ESL BBQ

Sunday I wrote a brief entry about my mom's ESL (English as a Second Language) BBQ, but I don't think I wrote about how much fun it really was. So I though I would post some pictures and give you the link for more BBQ pictures. Enjoy!

The kids came over and showered their teachers with flowers and gifts. We now have flowers in every room in our house.

Ryan (left) and Sam (right) after our water balloon toss.

Bin playing a little B-ball (we lowered the rim so they could dunk).

Hamburgers are always a hit!

"Do You Love Your Neighbor" turned out to be a hit not just for Youth Group kids

We even had a few broken chairs

The kids were all given awards from the teachers. Derek (the one bowing here) got the award for best Apple Shiner.

Janae got to hang out with her good friends Ruby and Shun

It was a really fun evening and I hope I get a chance to work with these kids next year. Check out the rest of the pictures through the link up top.

Interviews and Internationals

Today, as some of you read in previous posts, I had an interview for the Assistant Weekend Coordinator at OVS this coming fall. The interview went well I think. I already know the interviewer (Dave White, the Weekend Coordinator) from summer camp and stuff, so I wasn't too worried about going in. I really won't know how it went until... well I don't know when I will know... There is one other applicant and what will happen is Dave will give his recommendation to Mike Hallmounsy who will then call the applicant for formal interview with him (he is the head master).

The rest of the day was full of cleaning and prepping for my mom's BBQ she was having with her ESL kids. The BBQ went really well and I am really tired. But it was a great day and I just wanted to let all who were praying for me know that it all went really well. Thanks for your prays!

Past, Present, and Future

Today was it! My last day of the semester was today with my last final. I am now on summer vacation!!! I am so happy that I thought it was time for a new look on the blog. It seems that everyone is changing the templates on their blogs (Dave and Katie, Amber...) so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon.

Today was super fun and full of a couple of blasts from the past. The first one came in the form of a comment on my blog from a Lisa Hester (formerly Lisa Nash and formerly my favorite babysitter ever!!!). It was so nice to hear from her and if she is reading this right now I just wanted you to know you were my favorite and I was sooooo glad to hear from you!!!! I totally remember this one time Lisa was babysitting Sarah and I and her brother came over. It was definitely the only time I ever had a bloody nose in my life. Good times! I will definitely be reading your blog and keeping up to date on how you are doing.

The second blast from the past came in the form of a phone call. As some of you may know, I don't like to answer my cell phone 1. if it's a blocked or unknown number and 2. if the number that is calling me doesn't look familiar. But tonight as I felt my phone buzzing, I felt the overwhelming need to actually answer my phone. On the other line I hear a somewhat familiar voice saying "Hello? Hey Hey!" It was my good friend Stephanie who moved to Australia whom I haven't seen or heard from in some six months. We attempted to catch up on the last six months over the phone, but I can't wait until she comes back for the summer.

On a more futuristic note (since that's what I named this entry), my busy summer will begin in two weeks and then it is off to the races. It's gonna be a busy busy summer and I can't wait! Please pray that I will not lose my mind this summer with all the camps I am doing. Also please pray for me this Sunday. The Assistant Weekend Coordinator position is open at OVS Lower this next year and I have an interview. I don't want to get my hopes up, but this would be a great job for me and it is something that I would love to do. Please pray that God's plan will be apparent to me after this interview.

So that's really it! Summer is here and I am super excited to see what God has in store for this summer. We have some really cool people coming to work with us this summer and I can't wait to get to know each and every one of them. I will try and be better at updating my blog and letting you faithful readers (Amber and Katie... and anyone else out there that I don't know of)
know what is going on in my crazy life.

Accomplished Slacker

As I sit here trying to study for my finals, I came up with a new label for myself (we're all about labeling people right?). I decided that I am an accomplished slacker. Let me elaborate a little for you. I seem to so do everything that I shouldn't be doing at a particular time. Now these things aren't always bad things (actually they are usually really positive things). Like yesterday I washed my car, cleaned the kitchen, and did my laundry. Today I went to church, picked up my dog's crap (literally and figuratively), changed the oil in my car, and gave my dog a bath and a good brushing. Sounds like I was pretty accomplished this weekend right?

Well, despite all of the wonderful things I got done this weekend (that I won't have to do next weekend), I got very very little studying done. I cant' seem to do what I need to do at the time I need to do it (I'm not sure if that makes sense on paper, but it made sense in my head). I should have been studying all (or at least a good amount) of this weekend. With three finals on Tuesday and one on Thursday, I sort of had a lot to study for; but I got caught up doing stupid (not stupid cause they all needed to be done) stuff that took away from my study drive. Now I could care less what happens with my finals. This Accomplished Slacker just wants them to be over!

Busy Busy Busy!

