My Adventure in Service

Tent Rocks

2008-10-19T18:03:00.000-06:00

This post if for my Uncle Glen & Aunt Mabel. I had heard they did their annual Turkey Run trip the weekend before I went to Tent Rocks. I thought we could compare trips.

While I love Turkey Run, especially in the fall, I think Tent Rocks - well rocks. Even without fall foliage to liven everything the rocks formations are amazing. And they seem to change depending on the light. You also notice different things walking back.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I'll be quite now and let you enjoy these. I highly recommend the trip if you enjoy hiking.

Mountain States Relief Sale

2008-10-19T17:38:00.001-06:00

October 17-18 we went to the Mountain States Relief Sale in Rocky Ford, CO. Liane and Kate had never been to a Relief Sale or auction before and Tim hadn't been to one in a while. Eric and I are kind of spoiled by the Michiana Relief Sale in Goshen because it's so big.

We camped out on Friday night. For some reason the tent poles for the guys' tent did not make the trip with us so while the Kate, Liane & I slept in a tent, Tim & Eric roughed it in the van.

The first item to be auctioned is a loaf of bread. The bread was bought for $1,850. It's then sliced and each slice is sold with a jar of apple butter. The slices sold for a combined amount of $2,400. Between the loaf itself and the slices earned $4,250. Crazy.

We didn't really do a lot during the day. We had volunteered to help clean up after the sale so much of the day was waiting and eating - which is a mandatory activity at a Mennonite gathering. Kate, Liane, Eric & Tim did get a ride in the barrels.

More pictures.

Balloon Fiesta

2008-10-12T16:46:00.000-06:00

Balloon Fiesta. Even though this is my second one, it still amazes me.

Susan, the Service Adventure Director, visits our unit the first weekend of Balloon Fiesta. Saturday morning we got up around 4:45 a.m., met several friends, and left around 5:30 a.m. to make it to the park to see the balloons take off. Balloon Fiesta Park is about 15 minutes from the unit house. The first balloons of the morning lift off around 6:30 a.m. There are so many balloons taking off that even though we had to wait in traffic for about 2 hours, we still saw hundreds getting ready and taking off.

One of the things that makes Albuquerque an excellent place to hot air balloon is the location. Because of the mountains on one side and the valley on the other, when the wind conditions are right, balloons can head towards the Sandia Mountains at one altitude, drop to a lower altitude and the winds will carry them back to Fiesta Park. This was the first year I saw it and it was crazy. About an hour after the balloons left, they were returning really close to the ground. That day they did a bean bag drop - trying to hit a target as they pass. It's very bizarre to see balloons going two different directions when they look like they a few feet apart.

I volunteered at the fiesta five days this year at the Balloon Discovery Center. It's an interesting experience and I learn a lot about ballooning. Plus I get in free, get free breakfast and get to see all the balloons. Liane volunteered Sunday with me. She was going to be there Saturday night as well but the event was canceled due to inclement weather.

The entire unit got up early on Sunday morning - Liane and I to volunteer and the rest of them to visit the Discovery tent as a learning component. The unit is ready to recruit for Service Adventure in space now.

Here are some more pictures from the whole week of Balloon Fiesta.

Creation Retreat

2008-09-28T16:09:00.000-06:00

I know, I know - I haven't been updating my blog but life has been crazy. I'll try to do better. FYI - I will be dating these posts based on when they actually happened, not when I'm writing them.

The last weekend of September we went to Heron Lake for a Creation Retreat with the church. On Friday night we sat around a campfire, made stone soup, shared stories and songs and generally had a good time.

Saturday we went kayaking on Heron Lake. Not only was it a beautiful place but motorboats are not allowed on the lake so it's very peaceful as well. I could have stayed all day. Liane and I went Geocaching with Warren & Carol Siemens - a couple from church. We ended up at the Rio Chama Trail. The river is 150 feet down from where we started. That's a lot of steps. Totally worth it though. Once we got to the bottom we walked about half way across the suspension bridge. Absolutely beautiful. If we would have kept walking, we would have reached reached El Vado Lake, about 5 miles away. Instead we made the hike back up to the top and returned to the campground. We stayed an extra night - along with Warren & Carol - who invited us over for dinner Saturday night.

