.: In the Drink :.

Funny Story Time!

Last night after work, I decided to go to Taqueria Vallarta in Felton for dinner (always a good choice, right?). The conversation in my head went something like this:

"Um, I don't really need my purse, I'm just going in for a second."

(I proceeded to put my keys in my purse like I always do, and shut the door. I went inside, ordered my dinner and went to leave...)

"Oh crap! Well I have a spare set of keys at my house... I'll just start walking and call people on the way to see if someone can give me a ride back... I'll cut through Redwood Camp, my house is really close if I go that way."

(I walk to Zayante Road, then realize that there is no shoulder on this road and it's really dark.)

"Oh well, it's a short stretch of road..."

(I make it to Redwood Camp and then realize there are no night lights on because we don't have groups in, so it was REALLY dark and I kept hearing things so I just started running. I made it across the new bridge (almost home!) and it was pitch black and I could faintly see the yellow leaves on the ground. Then all of the sudden...)

"OH CRAP!"

(I fell in the creek, about 8 feet down off the trail. I was soaking wet as I crawled back up the side of the trail and (very carefully) made my way home. I called Rachel up at the Front Desk at Mount Hermon and she gave me a ride back to my car after I got my keys from my house.)

And there you have it. :o)

.: Disneyland, Take 2 :.

Oh my gosh. I LOVE Disneyland at Christmas (or any time, really)!

Check out my pictures, they are here:

http://ewu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2019249&l=47e6b&id=44502649

Have a great day!

.: Nothin' Better To Do :.

"Mama said, idle hands are Devil's handy work
Oh, the trouble you'll get into
When you got nothing better to do..."

- LeAnn Rimes

.: Thanksgiving & Christmas :.

This is easily my favorite time of year. Not necessarily Thanksgiving Day, or Christmas Day... but that time in between, affectionately known as "Christmastime." Highlights?

Wine Tasting with the Girls

(Cheryl, Ingrid, Sara, Gretchen, Me, & Brenda)

(Sisters)

(Gretchen's cute little house)

Thanksgiving with the Browns

(Andrew, Hilary, & Joshua)

Thanksgiving Family Camp at Mount Hermon

It was SO WONDERFUL to hang out with my Child Care friends and the kiddos - I miss them all!

(Bethany... I miss this lil girl!)

(Landon came to Child Care!)

(America - she's precious!)

The day after Thanksgiving - as tradition since I moved to MH - we decorated for Christmas!

(My Christmas Tree!)

(Home Sweet Home)

Probably One of the Sweetest Things Anyone Has Ever Done For Me...

After community night at my house this week, my AMAZING friends made paper snowflakes and tried to sneakily (I caught them) string them up in my window so I would see snow when I woke up in the morning - all because they know I really miss the snow! :o)

(Mark, Eric, & Heidi - my heroes!!)

(Snowflakes outside!)

(the next morning...)

Decorating Day at Mount Hermon!

A few of us were recruited to decorate a specific room/area at the Conference Center - I had Youth Memorial (meeting room where the continental breakfasts will be served during MH's Christmas Concerts & Buffets). Afterwards, we headed over to help Sara in the dining room.

(Youth Memorial Fireplace)

(Marci!)

(Me!)

(Youth Memorial Christmas Tree)

(Landon in his adorable hat...)

(Sara!)

(Rec Crew - Dan & Jon - stringin' up some lights?)

(This would be a good Christmas card - Jon (Recreation Supervisor) and Sara (Dining Room Supervisor), strung up in harnesses in the dining room. Fabulous.)

(Danny Kern - on the "outdoor lights" crew)

(Scotty Gullick - He made the majority of those white bows - he's a pro!)

(One of our trees in Ivy Dining... Fabuloso!)

All in all... it has been a great holiday season so far. I love Christmastime! :o)

.: Holy Buckets :.

(That's a phrase I have heard a lot of lately, and I really couldn't think of another name for this post.)