Well, this will probably be a very short entry as I am in the middle of doing homework and getting ready for bed. So this weekend has been full of papers and cleaning. Cleaning for Mother's Day and papers for papers. I have two large research papers due on Tuesday and one on Thursday (one of the papers I am using for two classes). But the bright side is this is my last week of school (last week of lectures with finals the following week). But I am almost done!!! Please pray that I can charge it all out and stay on top! Busy Busy Busy!!!

PS: Happy Mothers Day everyone!

Bug Bites, Soccer, and The Fight

Well, I think it has only been a week since I posted last so I am getting better. Actually, the only reason I am writing this is because I had a semi-exciting weekend. Well, it kinda all started on Thursday. Thursday I went to school as usual, but instead of going home and youth group, I had to stay down in Northridge to watch a dance recital for my dance class. I had never been to a dance recital before (let alone a recital at CSUN). It was surprisingly amazing! I had no idea there was so much talent at CSUN and I didn't know our dance program was so good. It was really cool and it almost made me want to get up and dance (but not really cause that would be sad). Friday night was nothing incredibly special. I went to dinner with my family which was nice. We haven't been out together in awhile (let alone sitting down and all eating at the same time) so it was very refreshing to sit with my family and find out all of the stuff that they thought they told me, but never really did.

Saturday I had big plans of charging out one of my two papers that are due next Tuesday, but I got caught up cleaning the kitchen and making ceviche for a BBQ we were going to that night. So later that night we went to my Dad's friend Brett's house to watch The Fight (De La Hoya vs. Mayweather). The fight was pretty lame (I guess after watching a lot of UFC, I just want there to be a big Knock out, but oh well), but I got to visit with some kid from West Virginia. He actually plays football for Marshall University (you know the movie We Are Marshall; yeah, that school). He was kinda cool and it was nice to have someone my age there who is not busy flirting with my sister. The only bad thing (other then the crappy fight and the really really drunk people) was I got bit by a crap load of bugs. Brett lives down by a creek so all the bugs came up as the sun went down. Normally I don't have that big of a reaction to bug bites, but these must have been super bugs because I had three bumps the size of golf-balls all day Sunday and they got even bigger by Monday. They are going away now (Benadryl works miracles but I really want to go to sleep right now), but they were gnarly!!!

Sunday I went to Community which went really well. Later I got to go to the first home game for the Ventura County Fusion. It is a new semi-professional soccer team centered out of Ventura. My dad is friends with the head coach and his club team is also the Fusion, so the boys (my Dad's soccer team boys) got to be ball boys and hang out with the older players after the game. The boys loved it. The game was really good. Fusion won 2-0 against the San Fernando Valley Quakes. I can't wait for more games. Sunday night I got to rush to a leaders meeting. The meeting was very productive making for a wonderful end to an already great weekend.

3 To Go

Wow, I don't know what it is, but I can't seem to keep up on this blog like I used to. I guess nothing really exciting is going on. So, here's the update on the last 10 days. Last Friday I had the day off (Mason had his 9 month check up; even though he is 10 months). Saturday was like any other Saturday. I am however coaching a boys 5-a-side team. Basically my Mom has a 5-a-side soccer club at school and we put together two teams for the Rec league. So basically the last few weeks I have been coaching some Asian boys with boundless amounts of energy. It is absolutely hilarious and has been loads of fun. Monday was work. Mason has been pretty fussy all week. He doesn't have any teeth yet, so whenever he is teething (which we are pretty sure he is right now) he is really teething. I feel so bad cause there is not a whole lot that I can do for him other then give him Tylenol and his binky. He won't put anything in his mouth other then his binky and his blanket (including teething rings).

School was alright this week. I did really well on a Physiology test which made the week a whole lot better. Friday was a pretty long day. I had to work until 6 (8am-6pm) then I had to coach a soccer game. After that I stayed at OVS to watch Upper's drama performance. They did a review of broadway which was super cute (some of those Asian kids can really sing!). After that I had to stay up until 11:30 to drive with Sarah to drop off a friend (basically I didn't get home until 1:30). I had to work again yesterday, but it wasn't too bad. Samantha threw a birthday party for her step-daughter McKenna out at a coworker's beach house so I got to go hang out for the day and take care of Mason. Later that night I went to a play down at school with Sarah. It was a much better play then the Very Old Man with Enormous Wings. This one was a series of One-Act plays written by women playwrights over the last century. Church today was really cool (great job Amber and Darren) but what made it especially awesome to see Dalton for the first time in about 4 months. He has grown so much and it was really neat to see him again.

So now it's Sunday evening and I am sitting here preparing for another week. But only 3 more weeks in the semester and then it's time for OVS. I can hardly wait!

10 Days Later

Wow, I can't believe it's been another 10 days since I last posted. I don't even know what I have been doing since I last posted, but let me try and remember. Well, last time I posted I was just coming off spring break. Monday I had to go into work early (Sam had to take the kids to school in SB and it is just easier for me to go in early then for her to wake the baby up, put him in the car, drive around for 2 or 3 hours and then come home). Tuesday was school which was long, but fine. Wednesday I went into work later (10am) and ended up working late (Sam and Helmuth had a dinner meeting to go to). They ended up getting home really late (10pm) which made it a really long day. School the next day was just business as usual. Friday at work was nice because grandma was there. Whenever grandma is there I do about half of the work I normally do, which some people would think is sort of invasive, but she lets me do my thing so it's all good.

