This Is Me

Today's my birthday, and I have been thinking long and hard on what an ideal birthday would look like for me. I don't like birthdays (well, my birthday... I like other people's birthdays just fine). I don't like the attention that I receive the one day out of the year. Not that I would like it everyday of the year, but it's just a little bizarre to me...

Anyway, what would my ideal birthday look like? I think just a mellow day of hanging out with friends and family would be ideal for me. Not having any pressure to hang out with certain people or to really do anything. Not having to make any decisions about where to go or what to do because the people around me would just know me well enough to make those decisions for me. Just having the people that I love and care about the most around me showering me with their love would be enough for me.

Lunch Time

Remember that ToDo list I posted a couple weeks ago? Well yesterday I finally got to check off the last thing on that list; getting my car washed. I went to Costco's new $8 car wash and I have to say, I didn't enjoy it. When I went there I was thinking it was going to be super fun, like in Corrina, Corrina when Molly was able to pick anywhere in the world to go for her birthday and she chooses the carwash. It was a magical, happy place for her. Not so much for me. I felt claustrophobic and trapped knowing that I couldn't open my windows without getting sprayed by water, soap, and other crazy chemicals. I couldn't see out any of the windows and, despite knowing I was on a track, was afraid I was going to run into someone or something. My car is clean so that's a good thing, but I don't think I will be doing that again... I think I would prefer to pay $12 for the Ojai Car Wash where I don't have to sit in my car.

On another note, I think I am addicted to FroYo... I have gone twice this week in Ventura (Holly was housesitting and so I hung out with her a couple of nights) and I wanted to go again last night. It's just so darn tasty. I went to Wild Cherry for the first time and I was quite impressed! Not only are they cleaner then Tutti Fruiti, but they have more flavors and they are cheaper! If you are ever in the Ventura College area, you should stop by.

My last topic for today is food (probably because I haven't eaten all day and it's 12:30pm and I have another half an hour here in the tutoring center). Holly asked me the other day what my favorite restaurant is and I honestly couldn't give her an answer. I am not sure what my favorite restaurant is and to be totally honest, I am not sure I know what my favorite food is. I like sushi alot. I also like thai food. I like sandwiches. I really like really good turkey burgers (or a really good garden burger or even a chicken burger). I'm not a big pizza and pasta at restaurants fan. I don't like eating mexican food out cause I can make it at home. Maybe that's it. Maybe I just like stuff that I can't make at home very well. I mean, I do make a really good turkey burger (and blackbean and chicken burger). Needless to say, I don't know what my favorite food/restaurant is. All I know is I need to get some food in my body right now...

Pray for Daisy

God is so good! Daisy Love's tumor has shrunk by over 75%. It has gone from the size of a large grapefruit to the size of a slice of a small tangerine! The surgeon says that the tumor is barely there and there are no problems with it being around any major blood supplies. Her surgery is scheduled for Monday! Praise God! Please pray for a quick and easy surgery. Pray that Daisy will continue to be healed by the Holy Spirit. For continual updates on Daisy Love and the amazing things God is doing through the life of this little girl, check out prayfordaisy.com. God is so good!

A Bushel and a Peck

Sometimes I wonder why I like singing. And then I hear my grandma sing on the phone to my cousins and I remember. One of my few memories from when I was younger was my dad and my grandma singing songs to me. I mainly remember the three bears song. But today I heard my grandma sing the Bushel and a Peck song, and I about lost it. I love my grandma and I love hearing her sing.

"I love you, a bushel and a peck!

A bushel and a peck, and a hug around the neck!

A hug around the neck, and a barrel and a heap!

A barrel and a heap, and I'm talkin' in my sleep."

Manure... I Hate Manure!

Sometimes my school smells. Not like a nice smell either... My school has two smells. The first, most common smell I would say is green onions. Now, I like green onions. I use them all the time! But this green onion smell is so strong it literally makes me sick... The second smell is manure. Now, the intensity of this smell can range anywhere from minor to me literally thinking that there is crap on my shoe... It smelled like that yesterday... Gross! People say I'll get used to it... I don't think I will.

Familiarity

Familiarity is a good thing! It makes me feel comfortable and at ease. It makes me happy.

My classes again are in the same buildings they have always been in (with the exception of one class). I have two professors that I have had previous classes with. One of my classes is in the same classroom I have had all three semesters. I see familiar faces in all of my classes. I see familiar faces as I walk to my classes. It's great!

Today one of my classes got out early so Emy (who is in one of my classes) and I went and got coffee until we had to go to our next classes. Today was a good day.