Now, please tell me, what is more ridiculous than this article you are about to read?

Thieving monkeys 'out of control' in northeast India

Sat Nov 17, 12:12 PM ET

Troupes of monkeys are out of control in India's northeast, stealing mobile phones and breaking into homes to steal soft drinks from refrigerators, lawmakers in the region have complained.

"Monkeys are wreaking havoc in my constituency by taking away mobile phones, toothpastes, sipping coke after opening the refrigerators," Hiren Das told Assam state's assembly.

He said the primates were "even slapping women who try to chase them".

"It is a cause of serious concern in my area, with more than 1,000 such simians turning aggressive by the day," fumed Goneswar Das, another legislator representing Raha in eastern Assam.

Assam's wildlife minister, Rockybul Hussain, said the state government has formed a panel to study the problem.

Because of shrinking forest cover, monkeys have increasingly moved into cities elsewhere in India as well.

Last week, around two dozen people were hurt after monkeys rampaged through a New Delhi neighbourhood.

Last month, the deputy mayor of Delhi died when he fell from his balcony after being attacked by monkeys.

Efforts to drive out the animals is complicated by the fact that devout Hindus view them as an incarnation of Hanuman, the monkey god who symbolises strength.

True story. From Yahoo! News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071117/od_afp/indiawildlifeanimalmonkeysoffbeat_071117080843

.: New Blog :.

Not to be a traitor or anything but...

I have a new blog. Check it out -

http://carolanncallahan.wordpress.com/

.: Just a Ride :.

Apparently, the songs written by many different artist throughout the course of history (or at least the past 30 years) can pretty accurately describe my mood/outlook on life at any given moment. Seriously. Have you ever noticed that no matter what you are going through, there will be a song that totally sums up your feelings? It's kinda cool. Here's today's -

"Just a Ride" - Jem

Life, it's ever so strange
It's so full of change
Think that you've worked it out
then BANG
Right out of the blue
Something happens to you
To throw you off course
and then you

Breakdown
Yeah you breakdown
Well don't you breakdown
Listen to me
Because

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
no need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you round and round
Sometimes you're up
sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
don't be scared
don't hide your eyes
It may feel so real inside
but don't forget it's just a ride

Truth, we don't wanna hear
It's too much to take
Don't like to feel out of control
So we make our plans
Ten times a day
And when they don't go
our way we

Breakdown
Yeah we breakdown
Well don't you breakdown
Listen to me
Because

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
no need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you round and round
Sometimes you're up
sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
don't be scared
don't hide your eyes
It may feel so real inside
but don't forget it's just a ride

Slowly, oh so very slowly
except that
there's no getting off
So live it, just gotta go with it
cause this ride's, never gonna stop

Breakdown
Don't you breakdown
No need to breakdown
No need at all
Because

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
no need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you all around
Sometimes you're up
sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
don't be scared now
dry your eyes
It may feel so real inside
but don't forget enjoy the ride

.: Only in Santa Cruz - Part 2 :.

Only in Santa Cruz will you find Ukulele-ists playing down by the beach in their Hawaiian shirts every Saturday morning - and today one was dressed as a clown.

.: Personality :.

It seems like people are on a never-ending quest to learn about themselves. Today at work the Myers-Brigg Personality Test, one that I have heard of and probably taken a few times, was brought to light. The discussion went as far as "Googling" said test and taking an online version.

Here's what I learned about my personality today...

