Fall happenings

Last month I was on TV! On September 10th I had the opportunity to be in the studio audience of the Huckabee Report, with Mike Huckabee. I traveled down to NYC, where the show was filmed, with Merge(college/career group) and all of us  participated in the entertaining yet sobering experience. Since it was the day before the 10th anniversary of the attack at the World Trade Center, remembering that day was the theme of the show. There were a variety of special guests, including a search and rescue dog and a man who was in the World Trade Center when it was hit and miraculously survived. It was neat to see a lot of what goes into the production of a show and what takes place behind the scenes. After the show we walked around the streets of NYC, shopped at a few store, took the subway to Ground Zero, ate dinner, then headed back home on the train. I really enjoyed the unique parts of the day as well as getting to know people in the group better.

The following weekend, some of us from Merge volunteered for the Military Family Appreciation Day at Stewart Airforce Base. It was a smashing success. Our group was assigned to make balloon animals for the kids. I was one of a few from our group who was drafted to instruct and lead kids through the inflatable bounce house games. Whew, 5 hours of excitedly yelling directions to kids, cheering them on, balancing on the inflatable structures, and standing in the hot sun was quite tiring, yet completely worth it. From what I could tell, the recipients really enjoyed it and several expressed their appreciation for the volunteers. I told them we were very grateful for them and their service for our country. It was nice to be able to give something back to them for all their work and sacrifice. 

Our current study at Merge is The Truth Project, from Focus on the Family. This is my third time going through the series, but it's content is so deep and profound that I'm still learning a lot and being challenged. The series presents a thorough Biblical worldview along with opinions from a diverse panel of people with varied beliefs, stating conflicting world views. It's been so good and helpful for me, I have a lot more to learn and process. My favorite quote from the series is: "Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?"

If I do, my life will reflect that. My recurring response is, "Lord, change me!"- as my Sunday school teacher in Oregon often said.

The baby I nanny is doing well. The development, changes, and milestones are increasing rapidly, it's exciting to be part of it. We're enjoying going to story time with other babies and toddlers at our local library, as well as participating in a wonderful music and movement class. It is so nice to take the baby out in the town, see her learn and interact with others, and get to know some moms, kids, and nannies in our area.

Good news, I can run again! I started two weeks ago, it has been so good to get out and do one of my favorite things, in a beautiful place. I haven't run on the mountain trails in the past two weeks, but hope to make it up there soon. The leaves are changing, the air is cooling down, fall is here!  

Last Saturday I savored the fall scenery, the trees full of changing leaves, rolling hills, farms, as I drove with friends to a town about 3 hours away to move them back down to this area. I love driving in general, but vehicles with manual transmissions are even more enjoyable for me than those with automatic. I don't get the opportunity to drive a manual often, but last Saturday was one of those rare occasions. After we loaded up the cars with the remains that didn't fit into the moving truck, we each got into a vehicle to make the drive back down. I drove a pretty new Kia Soul, which is similar to my favorite car, a Honda Element. It was a blast!

I'm looking forward to visiting my sister and brother-in-law next weekend in Philadelphia. My sister and I are planning to shop for specific fall clothing items! It will be great to see another part of the East Coast in the fall.

I'd love to hear from you, drop me a note if you have time.

Grounded, Yet Free

I feel like I'm grounded. I haven't left the house since Thursday night, with the exception of a bike ride. I'm not mad about it, good has come from being cooped up at home as I'll expound later. This weekend a lot of events were cancelled, businesses and roads closed, people encouraged to stay at home, due to hurricane Irene. There's been flooding in the area near to where I live, some people have lost their power, and probably more damage was done but I haven't heard about it all yet. I live on a hill, so am safe from flooding. I'm glad I had to stay home because I had some things to do.

At Merge(the college/career Bible study group I attend), this past week, Jose Rodriguez (the Congregational Care Pastor at Goodwill Evangelical Presbyterian Church) talked to us about identifying and resolving resentment. Oh man, it was so good for me to hear! I didn't think I had much resentment, but I definitely get annoyed and irritated at people and situations, which is how resentment starts. I usually cope by trying to forget about it, minimizing it and telling myself it doesn't really matter(even when it does), or thinking about something else. None of those methods address or resolve the issue, so a similar situation eventually comes up, and again, I don't respond correctly. The pastor talked us through a series of 7 questions, giving examples and applying them to a few specific situations, teaching us how to work through resolving our own resentments. Some points he made that really hit home with me are:

*Putting a demand/unrealistic expectation on a person or thing is selfish

*To be fearful is not trusting God

*We can't take specific situations to the cross to be covered by Jesus' blood if we don't identify them

*The God of the universe can change anything 

*When I speak while I'm angry no one hears anything, "There they go again.."

