Hoodie and flip-flop weather. Toes in the sand. Sound of crashing waves. Smell of the salty breeze. Disneyland. In-n-Out Burger. oh Cali, how I love thee. Let me count the ways... I went and saw family this week in California and at least once every hour found myself asking, "WHY AM I GOING TO ARKANSAS?!?!?!" Aside from the smog, earthquakes, fires, population ridiculousness, outrageous cost of living, etc I think it would be fun to go to school there. My trip was strangely uneventful. My bag made it there and back, the flights were smooth (though delayed), I didn't have to sit near anyone horribly obnoxious that insists on talking to me. My mom's aunt died while we were there, but other than that...it was a good trip.
And now it's story time... Yesterday on the flight home I sat next to my cousin Natalie and in front of us was a man and his son (approximate age 2 1/2). The kid was (and probably still is) old enough to make complete sentences, has that cute little kid speech impediment, and talks just a little bit too loud. The dad read Winnie-the-Pooh during take-off, made him eat "one more bite," and pointed at things out the window like all good dads would. Kid was well-behaved the whole flight. Then, about 45 mins to landing, the child pointed at his dad and, in his speech-impediment-too-loud-voice, said, "You said sh--! You said sh--!" The dad, remaining unflustered, replied, "Yes. I did. It was an accident. I apologize." The continuing dialogue was as follows:
Kid: "You said sh--. You said sh--."
Dad: "I know. I'm sorry."
Kid: (SINGING and POKING his father for emphasis) "Bad boys, bad boys. Whatchya gonna do? Whatchya gonna do when they come for you?"
Dad: (Silence)
Kid: "You're in BIG trouble cuz' you said sh--."
3-4 mins of silence pass.
Kid: (turns to Dad with raised eyebrows and warns him) "Don't say hell!"

All the while my cousin and I are laughing hysterically and trying to be discreet about it. Oh my gosh I thought I was going to die. Good times.

I finally saw my school. It was a beautiful drive and there are only two turns on the way, so I shouldn't get too lost. (I have the worst sense of direction of all time; I get lost in every major city I go to. The list is getting pretty long and includes some fantastic cities.) We had just passed over the border into Arkansas and stopped at a gas station. When asked about the rain the kind employee informed us that, "it wuz jus' quit 'bout 15 minutes ago." my response: I hate Arkansas. Despite the bad first impression, I really do like the campus, the staff all seem super, and I'm really excited about my major and minor and such. I'll be going for a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies and a minor in marketing. Note to all who feel that those fields aren't related: I think that's the problem. I think they need to be. We need to be teaching girls (and guys I suppose, but I gotta stick to what I know) about the lies of advertising. They need a biblical world-view and in the mid/high-school years MTV and YM magazine is their world. So the goal is to bridge the gap between the two seemingly unrelated fields. (I apologize for the cliche gap-bridging metaphor.)
On a much much more depressing note, last night I came home from a wonderful time chatting with friends and stepped on my laptop. Broken screen. $650 because I lost my balance. Doesn't that just make your stomach turn. yeah. AND I will be purchasing the stang from my parents so I called State Farm to ask about insurance. Do they honestly think they have a chance at getting my business by charging over $200 a month? Because they don't and they won't. I will be calling my new friends at Geiko and asking the Gecko if he can do any better. Kind of a bummer of a day, but...the high in ol' SoCal is 72 degrees and I will be there on Wednesday. Things are looking up.

It's been so long, so very long. I miss you dear friends. Review time: Birthday. I got a guitar! (Fender, acoustic) Do I play? well...not much...but I will. yea! I turned twenty and happily enter the new decade and look forward to the adventures contained therein. Then I juent to Juarez for a jueek. Dust storms and houses...like you've read in other blogs I'm sure. I laughed harder than was necessary and for the most ridiculous reasons...I wouldn't have it any other way. Tomorrow I leave to go see my school for the first time. I'm really excited. Most people have at least seen their school before they decide to go there...but oh well. I'm sure it'll be fine. If not, I'll transfer again. The next week I leave for California to visit some family, and the ocean ("It's been so long since I've seen the ocean, I guess I should..."). Then I'll be home sweet home for a few days before I leave for Pine Cove. The break-neck speed of my life is somewhat daunting, but so far I'm having a good time. By the time school starts I'll need a vacation for sure. Maybe I'll plan a trip to Chicago. NOTE: I'm not re-reading this so I apologize for the mistakes.

This whole post is going to be sort of a stream-of-consciousness review of my week. Almost 600 college students all jumping and chanting things like "crazy crazy crazy, etc..." and "More Jesus, More Sweat, more Jesus, more sweat, etc..." It does something for the soul lemme tell ya! I spent the last 8 days at Pine Cove learning everything there is to know about the ministry, and have never agreed so whole-heartedly with anything. But there's this...tension...also. I've always wanted to work there. I wanted to be the girl standing in front of the mid-schoolers and leading the motions to the songs. I used to want to speak to thousands of teenagers at conferences, but I don't anymore. My mindset has changed from conferences to coffee shops. Shallow as this may seem, I don't want to wear Khaki shorts that touch my knees and a belt and take out my piercings in order to minister. I don't want the guys to have to cut their hair and shave everyday. BUT everything inside of me, after this week, agrees with Pine Cove staff doing all of those things. So...maybe...yikes...maybe Pine Cove isn't the place for me. That's what part of me says...then the other half chimes in... I LOVE mid-school girls. I love the idea of having a cabin full of them to teach and love for a week. I can picture us standing on our chairs and yelling and cheering and making memories. And, if I'm serious about wanting to teach them about their identity in Christ, this is an ideal time to start.
I will work at PC this summer. I will love it, I'm sure. But the reasons I would have loved it two years ago and the reasons I will love it this summer are different, and I didn't realize there was going to be a change. Much to process... BUt for now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find khaki shorts that'll touch my knees...