not so happy "5 dollars and a quarter/dime." She's kept my laughing also because she'a a big flirt. Last night she pinched one of the boy counselors bottom. It was great. He was a good sport about it.

Gotta run. Rest period is almost over.
LOVE YOU ALL... 28 days until I'm home!!!

Grace and Peace.

Our last project

2006-05-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning, Gold Five will embark on our very last project during our time with NCCC. We will be heading to the beautiful state of Tennessee to work at the Easter Seals camp in Mt. Juliet which is about 15 miles or so outside of Nashville (you better believe I'm going to be spending as much time there as possible. Keith Urban, can I please meet you?) Our work there will consist of getting the camp prepared for the upcoming sessions and working with the campers as counselors. The majority of the time we will be working with adults (18 and up) who have either physical or mental disabilities. One weekend we have the option of working with people who have traumatic brain injury. It should be a very eye opening experience and it's also going to be a project of the heart. We will be working about 80 to 100 hours per week when the camp is in session ( no worrying about not reaching the required 1700 hours of service mark). On that note, during times when we are on (any time we are with campers, we are not allowed to use our cell phones. SO, that means that if you need to talk to me, the best chance is the weekend. Or leave a message and I'll call you back! Also, I won't have much access to email (does this sound familiar) so, it's not the best way to stay in touch.
I miss everyone at home very much. I can't believe it's already May. In exactly two months from today I will be finished with AmeriCorps and be on my way home. It's amazing how in one moment it seems like the time has flown by and in the next, it seems like is has creeped by. Know that I am definitely looking forward to returning to California and hanging out with each and everyone of you!

Grace and Peace.

Stuck in the MUD!!!

2006-05-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning we experienced a fairly big thunderstorm. That meant that we couldn't work out on the trail so we were able to do some service learning activities (South Carolina State Museum, General Sumter's Grave Memorial and Congaree Swamp Park--all very cool and fun). So, Thursday afternoon, we decided to head back out to the trail and try and get a couple of hours of work done. Well, the clay roads were quite dry/hard enough yet for us to get by. Of course, I was driving (oh yeah) and a couple of times I had to do some pretty tricky maneuvering to keep us on the road. Apparently, so my northern teammates tell me, it was like driving on ice. The van lost all steering capabilities. Not very fun when you're driving a huge van down a small road in the middle of nowhere. So, we eventually got the van turned around, headed back to the abandoned warehouse we were staying in (the offices upstairs), and we had to go back through a particularly precarious spot in the road where there was lots of water and not much road. :( Well, to make a long story short (too late) we ended up stuck and an hour and a half later we were out. :)
Oh the joys of life in AmeriCorps.

2006-05-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

Gold Five with our amazing project supervisor Ollie. He was the greatest supervisor we have had during our time in NCCC. We love you Ollie!!!

Stiffeners

2006-05-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a lovely picture of yours truly carrying the pain in the butt stiffeners. We had to lug these things up and down the bridge a couple of times a day to bring them to the places where they needed to be installed. They were actually more awkward than heavy, especially because of those shiny little bracket beauties. They were no fun, the scrapes and bruises all over my legs are testament to that.

2006-05-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is what the bridge looked like when we began our magical trail adventure last Sunday April 23. We finished installing the handrail along the rest of the bridge. It took all week, but that was due to a day and a half of rainy weather that didn't allow us to work on the trail.

2006-04-22T06:20:00.000-07:00

One more picture for my most recent trip...At Grandpa's house watching a movie. As you can see, it was very good! :)

Palmetto Trail

2006-04-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

A little bit about what I'm going to be doing for the next week...

A Vision…

Imagine more than 425 miles of bicycling and walking paths through towns big and small, beside lakes and across mountain ridges featuring the natural beauty and local color of South Carolina communities.

An Opportunity…

Conceived in 1994 and slated for completion by 2010, South Carolina’s Palmetto Trail is the state’s largest bicycle and pedestrian project and will eventually run from the Mountains to the Sea.

This federally designated Millennium Legacy Trail is a project of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation. It will be one of only 13 cross-state trails in the United States.