*Forgiveness gets things right between me and God so I'll be ready to reconcile with the offender

*Behavior modification is me changing my behavior to be accepted in a specific environment, it takes God out of the equation and doesn't address the core issue

Thinking about all that and going through the questions below is some of what occupied my whole weekend at home. I listed the questions below(with permission from Pastor Jose) in case you want to use them. I highly recommend you do so!

-What am I resentful/irritated/annoyed at? 

(narrow it down to one sentence)

-How does that resentment affect me? 

(actions, attitudes, words, emotions, etc)

-Where am I being fearful?

-Where am I being selfish?

-Where am I being dishonest? 

(what lie am I believing?)

-Do I owe someone an apology for how I behaved? 

-Next time I face this situation, how do I need to respond?  

I still have a few issues to go through, there were more than I realized. I just have to say, it brings such freedom to address the things that irk me, identify why, bring them before God and seek His truth, repent from believing lies, wrong thinking and actions. "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." John 8:36

Many thanks to Pastor Jose Rodriguez for these insights.

Time flies...so did I

Last month I got to visit my family and friends in Oregon! I was able to go on the same flight as my sister and brother-in-law who live in Philadelphia. It was so nice to travel with them. Our visit was wonderful and chock full of catching up with friends and extended family, our first immediate family reunion in gorgeous Sunriver, recording a few songs on a cd with my siblings, singing at our church, and being active in the great Oregon outdoors! I thoroughly enjoyed the time there, but at the same time looked forward to coming back to NY. My time here so far has been amazing in many ways. I've struggled with being away from home, family, and friends, but know God wants me here. He clearly opened the doors for me to come and continues to confirm that being here is His will for me. I'm so thankful for that and recognizing it gives me peace in moments of stress, homesickness, and frustration. I originally committed to my job for 6 months, but recently committed to another 6, ending in March 2012. I get to see all 4 seasons here!

To follow-up on my second to last post, I occasionally use shampoo, still use vinegar to clean, made it through the softball season without serious injury and with lots of good memories, and am happy to report I haven't had any more run-ins with forest rangers! 

Sadly, I wasn't able to finish P90X. In my second to last week of the 90 days I hurt my hamstring playing a group game. I rested it for a week and it didn't feel much better, so I got it checked out by the massage therapist I mentioned previously. She was most helpful, gave me the advice I needed to rehab it, and told me what activities to avoid during the healing process. It's been hard to restrain myself from going on a run, but I've held off, knowing that resting it now means I'll most likely to be able to return to it when it heals. I'd really like it to be completely healed so I can be active the rest of my life, instead of pushing it now and reaping the consequences later. I'm going back to the therapist soon, to see if it's healed!

I'm so thankful for my church. I've started singing on the praise team. It means a lot to be able to sing and worship with fellow believers there. I've also joined the youth group as a leader. We've had some fun, encouraging, crazy, and edifying times together this summer.

I've been on several more hikes, with good company, viewing spectacular scenery. One of the hikes was on the Mohonk Preserve, up to the world-famous Mohonk Mountain House. It was impressive. We hiked all the way up to a tower which is the highest point in this area. It was fantastic to reach that famous landmark, but also cool because I can see the tower afar off from the house where I live. Most days I take the baby out for a walk and see the tower on top of the range of Shawangunk mountains. I especially love seeing it now, knowing what it's like at the top. 

I'm heading for bed now, have a full day of work tomorrow, then plan to go bowling with friends!

61 years

Today my dad turned 61. Let me tell you, they have been quite the years, getting better as they increase, as I'm sure he'd agree. I am so thankful for him. He always encourages me to take advantage of the adventures I'm presented with, yet also make time to rest and be refreshed. I am so glad God changed his heart to be open to having more than four kids(I am the fifth of his six), which was all he thought he could afford. My childhood was wonderful, full of meaningful family times together. Even today he continues to fill a vital role in my life. He's always ready and eager to listen, gives me wise counsel, and is quick to express his love for me and encourage me in my current stage of life. I don't think I would be on this adventure in NY if he hadn't played the part that he did. Thank you dad, I love you.

