Sunday, November 21, 2010

Update


Hi Friends,

It’s been forever since I’ve written. I’ve been meaning to sit down for several months now and mark down all the updates, but it seems there is never any spare time for such leisurely activities. And life moves on, adding even more to catch up on. So, if I remember correctly, my last post was from early February. Wow!

Well…

Here it is, nine months later, nearly through my first semester at college. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

About mid March I started contemplating my options for college. Something sparked an interest, for up until that point I never dreamed of continuing my education. I had always thought of being an accountant, but never more than that. It was simply a, what I thought, passing desire. First it was Canadian University College (in Lacombe, Alberta). But that was soon ruled out and replaced with Union College (Lincoln, Nebraska), where I was ultimately accepted and planned on going. Then I mysteriously received a brochure from Southern Adventist University (Collegedale, Tennessee). Long story short (more information is in the post below), Southern won my heart!

In early April we went to OKFCM as usual. It was a blessing, especially to have the McCombs and Berdahls there!

In late April I decided last second to fly to Idaho to surprise my best friend for her 18th birthday! She hadn't the slightest idea of my plan and the shock on her face was priceless.
We went to Montana for the weekend, to visit her grandparents. Her boyfriend and his brother came too, as well as the three dogs. It was lots of fun. We went dirt biking, hung out, built campfires, and went to the hot springs. J


Once we were back in Idaho we just chilled around the house and surprised the boys one day after school. We hid behind the trees and ambushed at the stop sign, jumping into the bed of the truck. It was raining and we were dressed in rain boots and ended up sliding all over! They didn’t know what hit them when they heard the thud from the backseat…

;) We went dirt biking a lot that first week.

Taryn and I went on a hike at Tubbs’ Hill and she jumped into Lake Coeur d’Alene… Crazy girl!

The following weekend was prom. Jaz’s life long dream of going to prom was fulfilled. She was absolutely gorgeous! I was so glad I was able to be there for that. While she was out, I went to the movies with Scott and saw “The Last Song.”

The next day we met JJ at McDonalds for breakfast and went hiking for a little bit at Tubbs’ Hill. That afternoon her dad graduated with his BBA.

And two days later she graduated HS with her GED. The night of her graduation we went down to Hayden Lake. Good times! Afterward we stopped at the Mexican restaurant and picked up some (virgin) margaritas. Back at the house we celebrated with goodies and cheesecake.

In late May (and again on their way home in June), the Halder family stopped by on their way up to Washington. It was so good to have them over and spend time together. We went hiking at Faulty Trail and we “kids” had a good mud “fight” and built a dam at the spring head.

That Sabbath evening was Sandia View’s graduation, which we attended and they afterwards went out to eat at Dions! The second week they visited, we girls slept in the tree-house. But other than that the activities were virtually the same, minus graduation and pizza.

My dad fixed my truck! J

In June my dad, mom, and I flew out to Tennessee to check out Southern. My dear friends, the Dobbs, happened to plan their trip at the same time! It was blessed to see them; it’d been a few years, but we picked up the friendship right where it’d left off.

But before we got to Collegedale, we stopped in Knoxville to visit Aunt Patsy, Uncle Gary, and John. They’ve lived out here for 25 years and we’ve never visited. (Funny though… Later on, they move to NM the week I move to TN) Aunt Patsy showed us downtown Knox and then we ate supper with her and Uncle Gary at someplace that I know was called the Tomato or something or another. We had Italian ice from Rita’s and met up with John back at the house. But all too soon we had to head down towards Chattanooga.



SAU’s campus was beautiful, even in humidity levels that made it feel as if you were breathing water. Southern fed us well and gave us tours around campus. They also took to Rock City, which was super cool! We saw the Neffs Sabbath afternoon.



The following week, back at home, was camp meeting, which was, for once, in Albuquerque, though it was nothing like a traditional camp meeting. We went everyday and a couple of the afternoons I hung out with my many friends from Quemado.