To Do

I have always been a fan of To Do Lists. But these last few months in particular, I have been a HUGE fan of To Do Lists. Here is my To Do list for this week:

• Clean/Organize my room: I started this one but there is still a lot to do. It's amazing how unorganized a room can get when you don't live in it for several months...
• Sew a lunch Bag: This one is for my grandma. She started going to Little House, an adult day care center here in Ojai, four days a week and we pack her a lunch everyday. So we (my mom) thought it might be nice for her to have her own, homemade lunch bag. Which is great because I am always looking for new sewing projects.
• Get a Quote on my Car/Get Car Fixed/Get Car Smogged/Pay Car Registration: This is a big one... Several months ago, I got my car checked out because the check engine light was on. Turns out my car has low compression in one of the cylinders and potentially needs a new head (whatever that means...). I didn't take care of it at the time because I didn't have the money and still haven't taken care of it because I still don't have the money. Unfortunately my car registration is due on Sept 9th and I have to get my car smogged which means the check engine light can't be on which means, I have to get my car fixed. I could use some major prayer on this one because, like I said, I don't have the money for this and don't know how this all is going to work. But I know that God is Big and He will provide a way. If you know anyone who knows Dodge Neons and could do some work on it for me, let me know...
• Wash my Car: on top of my car not running well, I have majorly dropped the ball on keeping my car clean. I blame camp mostly. It's just so dusty. What's the point you know?
• Transfer Info from Old Computer to New: Our home desktop was on it's way out very quickly so my parents got a new computer. But all of our old stuff, including files and itunes are all on the old computer. So I have to transfer all of that old info onto my external hard-drive onto the new computer.

That's all I can think of right now. Let's be honest, the car thing is what's weighing on me right now. Please pray.

The End/The Beginning

Camp is over.

It's been over for several weeks now but I have been hosting full time and I am just getting around to sitting at a computer long enough to type up my thoughts. Camp was amazing and I can't even begin to list all of the amazing things God showed me and taught me this summer. I am sad that camp is done and my friends are gone, but I am excited to hear about what God has in store for them this year. I am also excited to still be a part of Forest Home with hosting on the weekends. This last weekend we had Camp Reach for the Stars which is a camp put on by the American Cancer Society for families affected by pediatric cancer. It was such an amazing thing to be a part of and it really made me thankful for my family and friends around me.

School started today. My schedule isn't totally crazy yet which is nice. Tutoring and my two Math labs don't start until next week so I only had two classes today with a very long break in between. I ended up having lunch at Panera (so glad we have one in Camarillo now!) and then taking care of my parking permit stuff. Tomorrow I have one class from 4:30-5:45. Wednesday I have 3 classes in the span of 9-5:45 so if anyone is in the Camarillo area between 1:15 and 4, let me know and then we could maybe hang out. Thursday is like Tuesday so I am hoping to get a ton of stuff done at my house that will allow me to dive into my more crazy schedule next week (which includes tutoring which will have me at school Mon-Wed 9-5:45 and Thur from 11-5:45).

I was starting to get a little freaked out last week about the craziness of my life and my schedule. Thursday I had the day off of work and Friday morning I had a meeting in the Learning Resource Center (where I tutor at school). The meeting was pretty boring and ran late and I still had to talk to the Financial Aid office before getting to work by 1:30. I hurried out of the library (the LRC is in the library) and came across a group of elderly people huddled around an elderly man on the ground. Despite just being in a huge hurry, I knew I had to stop and make sure everything was ok. I stopped and said, "Hi, my name is Michaela, I am First Aid trained. Can I help you with anything?" The group immediately said yes and I just started an initial assessment of the man on the ground. His name was Gordan and he is 91 years old. He tripped on the curb and twisted his ankle. He had some minor bleeding on his hand but as far as I could tell had no other serious injuries. Someone had already called the police who were on their way. I wanted to get someone to get a first aid kit from the library but didn't want to leave Gordan, and no one else really wanted to leave either. The police officer was there pretty quickly and took over the situation and called for paramedics. The whole thing maybe took 5 minutes of my time, but it was a nice reminder to stop and slow down and not miss what God has in store for me this semester. I am excited for my classes and I am excited to see my school friends. It was nice to see familiar faces in my Linear Algebra class. And it's always nice to see friends when you are walking around campus. As crazy as my schedule seems, I feel peace about it. I know I'm not alone at school and that's a nice feeling to have.

Bounce

Have you ever seen someone with an actual bounce in their step? I was walking behind this girl at school today who literally had a bounce in her step. Everything she stepped over was a little hop... Very interesting. Random, I know. But I haven't really seen someone with an actual bounce in their step. It caught my attention today.

My God Made That

Junior High camp has come to a close and I am amazed at the things God has been doing in the lives of these students, counselors, staff, and me. One staff guy has this one saying that always makes me stop and think. He looks at the stars and says, in all seriousness, "My God made that!" He looks at the mountains and says, "My God made that!" He watches the sunset at the beach and says, "My God made that!" It sounds so simple and it's something I have always known and loved, but to hear it out loud gives new meaning to it. If becomes real and true and it really gives me joy!

This last week, the pastor of Reality Carpenteria was speaking at Reality San Fransisco when he got the call that his daughter Daisy Love was sick. If you remember any of my previous posts, Daisy Love had a Wilm's tumor the size of a Nerf football about last September and was declared free of cancer (remission) as of April of this year. She has been in remission for a few months but this last week, the doctor's found a new, inoperable tumor the size of a grapefruit. She had a biopsy this week where they were able to remove about a 1/3 of the tumor and are now looking for a Wilm's tumor specialist.

I know that my God, who made the mountains, the stars, and the beach sunsets is bigger then Daisy's tumor. I know that He can remove that tumor and heal her little body. I also know that God has a bigger plan then we could ever imagine or begin to understand. Please keep Dasiy Love and the Merrick family in your prayers. God has been using this young girl and this family in amazing ways and I know He is not done yet. Pray for healing and peace and for God's glory to be seen through the life of this brave little girl!

Here's a link to get updates on Daisy Love and the Merrick family!