A Reality…

The Palmetto Trail is halfway complete with nearly 225 miles open to the public.

The trail is being built as a series of “passages.” Each of the 15 passages currently open are accessible for single-day or multi-day trips. Together or separate, the passages demonstrate the history, culture and geography of the Palmetto State.

The Palmetto Trail currently features primitive pathways along knife-edged mountaintops, while other sections are urban bikeways, greenways and rail-to-trail conversions. The trail will eventually form a spine for a network of trails and bikeways in South Carolina

For more info, if you want: www.palmettoconservation.org

We will be working on a hiking bridge about 15 feet up in the air. Good thing I conquered my fear of heights while doing shingle work in Fort Myers. :) This should be a pretty awesome 8 days, but FYI I won't have any phone service for pretty much the entire time. I know I haven't been that great on keeping in touch lately. SORRY!

Grace and Peace.

2006-04-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

Kadayla and I ... she was one of my favorites... :)

2006-04-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Naomi and I with our first graders from Ms. Kay's tutoring center and our favorite teacher there, Ms. Stacie!

2006-04-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

Glenn and Ms Nettie... they decided to adopt me so I wouldn't have to leave. : Love them so much!!!

2006-04-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

Out walking around the farm with Naomi and Joy :)

2006-04-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Captain Marisa.... shrimp is the name of the game in Delcambre... well, it used to be.

2006-04-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hanging out wiht Sir Randall Scott at the Acadiana Medieval Faire.

2006-04-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

having fun in new orleans at the Irish Italian parade. :)

2006-04-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

my ridiculous blood blister. ouch! no joke, this sucker hurt!

2006-04-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

me and my wall...I love my wall!

2006-04-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

ninth ward...it has yet to be touched as of our visit in march.

2006-04-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

getting ready for demolition work. Oh yeah! I'm pretty sure we are all smiling, can't you tell? :)

2006-04-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

demo work is so fun!

2006-04-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

Crawfish and Crab boil at the home of Terry and Bonnie. We worked on this home (seen in the background) for a good part of our time in Delcambre. Terry sure did know how to cook these bad boys. YUMMY!

Heading to Chucktown

2006-04-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day at Terry's house. He cooked us another wonderful and amazing crawfish boil and it was YUMMY!!!!! Seriously, I don't know what I'm going to do without all this good food that I've grown accustomed to. :( And all the wonderful people. Glen, the shrimp expert, asked if he adopted me if I could stay. And I said yes, so he adopted me. So...I'm not leaving after all.

Just kidding. :)

Overall, this has been a project of the heart. Digging deep to remember why I joined this program and what my purpose for being here is. I struggled against a lot of things, health issues, work issues, emotional junk all -- what made it worth it was the homeowners. The popel in this part of the country are so hospitable and warm. I had no idea! If it hadn't been for this program, this magical adventure called AmeriCoprs, I never would have met so many wonderful people and experienced so much new culture.

I'm off to enjoy my last afternon with the kids that we tutor twice a week. It will be hard saying goodbye.

Grace and peace.

Almost Done with Louisiana

2006-04-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

So, in just a few short days, my team and I will be packing up and leaving the wonder that is Louisiana...
On the way back to Charleston, we will be stopping in Gulf Breeze, FL to stay the night with my wonderful Grandpa (HI GRANDPA!!!). He has agreed to take in my team for the night, isn't he wonderful? We will be arriving back in Charleston sometime on wednesday and then begins.... SPRING BREAK!!! YEA! Unfortunetly, I have no plans as I am po' and didn't set anything up. However, there is always the beach and plenty of sleep to get caught up on. Yea!
After break, we will be preparing for a short trail building project somewhere in South Carolina--location TBA. That will be about a 10 day project after which we will be heading out to NASHVILLE TN! Seriously, the only place I really wanted a project and it will be our last one of the year. We are going to be working at a camp called Easter Seals which is for children and adults who have mild to severe physical disabilities. We will be camp counselors, living, eating and having fun with the campers. SO EXCITING. My only goal is to meet Keith Urban. I feel confident about this happening. I've already started training my teammates to recognize his voice, so if he happens to be somwhere around, they'll be able to recognize it and call me immediately. Also, I am putting together a collage of his pictures, so they'll be able to recognize his face as well as his voice. I know what you're thinking, I'm a little obsessed, but really, I just think it would be awesome. :)
OUr project here is wrapping up well. On Monday, Terry (one of the homeowners) is going to do another crawfish boil for us. Can you say YUMMY? It's crazy to think that our time is almost up, but I think we are all ready to be done here. :) Pictures to come once I get back to Charleston and my own computer.
Until then, love to all!!!