Oh, that summer I discovered my allergies to many things: chapstick, Band-Aids, lotion, soap, laundry detergent, shampoo, etc.

In late June and early July, my sister and I drove up to Colorado Springs to visit our family! We enjoyed lounging around the house, shopping, eating downtown Denver for Aunt Jeannette’s birthday, and walking down 16th Street Mall. We went and saw Toy Story 3 as a family. That movie series has a close place back to our hearts and we all cried at the ending. (Consequently I was leaving for college, just as Andy was).



In July, I discovered Parkers’ Greenhouse, just down the street. I still can’t believe it’s in New Mexico, let alone my little town. It’s way too green in comparison to the desert it’s surrounded by, but it’s a lovely oasis. One Sabbath afternoon Dad and I went to photograph the many flowers and scenery there.
Our sweet friend Karen was passing through in July and we were able to see her for a little while.

My sister turned 15 that month and we celebrated at the bowling alley and Dions!

In late July/early August we family-vacationed in Ouray, Colorado, my absolutely favorite place. We went hiking in the rain, window shopped, ate at little shops, had an Olde Thyme portrait taken, toured the silver mine, drove the historic district (the whole town is historic), walked through the museum, went to Cascade Falls, and Jeeped. Jeeping was a blast! J Parts of the trail were treacherous, but we found screaming to be an excellent way to let off the adrenaline. I would love to go back and do it again!

The morning after we got back home I took off again, this time to Idaho. Up till that point, it’d looked like I wasn’t going to be able to fit that trip in, but a flight came up at the last second and I jumped on it. Summer without Idaho, well it really isn’t any summer at all. We went swimming nearly everyday for the first part of my visit and huckleberry picking twice. I gathered approximately half a gallon and brought them back home to save for cheesecake. We spent a couple days/evenings at the Carns, who were hospitable as always. One day we went out to Twin Lakes and knee-boarded before youth night at the Backman’s. Jaz and I had an interesting time with Ed’s truck… Taryn and I spent almost an entire day playing Monopoly and the morning before Jaz’s surgery we went out to eat at IHOP. Jazmine has jaw surgery and the last few days there were spent taking care of her. Nevertheless, I enjoyed our laid-back time together.



I wrecked my truck a couple days after I got back home, backing it into the gatepost, knocking out the taillight, and scraping the side. It has a pretty paint job now! ;)
The wonderful Junelle and I went shopping for college stuff and we had a little too much fun, I think! J

Even though I was gone more than I was home this last summer, that’s the way I wanted it. I now have the best of memories.

Mid August came the time for me to move. We packed up all my necessary stuff and headed out across the United States, adding three new states to my list (Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama), making a grand total of 28.



And then school started… the rest is a blur, but I’ll highlight some exciting times! The first week here (with my parents) we went to Apison Church and visited with the Neffs.

I reunited with Bradley and was introduced to his amazing Marissa Hagan! We clicked almost instantly. :D She has been there for me so many times.

I went rock climbing twice until actual classes began.

The second week we went to East Ridge and later on a hike at Red Clay State Park. It’s an amazing miracle how I ended up in the friend group that I did. And maybe I’ll share that sometime!

Joel Miller came for the weekend and the group of us had fun talking a Sabbath stroll down the Greenway, to the Veteran’s Memorial.

I have the most awesome roommate!

Kaylie and Joseph Dobbs came to visit me for my birthday!


I went to part of the Joker Release party, which was a… joke!

I got a lot of mail the first part of the semester, but it has dwindled down now to my monthly statement… **hint hint** I love care packages!

We had a fire drill at 12:02 the night of/after my birthday!

Week of Prayer was cold, but good. Worship and Convocation credit!

We had the most awkward vespers one evening… :/

There’s a guy who brings a teacup of pencils to PreCalculus…

Some of our group from East Ridge went hiking one Sabbath afternoon! It was lovely!

The following Sabbath evening another group of us went downtown Chatt one evening and later on I went to All Night Softball until curfew.

