Big Exciting News!

I am so excited to announce that I am attending a Summit Ministries Conference this summer!  Mom and Dad are sending me as a graduation present...very generous of them and I am so incredibly excited about it.

Here's Summit's own description of what they're all about:

"Summit Ministries is an educational Christian ministry whose very existence is a response to our current post-Christian culture. Today, countless Christian youth have fallen victim to the popular ideas of our modern world. Most have adopted these ideas into their own worldview, while still others go on to renounce their Christian faith altogether.


Summit views its role in God’s kingdom as a catalyst to counteract this alarming trend. However, our ultimate goal supersedes simply training. As Christians are challenged to stand strong in their faith and defend truth, they will also be equipped to have a positive influence on the society in which they live."

So basically? It's a two-week plunge into lectures on Biblical worldview....combating the popular yet sometimes very wrong ideology of today's culture, and getting to meet other young Christians in the process.  I can't wait to listen to these speakers  - I think it's going to be quite an incredible experience.

So.....the tickets have been purchased.  Dates are on the calendar.  I'm going alone - for two weeks.  *Gasp*  I think I'll survive though.  From what the student schedule is showing, I'm going to be one busy girl....between white water rafting, hiking, taking notes on some amazing lectures, cookouts, and Bible exams, I'm going to be fully occupied and having the time of my life.  :-)

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for giving me this incredible oppertunity!  I can't wait!

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Fun at the Pool

I've been visiting the pool quite a bit this week...after work and whenever I'm searching for something to do.  We have a fantastic water park just a mile or so from our house, so I'm making good use of it this summer.  :-) 

There is the regular pool, for laps and such, and then the huge water park area that has all the fun slides and stuff.  See that big red bucket?  Every three minutes, after filling up with water, it turns upside down and creates a huge waterfall!  It's a lot of fun.  Though Isaac and Josh are still scared of it...little wonder, since the blast is enough to knock down most little kids!  There is also a little "baby pool"...only a foot and a half at its' deepest, and totally separate from all the loud bells/whistles/water spouts of the regular park.   That's the little boys' favorite spot....

On top of lifeguarding, Jonathan has been teaching swimming lessons this summer.  It's fun to watch him interact with these little four year olds who are just learning to hold their breath under water.  :-)  Fun job!  (Though the sunburn is a downside...that and dealing with the results of toddler students who decide to NOT visit the bathroom before getting in the pool...Jonathan has come home with some rather gross stories...)

 Today, only David and I biked up to the pool and spent a few hours there together.  I was lucky to get this much of his face in a picture.....he won't pose for me anymore!

 He did, however, let me take a picture of his jump into the water.

My brother, the lifeguard.  Wish I could get a tan like that.  Think it has something to do with him baking in the sun every day for the last month...

This was the view from my chair.  Loverly, isn't it?  I love where we live. :-) 

 I was attempting to get a picture here of David coming down one of the slides....turned out to be the wrong kid anyway, and you come shooting out of the slides so fast that it's nearly impossible to get a picture anyway!  Everyone's favorite slide is the red one...it goes way faster, plus it's enclosed.

 And here I am, studying for the SAT whilst tanning in the sun. 

And that concluded our morning at the pool!  The beginning of many hot days spent in the water....summer at its best.  :-)

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Gendercide...CPC Update

On Thursday I went to the Crisis Pregnancy Centers volunteer orientation.  I was so excited to go and find out what the next step is in getting involved with the ministry.  The information was very helpful and I will be starting counselor training July 12th - 14th! 

During the orientation they showed this short youtube clip of Live Action doing an undercover investigation of Planned Parenthood....this young woman poses as someone wanting an abortion based on her baby's sex.  I was astonished to discover that only four states in the United States prohibit abortions based on the sex or race of the baby. And, as you'll see from the video, the law doesn't necessarily change what happens anyway.

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Coffee Shop Update

I'm still working at the coffee shop several mornings a week, as well as some weekends.  It feels good to be earning some money and putting it all into savings.  :-)  Now that I know what I'm doing and am fairly proficient at everything, I'm able to relax and not be all jittery when dealing with customers.

(photo courtesy of Cassie)

~So our summer is in full swing, as are the summer temperatures.  It has been SO hot recently.  However, I can deal with heat, as long as there is some air conditioned hole nearby I can crawl into and hide.   Normally the coffee shop is frigid - the air conditioning is on all day, and we're not allowed to adjust it.  And that's great, because if I get too cold I just open a window or sit and die bake in the sun for a few minutes, right?  However, when the air conditioning dies, that's another lovely thing altogether.  Wow.  The other day I covered the afternoon shift and was met with a wall of stuffy, hot air as soon as I opened the door.  Not good.   That afternoon was....rather....um, delirious for me. 

~For some horrible reason, whenever I talk on the phone with any of the other employees, or the owner herself, I have the phrase "I love you" ready to roll off my tongue at the end of the call.  I'm SO used to just saying it to any family member I'm on the phone with, so when I talk to anyone else I'm paranoid I'm going to say it to them, too.  And I've had several close calls.  (And no, this has nothing to do with the movie Courageous.)  At the end of a phone call, I usually end up muttering some incoherent phrases, anything, just so I don't accidentally blurt out "I love you".   The weird phobias I have....

~I noticed the coffee shop was reading 109* yesterday afternoon.  (Like I said, the air conditioning is broken.)  Is it any wonder one of the employees quit last week?!  So I resorted to rubbing myself down with ice cubes and dreaming of the new ac unit the owner said she was going to install.  One of the guys that works at the front desk in the building next to the coffee shop felt so bad for me he brought me a popsicle.......nice gesture, but I'm thinking he intended it to be more than a sweat reducing gift?  Hmm.