INFJ

Introverted (vs. Extroverted) - how I relate to others

(introverts need time alone to "recharge their batteries" while extroverts feel more isolated when alone)

iNtuitive (vs. Sensing) - how I take in information

(intuitive people look at the "big picture" while sensing people evaluate the "here and now")

Feeling (vs. Thinking) - how I make decisions

(feelers base decisions off of emotional connections while thinks look at the facts of the situation)

Judging (vs. Perceiving) - how I order my life

(judging people approach the outside world with a plan where as perceiving people approach it as it comes)

The Portait of the Counselor (INFJ)

The Counselor Idealists are abstract in thought and speech, cooperative in reaching their goals, and enterprising and attentive in their interpersonal roles. Counselors focus on human potentials, think in terms of ethical values, and come easily to decisions. The small number of this type (little more than 2 percent) is regrettable, since Counselors have an unusually strong desire to contribute to the welfare of others and genuinely enjoy helping their companions. Although Counsleors tend to be private, sensitive people, and are not generally visible leaders, they nevertheless work quite intensely with those close to them, quietly exerting their influence behind the scenes with their families, friends, and colleagues. This type has great depth of personality; they are themselves complicated, and can understand and deal with complex issues and people.

Counselors can be hard to get to know. They have an unusually rich inner life, but they are reserved and tend not to share their reactions except with those they trust. With their loved ones, certainly, Counselors are not reluctant to express their feelings, their face lighting up with the positive emotions, but darkening like a thunderhead with the negative. Indeed, because of their strong ability to take into themselves the feelings of others, Counselors can be hurt rather easily by those around them, which, perhaps, is one reason why they tend to be private people, mutely withdrawing from human contact. At the same time, friends who have known a Counselor for years may find sides emerging which come as a surprise. Not that they are inconsistent; Counselors value their integrity a great deal, but they have intricately woven, mysterious personalities which sometimes puzzle even them.

Counselors have strong empathic abilities and can become aware of another's emotions or intentions -- good or evil -- even before that person is conscious of them. This "mind-reading" can take the form of feeling the hidden distress or illnesses of others to an extent which is difficult for other types to comprehend. Even Counselors can seldom tell how they came to penetrate others' feelings so keenly. Furthermore, the Counselor is most likely of all the types to demonstrate an ability to understand psychic phenomena and to have visions of human events, past, present, or future. What is known as ESP may well be exceptional intuitive ability-in both its forms, projection and introjection. Such supernormal intuition is found frequently in the Counselor, and can extend to people, things, and often events, taking the form of visions, episodes of foreknowledge, premonitions, auditory and visual images of things to come, as well as uncanny communications with certain individuals at a distance.

Some famous INFJ's... Mohandas Gandhi, Sidney Poitier, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jane Goodall, Emily Bronte, Sir Alec Guiness, Carl Jung, Mary Baker Eddy, and Queen Noor.

So, that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about me... you can take the test for yourself - leave me a comment stating your personality type and so I can know you better too!

Take the test at - http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

.: Only at Costco in Santa Cruz :.

Last night I went to Costco. This is exciting enough, but wait - it gets better!

I was walking back to my car, groceries in hand, when something caught my eye...

This kid (couldn't have been more than 16 years old) bolts out the main door of Costco holding a Costco-sized (aka huge) bottle of Jack Daniels. The kid was running for his life. Close behind him was a (pretty hot) Costco employee guy. The kid drops the bottle of Jack (which shatters - sad day) and keeps running, only to be tackled to the ground by hot guy.

Now that's something you don't see every day ...but I do. (<--- That's a Disneyland joke and if you don't get it you're lame.)

.: What! :.

Shocking discovery of the day - Justin Chambers (aka Alex Karev from Grey's Anatomy) plays Mossimo in The Wedding Planner.

.: New Phone # :.

Hi there... I have a new phone # ... it is 509-834-9630 :o)

.: Joy :.

Today I found an iTunes radio station that plays all Irish music, all the time, and it brought me joy.

.: Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream... :.

I am definitely "high on emotion" right now... I really can't believe that this morning, I woke up in my bed in my room at my home in the Nile.

As a communication studies major, I have taken multiple classes about how people interact with other people. Part of the way it all goes down lies in how we form a sense of identity... in many cases, where people are from (aka hometown) plays a major role in identity & therefore, how they relate to each other.