I went house hunting with Janelle Glass; we had a great time and found the most adorable abode.

Kristen, Michael, and I went to Indiana Family Camp for a very short weekend. And my brilliant roommate and I forgot sleeping bags and blankets... We were not happy campers! I was exposed to the wondrous colors of autumn. Such a beautiful sight! :D It doesn’t get better than this!

I made up a slogan for Southern…

South East Youth Conference brought in Samuel Pipim. The messages were so motivational and inspiring.

I started dating a wonderful guy, Joseph Dobbs!

Skype makes everything better, especially with Thomas Mitchell!

Some random creeper guy got into the girls dorm.

I went home with Marissa (and Bradley) for midterm break. I had a fantastic time, just relaxing and hanging out in Fletcher. Royce let me drive his truck! Mr. Hagan bought me a pomegranate! And I went to the Dobbs’ for Sabbath!

My midterm grades are four As and two Bs, but by the end of the semester I’m hoping to have at least five As.

We experienced two days full of tornado warnings…

Andrew Peterson came to concert and I am officially hooked on his music!

The Canvasser Club for Christ had their harvest festival, which was loads of fun!

I began exercising, but haven’t kept it up… It was helpful for the time being though.

I discovered wi-fi from my window… So if I ever run out of bandwidth, I know where to go!

KR’s is open Saturday evenings and it’s a great hang out place to escape the chilly November weather.

My sister came for AcroFest and my mom and Nana drove up from Florida to come see me (and Naomi)!

I bought MS Office 2011! LOVE it!

Somebody hacked my bandwidth… Grrr you!

I went to Southern’s Symphony Orchestra concert! It was splendid, especially while studying and sipping hot cider.

Hans Von Walter was on Jeopardy!

I donated blood with Marissa! First time ever (for me).

Last night we went over to Ken Smith’s and played games and made Christmas cards for SMs. Well I just sharpened all the pencils… :P

Now, I need to get this posted and get started on the little bit of homework that I have. Two more days of classes and then come Thanksgiving break! :) Oh joy!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Delayed

It doesn't even seem as if it's been nearly two months since I wrote last. But yet, also, so much has happened in life. Just from one day to the next a lot can change. I can't even remember where to begin.
There is just one main thing that stands out in my mind - college! Wow! First of all... I'd never really given higher education much thought and would get extremely annoyed when people would ask about my plans, which was "all" the time and never-ending. Uggh! Well something lit a spark in early March and I began thinking about my future and researching schools.
I almost immediately ruled-out Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas (party school).
Though community college would be cheaper, you can't go as far and I really want the benefit of wholesome Christian friends with good values. So Adventist colleges were my options, basically.
I contemplated Canadian University College in Lacombe, Alberta. It is the cheapest SDA school, it is accredited through the States, and it is only 9 hours from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. However, it is so far away from home and the daylight in the wintertime is almost non-existent. I don't think I could survive under such conditions. Then I found out some things that were being permitted in their conference (e.g. women pastors), which I have a problem with. And after some more searching, I decided that CUC didn't have the spiritual atmosphere I was looking for.
So I turned to what I thought was my next best option, Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. I began chatting with people I know who went or are going there. I got okay responses and had pretty much decided that Union was to be my school. But I still didn't feel at rest; something was missing. Don't get me wrong, I was (and still am) pumped about going to college, but it didn't seem like everything fit right. I was about to plan a visit to Union with my mom and best friend and had even scheduled a visit to SWAU, even though I wasn't even going. I had everything figured even to the point that my family in Colorado would be my halfway point between school and home.
But somehow I accidentally got on Southern's mailing list. Southern Adventist University is in Collegedale, Tennessee (near Chattanooga) and as far as I was concerned it was too far away. I have a few good friends who are or will be attending there. A nice large brochure came from SAU and I spent nearly an hour browsing through the content. Something began to impress me with SAU that Union had failed to cover, the spiritual aspect of their school. Nothing against Union, but in their entire information packet that I received they had not once mentioned spirituality, not ONCE. SAU's brochure emphasized the spiritual aspect in every area (academically, socially, etc.) and I was quite disturbed that Union had skipped over and failed to even touch this important topic. Now, I had a decision to make.
This past week we were at a family camp in Wewoka, Oklahoma (more on that later/another time). One of my friends, Kristen Downs, started at SAU this winter. One evening I spent nearly a hour talking with her about her experience thus far. She had nothing but praise for the school (as well as her parents, who are alumni of Union). SAU seems to uphold standards and values that are important to me and though there are those "rebellious" groups, the associations are positive. I was really impressed and basically changed my mind right then and there. I also talked with a few other people and had the same results. So now I'll be moving to Tennessee this August, 21 hours/1,400 miles away. But if you look at it this way - no matter where I go, without (or with!) a car, I'll only be a flight away from home.
Mom and I will be headed to SAU soon to go check it out for ourselves. I've cancelled my trips to SWAU and Union, choosing to save their money (that they would pay for my transportation and to put me up) for others who are more interested.
But right now I have to focus on finishing high school, which is what I'm headed to do now! :)
Love ya,
`caleyjanelle`