We left early for home early the next morning. I have to say camping in New Mexico is awesome because there's no mosquitoes, during the day it's warm because the sun is shining and because you're at a higher elevation it's really nice to have the campfire at night but I'm always glad to get back to my bed.

Here are some more pictures.

Peeling Chilies

2008-09-21T21:37:00.003-06:00

Green chilies - so fun to eat, somewhat fun to peel. Every year on Labor Day - Jeff & Donna host a chili peeling party. They buy bags of roasted, green chilies which people then help peel - and chop if that's how you want yours. The best part - there's a carry-in with quesedillas being served with the fresh, roasted chilies. Yum!!

Some things to note about peeling chilies.
1. Have water to rinse your hands in - supposedly salt helps cut the sting.
2. You may need to wear gloves.
3. If you wear contacts, don't wear them to peel chilies. In fact, it's best not to even touch your eye area for a couple of days.
4. Your hands will "burn" more about 15 minutes after your done peeling than they while you are peeling. And they may sting for a day after that.
5. Fresh chilies in recipes is totally worth whatever you go through for them.

peace

Climbing trees and eating treats

2008-09-09T13:40:00.004-06:00

I know, I know - it's been two weeks since I've last posted. What can I say? Time gets away from me sometimes.

Last weekend we went to AMC's Annual Retreat at Camp Oro Quay in the Monzano Mountains. It was a good time. Saturday morning we talked about the Enneagram and where we are on the circle. The Enneagram is sort of a personality guide but more about how you respond to situations. It's best used as a way to understand yourself and grow spiritually. I find it interesting and hopefully knowing that I'm a 7 will help me mature in all the ways I need to (although one of the 7's descriptions is Magical Child - which I try to live up to as often as possible).

We also participated in the ropes course - which I at least enjoyed thoroughly. Besides a couple of group activities which included walking across a low log bridge and swinging on a rope from one "island" to another over a river of evil chocolate - if you touch it there are dire consequences - there was a climbing wall, a high log bridge and a rope bridge. I elected to only do the log bridge section since that was my favorite last year. And because I wasnted to find out if I was in any better shape this year. When I tried it last year I thought I was going to die from climbing the extremely tall Ponderosa Pine. I could barely breathe. Besides not being in shape, I think I hadn't fully adjusted to the altitude - or drank enough water. This year I climbed the tree no problem. The guy on belay - the one holding the ropes that kept me from falling - said I was really fast. That made me happy. I wasn't as fast as one of the guys that works there. He can climb the tree, walk across the bridge and rapel down in 14.2 seconds. That's really, really fast. Kate & Liane also did the log bridge while Eric & Tim did all three climbing options.

In the evening there was a talent show with some very interesting acts. Tim also shared his guitar playing skills and we learned about wizard rock - songs that have to do with the Harry Potter stories. We also had some science lessons that I'm pretty sure should not be tried at home - or anywhere that fire or injury may occur.

To top the day off, we sat around a campfire and had s'mores. It was Liane's first one - and maybe her last. She thought they were very sweet which to me is the whole point of s'mores.

It was a very fun weekend - and tiring. I think we all took naps when we got home on Sunday. Luckily we didn't have to go to work the next day since it was Labor Day. Here are more photos from the weekend.

not much going on

2008-08-24T21:20:00.002-06:00

Not a lot going the last couple of weeks. I think everyone’s trying to settle into their work routine.

We’re starting our cooking rotations. So far, so good. Of course, only one person besides me has cooked for a week but you know. It’s a start.

I do have a picture of all of us together. This was taken at the Hispanic Cultural Center when we were doing our tour of the city during Orientation Week.