ISP fun

2006-04-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to work at a Crawfish Etufay (no clue how that is really spelled) Cookoff in Eunice, LA. It was awesome. The food was incredible. Naomi, JOy and myself were able to help out with the judging and so we learned lots of interesting facts about cooking crawfish and what makes good etufay. :) One of the judges was a local TV news anchor and he was a lot of fun. Also, the mayor, Lynn, was awesome. Every other minute she was asking if we needed anything and if we had enough food. One of the neat thigns was that there was a live Cajun band and they had an area for people to dance. So, we got to watch all these super cute, older couples show off their moves on the dance floor. It was awesome. In fact, this past Thursday night, Meredith, JOy, Alena and I went to a Cajun and Zydeco dance class in Lafayette. We're pretty much professionals now. YEAH RIGHT!!! I had no idea how complicated the dancing was. We can pretend really well though. :)

Today (and tomorrow) we are working at the Acadiana Medieval Faire. It's been pretty fun so far, we've had the chance to talk with a lot of the people working the different booths and doing the various performances... Once I get to Charleston, I'll put some fun pictures up.

Also, on Friday we were able to tour a shrimping boat. One of the neighbors of a house we are working on, Glenn, took us to his friends boat and explained the art of shrimping (which is a dying industry). Delcambre, the town we have been working in, was founded because of the shrimping industry. It only has 937 homes within the city limits and out of that total, only 32 did not get water in their homes during Rita. CRAZY! I'll tell you what, these people are so tahnkful for us being here and they continue to show us so much hospitality. It's been a wonderful project because of that. Work has been very frustrating due to lack of supervision and lack of supplies. Only a week left. We have yet to hear what our next project will be (after spring break). But odds are, we will be heading back to the Gulf Coast. :)

All for now. Miss you all very much. If you get a chance, give me a holla.
Grace and Peace.

Louisiana Update....

2006-03-25T10:39:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a continuation of the demolition fun, with an added bonus of construction work at the end of the week.

On Thursday morning, around 10am (late start to the day, it happens a lot with only one main supervisor) I was given an assingment--to build a wall, to create a closet. Jason, from the Denver team, was also given the same assingment. As neither of us had ever built a wall before, we were assured that we would be visited and checked on...no further instructions were given.
Upon arriving at the house that was going to have a new wall installed, Jason and I checked out our room...there wasn't much light and the space was slightly cramped. Other than that, we felt confident that we could complete our assingment. To be honest, Jason made it seem as though he knew what he was doing, but I quickly came to see that was just a show. I determined that we needed to install a base board and I made the apporpriate measurements and markings... Jason made the cut only because at this point, I was still intimidated by the Chop Saw and I let the boy do the dirty work.... how quickly the tables would turn.

We took the board into the house and began to put it in. I repeatedly asked if the board was straight... Jason asserted that it was. We nailed the board in... my hammering skills quickly were apparent as Jason bent most of the nails while I skillfully got mine in and nailed in most of the board. Once it was secured, I checked to see if the board was straight.

It was NOT! Off by half an inch.

Jason began trying to pull the board up with a flat bar. Unfortunetly, his lack of experience led me to take the flat bar and quickly I pulled the board up. Ah, the glow of experience.... Jason ended up peacing out on me.
My time has just run out and I have to go.. I'll finish the story later

OK... so we're at the home of one of our super cool sponsors (beautiful house, seriously, I think I've seen it in a magazine one time).... so I hopped on her computer so I can finish my story, I would hate to leave y'all haning for two weeks.