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

A Long Belated Update

[(.W.F.03.10.) Goodness, gracious! It's truly unbelievable how the year has flown by. And now it's already February 2010. How'd that happen? The last thing I informed y'all about was that I might not be able to fly to Idaho as planned. And I still haven't finished two promised posts – one two years old now and one nearly a year. On the front page of my blog is the last two years – only in three posts. That tells you how frequently I update it. Right now it's snowing heavily outside and has been for the past six hours. There must be seven inches so far. Well, no more procrastinating. Let's get straight to the story.
I ended up getting the rigth flight that evening – Praise the Lord! The timing was perfect or should I say, “His timing was perfect.” I still haven't finished the entire (let alone ¼ of it) story of my seven week vacation to the NW, but when it's complete I'll be sure to post it.
For now, here's a snippet of my trip -
I bicycled almost 30 miles
Swam in the lakes a ton
Picked gallons of huckleberries
Made huckleberry ice cream, shakes, pie, and cheesecakes
Walked the Oregon Coast
Wrote in the sand
Explored the Tillamook Cheese Factory
Petted a Sea Anenome
Found a Starfish
Cliff jumped
Rock climbed
Rode rollercoasters
Pulled an all-nighter
Watched fireworks
Caught crawdads
Chickened-out at wakeboarding
Tubed down rivers
Camped out
Roasted Cheerios
Toured a lighthouse
Went tide-pooling
Saw Mt. St. Helens
Started a charm bracelet in honor of Aunt Penny
Helped out with two Vacation Bible Schools
Had my Senior pictures taken
Watched movies
Had our nails done
Played Monopoly
Went to church
Went crazy
Shopped till we dropped
Rope swung into the river
Spotted a whale
Attended campmeeting
Were buried in the sand
Drank Jamba Juice
Four-Wheeled in the mountains
Sprained my ankle
Was stung by a bee
Took a personality test at the college
Went to an art fair
Hiked a peak
Got into trouble
Baby-sat
Helped a lady move
Ran out of gas
Drove like maniacs
Hung out
Ran in the rain
Saw Multnomah Falls
Attended a wedding
Which basically covers everything, but there is so much to tell that it also doesn't even scratch the surface.
My trip was only supposed to be a little over three weeks long, but ended up doubling to seven weeks. You see, if I had gone home on July 27th I would have been home all alone in early-mid August when my family went with the Pathfinders to the camporee in OshKosh, Wisconsin. It turned out that my dad extended my vacation till mid August. So from July 4th to August 19th I was in paradise. I did miss my sister's 14th birthday, but I made it up to her later.
While I was there, my Aunt Renee and Uncle Steve found out that their new baby would be another girl and due in late December or early January. She is the ninth cousin and sixth girl.
When I got back home it was time to start back with school. I only had English, Government, and Economics left. English happens to be my least favorite, but I'll survive.
Our church had another evangelistic series, this time presented by our very own Pastor Jeremy McCombs, which started on 9-11-09. It was his first seminar and it went very well. There were nine baptisms and another one later in December. One was a re-baptism!
I took on the task of audio editing the recordings from each meeting. A simple one-hour sermon usually took me 3-4 hours. But once I was through he sounded so well polished. That job put me several weeks behind on my school work, but it all worked out in the end. All-in-all, I put over 120 hours of volunteering in, but it also earned me a High School Elective Credit in audio editing. I learned a lot and it took less time each round.
On the 13th was my 18th birthday. We had a relaxed morning, but soon after brunch we headed to Albuquerque. I've been asking for a kitten for six years, but my dad has always said “no.” I'd basically given up hope and had quit asking. That morning I had “jokingly” asked and much to my surprise he complied. So we were going to pick out a kitty, my kitty!
