I love my friends!

I think at this point, the majority of my belongings have made it to North Carolina by now. I got to put it all on a moving truck with my friend's stuff which was a huge blessing. I am leaving here on August 8 and driving with my roommate, Alicia. A small part of me is very much dreading the drive because it is such a long trip, but for the most part, I am looking forward to it.

In the midst of trying to finish up sorting and packing my life here in LA, I took a much needed break for the weekend to hang out with YWAM LA-alumni, Sarah (AKA Smiller). This is a picture of her (on the right), me (center) and Karisse (left). It's a "framer"!

Beware of Heat Stroke!

Just a quick note...today's temperature was 119 degrees! No joke...I wish I was exaggerating, but I am not. And to top it off, we don't have air conditioning in our house. Those of you with central AC, be grateful!

Packing...at the bottom of my "love to do" list

If there was an award for the World's Slowest Packer, I would win, hands down! I have been working on packing my room up for the last 5 day and I am still NOT done! And I realized tonight the reasons why this is the case:

*I am VERY easily distracted and would much rather sit and talk to friends (or update my blog)
*I go through EVERY item in my room and evaluate if i still want it (that also includes any piece of paper)
*I pack a box and then unpack it and move it to a new box to organize it better (because there is usually a more efficient way)

I sure I could come up with more reasons, but I'm sure you get the picture. I have to do my best to not get overwhelmed by it and just put things in boxes...it's all going to get moved either way! And I have to have it all packed by Sunday night...no pressure. Some good friends of mine are also moving to the east coast and they offered to put my things on their truck and they are getting the truck on Monday (and my stuff has to go in first so it comes out last once they get there). I am SO grateful to them for doing that.

I am driving to NC about a week or so after them, so my things will already be there. My housemate, Alicia, is driving with me and that is a huge blessing!

I should probably get back to packing...not my favorite thing, but it must be done!

After Dark Excursions

There's something strange about nighttime that makes Denny's seem like a good idea...don't know what, though. Last night, Danny, Alicia and I were sitting around the living room when the mood struck to do something...and Denny's was the grand plan we came up with. I guess it's the company that makes it fun. This is in the car on the way over...


And drinking our milkshakes...



Ode to Danny: "I am nobody's S.W." You should remember what that means ;-) Why did it take so long for us to be friends?

Ode to Alicia: Story of the old woman terrorizing the senior home, using walkers as weapons. Love you friend!

Big News!

It has been the topic of a few whispered lunch table conversations, mass speculation and straight out questions that I have avoided answering by laughing and changing the subject. Well, it's out now...the big news is that I am moving from LA and relocating in North Carolina.

This is a picture of the main house. There are a few other houses in the neighborhood as well. Isn't it beautiful!



You can read more about the base and see more pictures on the website: www.ywamcharlotte.com

So what am I doing in NC? I am still going to be working with YWAM, just at a different campus. And I will have a very different role. The last 3 years, I have been working in film production, where we make short films and documentaries. This fit so well with my passion for media and I count working here one of the best experiences in my life for so many different reasons. It's been incredibly hard decide to step outside of that field to do something else. To be honest, I lose track of how many times each day I question whether or not I am making a huge mistake and that I should just stay here. But each time that thought crosses my mind, I have to tell myself that this was not something I jumped into quickly and I have prayed a lot about it for a very long time. And I know it is right. I am just a little nervous. Change is always like that though.

I know it will be a challenge, but I am looking forward to being stretched and learning new things. And I am praying that the lessons I learn about discipleship and leadership will one day be combined with my experience and passion for media and something else big and exciting will come of it.

Viva Mexico

I took my friends from Florida down to San Diego and to Tijuana, Mexico yesterday. I am not exactly the greatest tour guide seeing as how I don't REALLY know my way around and I have a "slight tendency" to get lost...I can almost hear a few of you that know me well laughing with memories as they read that last line...it is more of a curse rather than a tendency. I have come to terms with it though (and come to expect it) and consider each outing an adventure because you never really know where you will end up or how long it will actually take you to get there.


That aside, though, it was fun to walk around with them. Shopping in Tijuana is not like shopping here in the states. They stand outside their stores, almost begging you to come into their shop, telling you they have the best deals in town and better prices than their neighbor. And prices are always up for negotiation. I am not really good at the whole bartering thing, but you do learn as you go.



We actually parked and walked across the border to avoid the chaos that are the roads in TJ. And the line to get back into the states by car can take a couple hours!



Just after you cross the border



View of the houses on the hill...very crowded!



A mariachi band

No pets allowed...

The mouse is no longer is my house. We are hoping that it was just one and not a family.

High and low for the day...

While we were on outreach, we would go around the group and do "highs and lows", with each person saying the best part of their day and the worst part. I figured tonight I would do that...share my high and low for the day. Here you go:

My high...some friends of mine came to visit me here in LA. Tony, Janine, and their son Josh, are out here in California for vacation so they came up to the base and got to see where I live and then we toured a little of LA...a couple of the "must do" things when you've never been here before. We had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen at the Kodak Theatre and looked at the different handprints at the Grauman Chinese Theater....took a drive through Beverly Hills...went to Santa Monica to see the street performers and walk along the pier. It was such a great afternoon and I am SO happy to have them here!

My low...once we made it back to my house, we were sitting around, having a great conversation when the situation turned a bit chaotic. Why? Because we had a four-legged, long-tailed visitor running through my living room and I was not feeling very hospitable. Tony was the more humane one in the bunch and wanted to catch and release it. That did not turn out as planned. Other than giving me a HUGE laugh as the 4 of us tried to catch a mouse, it did not bring results. That little sucker ran just past Josh and under the door and into the hallway...the way to all the rooms. I keep telling myself that it DID NOT run into my room and I blocked the space at the bottom of my door to keep him out. I am hoping with all I have in me that I am not keeping him IN my room instead.

I had a small instance with a mouse in South Africa as well. The quick version of the story -- for two nights I was kept awake because I heard something in my room. He was pushing papers around and even knocked a box of crackers off the shelf and tried to get inside. Hard to believe, but true! And in Africa, you never can be sure what it is that is terrorizing you in the night. After two different people checking my room in all the obvious places, I figured it had left. Much to my surprise when I opened up my back pack to start getting my things together to come back to the states...I didn't own anything gray and furry! My bag quickly got thrown out of the room as I yelled for one of the guys to come "dispose" of the creature. I am a self-proclaimed wuss when it comes to things like this so no comments on that! Once that was taken care of, I saw that the mouse had chewed through the different pockets inside so i no longer have different compartments...they are all connected now. And on top of that he had torn up a dollar bill and was nesting in my backpack! A bit presumptuous when he wasn't invited to set up camp in my room! And we are hoping this mouse here in LA isn't planning on a warm cozy place to live in my room either. Or my house at all, for that matter!