Last night I realized I will forever be a "Nile Girl." I can't really describe what this means; you either get it or you don't. Nile Girls understand their role in almost every aspect of life, as long as we remember that we are indeed Nile Girls, and think to ourselves, "how would a Nile Girl handle this?" That train of thought is so incredibly helpful when attempting to make decisions (which, as we all know, I am not that great at). I wish I could say there was a rulebook or manual to follow to make this easier, thank the good Lord for grace!

It blows my mind to think that last night I was surrounded by some of the closest friends I have ever had (not all, of course, but a good majority)... and the crazier part was that they were from all different times in my life and yet it all came full circle and tied in on ONE DAY. From the Merritts, Fikes and Williams, who I don't even remember meeting because we were so young, to friends I met throughout the years (the entire Simmons family, the Forsmans, the Harris', Brandon, Phil, Shane and a bunch of Nile folk) - in high school to friends Nicole & I met in college - and the ones that were there every step of the way (Frieds, Medranos, Lawsons, McIlroys...).

All this is to say that I'm feeling very satisfied and very worn out at the same time.

.: Laundry, part 2 :.

Today's activities:

- Work
- Tour of the Chaminade with Jen Cope (I love Conference Services outing days!)
- Laundry
- Homework at Coffee Cat

Let's focus on laundry for a moment. As you may know, I have been desperately seeking my favorite laundry soap at local shopping centers, to no avail. I finally broke down and bought a different one, hoping it was simply an updated package/name for the kind I loved, but no such luck. It's not horrible though, so that's good. My laundry is all clean. :o)

.: Laundry :.

(I am on a role today with this blogging thing...)

I LOVE doing laundry. Seriously. I like sorting... and loading... and switching... and folding... and ironing... it's kind of ridiculous, really. What I love most is the smell of the laundry (post-washing, that is). On that note...

What the hell happened to all of the purple All laundry detergent!?!?!

It was my favorite detergent, cleaned and softened...I bought it at Nob Hill (grocery store next to the laundromat where I washed my clothes one day), because I forgot my other stuff. OH MY GOSH. I fell in love with it. Now, when you only wash for one, you don't run out of laundry soap all that quickly. (Segue to a fun-filled night...)

One crazy spring night, I decided to do some laundry (I was out of clothing). Not willing to settle for just any laundry soap, I took some friends on a fun little adventure to figure out where the heck I bought the stuff to begin with. After hitting up Rite Aid, 2 Long's Drugs, 2 Safeways, Walgreen's and Kmart, we decided to try one last place before taking our quest into Santa Cruz. "We have a winner!" The joyous shout was finally proclaimed after an hour of this madness... let's just say my poor poor friends were relieved that I finally found it at Nob Hill... and made my buy 2 bottles so we wouldn't be doing this again anytime soon.

Now, imagine my disappointment the last time I was at Nob Hill, only to find that they no longer carry "All Cleans and Softens" (in the opaque purple bottle). It was devastating. I bought the regular kind, but now it's almost gone again.

Today I decided to solve this matter once and for all. I went on All's website. I searched and searched, but to no avail. Then I noticed that they are on this "small and mighty" kick...and one of them has fabric softener in it. Could it be? Does my favorite detergent simply have a newer, smaller, more potent look?

More to follow...

.: Summer :.

Things I love about summer at Mount Hermon...

- The friggin' rock-awesome weather
- There are always people around and things to do
- Monday night BBQ's
- Beach days
- Visitors!
- Summer staff
- Kids at camp
- Otter pops
- Midnight movies
- Hilarious speakers
- Kodak moments
- Long sunny days
- (things I can't mention because of a bet w/ Crabs)
- Gardening

There are more... I'll probably update this list.

.: A Perfect Saturday :.