Like I said - not much going on the last couple of weeks. This coming weekend is our church camp out. I should have some fun things to share after that. We’re signed up for the ropes course. Last year that meant I had to climb not 1 but 2 Ponderosa pine trees. We’ll see what this year brings.

Orientation Week

2008-08-10T22:35:00.006-06:00

Orientation Week is over. For the past week Liane, Eric, Kate & Tim have been meeting new people, touring Albuquerque, visiting job placements, weeding and learning many things. All

while trying to adjust to the altitude and heat.

Monday we weeded the yard first thing. While this may seem mean, it should be the last of the yard work we do for the year. And unless there’s an unusual amount of snow this year, we won’t have to shovel snow either. We came up with a budget, filled out forms and visited Liane’s job placement at the Learn & Play Center - a low-income day care at Albuquerque Mennonite Church. The day ended with an awesome meal and games with Carolyn, Kenzie & Christopher.

Tuesday we biked to church, the grocery store and the bank. We then visited Tim’s job placement at Habitat - on the wrong day. Luckily the job site supervisor was there and met with us. This is what happens when you re-write your schedule five times. In the afternoon Anne & George discussed the Enneagram with us and we discovered our personality types. Josh brought ingredients to make calzones and then talked about conflict resolution.

Wednesday we toured Albuquerque with Sue and stopped at the Hispanic Cultural Center. We visited the Center for Action & Contemplation which is where Eric will work. We had dinner at a New Mexican restaurant. Very tasty, leftovers and sopapillas.

Thursday we biked again - this time to the grocery store. After resting for a bit we cleaned out the storage unit. While I took Kate to take a test for her job placement at Bandelier Elementary School, Eric & Tim planted a garden. Dinner was at Deb’s with Anelia, Matt, Katie, Dave & Andy. Wonderful vegetarian pizza and homemade ice cream.

Friday we had a half day retreat with Pastor Anita and then lunch at the retreat center. Most of the day was free time. In the evening we were going to the softball game and then have tacos with Steve & Gail. We still did that but Tim got recruited to fill in. Though the first inning wasn’t promising and then there was a half hour game delay in the middle of the game - AMC won by more than 10 runs. We ate at a little Mexican restaurant - very authentic since the menu was in Spanish - and very good food.

Saturday we went to the post office and got stamps. Went to the library and got cards and books.

Today we went to church, watched the Olympics and baked cookies.

After a busy beginning of the week, the last couple of days have been pretty relaxing. Tomorrow reality sets in and work begins.

peace

All here and ready to serve

2008-08-03T20:25:00.000-06:00

It’s raining. That’s not unheard of here. It actually rains almost every day this time of year. Usually it lasts about half an hour but tonight it’s been raining for more than an hour.

Liane, Eric, Katherine & Tim arrived this week. So far, so good. One day all together and no major upheavals. J I think they’re mostly settled in. Clothes are put away, groceries have been bought, beds have been made.

Today was relaxing - church, lunch, playing Ultimate Frisbee - some of it in the rain, watching a movie. Tomorrow begins the orientation. We’ll do some housework, some planning, some learning and some fun. And we don’t have to provide dinners for the first week thanks to the Support Committee.

Thanks to the rain doing yard work should be easier tomorrow morning. And the best part - it will probably be the last yard work we do for the year - unless we plant a garden. But that’s minimal compared to having to mow weekly, rake leaves or shovel snow.

That’s about it for now. More after our week of orientation.

Peace

Leader's Orientation

2008-07-27T21:39:00.002-06:00

I thought I was ready for the Leader’s Orientation until Monday when it stormed here - for about 15 minutes. Not a long time really - except I had clothes on the line which were soaked and dirty again. Not to mention that it rained in my casita - water all over the floor. I had a couple of paperback books on the floor that were ruined - luckily they were ones I had already read. The bad news - I had to rewash my clothes but it was supposed to rain every day. Good news - I didn’t have to mop my casita since there was water all over and I had to wipe it up.