Living like a hippie, softball rookie, and ranger scare

This post is long overdue, sorry for the delay. I've been adjusting to working full-time, living away from family, doing new things and meeting new people, while doing my best to keep up with the P90X schedule, get enough sleep and spend quality time with people, including my Heavenly Father. It's been quite challenging.

The two towns I live between remind me of Eugene, my hometown, in a lot of ways. Some of the more "natural" people here have influenced me already. I haven't washed my hair for a week, eat a lot of vegetables, make hummus, grow spouts, and use vinegar to clean instead of common cleaning products containing chemicals. One of my friends from the Campus Crusade group gave a persuasive speech in a class recently about the harm to hair and on the environment from chemicals in shampoo. After hearing some of the information I decided to jump on the bandwagon. It's not as disgusting as it sounds. I still rinse it daily, just don't use shampoo which strips hair of its natural oil. Incorporating the healthy additions to my diet have been pretty fun, make me feel more alive, and help me perform better and recover faster from the P90X workouts. Vinegar works so well as a cleaner, I had no idea! And it's cheap, so that's cool.

The church I attend has a men's Softball team that plays in a league with other local churches. I heard about it a few months ago and thought it sounded like fun, but sadly, it is a men's team and I am not a man. I soon found out that each team is allowed up to two female teammates. For those of you who don't know, I'm not a softball player. I've played a few times in PE class, but rarely was able to hit the ball, couldn't throw very far or slide into base. Pretty much the only part I could do justice was run. That and yell, usually when they were chasing me with the ball.  A few weeks ago, the coach of my church team (who I know from the Campus Crusade group) asked if I'd like to join the team. I laughed. He explained that they don't always have enough players show up to the games to make a full team so I'd be a valuable player merely by showing up. I decided to go to practice and give it a try. I enjoyed the two practices I was able to attend. I like the athletic and team sport aspects of it as well as the challenge of it all, and the coach and fellow teammates were most helpful in giving me tips and advice. Our first game was this past week. Beforehand I was pretty nervous, but it felt good, similar to pre-race jitters. I played about half the game since we had a full team plus a few extras show up. I stopped a couple balls in outfield and actually hit the ball when I was up to bat! I have a lot of improvement to make, but it was a good start to the season.

Now for the ranger scare abbreviated story. Last week I went hiking in a state park with a group of girls from the Campus Crusade group. Shortly into our hike a few girls from the group broke a park rule that none of us were aware was a rule. Two rangers showed up out of the blue and harped on the girls for a good half hour, additionally falsely accusing them of some things as well as threatening to enforce an array of penalties, most of which we later found out were not applicable to the misdemeanor. All that to say, it was a sad, disappointing, and disheartening experience. That two grown men in authority would treat a group of young, well-intentioned girls the way they did was somewhat astonishing. Granted, I don't know their personalities, past experience, or all their job responsibility entails. If I did, I might understand more why they responded the way they did.
Later that day, it happened to be Mother's Day, I talked to several of my family members back home and ended up crying when they asked me how I was doing. The confrontation at the park shook me up more than I realized and was the last straw. I'd been keeping a lot of emotions and stress to myself. It was good, although pretty painful, to let it out and begin processing.

On a more positive note, I'm continuing to make connections at church and in the community. It's so nice and refreshing to start to get to know people and see some of them regularly.
For the privacy of the family I work for, I haven't and don't plan to include many details about them. But I will say the baby I care for is in an exciting stage right now. Well, exciting in baby world. She's starting to eat food, stay awake longer, make more vocal sounds, and pay attention to books being read. It's a blessing to be with her, witness so many special moments, along with her daily development.
Thanks for reading. Goodnight.

I love connections! And volleyball.

Shortly after moving to NY I started looking online for a church and other venues where I could connect with people in the community here. A link for Campus Crusade for Christ came up along with the list of churches in the area. I live pretty close to a university campus where the CCfC group meets. After meeting them I knew it was the place for me! Getting to know the people in the group has been fantastic, being with them is very pleasant and encouraging. A few students who go to CCfC, as well as a couple who lead a Bible study on campus, are part of the church where I just decided to connect. It was hard to be patient in my home church search, but I'm glad I waited and explored several; now I know that Leptondale Bible Church is the right place for me. I met the pastor and his wife the first time I visited. Yesterday was my second time attending and I was able to talk with both of them again, as well as meet the music director and several other people. I am looking forward to getting involved there, meeting more people and getting to know them. One of the ladies invited me to go out to lunch with her. We went to a big, fancy diner and had a nice visit. That evening, I was invited to go out to dinner with the couple, Walter and Eileen, who lead the Bible study on campus and also attend LBC. One of their sons and daughter-in-law joined us at Billy-Joe's Rib Works. Spending the evening with a family was wonderful. I really miss being with my family, so being included in someone else's means a lot.