So you may be asking yourself... what exactly makes a perfect Saturday? I am here to answer this question. The key components are as follows:

- Good friends
- Good music
- A little roadtrip action
- Some sea life
- Tidepooling
- Coffee
- A good movie

Dang. It was a good day. May I just preface this by saying I live in one of the most amazing places on this planet? (I also love that the Nile population is now 3 strong in Santa Cruz... do you part, move here.)

So... we started the day last night by deciding to make a Saturday Monterey trip (a summer staff tradition, really...) I (Nile-ite #1) renewed my MB Aquarium membership and was ready to roll. Jordan (Nile-ite #2) came over about 10am and we headed to Coffee Cat for a little AM jump-start before the mini-roadtrip south. On the way, we decided to do a little shopping - we missed the Watsonville Target exit, but there is one in Seaside so that was handy. We found a nifty parking spot and headed down to meet some friends (Crabs, Duchess, Guido, & Ducky) who were already inside. Bonus points - we had an awesome mix to listen to on the way down!

May I just say that I fall a little more in love with the aquarium each time I go? It really is amazing. The jellyfish are my favorite - muy bonita!

After a while we decided to snag some lunch, and were serenaded by the ever-talented keyboard player who seems to be in the same place, playing the same songs every time we head down to Cannery Row (remember him, Dory?)

To keep with tradition, after leaving downtown Monterey we went to Asilomar Beach (in Pacific Grove) to do some quality tidepooling. I have decided that this is easily one of my favorite passtimes... a little mild rockclimbing, the thrill of the catch (of the mini crabs), and just enjoying the ocean. I got a little lost (or at least took the REALLY LONG way back), but we made it back to Santa Cruz just in time to meet up with Tessina (Nile-ite #3), get some dinner, and watch one of our favorite movies from our high school summers - Extreme Days.

All in all... it was the perfect Saturday. I have pictures, look!


Asilomar Beach - Pacific Grove, CA - best tidepooling ever















The thrill of the chase...















Me & Jordan - childhood friends, reunited for the best summer ever!














Mr. Crabs - imparting his crabish wisdom to one of his own


















The Duchess - always down for a good time...














Guido - la chica muy bonita!



















Ducky - sittin' pretty

.: Bigfoot Museum :.

After 4 years on summer staff and an entire year-round experience in the Santa Cruz Mountains, I finally did it. I visited the Bigfoot Museum in Felton.

So what, you may ask, finally prompted this adventure? Let me tell you. My good friend Jordan Fried is at camp this summer - he arrived today. In anticipation of his time here, I decided to write him a summer "to-do" list. As I suspected, visiting the Bigfoot Museum was on the top of his list of things to cross off said list.

As convinced as I was that it would be closed, I took the Highway 9 route to Santa Cruz on the off-chance that the museum would be open - if nothing else, he could see the outside. You can probably guess what we discovered as we approached...

It was OPEN!
















For those of you who haven't set foot inside the Bigfoot Museum, it's an interesting experience. The owner (pictured above) claims to have personally spotted Bigfoot at 5 years of age and has been fascinated ever since.

Anyway, within a few short hours of arriving at Mount Hermon, Jordan has completed an item on his list. (yay!) It's gonna be an amazing summer! :o)

.: Procrastination at its finest :.

Somewhere in the last 24 hours, May 31 disappeared. I did several completely meaningless, and several very meaningful things during these hours. I would put today's productivity at about 43%. (I love making up statistics like this.)

Work: Today FLEW by... I kept asking myself what day it was...
Homework: Didn't happen today. Needed to, but didn't.
Friends: Are amazing - I highly recommend them to anyone.

I also watched "Step Into Liquid" tonight and now I want to learn to surf - minus the fact that I hate sand, am terrified of drowning, and break easily.

Today my finger is done being broken. End of story, it gets no choice. No more cast for you, finger! Easier said than done.

This is my last weekend hosting at Redwood Camp... I will finally be down to one job and (maybe) can have a life again (but you all know I wouldn't have traded it for the world!)