I don’t know what was going on Tuesday either. The four people who were coming in on Tuesday - one by train, three by plane - were delayed - by at least an hour and a half.

Everyone arrived by Wednesday for the orientation and the rest of the week went relatively smoothly. We had wonderful eats all week, lots of laughter and it was great meeting returning leaders and new ones.

Besides the business of being oriented we had fun too. Friday morning we drove to Sandia Crest and hiked around for a while. Saturday night after dinner we went to the Civic Plaza. There was live music; various dance groups, a climbing wall and other things to check out. It’s Sunday night and everyone’s gone. I'm kind of bummed because I didn't take any pictures and we didn't get a group photo.

Only three more days until my kids arrive and the year begins again.

I have to confess I did not ride my bike the last couple of mornings - the first morning because it was being used by someone else and this morning because I was too tired to get out of bed. But I will be back on it tomorrow morning because I don’t want no hounding!

I almost forgot - thanks Eric for the cups - they're awesome!

peace

Getting ready for a new year

2008-07-20T22:39:00.001-06:00

A lot has happened since I last wrote. Someday I may go back and update this blog but for now I’m going to keep it current. It’s my mid-year resolution.

The participants from last year left in June and I thought I’d have to time to travel, goof off, whatever. But it seems that the summer went through a worm hole and it’s now the end of July and a new group is almost here.

This coming week the Service Adventure Leaders from the other units will arrive in Albuquerque for orientation. Thanks to my support committee I think the week should go well. They’ve coordinated housing, food and the many other details with Susan. I just have to prepare my two little spiels and the hike in the Petroglyphs. No problem - I hope.

Other news from Albuquerque - I’ve been hired by the company I was working at as a temp. New duties, new office, nice schedule. Things are good. I don’t have to worry about not having a temp assignment. Also, I’ve been biking every morning for the past week. Trying to get into the habit of biking every day. So far, so good. Now that I’ve put it in cyberspace I guess I’ve got to keep at it or ya’ll will start to hound me. Right? I’d expect nothing less from my friends and family.

I guess that’s it for now. See you next week.

Peace

Blog udpates

2008-01-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

I promised my family & friends at home that I would update my blog as my Christmas present to them. My posts will be by the date they actually happened instead of when I actually post them - so make sure you scroll down to read about my exciting life in Albuquerque.

Orange Snowmen

2007-12-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

We made these snowmen out of oranges and candy canes. My snowman’s name was George. Carrie named her snowman Megatron after it took out the rest of ours. Tania accidentally put the arms on the head; they looked like antlers so hers became a reindeer.

Tools to make orange men:
Oranges, small candy canes, vanilla wafers, frosting and red/white striped candy

Word of advice: get different sizes of oranges for the body

More pictures

Mennonite Relief Sale

2007-10-20T19:11:00.000-06:00

Coming from Goshen, IN, the Relief Sale in Rocky Ford, CO, seemed small. But having Tania experience her first auction - and Mennonite eating fest - at the Rocky Mountain Mennonite Relief Sale was fun. The first item up for auction was a homemade loaf of bread - it went for $1,200 - that’s right - one thousand two hundred dollars! And the person who purchased it didn’t even keep it. It was sliced, smothered in apple butter and sold by the slice with a jar of apple butter. I’m not sure exactly how many slices there were - 8-10 probably - but the individual slices went for $20-40 each. Seriously. We also helped with the youth food booth, checked out the quilts and ate ice cream.