The weekend was sort of busy. Saturday I did a ton of housework all morning (which I will be repeating this weekend) and then went to my dad's boy's soccer game. The boys didn't play as well as they have been, but the game wasn't that bad. After the game, my dad and I drove down to Northridge for a play that I had to go to. The play was an original adaptation of the short story The Very Old Man With Enormous Wings. Basically the story is about a fallen angel that a couple finds and uses as a sideshow act. The short story is really good, but kinda dark. The play was absolutely horrible! I could not stand sitting there and watching it. They added characters and made it into a circus. I thought I was on an acid trip the whole time. Thank goodness it was only one act that was only an hour long, but still it was the longest hour I have sat through in a ling time. Sunday was a normal Sunday. Community and then homework. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I was taking a lifeguard certification class. All I can say about that is I am glad it's over. I am so exhausted I could probably sleep the rest of the day and still be tired. Well, that was the last 10 days. I'll try and post a little more often again.

Back At It

It is now Monday night and I am back at it. Spring Break is over and I am back to work. Spring Break was really cool. Monday was really relaxing. I got to take my dog for a walk and relax most of the morning. In the afternoon I went to my friend Chad's house and he cut my hair again which is always fun (I love changing my hair). Tuesday I went over to Amber and Ryan's house for dinner and a movie which was super fun. Cory was there when I arrived and it reminded me of the good ol' days when we used to have home group. But dinner was great (it really was Amber, thanks a lot) and The Prestige was a good movie. Wednesday I went to Ventura with Amber and the girls. Thursday I helped Ryan with some stuff at church to get ready for Easter Sunday (aka: spray paint the COMMUNItY logo on our E-Z up, cut Handouts for the Chocolate Campaign, photocopy comics of Chaga and the Chocolate Factory... you know, just normal stuff). Friday I had to go back to work (they had gone up to Tahoe for the week). Saturday my cousin got married. The wedding was very nice (a little disorganized, but they are happy and that is all that matters). It was cool because I got to see a bunch of family members that I haven't seen in a while (particularly one that I haven't seen in almost 10 years who now has a little boy named Ash who is super cute). I had to rush out of the wedding (not really rush) to get Janae to the lake to practice with Freddy (who was late). After a brief rehearsal, I went over to the Ranch (my Dad's friends manage the ranch that is owned by the producers of CSI or something like that) to watch the fights (UFC is awesome!!!). Sunday of course was Easter where I had to wake up at 5:30 to go to sunrise service. Both services went really well and it was so cool to talk to a ton of people about fair trade chocolate. That afternoon we all went to my uncle's house for another family gathering. When I got home I passed out for almost two hours, woke up to take a shower and then went to bed for the night. It was a great week off and now I'm back at it again.

Hippy Dippy

Today I brought lunch to my sister while she was at work and she said she wanted to hang out tomorrow night. She threw around a few ideas and one of them was going shopping. With a little hesitation I shot that idea down for two reasons; One, I am poor and can't afford to go shopping and Two, I just went to a Human Trafficking conference and have been feeling a little convicted about the clothing I buy.

Let me explain a little. Almost two weeks ago (March 25th to be exact) was the 200th anniversary of Britain's abolishment of the slave trade. However, there are more slaves today then there were when slavery was legal (27,000,000 people). In honor of that day and of the millions of people trapped in modern day slavery, Vanguard University hosted a Freedom Day Rally called One Voice to End Slavery. I attended this conference with Ryan and Amber Smith, Jeff and Danielle Sloneker, and Daniel Barnett (the art teacher and NHS). Freedom Day consisted of two sessions in which we could choose a lecture/discussion/movie that all talked about modern day slavery. The first session I went to a lecture/discussion about slavery and the war in Iraq. It was super interesting and I could write a whole other blog on what we talked about. One thing that really stuck with me was the breakdown of modern day slavery. Around 50% of today's slavery is in sexual exploitation which gets the majority of people's concerns (and rightfully so; it should get a great deal of attention). However, the other 50% is rarely ever talked about (agriculture and clothing industry). I have been feeling really convicted in this area of modern day slavery; from the coffee and chocolate I eat and drink to the shoes and clothes I buy, I decided it was time for a change. It's time to buy fair.

So back to my story. After my hesitation to go shopping, my sister said I was becoming Hippy Dippy. While I know many other people who are much more Hippy Dippy then I am, I am ok with being called Hippy Dippy. If Hippy Dippy means caring about God's creation and the people in it enough to be conscious about what I buy, then so be it. I am Hippy Dippy.

PS: for more information about Human Trafficking visit StoptheTraffik.org or FreetheSlaves.net or just email me and I can refer you to many other organizations.