PetSmart was having a big adoption event, but their kittens weren't the “kind” I wanted, plus they were expensive. We finally stopped by the Albuquerque City Shelter. (I refuse to call it a “pound.”) They had so many animals that you'd think I'd have a hard time deciding. However, Monster caught my eye, a fuzzy orange American tabby with the most gorgeous green eyes. The only problem is my dad didn't want a male cat (for their behavioral traits). The lady explained how neutering solved such a problem. Monster was too cute, but very timid. He sat in the back of his cage, meowing for attention. I put my fingers through the wire door, but he didn't come. I waited and within a couple minutes he somewhat warmed up and crept forward. Eventually the lady let me hold him, but he was beyond scared or freaked out. He climbed all over me, trying to get away and his claws dug in deep. Yet, for some reason I wanted him. We signed the adoption papers and were scheduled to pick him up in three days. The Shelter's fee was less than a 1/3 of PetSmart's.
I thought about names, because surely a name like Monster isn't becoming. For some reason I chose the name “Marcus” and it seems to fit him, though my family and friends don't think so. He comes when you call him by his name too!
When we did retrieve him he was a cuddly bug until we reached the car. Then he went ballistic and became extremely rambunctious. Had he changed moods or what?!? The next event was introducing him to Risa, our six year old German shepherd. She's real sweet and gentle, but he didn't know that. They didn't get along. He'd sit on the couch and Risa would patiently rest her nose on the arm rest, which he didn't like. We told Risa she was being good and petted them both together. Within just a couple of days they were best of friends. Today they love each so much and are always wanting to know where the other one is. Sometimes though Risa gets jealous because he gets so much attention. The only thing I dislike about having a cat is cleaning the litter box... :P
In mid September the Colorado Mitchells came down for the weekend. Saturday afternoon we hung out with them and they got to meet Marcus. That evening we ate dinner with them at Tomasita's in Santa Fe and topped off beyond belief with dessert at the Flying Star Cafe. Finally we parted farewell with hopes of seeing each other in a few weeks.
In mid October my family from Colorado came down for a visit. They went to the balloon fiesta and did some fun stuff like that. For three days the two oldest, Ryan (15) and Nathan (13), stayed with us. We had loads of fun! Sadly, they had to return home (the day before Ryan's 15th birthday too).
Right before they left, Nana called and informed us about a little boy in a balloon/flying-saucer who was alone, flying over Colorado. We don't have a television, so we googled it and watched live footage online. We frantically prayed for Falcon's safety and my aunt cried in horror and couldn't bear to watch. It was an intense afternoon and a week or two later things surfaced that it was a hoax and a family publicity stunt all along. Way to go, Richard Heene, for traumatizing the nation!
Ryan got a little tabby kitten for her birthday too, Oliver Todd. However, her middle brother, Noah (8), had a severe reaction. He couldn't breathe and was gasping for breath 70 times per minute. And I believe he came down with pneumonia. They don't know exactly what caused it, but poor Oliver was returned to the pet shop.
In late August I biked over four miles, one way, to WalMart with Nate and Naomi. That seemed to be “the thing” to do, hang out at WalMart. Woo! How exciting! Somehow, I don't see the thrill in it.
In Early September I bought a brand-new white 13'' MacBook. It came with a free 2nd Generation 8 GB iPod Touch too! I had planned on selling it to help cover the cost of the laptop, but the way things turned out it was a better deal to keep it, considering I needed a new portable music device anyway. My PC laptop had fallen only a foot onto nicely padded carpet and the hard drive crashed. I was so mad at myself. It still worked for a few minutes at a time, but soon froze and had to be restarted. I did have a brand new 160 GB HD put in it and have been meaning to sell it, but haven't done anything about it. So, if you're interested in a newly upgraded laptop, let me know and I'll get you the specs. Anyway, I bought the Macbook because I've converted to Apple and figured with my PC out at the time it was a good time to switch. Go Apple!