~Today when I came to the coffee shop I was SO excited to see the new ac unit up and running.  So now instead of an oven I work in a refrigerator.  Seriously...it's freezing in there now! I'm contemplating bringing a jacket next time or something.

~We're hiring some new people, and I have gotten to train the last two.  That has been kind of fun.  That and studying for the SAT fills my spare moments at the coffee shop.  Another big plus is that when my shift ends at 1:00, I get to head to our huge pool next door and swim for an hour or so.  I'm learning to strike the difficult balance between tanning and burning...lots of sunscreen and constant surveillance on one's appendages is definitely a must.....plus I get to see Jonathan, who lifeguards and teaches swim lessons there.  It's fun to see him teaching toddlers how to swim. :-)

~Now that I'm "out and about" a little more, I'm around a lot more kids than I used to be.  And I am simply blown away at how often everyone swears....seriously, even little kids do it.   It seems that swear words are used as often as regular words - and no one cares what they're saying.  It blows my mind when teenagers use foul language without even blinking an eye. Definitely something this homeschooler is glad she "missed out on" by growing up sheltered.  :-)

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An update long over-due

Hmm.  I did not intend to take such a large blogging vacation....just kind of....happened.  Sorry about that everyone!  I guess now I get to catch you all up on what's been happening around here.

First exciting piece of news - Mom got her first laptop!  This is quite a big step for her into the world of technology.....I think she's liking it so far. :-)  However she wouldn't let me take a picture of her that included her head because apparently she was having a bad hair day. So here you can at least see her hands in action.  :-)

 Joshua has become quite the little copycat recently.  Anything Isaac says or does, he has to do the exact same thing.  When  I'm in another room and hear them playing together, all I hear is Isaac's dominate voice and this faint little echo in the backround......

Today Mom made delicious chicken fajitas for lunch and put a pile of shredded cheese in a green bowl.  A green bowl.  (Ya'll know how Josh thinks he has personal ownership of the color green?) No sooner had she put it on the counter that a most demanding little voice pipes up, "Mom, you didn't ask me to use my green bowl."  (For a copycat, I was a little surprised that he came up with that all on his own.)  Kind of funny.....but he didn't get a smile from Mom for that one!

Another recent Josh-ism?  Candy-lope.  As in cantelope, except with the brand new pronounciation.

Why do I have such a tough time trying to get pictures of my handsome brothers? !  So David was supposed to be doing school, but decided to become a clown as soon as I walked in the room.  *Sigh* Ah well.  He's plugging away at school each day, and baseball season is now over.  I believe he is going to get to attend an end-of-season team party sometime in the near future, though. 

Isaac, our resident indian.  :-)

As you may have seen on Courtney's blog, we went bowling for Father's Day!  Had a great time.  And of course, bowling pictures are always horrible quality because of the bad lighting there.  I can only achieve the not-lofty title of Mediocre Bowler because we use bumpers on our lanes....otherswise bowling would be a bore!!!  I think Dad is about the only person who might be able to bowl decently without bumpers!

More posts coming soon, people, don't worry.  I'm headed to the pool after work tomorrow, so I'll be taking pictures of Jonathan the lifeguard, in action. :-) 

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My Grad Party

Last Sunday was my long awaited and highly anticipated graduation party!  We held it at our church, and many of the families that attend church came for my party as well.  It was such a special time, celebrating with friends and family!

 On one table, we displayed my diploma, grade school pictures, as well as scrapbook pages from my very first day of school....thanks to my creative and diligent scrapbooking-queen mom!  We also had a slideshow playing of my growing up years.

My diploma!  Excuse the slitty eyes. It seems to be hereditary?

We bought two huge sheet cakes (thanks Costco!), one chocolate, and one vanilla.  All the way to my party, the Joshua made it very clear that he wanted a chocolate piece, and Isaac of course had to have the opposite, vanilla. :-)

 Courtney and I are ready to start chopping away!  :-)  The cake was very good....but also super rich.  The card said that each cake was filled with 2 POUNDS of chocolate mousse / buttercream frosting.  Whoa. 

I could taste it.  (And feel it too.)  The first bite was heaven.  The second was good.  The last bite?  Definitely done with cake.  And now the leftovers reside in our freezer....not too much in the mood for any now!  A little bit goes a very, very long way.  :-)

I enjoyed talking to Ashley as we waited for guests to arrive.  Thanks Ashley for all your help!

The first guests - the Rhoden family!!!  This was the highlight of my week!  They traveled 8 hours just to attend my graduation party, plus spent another day with us at our home.  Awesome, awesome friends.

Cassie and I had so much fun talking together....love ya, girl!  It was such a blessing to see their family again.

Talking....

 Eating.......



 About halfway through the party, Mom and Dad both got up and presented their words of encouragement for me.  It was a special time.

 And then the diploma was presented!

A hug from my amazing teacher, who also happens to be my mom! :-)

 

 And that concludes the pictures for now.....a HUGE thank you to Mr. Doughty for taking such great pictures of the whole party!  Even if my eyes were half-closed in every photo, they are still blog-worthy.  :-) 

Maybe I need to invest in some toothpicks to prop my eyelids open or something.  Argh. 

Ah, well, we had a lovely time and I am so thankful to now officially be a homeschool graduate!  Thank you Mom and Dad for such a fun party.  :-)



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