More pictures

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

2007-10-14T16:18:00.000-06:00

If you like hot air balloons, then you definitely need to visit Albuquerque in October. For nine days beginning with the first weekend of October there are various balloon flights and competitions. The competitions are during the day or evening, but if you want to see the balloons take off in the morning you better get up early. We left our house a little before 6 a.m. - the balloons were scheduled to take off at 7 a.m. - we live about 15 minutes from Fiesta Park. We arrived at the park at 7:30 a.m. - we sat in traffic 1 ½ hours - and the balloons took off before 7 a.m. Even arriving that late there were still many balloons to watch take off.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the largest annual event in the United States. 700 balloons launch from a 356 acre field. In all shapes and sizes, from all over the world. It is an incredible site. You can also volunteer to help in a variety of capacities - chase crew, Balloon Discovery Center, concessions, etc. We helped out in the Balloon Discovery Center - no experience necessary. They taught us what we needed know. You can learn how the baskets are hand-woven, how to land balloons using computer games and a virtual reality game, balloon trivia and kids can make crafts. There’s also a basket with a “balloon” attached you can take your picture in. All-in-all a fun place to visit.

More information for Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

More pictures

Carlsbad Caverns

2007-09-28T16:09:00.000-06:00

We headed for Carlsbad Caverns around noon on Friday - about a 4 hour drive. We wanted to make sure we got there before dark so we could witness the bat flight which occurs around sunset. If you ever have the chance to witness the bat flight, I highly recommend it. Before the flight, a park ranger gives you information about bats, and dispels many myths. One good thing to know - if a bat is on the ground - unless it’s a vampire bat which do exist n South America - it is probably sick. SO DON’T KICK IT OR TOUCH IT! Bats usually only attack when they’re sick or threatened - otherwise, they prefer to avoid people.

The prevalent bat at Carlsbad Caverns is the Mexican Free-tailed bat. There’s about 600,000 of them now - up from 218,000 in 1973. Their bodies are about 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) in length, and they weigh about 15 grams (1/2 ounce). They help control the pest population by feeding on bugs at night. The bats actually share the cave with swallows who feed on bugs during the day. We sat in the amphitheater for a half hour and still hadn’t seen the end of the bats.

We camped near the caverns for the night so we could visit the caverns the next day. We spent about 3 hours descending about 850 feet. There’s 3 miles of trails in the caverns but a lot of it is switchback - otherwise the descent would be too steep - plus you get to hike it back out. No, we didn’t see any bats in the caves - just bat guano. The bats actually live in caverns a lot lower than the public has access too.

The caverns are amazing. I’ve been to Mammoth Caves in Kentucky when I was little. I don’t remember a lot but from what I do remember - Carlsbad Caverns seem to be different. The formations look white instead of stone colored and a lot of times have very delicate looking shapes/designs. Some stalagmites & stalactites were very small - almost like children’s toys. My camera batteries ran out about half way through the tour. Guess I’ll just have to go back again.

If you’re visiting the southwest, I highly recommend a trip to Carlsbad Caverns. And if you’re coming from Albuquerque, you can stop in Roswell, NM, and visit the UFO Museum. We didn’t have time for it this trip - maybe next time.

For more information about Carlsbad Caverns.

More pictures.

Red or Green?

2007-09-03T22:00:00.000-06:00

Red or Green? That’s a common question asked in Albuquerque. What they’re really asking - do you prefer red or green chilies? I haven’t had red chilies yet but I do like green chilies. I attended a Chili Peeling Party on Labor Day. The chilies are roasted and then we peeled the skins, chopped and bagged the chilies to freeze. Some people wore gloves to protect against being burned by the chili juice. The heat of the chilies didn’t bother me until I washed my hands. Weird but true. Luckily the juice wore off before I took out my contacts - that would have really been painful. I was amazed that the skins came off as easily as they did - for the most part - some were stubborn. I'm not sure how many pounds of chilies we did - it seemed like a lot. After the peeling, chopping and bagging was done, we enjoyed quesadillas with fresh green chilies. Very delicious. And fun. Plus we got to bring some chilies home.

peace

AMC Annual Retreat

2007-09-01T01:01:00.000-06:00

The last weekend of August is the Annual Albuquerque Mennonite Church (AMC) Retreat. This year we went to Camp Oro Quay. The girls and I decided we were going to tent camp. The unit owns 4 tents and 4 sleeping bags plus I brought my tent and sleeping bag. We have a tarp for underneath - 2 people to a tent - 2 tents - so I figured no problem. I’m used to my tent so I didn’t even think about looking at the tents the unit owns. First mistake. Needless to say before we go camping again I'll make sure everything is there.