Now my dad wants one! So he just purchased a 32 GB iPod Touch. Spoiled little boy!
My Nana and Papa went to Europe on a river cruise down the Blue Danube (August 29 – September 30). I had been invited to go, but decided not to. Turns out that Papa had heart complications while they were in Toulouse, France, visiting relatives. It was very scary and caused a delay in their return. Turns out he needed heart surgery and they so happened to be right near one of the best hospitals for such a procedure. Isn't God great!?! Nana came home on October 11th and Papa recovered quicker than expected and returned on the 21st.
In late October I got my full, unrestricted license! Now I can legally drive without any passenger limitations. I only broke that law a couple of times when it was necessary for me to transport people.
My dad's Aunt Bonnie died on October 22nd 2009. She was the last remaining person from the generation preceding my father. The torch has officially been handed down.
My aunt and uncle decided to announce their baby's name ahead of time. And I eagerly set out to make a special blanket for Zoey Rae.
For Mom's birthday Naomi and I let her pick out fabric to make a quilt. She chose an autumn theme, with colors such as barn red, burnt orange, dark brown, golden yellow, and deep green. One pattern has leaves on it and another a scene of a farmyard. It's been four months and I still haven't assembled it, but hope to soon.
In late October I took the ACT, again. This time I was much more prepared and it was reflected in my improved score: English (29), Math (28), Reading (28), and Science (23). (Compared to last year's English (28), Math (25), Writing/Reading (20), and Science (24).) All but my science score improved. BTW, 32 is the highest you can get. My composite was 28. I was ecstatic!
Naomi began taking a gymnastics class at our “local” SDA academy, Sandia View Academy, which is an hour away. So since late August we have been going to town twice a week. It's been busy, but we schedule our shopping and appointments around those days. In mid November the academy team went to AcroFest at SWAU in Keene, Texas. My mom went as a chauffeur and somewhat of a chaperone. Basically it was like a “training” session for new acrobatic movements, etc. They did perform once or twice, though it was not a competitive event. This next weekend they are having an expo and will be learning even more stuff. Fun! :)
Sometimes after gym class the academy girls/boys basketball teams would play and occasionally we'd stay to root them on. They played very well this season!
Thanksgiving was fun, but that's a whole other story in itself. Nana and my family were the only ones who made it and my AZ, FL, NV, and VA family(ies) were dearly missed. It was much more relaxed than normal and a tad quieter. For after all, even though seven were absent, there were still eleven of us present. We started what I hope to be the beginning of a new tradition – shopping at Yankee Candle. And thanks to that day, I am now quite obsessed with scented candles! Hey, at least the house smells good!
I came up with the idea that actually developed more wonderfully than I had planned on. Aunt Jeannette always has special, creative projects. Well this time I did! I found a heart-shaped puzzle on the internet and it so happens to have 20 pieces – one for each family member (included unborn Zoey) with one to spare. I had each person hand-write what they are thankful for. Ryan came up with the brilliant idea of us each uniquely coloring/designing our piece. Thanks Ry Ry! I even had it sent to those who couldn't make it and they were able to participate as well. It looks so cool! The extra piece I used to write a verse of thankfulness on and to write the year. Now I'm planning on making a Thanksgiving scrapbook from 2002 to present and including it in there. But the Colorado Mitchells don't know, so shhhhhh! :)