Back to the story.

So, after Jason peaced out, I figured that I could figure out the measurements for the rest of the wall before our lunch break. That was a one person job, so I new that I could get that done before other people came. luckily, I had just finished making all my marks and was ready to look for help, when my team leader (masta D) showed up to check on the status. So, she helped me make the cuts (we had a circular saw at the time and straight lines are not my friends)and we were just about ready to start putting the header in, when we realized that the nails we had were too short to hold it into the ceiling. So, it just happened to be lunch time and we broke for that and set a task of finding new nails before returning to the wall.

Lunch was glorious, as always...side story, we like to go this country store at lunch time sometimes for overstuffed shrimp po'boys--they are SUPER fresh and oh so tasty. One time, i was in line to order and there was two construction workers in front of me. I happened to be wearing my coveralls, and so they realized I was in the trade. :) So, one of them, "shorty," struck up a conversation with me...asking me about what I was up to, what kind of work I knew how to do. He was so impressed that he mentioned it to his friend (the customer in front of me). In his exact words, he said "we should hire us some women." to which his friend replied, "she can probably out work you." Shorty didn't like that too much. About ten mins. later, I was waiting for my food and their crew boss came up and asked me if I liked my job. My reply was yes. He asked again, offering me a job on his crew! :) HE HE.... if they only knew.... Ok story over, back to my wall.

When Deanne and I returned to my wall, we came with new nails and the task of installing all the beams. We were able to get them all in (of course my measurements worked out very well--some even perfectly)and we began work on the side wall that would connect it to the existing wall. We got the header and footer in before the end of the day. I unfortunetly did not re-measure the length of the beams, silly me, I assumed that they ceiling was level...so when we went to install the beams, we found that two of the beams were too short. YIKES! not good news when you have a limited supply of lumber. So, we left the wall for the day, it happened to be quiting time.

Fast forward to the next day. Work began promptly at 8am (we leave the house at 7:30 to drive about 30 mins. to Delcambre) and my first task was to finish the beams. Deanne cut me some shims and we were able to install those before she was pulled to "look at something" or whatever her excuse was...doesn't really matter, she peaced out on me too. Luckily Joy happened to be at the house and she was able to help me start on the next task. Installing the support beams--very important work. :) So, we began measuring and I got over my fear and started cutting the wood using a beautiful table saw. I was so good at what I was doing, I could make the cuts and then bring the saw up quickly enough to catch the wood before it fell off the table (joy was holding the long end).

The beams were a little problematic, but we worked through it and for some reason or another, Alena ended up working with me and Joy peaced out to do molding, with, funny enough Jason. HA!

Alena and I were able to finish up the rest of the beams and shortly after lunch on Friday, my beautiful wall was finished. Deanne and Jamie (another volunteer) could hang on it and it wouldn't budge a centimeter. True story.

So concludes the story of my wall.... It lost a bit of its jazz due to the mean librarian that cut me off during my creative flow, but it's my story all the same and I hope you enjoyed it!

PEACE OUT! and lots of LOVE!

Mold, Dust and New Orleans

2006-03-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

After a few slow days here in Abbeville, our time has taken a turn to excitement and by excitement, I mean demolition. That's right, they are trusting us to tear apart houses and not mess up (how can you really). It's mostly fun work, however, with my allergies, I've been having a rough time. Basically, I'm living off Benadryl which isn't the most healthy thing I've ever done, but there's really no other options. We work about 10 hour days, still fitting in PT and other fun stuff as needed.

This past weekend, a few of us journeyed over to New Orleans to visit another taem working there (Silver 3). They are living in a tent city just outside of the lower ninth ward. So, I finally got to see with my own eyes the destruction that has been so heavily portrayed by the media. It's bad. It looks like the hurricane just happened, when in reality it's been almost 7 months. Crazy stuff. They are still sending in dogs to look for dead bodies and most of the houses haven't been touched. It's pretty unreal stuff. On the up side, I also was able to go into the French Quarter and experience more beyond Bourban street. We had coffee and beignets at the world famous Cafe du Monde. YUMMY! We were also able to go into Ripley's Museum for a volunteer workers price of only five dollars. They really do appreciate us! :)

Not much else to report. The farm is very peaceful and I'm enjoying the culture down here in Cajun Country.