When we went to set up the tents we found out that only one was complete. The other bag had one broken stick. The tent we did get set up had a broken zipper. Luckily we had a safety pin to pin it closed. Kirsten & I decided to sleep outside under the stars. It was really nice that weekend - it didn’t rain, it wasn’t too cold. However, I didn’t bring any long pants or a long-sleeved shirt for the cool evenings. Second mistake. Then the buffalo that the camp owns got out the first night which made the dogs go crazy. A fox was running around both nights - or so I was told - again, making the dogs go crazy. And the second night I woke up in the middle of the night and realized that we are in the mountains, there are snakes in NM and the sleeping bags offer warmth. Not something that is conducive to a good night’s sleep. I didn’t see any snakes, I’m not particularly afraid of snakes - I just don’t like sharing my sleeping bag with one.

Friday night there was a square dance which we participated in. The caller taught us a lot of different dances. I haven’t square danced for a long time - I’d forgotten it’s a lot of work. And a lot of fun. Although half the fun was watching others dance.

Saturday morning the girls and I went for a walk. We couldn’t find any trails but we found a dirt road. We ended up walking for an hour. Even in the morning it was hot.

While the girls went swimming after the walk, I joined some of the youth (and adults) in the ropes course. I’ve never done a ropes course before. Bill, the Camp Manager, used each experience to teach about Christ and how the ropes course applied to our everyday lives. It was fun and a great learning experience. We had to move everyone from platform to another one with one in between. We couldn’t jump but we did have 2 boards to use. However, nothing could touch the ground, including the boards. We thought it would only take a few minutes. It took us over 20. That was a humbling experience. The next section was a rope web which we had to go through without touching the rope. And we couldn’t reuse a hole once it had been used. We did that in about 15 minutes.

The last 2 sections involved climbing Ponderosa Pines using metal “steps”, climbing on a platform and then either crossing a suspended log or wire to another tree. I forgot to take pictures of the ropes course when I was done - or rather I was too tired to remember. I looked up Ponderosa Pines to see how high I had climbed and found a generic picture. The average Ponderosa in the southwest grows about 50 meters - that’s roughly 163 feet. I climbed about ¾ of the way up. Twice. I am not in good shape and being in the mountains doesn’t help with breathing. Getting up the tree was definitely the hardest part besides trying to climb on top of a platform that you’re underneath. Crossing the suspended log and then rappelling down was fun. I didn’t think I could do the 2^nd tree but Bill encouraged me to take it slow and rest when I needed to. I made the climb, crossed the wire - there were ropes tied from a 2^nd wire above to use as a “handrail” and climbed onto a 2^nd platform. From there it was a short zip line down. The 2^nd tree about did me in. I was slightly dehydrated before I even started. Third mistake. When I got down I was bruised, scratched and covered in sap. Silly me - I wore shorts since I didn’t have any long pants. Fourth mistake. I did learn that Ponderosa Pines smell like vanilla though.

After all of that I didn’t even get a s’more. Is it really camping if you don’t eat s’mores? But I did have fun!

peace

Indian Market in Santa Fe

2007-08-22T22:51:00.000-06:00

We went to Santa Fe for the day - or morning rather - for the Indian Market, Aug. 18. Downtown Santa Fe is blocked off and there are booths set up all over to display everything from jewelry to art to pottery to clothes to saddles. It was like a big flea market. Some of the items were really incredible. Fortunately - or unfortunately depending on your view - I didn’t carry cash so I couldn’t buy anything. Guess I’ll just have to plan better next year. We were done looking by noon but we checked out the St. Francis church before we left.

