The Pacific Northwest has stolen my heart!

I got back a week ago from working for a week in Toppenish, WA. It is a town on a reservation were the people of the Yakama Nation live. And what a week! I had so much fun doing something that I love and meeting great and wonderful people all week. The week included the following activities:

- Flying into Seattle and getting my very own hotel room.

- Taking the s.i.n.g.l.e. most beautiful drive of my life. It was two hours up and over the mountains and man! what incredible views. I found myself saying "is this real??!?!"

- Meeting a very wonderful staff that is going to have a great summer!

- Paying close to $2000 for five flats of food at Costco and making a mental note that we would do the same thing in a week

- Hearing the passing by shoppers at Costco exclaim "what a big party!" or "i wanna come to your party!" or "you guys sure eat a lot" when they get a look at our carts. 

- Constantly being amazed by the surrounding landscape. 

- Meeting students and adults from places I never have before: Idaho and Nevada!

- Making meals for seventy right alongside jr high and high schoolers. 

- Painting some houses

- Meeting a man with a prosthetic leg and hearing all his one legged jokes!

- Getting threatened at kids club one minute and then hugged by the very same kid the next minute!

- Hearing the INCREDIBLE sounds of Native drumming and singing.

- Participated in a worship circle. 

- Did another foot washing club - - these were always my favorite!

- Had a cookout in the park, and watched as the grill almost exploded.... but it did not, no worries mom

- laughed as Jillian (the kids club staff) showed me what was confiscated at kids club. Included were some fake weapons and one very real throwing star

- Friday faxes! I did not miss these. 

- Met probably the most adorable Hispanic neighbor kids who just LOVED to help us unload lots and lots and lots of groceries.

- laughed and laughed and laughed

There was so much in just one week that it is hard to describe and I could not possibly cover it all in one post! However, I will say that it was so wonderful to do another week with YouthWorks. And it felt good going into it knowing exactly what I was doing. I enjoyed being able to lead and encourage the staff and watch them take over as the week went on. I was blessed to help out such a wonderful group of four people and they provided me a week full of entertainment. I have to say that my favorite part, aside from connecting with the staff, was meeting the students and adult leaders. I had forgotten how much I liked working with youth. They are so full of energy and honesty and always manage to teach me. It is always cool to see how they are challenged throughout the week and how they process that. I was re-energized by the week, even though I was exhausted, but you know what I mean. It was a wonderful week. 

I leave you with this true story from my week that makes me laugh every time:

We were getting ready in the kitchen for the community cookout in the park. The students were preparing leftover creations and packing up all the food. Joe, the program staff, went over to a student and told him to fit as many bags of chips into the tub as possible so we could carry them over. Well, a few minutes later Joe and I looked over and just smiled. Because instead of just piling the bags in the bin, he had opened the bags of chips and dumped them into the bin! Doritos everywhere! I mean, hey, he was just doing was he was told right?? ha. ha.

Yakima anyone??

Yes Please.

Because that is where I will be for one week in the middle of June. Yakima, Washinton! How did this happen? That is a very good question. Well, the same day I found out that I did not get the job I interviewed for, I also received another call from YouthWorks. This is the company I worked for a couple summers ago in South Dakota on the reservation. Their summer programing is starting up again very soon and they needed more Starters, so they called me. 

Basically I will be flying to Seattle, driving to Yakima and staying for the week. While I am there, I will be helping the staff with their first week of programming, being a person of support and someone on site to go to for questions. I am V.E.R.Y. excited about this. I mean, it goes without saying that I am pumped to travel, but I am also excited to be back in the YouthWorks life. Even if it is only for a week. I am looking forward to cooking meals alongside students, sleeping on the ground, waking up really early and going to bed late, watching college students do silly skits that the students think are hilarious, meeting people in the community, painting, playing with kids, riding in big white vans, and just serving people. And, it also helps I will be paid for the week. So, I guess I have a job for seven days! This is great. 

Yakima, here I come.

college roommate

Today was the first day I was able to say "I am going to meet my old college roommate!" And yes, it was weird. I found myself stopping in mid-morning getting ready activities to think hmm, I do not know when I got so old. Now, I know that I am not "old" but I think turning 24 (which is almost 25) has got me thinking about how fast time really does go. I mean, I only have one more year in which I will be in my early 20s.... how does this happen??