Grace and Peace.

A hopefully exciting turn of events...

2006-03-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

Today could prove to be a very exciting day.

since we arrived in Abbeville, we have been living in a "Family Life Center" aka a huge gym. I've been sleeping on a cot-upgrade from an air mattress, but it's too short so my feet hang off the end. :( And it's HOT and HUMID here.... my favorite combination.

so, why is today an exciting day, you may be asking yourself right now... well, our sponsor is moving us into a HOUSE! YEA! It's not in downtown abbeville, like we are currently, but it's a house. and, unless Gold 5's luck strikes again, it will be nice with enough rooms and more than one shower and have a stove that works (last night i made dinner for the team, mac and cheese, in a rice cooker because the stove at the gym didn't work. that's right, a rice cooker!).

so far, we've worked at two schools getting them ready for students who will be returning on monday. we also met another NCCC team from Denver. They are on their first project. It's weird seeing how large their team is (number wise) and how they interact with one another. I wouldn't go back to our first project if you paid me. My team has become my family... sometimes you love them, sometimes you love to hate them, but they are always there for you. Why? because you understand each other, at least at this time in our lives. It's very hard to explain the NCCC experience to people who haven't done it. Not that you don't get insight through my lovely blog. :) It's just a whole different way of life. One that can only be understood from the inside.

hope to write again soon. the only upside to the gym was that we had a computer. :)

I'd like to give a little shout out to my girl scout troop homies. HELLO! :) Hope you are all doing well and that school is going well. hope to hear from you again soon.

Grace and Peace.

Abbeville Louisiana....

2006-03-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow my team will take off for Abbeville, LA--the heart of Cajun country...

I'm not sure what all that means, but I'll let you know when I find out!

We will be working with the Vermillion Parish (LA doesn't have counties, they have parishes) to get their schools up and running again. Abbeville had a lot of Katrina evacuees and then a month later, they got hit hard with Rita. Luckily, this time we will be staying in a gym, not a tent. That's a major improvement, one word: walls. :)
Also, we will have the luxury of real showers and toilets. Yea! Oh how the little things in life come to mean so much. We will also be doing a little bit of mucking out houses (gross!) and some construction on houses as well. I'm looking forward to this project. The town we will be working and living in is pretty small, but they do have a library! For "fun" we will have to drive over to Lafayette (sp?) which is about 30 mins. away. No worries though.

In sad news, we lost another team member. Gold Rush is now down to 9. David went home last week, of his own volition. We will miss him and all his hard work. Seriously, he was an all star. LOVE YOU DAVE!!!

Nothing much else to report... If you can, check out some of the fun pictures below. To see all of them, click on the March 2006 under archives on the left side of your screen. Good times, good times.

Grace and Peace!

2006-03-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

Kyla, my super awesome roommie.... Love her!

2006-03-04T18:06:00.000-08:00

Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans...super fun!

2006-03-04T18:04:00.000-08:00

These types of signs were not uncommon...

2006-03-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

This was a casino. The pirate ship used to be behind the "fort" that you can see in the background. The storm surge (which was 30 feet in Biloxi) brought it to where it is now.

2006-03-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

As you can see... the apartment building used to extend out to the street. This is in Gulfport, MS.

2006-03-04T17:53:00.000-08:00

This used to be homes....This is in Pass Christian, two towns over from Biloxi. You can see the water on the horizon.

2006-03-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

Tent City, in all it's glory. I lived in the the blue and white top tent on the left side.

2006-03-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

The bridge that used to connect Biloxi and Ocean Springs in Mississippi...

2006-03-04T17:43:00.000-08:00

Alena and I taking a break after reshingling this whole roof (of course, there were other teammates that helped too). Doesn't it look pretty?