It only takes an hour to get from Albuquerque to Santa Fe on I-25. We went up Friday night and stayed with friends. On the way back to Albuquerque we got stuck in construction traffic on I-25. We spent more time waiting to go about 5 miles than the rest of the trip took. Carrie and I had to entertain ourselves because Tania & Kirsten took a nap in the backseat. I dislike construction traffic - especially 3 lanes trying to get into 1 lane.

Oh well, I still had fun

peace

Orientation Week

2007-08-07T22:05:00.000-06:00

My adventure in service officially began on August 1. Tania, Kirsten and Carrie arrived and we got settled in - sort of. Instead of being able to move in to the house a couple of weeks before Tania, Kirsten and Carrie arrived we got to move in a couple of days. And since there wasn’t a unit last year we had a new house and a lot of things were in storage with various people. I had my own orientation the week before the girls arrived and thought I’d be back Sunday afternoon to help get things a little settled before everyone else moved in. Nope - my hour layover in Dallas turned into a 24 hour layover because of weather. So I can’t help move the house stuff, I can’t get myself settled, no one’s really sure who has what in storage, what we might still need and I’m still not sure what I’m supposed to be doing. Stressful week to say the least!

We were able to get settled little by little the first week - we got furniture, beds and food - the important things. The support committee brought us dinner for the first week. It was nice not to have to worry about that while trying to learn everything else. We rearranged the living room at least 3 times - every time we got something new and had to fit it in. We learned where the library was - very important for Tania who reads 5 books a week. I thought I was a bookworm. We found out where the grocery store and thrift stores were. We visited Old Town for the Salsa Fiesta. And Carrie & Kirsten tried to make cookies without really following the recipe. I learned that chocolate chip cookies with powdered sugar substituted for granular sugar still taste pretty good - no matter what they look like.

All-in-all it’s been a pretty great first month. We get along, we have fun. I’m not sure if I taught them everything I was supposed to during Orientation Week but I think we’re getting it all figured out together.

peace

Moving to Albuquerque

2007-07-19T19:10:00.000-06:00

I know I haven't posted in a while but I have a really good excuse - I think.

In the last 1 1/2 months I've:
packed up my stuff to move
flown to Dallas for the play - so worth it
did a service trip with the Jr. Youth group for a weekend
quit my job
re-packed my stuff since I needed things that were packed
went to San Jose for a week
did laundry and re-packed yet again
packed my car
drove to Albuquerque, NM, from Northern Indiana - with my mom and 2 aunts

Plus I'm still not in my permanent address and where I’m staying doesn’t have wireless. So I get online when I walk a few blocks to a restaurant that has wireless. I will have more to say about my trip to San Jose and my 3 day drive to Albuquerque. I hope it will be worth the wait.

Before I go

2007-06-02T11:54:00.000-06:00

Memorial Day weekend I drove to Georgia (from Northern Indiana) to visit my nephew with my parents, my sister, her husband, her 2 teenage daughters and a Schnauzer. My nephew is in the military and will be re-deploying soon. We had a great time visiting and relaxing. My nephew’s son, who’s 3, was a riot. He kept getting in the dog’s cage.

Before the trip I was a little worried that we’d be at each other’s throats by the end of the trip. Luckily my brother-in-law had the foresight to rent a 15-passenger van which allowed everyone to have their own space. The drive should have only taken 12 hours. Between the dog and my brother-in-law, who has a bad hip, we had to stop every couple of hours. But I’m thankful that we made it without any accidents or arguments (at least not big ones).

Hope everyone else had a great Memorial Day weekend too.

Peace

Getting Ready

2007-05-16T20:58:00.000-06:00

Less than two months before I move to Albuquerque, NM. I've had my garage sale, I have most of my stuff packed and my route is planned. I just need July 12 to come.

But before I go I'm visiting my nephew in Georgia, a friend in South Carolina, going to Indianapolis with the CLICK Club (jr. youth group) and volunteering as a jr. youth leader at San Jose 2007. Obviously I'd hate to have too much time on my hands before leaving for two years.

Stay tuned for more updates.