I'm stuck...

So been recently deliberating about taking a year or two off from school and either joining the Peace Corps or going on a long term mission...

Unfortunately for moi, I have to be at leased 20 to go on a long term mission... and have a four year degree or an associates degree with job skills to join the peace corps. Which is incredibly frustrating. Looks as if I'm stuck in school for at least another year, because I'm not about to quit just to get a job at starbucks and loaf about. The whole reason I thought about leaving school for a while was because I felt useless and purposeless. Just dropping out would cause the same problem. It's just sad because for the first time in my life, I think I hate school. I just got a D in my philosophy class. A class I should have gotten an A in by the way. I just couldn't make myself do the work. I'm tired and bored and I feel trapped and a hundred other things that aren't cool. I'm just so tired of feeling useless. Why can't I travel for a while and see the world and help a few people out? Why am I stuck in this stupid reality where everyone is like... get a college degree and a nice big house with a three car garage and two and a half kids!!!!! Needless to say, I'm frustrated. It looks like I'll be spending yet another year in school. Kill me now.

The Power of Sleep... or the lack there of it

Last night I went to bed at 10:30 and I woke up today at 1:00. That's pm and pm in case you are wondering. So, you ask, why on earth did I sleep for 14 and 1/2 hours? Well...

This weekend was the girls chrysalis weekend, and I was assistant head cook. Which meant when the head cook wasn't around, or when she needed someone to tell people what to do, I did it. It may not seem like much, but it was a huge job. Three times a day we had to have a meal done on time, enough to feed 50. Then we had to wash all the dishes and put them away. We had to check the talk room and the sleeping rooms to make sure there was always food available. We had to rearrange the whole dining room eight times. We had to put out all the decorations, arrange the sleeping rooms, and then take them down and clean them up. And whenever prayer requests came in, we had to drop everything and pray. Needless to say it was a hard weekend, and I got very little sleep.

But it was the most rewarding weekend I've had in a long time. I met some of the most amazing girls. I earned the respect if women I admire. And I served the God who loves me. Let me tell you that his love was more than evident this entire weekend and I feel blessed to have been called to serve. Fly with Christ!!!

Stupid Travelocity

All I want to do is see Kendall. Why won't you charge my debit card?

I'm not usually an insomniac

Well it's almost three o'clock in the morning and I can't seem to fall asleep... which is weird, cause I've been tired for the last 24 hours...

I'm not usually one of those people who stay up ridiculously late because I can't sleep. Usually, if I'm awake this late it's because I've been doing something really entertaining for the last five hours and I can't seem to make myself quit. No such luck tonight! Maybe it's because I've spent more nights sleeping on Adrielle's springy pathetic excuse for a bed the last who knows how many days (It's almost unbearable comfortable), but my soft yet firm beloved matress has been unable to work it's magic on me. 

I love my bed, by the way. Three or four years ago I decided I was tired of having a twin bed and wanted something bigger. So I sold all my furniture, went down to Sit N Sleep, and bought myself a lovely queen size bed with the money my old furniture got me. From that day forward, I have been in love with my matress. It's big enough for me to lay in the exact middle and take up all the space, but if I have friends over I can fit up to four people on it (me included) if we squish. It's right in front of my T.v. so it's perfect for late night movie watching, and did I mention both soft and supportive? Needless to say, I usually fall right asleep.

You know what else should be working in my favor? I'm exhausted. I haven't gotten a lot of sleep over the past week because I've been too busy over at Adrielle's house coloring and painting!!! In fact, my eyes are droopy and tired right now!!! But that doesn't seem to be getting me any sleep!!! Instead I'm on my mac writing a blog entry at an entirely ungodly hour!!! (I jest. God loves three am too)

In other news (since I'm writing this anyway), positive outlook on my travel horizons. It appears I will be traveling to Denver in May to visit my other best friend at school. She was very happy to learn that, and except for juggling all the money issues, I'm excited too. Speaking of money, the mission fund, which is paying for my mission trip to Barbados this summer, is now 35% complete!!! People have been so generous!!! One lady from my old church donated $300!!!!! I nearly started crying!!! I think I'll give her a big hug when I see her on sunday. She's such a wonderful lady.

Also as I side note...