2006-03-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

Up on a roof... getting stuff done in Fort Myers with Habitat with Meredith and Joy. PS right after this picture was taken, I accidently dropped the hammer--watch out below! :)

2006-03-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

Birthday girl... my team had me wear this lovely crown all day long...We went to the beach at Sanibel Island... so perty!

Heading to Lousianna soon

2006-02-25T09:10:00.000-08:00

HELLO!!!!

Well, we almost got a trail crew project (Oconee State Park, SC), but because things are so crazy with the proposed closure of NCCC, the administration at base has put us on another Disaster Relief project instead. After our debrief time in Charleston (we head back on the first of March), we'll be turning around and heading back to the Gulf Coast area--this time in Abbeville, LA where we will be working with the United Way in that area. At this time we have no idea what we'll be doing or how long we'll be there, but that's where we are headed! It's about 40 miles inland from the Gulf Coast, west of New Orleans.
To be honest, I'm bummed that we won't be spending time in the mountains hiking and enjoying the fresh air. However, I realize, even more so after being down here 5 weeks, the importance of relief projects and the need. This area has been so devestated and come June, they will all be holding thier breaths, waiting and watching to see if another hurricane will come through the area. I know I'll be paying closer attention, worrying about all my new friends that I've made in the area.
I'll let you know more as I can.

Tonight some of my team is headed out to Mobile to check out the Mardi Gras celebrations there. Did you know that Mobile was the first Mardi Gras location? True story.

Grace and Peace.

SAVE NCCC

2006-02-21T06:58:00.000-08:00

If you want to join the efforts to save NCCC, you can go to this website and read about what is going on and how to get involved.

There is some really great information at this website. Please get involved!!!
Thanks. :)

www.savenccc.org

Mardi Gras

2006-02-20T15:01:00.000-08:00

I went to my first (and probably last) Mardi Gras in New Orleans this past weekend with some of my fellow AmeriCorps members. I never really had any inclination of attending, but I did enjoy myself. We spent Saturday night walking around Bourban St.--very interesting! I couldn't help but picture some scenes from John Grisham novels. :) We crashed at a couple's home that had volunteered here in Biloxi and they were great. They took in 10 of us and they had us sleeping in every possible place. It was a great sleepover. On Sunday, we went to see the parades which was very fun.
Honestly, I'm very glad I went. I probably won't ever be this close or have such a fun group to go with. It really comes down to who you go with...no joke. :)
In other news, 10 more days here in Biloxi before we head back to Charleston. I've really enjoyed my time here, but I am getting a little weary of the tent. Actually, I think I caught a cold and I'm trying hard to fight it, but when there isn't much heat because the tents lose power in the middle of the night, there's not much you can do. :) I will miss being called "baby," I think. Everyone calls me baby here. It's a cultural thing and it's kinda fun.
More later.
Grace and Peace.

Saying Goodbye

2006-02-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

Last night, my Grandma Rosemary went home to heaven.

They waited to take her of the ventilator until I was able to come and say goodbye. I'm so grateful that my team is in Biloxi right now, I might not have had that opportunity otherwise.

My parents and I waited down in the hospital chapel while they took her off the machine that was breathing for her...two nurses and the hospital chaplin were in the room with her. When they took her off the machine, she raised both of her hands, towards heaven, and then gently layed them back down. Then she was gone.

It was like she was reaching out for Jesus.

My Grandmother was a devoted, faithful, compassionate and loving woman. She will be dearly missed by everyone in my family and everyone who knew her.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement during this difficult time.
Grace and Peace.

The end of NCCC

2006-02-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

Ever thought about joining AmeriCorps NCCC... well, you probably won't be able to:

Dear Colleagues:

A few minutes ago, the President released his budget request for fiscal year 2007. To continue our vital work to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering, the Administration has requested a FY 2007 budget for the Corporation of $851.5 million.