This past Saturday I went to a very good sports massage therapist. I've been a bit sore and out of whack from various exercises and adjusting to holding a baby most of the day. We talked during the whole massage. We touched on our past, education, families, triathlons, biking, swimming, running, climbing, and much more. When she heard I was new to the area she told me about all the ways I could connect with and meet people who do a variety of sports. She gave me the contact info to a women's running group that meets early Sunday morning, to run on the Mohonk Preserve. I contacted one of the ladies and she gave me details so I was able to join them yesterday morning. It was such a treat! There were four ladies who showed up, all welcomed me warmly. The trail was beautiful, with spectacular scenery and views of the valley below. The trails are for running, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and there are some great rock climbing routes up there. The ladies I ran with happen to also be climbers! I'm hoping to climb with them when the weather warms up. The meeting time for the run is perfect-not at the crack of dawn, but early enough for me to join them and still make it to church. I love how God provides everything I need, and so much more. He is an expert engineer of my circumstances.
Another church I visited has a college/career group that is currently going through Mark Driscoll's "Vintage Jesus" series. I joined them and have enjoyed getting to know more people around my age. The couple who host and facilitate the group invited me to join them for Easter dinner, this Sunday. I'm looking forward to it!
I'm also looking forward to Easter dinner on Saturday with Walter, Eileen, and their kids.
One more happy news item: this past Friday night I played an outstanding, energetic volleyball game! The group from CCfC sometimes gets together on Friday night. I asked the leaders that morning if there were plans for that night, they said no. I was itching to play volleyball, or at least socialize in some way with people, so I asked around and enough people responded for us to have a game! I don't remember the last time I've played so hard, with a group that also played wholeheartedly. My heart rate was up most of the 2 plus hours we played. I loved it! Everyone else seemed to enjoy it as well, we're hoping to do it again. Ok, there's my excitement for the past week. I'm off to bed!

Snow, garden, and city

On April 1st, I woke up to snow on the ground. For real. It made me smile, what a nice surprise. By afternoon it had melted. I think that's the last of it.
On Saturday, my third weekend after arriving in NY, the couple I work for, their daughter, and myself drove down to Bronx, NY and toured the New York Botanical Garden. It was spectacular! I enjoyed taking in the numerous displays of beautiful plants as well as the intricate and grand architecture of the conservatories and other buildings. I thought back to the days when it was founded (1891) and what an event it must have been to get all dressed up, go to town and see the conservatory, walking around the grounds with all the other formally dressed people. It made me want to wear a dress.
My fourth Saturday here I drove to a nearby station, rode the metro north(commuter train) down to Grand Central Station, and met up with my best friend and her boyfriend in Manhattan! After arriving at Grand Central I moseyed my way along the hallways of the station, observing my surroundings, taking it all in. A bewildered looking couple came up to me and asked in an accent I didn't recognize if I knew where the "Oyster Bar" was located. I had no idea, but found out from a starbucks employee in the shop nearby, then pointed them in the right direction. Now I know where it is. Soon after that I made it out of the station, walked through the old doors onto the streets of NYC and was greeted by a rush of adrenaline. Sara and Jeff drove by, I hopped into their van, and our expedition together began. Our day together happened to be Sara's birthday! It was such a pleasure to be with someone who knows me so well, on such a special day, sharing a fantastic first time experience. Our first challenge was finding a parking spot that was safe, somewhat conveniently located around where we would be exploring, and not ridiculously expensive. Jeff found one! We bundled up, gathered our necessary supplies for the day, and headed out into the city.
Our stops, from what I remember were: random food markets, a few gift shops, a group of street performers, Times Square, John's pizza(est. 1929), Central Park, the subway, Ground Zero, The World Financial Center(there were shops and restaurants inside), a bay where we were able to see the Statue of Liberty(pretty far away, but close enough to tell what it was), Tiffany's Jewelry Store, The Trump Tower, Crumb Bakery, then back to Grand Central Station for me to catch the train back home. I hope to make it down to the city a few more time in the next few months. If any of you are in the area, let me know and we can explore it together!