We had eye appointments with our optometrist and I got contacts this time instead of glasses! I love 'em! It is so awesome to see without looking through obstructing window panes.
Sandia View Academy had a winter banquet and Eddie Lira asked my parents if he could take my sister to it. They consented and Naomi attended the “candy themed” banquet.
My Grandma's house in Taos finally sold and my Dad made a trip up there in early December to help sell some final things and to sort through tons of stuff. He brought back our van and it was loaded with boxes and furniture. Most boxes have eventually been moved out to the shed and things moved to accommodate new furniture, but a few boxes still are sitting in the office. I can't wait to have our house back to normal again.
While going through all these boxes my dad came across 31 pages of WWII stories as a Merchant Marine written by my grandfather. It's pretty amazing and interesting. I typed it all up and edited it – my Grandpa wasn't very good with grammar, so I made it much more easy to understand. I love reading about his sailing adventures as a Jr. Engineer abroad a C-4. Dad and I are hoping to make a book out of it and add pictures to make it a memoir. But that's a secret too! :P
(.W.F.17.10.) Our friends, the Berdahls, had a house guest for Thanksgiving. Melany ended up staying for a little over two months. She is a couple years older than me and we enjoyed hanging out every chance we got. One time she, my sister, the boys, and I went to ABQ Jump, an indoor air blow-up jumping place. And we ate at Sweet Tomatoes for lunch, did some shopping, and stopped at a park to use up some accumulated energy and hyperness.
Our family went ice skating with the youth from Central Church. It was cool and fun!
This winter came quite early and our first snow arrived in October. Since then, countless storms have passed through, dumping inches of snow each time. All combined, I'd say we've received over two feet so far. Which isn't bad for the desert. Plus, they're expecting snowfall to go through April. I don't mind one bit, but the mud that always accompanies melting is dreadful. Our cars were so covered that no light was visible from the headlights, except for where the “windshield” wipers had attempted to “clean” them! Unfortunately the snow paused just long enough for Christmas to be absent of white flakes.
This past Christmas we kept it simple for once and stayed home to relax. I wanted to go all out for dinner though and did just that. Here's the list of all that I prepared:
Barley Soup
Ratatouille
Asparagus w/Noodles
Pecan Patties with Cashew Gravy, Steamed Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, and Mashed Potatoes.
An Elaborate Salad w/ Avocado and Cherry Tomatoes
Bruschetta
Banana Bread
Pecan Crescents
Huckleberry Cheesecakes w/Vanilla Ice Cream
Carob Fudge Balls
Fresh Strawberries w/Soy Cream
Rice Pudding
It lasted for several days. As for gifts, my best friend made me a beautiful scrapbook of my vacations to Idaho in 2008 and 2009. It is so wonderful and I love it! My parents got me a speaker docking station for my iPod. No more old, crackly computer speakers. I love being able to turn it on when I'm cooking or studying. I also got a couple gift cards to Ross and bought myself a nice winter down coat, something I've needed for a while. Naomi got a new Nikon camera and a Ripstik.
Two days after Christmas my dad and I rented a U-Haul and drove up to Taos to get our dining room table. The last time I'll ever step foot in my grandmother's house since the sale would be closed a week later. Kind of a sad thought. We met up with my cousin, Grace, and her fiancé, Mark. He seems to be a nice guy. They'll be getting married on March 20th at the San Geronimo, the same place my parents were married (my uncle owned it at the time) nearly 21 years ago. Unfortunately, we won't be attending.
On the 30th a new member was added to our family. Zoey Rae Mitchell was born to my Uncle Steve and Aunt Renée. She weighed in at 7 pounds 1 ounce and 19 ½ inch long at 8:05 A.M. :) I can't wait to meet her!