The proposed budget will enable the Corporation to support 75,000 AmeriCorps members, approximately 500,000 Senior Corps volunteers, and some one million Learn and Serve America participants. In addition, the budget will allow the Corporation's programs to mobilize and manage at least one million community volunteers, bringing to more than 2.5 million the total number of Americans engaged in community service
through our programs.

The President is committed to national service; he is also committed to controlling spending and reducing the deficit. That entails some hard choices for discretionary spending. The budget proposes elimination or significant reduction of 141 programs across the government, including the AmeriCorps*NCCC program within the Corporation for National and Community Service. In the FY 2007 budget, the Corporation has a reduction of 5.4 percent, which adds up to $48.5 million. More than half of that reduction comes from the proposed shut down of AmeriCorps*NCCC.

Our goal with this budget request is to sustain our ability to meet key strategic goals, continue savings through management improvements, and raise our level of service to our partners and grantees. In all of these areas, I believe we succeeded in this proposal.

Here is an overview of the Corporation's 2007 request:

For Senior Corps, this budget requests $217 million, a continuation of the enacted budget for FY 2006. There are no reductions to Senior Corps programs: RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) continues at the FY 06 enacted funding of $59.6 million; the Foster Grandparent Program will continue the 2006 funding of $110 million; and the Senior Companion Program will also hold steady at $46.9 million. The funding will support
more than 1,200 grantees and approximately 500,000 volunteers.

For AmeriCorps Grants and the National Service Trust combined, this budget requests $383.6 million. This level, when combined with the $95.4 million requested for AmeriCorps*VISTA and $13 million carried over from 2006, will support 75,000 members.

For AmeriCorps*NCCC, this budget requests only $4.9 million, which is intended to cover the cost of closing our campuses. This is a difficult decision, given the popularity of the program with our participants and partners, particularly in disaster response. However, the NCCC is costly compared to other AmeriCorps programs and was rated poorly in a recent Federal management assessment. The Corporation is committed to building up the rapid and flexible disaster recovery capacity of the NCCC within the rest of the national service portfolio.

The budget requests $34.1 million for Learn and Serve America, an eight percent decrease from the 2006 enacted budget of $37 million. We expect this budget to support the participation of about 1.2 million students in 1,500 local service-learning programs. In addition, this budget proposes $1.1 million for training and technical assistance, which will go to the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. We are also proposing new funding of $400,000 for the Students in Service Initiative Support, which will promote the spread of service learning to more schools in America.

In this budget environment, the Corporation will be increasing its focus on management excellence, seeking cost savings and efficiencies wherever possible. In that regard, this request increases the program administration funds, largely for a one-time investment in information technology security upgrades and the consolidation of our administrative service centers, which will unfortunately mean the elimination of some staff positions. We believe, however, that these reforms will allow us to deliver a higher level of service at a lower cost over time.

The release of the President's budget is just the first step in a long journey. Next come appropriations hearings in the House and Senate later this spring, followed by committee mark-ups, floor consideration, conference committees, and more. I pledge to all of you that we will be open, transparent and quick to communicate with you as this situation develops. In that spirit, you will find our entire budget justification posted on the Corporation's website later today, after it is delivered to Congress.

Sincerely,

David Eisner
CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service

My team and others are committed to fighting this decision... we will just have to wait and see what happens.

new place

2006-01-28T05:44:00.000-08:00

well, my team got pulled from our assignment in florida and we are currently living in a tent city in biloxi, mississippi. we will be doing disaster relief for the next five weeks, putting our departure back to charleston at march 1. we will be doing a random assortment of jobs including but not limited to case managemnet, construction, food prep and distribution. this area was pretty much destroyed by katrina and i'm sure that it will be a tough and rewarding project.
we are living, as i said before, in a tent city--this literally means tents. picture circus tents with plywood floors, and 34 bunkbeds. we have about 10 port-a-potties and 10 portable showers that we share with anywhere from 200-300 volunteers. it's going to be a stretching experience, but a good one. picture it as an summer camp for adults. :)
continue to keep this area in your prayers. so many people lost everything.
i won't be able to write very often because there is only one computer for everyone here. snail mail is great! :)

grace and peace.