Home at last...

I'm home from Mexico! Whenever I leave the country, it feels like life stops at home and when I get back, it doesn't feel like I was really gone. It's like a chunk was taken out of my life.

But anyway, about our trip: It was great. The kids were great, we had an awesome time, and I think they learned and grew a lot. Check out mexiblog.gcbcstudents.org to see our video blog and pictures from the trip. I'm super tired now, so I think I'll go to bed super early tonight. Until next time.

Mexico

We're leaving for Mexico in the morning. I would be more excited, but I currently have a 100 degree fever and don't feel so well. I think, if I get better, that it will be a fun trip and a good first missions trip for our High School students. I think they're all nervous. This is also Andy and my first time leading a missions trip, so pray for us! We'll be back on the 27th, so I probably won't be posting until then. Also please pray that I will feel 100% better by morning!

Old job

So I just got the news yesterday that Kidder Creek figured out that they don't have enough money for me to work there anymore. Sadly, I was let go. It's because there aren't enough campers signed up for the summer. I think there are two reasons for that:

1. The economy is down and people can't afford to send their kid to camp for $400 a week (or over $500 for Ranch Camp).

2. KC merged with Mt. Hermon camp in Santa Cruz a few years ago to expand their program. I don't think anything good has come out of it from my perspective. Prices for camp have gone up hugely since the merger. KC used to be a fantastic camp for local kids to go to and could afford, but now they're getting some kids from Santa Cruz and not thinking locally as much. On top of it, they're not really advertising outside of our area and Santa Cruz.

I love Kidder Creek and I'm sad to see them not doing so well this summer. I plan to go out there to visit every once-in-a-while for sure. So now all I have to worry about is all of the time on my hands that I will have after I get back from Mexico. Andy can probably use the help.

Shopping trip

Yesterday Andy and I went clothes shopping. This doesn't happen too often, as we'd both rather spend our money on other things than clothes. When it does happen, we do it all at one time. So yesterday we bought several items (about 8 or 9) between the two of us, and it was expensive! Like $120 at Target! I would like to buy more, better clothes, but they cost so much. Stupid economy. We don't even have any good thrift stores here, they all sell old lady clothes (and very poor quality).

The dumbest thing ever

This is a very funny story. It got me laughing so hard that I was crying, and any of you who know me well will know that this thing would only happen to me.

So I was in the bedroom on my laptop (this was just about 10 minutes ago) doing some online shopping for my raw food challenge coming up. I'm buying nut milk bags for juicing, chia seeds, nori sheets, ph testing tape, etc. Naturally when you want to buy things, you usually need a credit card or some form of payment. I asked Andy to hand me my purse, but it wasn't in the room where I thought it was. I realized that I had left it on the kitchen table. I went out to get it and it was dark. I thought I saw it in the middle of the table so I stuck my hand down to grab it (pretty forcefully) and got a shooting pain through the palm of my hand. It turns out that I grabbed a CACTUS!! that Andy brought home from church a few days ago (a very sharp pointy one). I totally forgot it was there. Andy and I laughed about it for a long time. So now my hand hurts.

The cactus looked like this by the way:

Chocolate

I made my Dad some Father's Day presents today (I'll freeze them until the day). It was a raw chocolate day. Everything is made out of raw things, sweetened with agave nectar and hardened coconut oil/butter.

I started out with chocolate squares with almonds:

Then I made almond joys. I made a coconut inside with an almond on top, then covered with chocolate and froze them:

Next came those delicious Ferrero Rocher chocolates. They're not exactly like them, but similar. I made a hazelnut-chocolate paste, wrapped that around a hazelnut, and then covered it in raw chocolate:

And lastly, I took the leftover dipping chocolate and made some little chocolate bar-type things:

They all taste pretty delicious, and I know my Dad will love them.

New job

I started my new job today. I loved it! I'll be working a lot in the office, but at least there's other people in it with me!! I won't be so lonely, and the other leadership staff will come and go throughout the day. I'll also have lots of meetings with people. I thrive on relationships and they energize me. I feel much better after 7 hours there than I do after 6 hours working in the church office. Besides, my work at Kidder Creek is challenging, yet enjoyable. So yay for a new job! Oh, good news, I don't have to work tomorrow, so I'll get that much needed day off.

My life's about to get crazy...

I start my new job at Kidder Creek tomorrow. So this is what my week looks like: Tonight is High School youth group. Tomorrow I go to KC from 9am probably until about 5 or 6pm. Same thing Tuesday. Wednesday I work at church from 9am-3pm, then Junior High youth group at 6:30pm. Thursday I'm back at KC, then my cousin's graduation in Weed in the evening. Friday I'm back in the church office, then we have a concert in the evening. Saturday morning is High School graduation then at least 4 parties to go to. Sunday is church, I'm cooking lunch for the elder board that my husband's on, then HS youth group. Like I said, crazy. Barely a minute to spare. And it won't stop even after I come back from Mexico at the end of June!!! AHHHH! I have no days off.