.: All Moved In :.

I am now officially all moved into my new house, hooray!!


This is the bedroom-half of my main room...





















And this is the Living Room half....

















Front door...

















Kitchen table...






















The rest of the kitchen...















There will be a BBQ/party of some sort soon... I'll keep you posted :o)

.: Prank War :.

Guest Services vs. Audio Visual '07

It's here. As most of you probably know, this can only end in fits of laughter. I'm stoked. Now lets get this party started! I need ideas! (preferably fairly harmless but really funny ones)... suggestions?

.: My new casa!! :.

Sometime in the near future I will be moving into my new house! It's a cute little studio-style house; I am the sole occupant and it's going to be great :o)

















I have more pictures too if you want to see... and there will be a new house party soon as well! Hope y'all are having a wonderful day :o)

.: Oh, the Children :.

My grandma sent me this, it's pretty funny...


If you need a laugh, then read through these Children's Science Exam Answers.

Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.

Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.

Q: How can you delay milk turning sour? (brilliant, love this!)
A: Keep it in the cow.

Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.

Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.

Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.

Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.

Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes
A: Premature death.

Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized?(e.g., abdomen.)
A: The body is consisted into three parts - the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels, A, E, I, O, and U.

Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.

Q: What does "varicose" mean?
A: Nearby.

Q: Give the meaning of the term "Caesarean Section"
A: The Caesarean Section is a district in Rome

Q: What does the word "benign" mean?
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight

.: San Francisco :.

For some reason, I feel the need to blog every time I go somewhere. This one is about an impromptu trip to San Francisco to visit Dory. Well... she came home for the weekend and I basically followed her back to school... good times :o) Although I did not get to see Meagan (her roommate) this weekend, that worked out well for me because I had a bed (had I not had a bed, I most likely would not have gone). Highlights from this sleepover include: sleeping in, riding the bus downtown, and shopping! I love the Old Navy in San Francisco, you should go there if you get the chance. Anyhow... the end.

.: Pictures, Anyone? :.

I have a bunch of pictures in my Facebook albums.

If you want to see them, please visit by clicking - HERE -
Enjoy :o)

.: Graduation ? :.

I am considering this a graduation of sorts.

The last year or so, MySpace has taken up much more of my time than I am really willing to admit. I am not planning on deleting my account, but I feel as though this is a very transitional time in all areas of my life.

First of all, I am graduating in a literal sense - from college. My four years of service are over as of August 2007. The details of my education are a bit messy but if you are really interested, read on. I began my college career at Eastern Washington University in the Fall of 2003. I hated it. As a result of my disdain for my new surroundings, I moved back to Yakima and attended Yakima Valley Community College for a quarter, taking Psychology online. I learned a valuable lesson about moving back home after you've been away - don't do it. Back to EWU I went, where I remained for the next 2 years. A series of events following those years led me to move to Mount Hermon year - round and host at Redwood Camp. I continued to take classes at EWU, online, as well as attending one at Cabrillo College, and one at San Jose State University. I will be finished with classes in June my technical graduation date is August 2007. There you have it.

I am also reaching a "graduation" milestone in life - my first full-time job! God has had this plan mapped out for me for a while and the way He is choosing to unveil it has been one of the greatest adventures of my life thus far. After a year as Redwood Camp host, I will be transitioning into a more permanent position at Mount Hermon as the guest group coordinator for Redwood Camp and some of the Conference Center groups. I have started training a little bit for this job already and I am LOVING every second of it.

And there you have it.

.: Welcome to Adulthood :.

I have exciting news!

I have been offered a full-time job here at Mount Hermon! My role will be in the Guest Services Department as a Conference Coordinator. We have three different sites – Redwood Camp, Ponderosa Lodge, and the Conference Center (more details can be found atwww.mounthermon.org) I will be coordinating all of the Redwood Camp groups and some of the groups at the Conference Center. The girls in our office are amazing, it is so clear that God has brought us all together - our personalities compliment each other so well.