Anyways, today I was able to spend some great and wonderful time with Crystal (Ice) Thompson. She was one of the very first people I met at school and we lived together for two very fun years. She is a wonderful woman who has taught me, supported me, and encouraged me throughout my time in Minnesota. It was great to see her and talk to her and reminisce and catch up. And to be honest, I was also excited to see a familiar face - one that I have known for years at least. I told her that I felt as if she represented all of Minnesota and man was it good to hear that accent again! Crystal, I had a wonderful time! It was so refreshing and wonderful to see you! 

In other news: My interview went really well and I was very optimistic when it was over; however, I did not get the job. Yes, disappointing. But through the experience I am that much closer to finding what is right for me. So, I am still optimistic.

And the garden? It is doing so, so, so well. I will post some pictures soon. And the first "fruit" of our labor is growing in the form of Tomatoes. Yes, I dislike them, but hey, I feel very attached to those little green guys and maybe I will try one..... maybe. 

job status

I have an interview! This is very exciting. On Friday, May 15, I will have the chance to interview with a wonderful organization called Starfire U. It provides relevant educational opportunities to young adults with disabilities (and so much more, but if you want to know more just click HERE! I am just so encouraged by finally getting an interview and am excited to see how it goes. So, after Friday I will let you know how it goes! Yay!  

a wonderful surprise...

About two weeks ago I got this package. Well, it was actually funny because Sara and I usually see the UPS guy go by our house every day and usually I like to say "man! I hope we get a package today" and we NEVER do. Then one day, the truck stops in front of the house and I yell "Sara, we are getting a package!" and then I look closer and yell, "Sara, we are getting TWO packages!". Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I love getting any type of real mail and packages are just that much better. 

So, one box was for Sara and one was for me.

And when I opened the box, this basket was staring at me from inside! My dear friends and roommates (I refuse to call them "ex-roommates") Jenny and Lindsay sent me this basket full of things I love. And I have never gotten a basket of goodies before, but let me tell you, it is exciting. It contained my two favorite things: chocolate and peanut butter. There were chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, AND chocolate peanut butter cup cookies! Do they know me or what??

Thank you, you two. You have always been so good to me, and it was such a wonderful blessing. I love you both and miss you even more. I am glad Katesister is getting married so I get to see you guys in a few months!

Projects all around!

Spring is officially here! Well, it has been for a while now, but I want to formally announce it because summer will probably come faster than it is wanted. I have so enjoyed being here for spring. In Minnesota, I feel as if it goes from snow to spring for two days and then summer. Not the case here. All of the flowers and bright colors have been such a blessing. Just the other day, all the dogwoods bloomed (yes, I am learning the proper names for trees, not just saying "the pink ones"). They are such a bright, vibrant pink it really is incredible to me. So, I guess I just want you all to know, I LOVE SPRING. It makes me very excited. 

As for me. We have been busy with projects here. Sara and I tackled the basement while Kyle and Linda (his mother) "plowed the land" as I like to call it. I think I mentioned before that Sara and Kyle and the family decided to plant a garden. Also, I decided to try my hand at planting flowers as a surprise to Sara and Kyle when they got back from their vacation. And I have pictures!! So.... here they are. Enjoy.

(A before shot of one of the areas Sara and I scraped, scrubbed clean and then painted...)

(Ahhh.... so much better! We even got to throw those little flecks on the floor!)

(A fusion of two projects in one day. Notice the pre-cleaned wall to the left and the people outside are "plowing the land"! And yes, I know it is not "plowing", but I have fun saying that...)

(The garden! Soon we will have real things growing in here!)

(Our seedlings when they were first planted. They are just little seeds and I think that part of me did not actually believe they were going to grow. That is the tomato plant in the back, we bought it already started and it has doubled in size and now lives outside)

(And then they grew!!! Every day when we would water them we would inspect the dirt to see if we could see anything green.... and then one day, there was a green sprout and then they just kept coming. It was one of the most exciting things, growing something!)

(Here is another shot of a few. They are bigger now with "hearty" looking leaves!)

(Planting number one...)

(Number two...)

(And number three!)