Dear DMV and IRS,

You guys suck!!! Why are you trying to extort hard-earned money from a perpetually broke college student? I know things like taxes and tags are important, but I have bills to pay you know and money to save up for travel!!! And don't day travel is just a fun thing that doesn't count. I'm opening my horizons and gaining a kind of education that is invaluable to society! I'm becoming a well rounded young woman with world knowledge!!! The kind of person you want voting in this government, not those other stupid kids who have no idea about the realities of people and life. The kind that think the whole world revolves around the fact that their boyfriend broke up with them... or whatever. And why do you hit this all at once?! It's like you guys know... oh look she has two big projects to complete for her classes on top of her regular course load, and she's working hard to pay her bills, and on top of that she has Tae Kwon Do obligations and church obligations and is trying to keep up friendships with those friends that went to school far away, lets make it tax season and also demand she pay $60 for a stupid little sticker to stick on her license plate!!! HOW FUN!!!

Ok so I'm feeling a little bitter. If you pray, how about praying that I'm able to cover the financial cost of everything going on right now? That would be super! 

The Best Sunday Ever!!!

Today was a glorious day....

It started with church this morning. I know most people don't go to church regularly, let alone genuinely like it, but they don't go to my church (www.valleytribe.org). I go to a church that cares more about the city (LA) than it does about itself. We're all about being a part of the community. And I love it. I was dying at my old church, but at my new church I feel like I belong to something greater. It's a very cool feeling. Anyway, Mike Brown gave an excellent message about bad and good organization within the church. Then I got to see Monica and Lauren (two friends I hadn't seen in awhile) because they came to church.

After church I went to see my boss/friend Julie test for her 2nd degree black belt, and kept her eight year old from whining about how hungry she was. Afterward, I took the two girls out to get something to eat, then rejoined Julie and her son for an after testing party.

The party was a blast. We all went swimming and had a huge water fight in the pool. The only bad thing about that was that Nolan (her 11 year old son) decided it would be fun to torture me by squirting me repeatedly in the eyes with a water gun. So as lasting memories of that encounter my eyes are sore and the bones in my left forearm is bruised. It was still really fun.

Then I spent a good two hours talking with all the adults. One was the 88 year old great grandmother of one of the kids who had tested. She was fabulous! She had all kinds of stories. My favorite was one her grandmother told her. As an 18 year old she had been working in a convent. The nuns warned her and the other girls away from one particular room, forbidding them to enter. Well finally their curiosity got the better of them and they peeked into the room. Inside was a nun nursing a baby!!! It just goes to show you that God made sex for a reason and maybe being celebate wasn't the smartest move on the part of the early catholic church. 

Then I came home and ate some pie, so my day was practically perfect!

The Mad Dash at the End of The Line...

There is a week and  a half (give or take a day or so) before I head off to my biannual church retreat, called Chrysalis (website is www.cichrysalis.org). And as always, Adrielle and I find ourselves way in over our heads. 

You can only experience Chrysalis once as a candidate (My flight was exactly two years ago), but you can come back and work team. This will be my fourth flight as team, and Adrielle's third. Part of what we do for the candidates, as team, is give them special little gifts all weekend. Last flight, Adrielle and I made pillows, bookcovers, and gave them silk flowers with bible verses. We worked up until the last minute, and this flight is starting to look the same. 

We are coloring beautiful posters to give to all the girls, and make butterfly coasters using those plastic beads you iron to melt. You know the ones I'm talking about. We still have a ton of coloring, ironing, painting, glittering, and gluing left to do before next weekend (not this weekend or this coming weekend, the one after). Needless to say we are a little frazzled. Luckily we have Adrielle's little sister and her neighbor helping us out. It takes a little bit of the pressure off, but all this craftiness plus work plus school plus taxes plus my mission stuff... needless to say I've been going a little crazy.

Best Pie In The Entire World

Yesterday was my dad's birthday, but we didn't celebrate it because no one was home. So today I made it up to him by making him two birthday pies. One was a Chocolate cream pie. The other was a Bumbleberry Pie. It's our favorite! When my brother and I were little we would call it bumblebee pie, because we couldn't quite say berry correctly. So here's how you make the bumbleberry filling...

Mix 1 and 1/4 cups sugar with a 1/4 cup of flour and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Then mix in a cup of blueberries, a cup of raspberries, and two cups of either blackberries or boysenberries. (I like the blackberries better myself.) Pour mixture into pie crust. Put a tablespoon and a half of butter on top of mixture (slice it into smaller pieces.) Lay top crust over filling, close crust off, and poke five holes in the top using a fork. Stick in the oven at 425 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes. (In order to avoid burnt crusts, you can wrap tin foil around the edges of the pie.

For best results, make your own crusts. It only takes some flour, salt, shortening,  cold water, a a few minutes of your time. And it winds up tasting way better. Anyway, I'm off to enjoy some of my delicious pie!!!