So far, my summer schedule is looking something like this...
I will be finished attending classes in May and finished with my online classes in June, with my actual month of graduation being August after all the transfer paperwork is finalized. I will be finishing up my four years with a B.A. in Communication Studies from Eastern Washington University and an Africana Studies minor. My current hosting duties at Redwood Camp go through the first weekend in June (1-3). I will probably stay through the following week and work on moving/office hours. I will be driving up to Washington sometime mid-June for Emily & Andy's wedding on June 30th. Shortly after that I will be returning to Mount Hermon and start working full-time. I will work a Monday-Friday schedule during the summer and return to Washington mid-July for Nicole & Chris's wedding (the weekend of July 21). Our guest group season kicks off again in September; I will then switch to a Tuesday-Saturday schedule.

So, there's the big news! Come visit me sometime, it's beautiful here :o)

.: Ranch Kids :.

Now, I know that I didn't technically live at the ranch, but I spent the majority of my childhood there :o)

"You know you lived at the Flying H Youth ranch if...


You threaten your kids with a white card

You hate day old donuts because you ate so many of them

You know how to build secret forts out of hay bales

You automatically do the sniff test on all individual sized chocolate milks

You ever hunted skunks at the pig barn

You didn't worry if your kids were out in the woods for hours

You wish your local public school had a rock pile

You know what a slop bucket is

You carefully inspect all forms of bread before consuming

You've ever hunted cats

Your favorite sweatshirt is a back room special

You understand what Hit the Loop means

The thought of going on an 8 or 10 day Survival Hike with food seems wimpy

You ever rode a snowmobile in your slippers

Your favorite gospel song is There is a Light in the Window

You didn't care if your kid shouted Mom, I'm going to the river.

You still have a stash of Y2K wheat and beans

While running baseball bases you keep an eagle eye out for cow pies

The sight of an elk hanging on a swing set while children play inspires joy

You bang the door loudly before going into a back storage room to scare away the cockroaches

Please feel free to forward to any past or present Flying H staff or staff kids or residents. If you think of another one, email me with it and I'll put together a part 2!

Blessings,

Rebecca Roberts"

.: Breathe :.

My new favorite song.

Breathe (2 AM) by Anna Nalick

2 AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake,
Can you help me unravel my latest mistake,
I don't love him, winter just wasn't my season
Yeah we walk through the doors, so accusing their eyes
Like they have any right at all to criticize,
Hypocrites, you're all here for the very same reason

'Cause you can't jump the track,we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button girl,
So cradle your head in your hands
And breathe, just breathe,
Woah breathe, just breathe

May he turn 21 on the base at Fort Bliss
Just a day, he sat down to the flask in his fist,
Ain't been sober, since maybe October of last year.
Here in town you can tell he's been down for a while,
But my God it's so beautiful when the boy smiles,
Wanna hold him, maybe I'll just sing about it.

Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table.
No one can find the rewind button boys,
So cradle your head in your hands,
And breathe, just breathe,
Woah breathe, just breathe

There's a light at each end of this tunnel, you shout
'Cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
These mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again
If you only try turning around.

2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, its no longer
Inside of me, threatening the life it belongs to
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you'll use them, however you want to

Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button now
Sing it if you understand.
And breathe, just breathe
Woah breathe, just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe.

.: Psalm 116 :.

The other night, I was having a rough time and my good friend Jenna directed me to this AMAZING chaper of Psalms... just thought I'd share :o)

I Love the LORD
I love the LORD, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
Then I called on the name of the LORD:
"O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!"
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
our God is merciful.
The LORD preserves the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling;
I will walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I spoke,
"I am greatly afflicted";
I said in my alarm,
"All mankind are liars."
What shall I render to the LORD
for all his benefits to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD,
I will pay my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his saints.
LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You have loosed my bonds.
I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people,
in the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!