So! Those are all of our projects. We will be planting and transporting seedlings to the real "farm" (haha) this weekend. So hopefully I will put those pictures up too. We will be planting green peppers, banana peppers, tomatoes, green beans, and corn. I am most excited for the corn! I think my favorite thing to do has been the flowers because it was so relaxing. And it was fun to be able to create any arrangement that I wanted and see how they turn out. I was taught well by mom and so hopefully I can carry that on! Isn't it wonderful to get things done?? Yes, yes it is. 

one year

Really? Has it already been a year? That is what I was finding myself asking a lot yesterday. I cannot believe that I have lived one year with my father in my life. The day actually went better than I was expecting it to, which is a huge answer to prayer. Sara, Mom and I just hung out, got some lunch, ran some errands and then mom made all of us a very delicious dinner. It was a normal day, which is just the way I wanted it to happen. I was not so much dreading the day, just welcoming it to come and go as fast as it wants to. To be honest, I am glad we are past a year. There are officially no more "first" anythings.

When I look back on the last year, I can see where the Lord has been guiding us as a family and me personally. A lot has happened in this past year and I can dare to say He has even more in store for me and my family. One huge, huge thing that God definitely had his hand in happened this past Monday. I started this new class/study called Healing and Deliverance (more to come on that later). Well in the class, you are split into breakout groups. Our group met on Monday and since it was the first week we shared our stories. Sidenote: It is incredible to hear someone tell their story, how they got to this day because it makes you realize there is so much more to people that you could ever guess. I am really excited to dig deep with these girls, they all seem so wonderful.

Anyways, to make a long story shorter, there is a girl in my group that shares in my experience because her father recently made the same choice that mine did. We are the same age, with such a similar experience and when we realized we just looked at each other and I am sure we both felt a little relief. The Lord is good in reminding us that we are not alone and I am just so excited to get to know this girl. There is something so comforting to know that she understands better than most people, not to say that my friends have not been wonderful, because they are, but this is just different. So, I guess I wanted to share this because I am in awe of what the Lord is doing in my life. I am surrendering and receiving what He has planned for me!

easter and poop

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday here in Kentucky! Mom, Sara, Kyle and I went to Kyle's parents house and spent the day with his family. We enjoyed good company, nice weather and good food! I have not had an Easter with young kids since I was little and it made the day that much better. Erin, Kyle's sister, has two boys (Jack and Sam) and they are great. Mom put together these wonderful baskets for them and with wide eyes they played with all their new toys and shoved in as much chocolate into their mouths as they could before Erin took it away.

They also decorated an egg for everyone which were hidden later for the egg hunt. The funny thing about this is that there were only 11 eggs, but they were all found about seven times. The men in the family had fun taking the already found eggs out of their baskets when they were not looking and re-hid them. It was entertaining to hear them yell "there is another one!" about an egg they had JUST found. Something tells me this will not last for too many more years, so they better have fund while they can. Overall, it was a very, very good Easter. I am blessed to have spent it with such wonderful family.

On another note, we have been very busy around the house. We have cleaned and painted most of the basement. And we have tilled "the land" as I like to say. Sara and Kyle have decided they want to start a vegetable garden out back, so Kyle worked the earth and got the area ready. I have vowed to get better at taking pictures so I can put them on here and my hope is that sometime in the next few days I can put up pictures of all our projects.

I leave you with this funny story....

One day when I was watching two little boys, this is a conversation I had with a 3 year old:

boy: I am going to hide from you...

me: why would you want to hide from me?

boy: (pause) .... because there is poop in my pants (runs away)

me: (blank stare)

just a little taste of some of my experiences here in Kentucky!

i think she will get to wear a hood...

I have to send a HUGE shout of congratulations to one of my very, very good friends: Jenny Beth Fraley. She has made it into graduate school! This is very exciting and I believe she is going into something that she is made to do. I am so proud of her and her interviewing skills. And, obviously, all of the other skills that she posses to make it in. Her grades, her ability to not over promise and under deliver, her patience, her true genuine love for the people around here, and of course her ability to know all things. Way to go Jenny!! 

p.s. to be honest, the thing that I got most excited for when Jenny told me her good news was the possibility that she gets to wear a hood when she graduates. I think this is right?? I just always thought those looked so cool on the robes, and she will always have it I think, so she could totally wear it like the professors do and be cool. And besides, hoods look good on her!

the beauty of flowering trees

So, I just wanted to share with everyone my love with what it looks like in this city right now. In the past week, the flowering trees have bloomed. And they are not just here and there; they are everywhere! It is so great to drive around and see all of these trees lining the streets with pink and white flowers. Whoever decided to plant all of them is a genius and I appreciate their planning very much. I wish that you guys could come and see them in their beauty. 

(This is a picture of a tulip tree, they are all over the place and we have one in our front yard)