Where Is The Love?

My first weekend off for this Christmas vacation is over and I have to say it was a lovely weekend. Saturday morning my mother and I had ambitious plans of going on a super long hike. Unfortunately once 11 am rolled around and we were still sitting by the fire in our PJs, we figured we should rain-check that idea. Janae was playing in the JV tournament (my Dad coaches the JV girl's soccer team at Nordhoff; Janae is on Varsity, but my Dad borrowed a couple of players for the Buena tournament) this weekend and had a game in Ventura at 3:30. The game was really aggressive and Janae fought hard (she learned from the best... just kidding, she's a great player without any of my help). The girls had to win to put them through to another game at 6:30. By the end of the second half the game was tied 1-1 and was sent to PKs (penalty kicks not pastors kids...). I have been helping my dad train his goalkeeper so I went over before the kicks and gave her a little pep-talk. She rocked the PKs and long story short we ended up winning. It was already freezing by the time this game was over (seriously the days have been amazingly beautiful and the skies have been so clear, but as soon as that sun goes down... it must drop like 15 to 20 degrees). By the second game you could tell the girls were tired. They played Oak Park (they are actually in their league and will be playing them two more times this season so it was good they got a chance to meet up with them before the season) and lost 2-0. The game was SUPER physical and Janae and her friend ended up getting yellow cards out of it (even though the other team was dishing it out much worse... we were the only ones being called for it so it sort of sucked... but what can you do? External factors are bummers in games like this...).

Sunday was another amazing day because I got to go to Community!!! Darren brought two guys from River Haven to share how they are doing and what needs they have for this winter and coming spring. For those of you who don't know, River Haven is a self-governing community of homeless men and women here in Ventura County trying to better their situations. The group started over 3 years ago in the River bottom (hence River Haven) and has been in their semi-permanent location in Ventura. I wish I could tell you their whole story, but that would take about ten entries. Instead here are a couple of articles about this group (Ventura County Star and the VC Repoter) of amazing individuals. Please keep them in your prayers during this cold and wet winter season.

Sunday evening we invited Melvin (Sarah's friend from High School) over for dinner. Melvin is currently attending UCLA and just finished his first quarter. Melvin is an amazing young man who has been through so much! He told us about some of the things he is getting involved in at school; one of which is the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act will allow qualified undocumented, high school students who wish to attend college or serve in the armed forces, an opportunity to obtain a documented status necessary to pursue these goals. Melvin, who is in this same situation, is not given any financial aid and must find a way to pay for his college. After graduating, he could be the top of his class, will not be able to use his degree or apply for medical school here in the US. This is a problem in the US that I am growing more and more uneasy with. Please pray for Melvin as he attends school. Pray for him and others as they continue to work hard to bring about change.

As far as the title goes, my sisters and I made cookies yesterday and we were rockin out to some music. In case you haven't noticed, most of my more recent blog entries have been song titles. I am of the belief that our lives are a musical and have incredible soundtracks. I am glad I get to share mine with all of you!