For New Year's my best friend and her boyfriend, Ed, did the Polar Bear Plunge at Sander's Beach on Lake Coeur d'Alene. I was planning on going, but things didn't work out. So in heart, I took a three-minute shower as cold as it would go. Yet, somehow my 55 degree water in 72 degree air temperature didn't compare to 40 degrees and 34 degrees. The shower wasn't even as cold as Pend d'Oreille Lake in August!
I burned a ton of CDs and a few DVDs for the church and also managed to edit videos from the summer for a DVD. I completed it three months ago and have yet to sit down and watch it in full.
On New Year's we watched many family videos from 1956 to 1992, filmed by my late Grandfather. I have immensely enjoyed seeing these, many of which for the first time. :) I'm hoping to eventually get these Hi8 tapes onto DVD.
All this old family stuff that has resurfaced has rekindled my interest in genealogy and I can't seem to get enough of it! I love this stuff!
Along with winter has come a tad dose of cabin fever. To fight it off I have found some relief in watching movies while crocheting afghans, reading books, writing stories, and doing Bible character studies.
I finished economics and my final-grade was 92%! In my opinion this is a class that should be nationally mandatory! I understood it extremely well! And now, I only have English left...
In early January I began working for Ned's Window Cleaning, my sister's best friend's family. Every other week I wash the windows at H&R Block in Moriarty. It gets me out of the house and into the fresh air. But, boy, when the sun isn't shining it can be brutally cold.
In early January we had six youth at our church, which is four more than normal. We took advantage of the situation and all piled into our van for a trip up to the Sandia Crest. I was a blonde and totally forgot about the abundance of snow and freezing cold at higher altitudes. Needless to say, my hands were frozen and I shivered the entire time. But we had a great time, slipping on ice, and attempting to sled on jackets, throwing snowballs, and admiring the sparkling sunset of Albuquerque. On the way home I was careful not to burn the brakes out and we stopped to pick up my sister and the boys. How many Adventists can you fit in a minivan? We comfortably fit nine! Back at our house we had a youth game night – Uno, Uno Stacko, and Apples to Apples. Dad made delicious smoothies and Mom her special popcorn concoction. It was a very fun day and evening.
We've had Tyler over a lot lately.
There is an Adventist (?) “family” of six foster kids whom their “caretaker” has been bringing to church. I have yet to get to know them, but they seem like sweet people.
I've been so bored lately that I began somewhat of a spring cleaning. But to fill my time for recently I've begun to volunteer at Shepherd's Call, a ministry of our dear friends, the Berdahls. I help with anything they need assistance with. I enjoy it!
In late January we went to a Lady Lobos basketball game, but honestly, I can't remember if they won or not. It was nice though, to go with the Gurules.
Speaking of the Gurules! They moved into Rio Rancho in August to put their girls in school, at SVA and SVE.
(.Th.F.18.10.) In either late September or early October I went up to Taos to visit my cousin, Grace, who had moved into Grandma's house. It'd been 3 years since I'd seen her and in those years she lived in India and also Thailand. It was nice to hang out since we've never really spent hardly any time together in our lives. We picked up some produce at the local CSA farm – Community Supported Agriculture, sipped some tea and cruised the web at the local internet cafe. For dinner we cooked up some spaghetti with tofu, sauteed onion, garlic, zucchini, and squash in the sauce. :) Awesome!
The next day was San Geronimo Day at the Taos Pueblo. We picked up her friend, Bridget, and headed toward the reservation. Our timing was off and we missed the procession, but we did enjoy walking around the adobe lodges. We sat down on the bank of the stream and watched passer-bys at the jewelery booths. It began to pour and we took shelter under a tarp. Having had enough of this unique culture we left for home. Grace and I went back to the house to clean up, as it was being shown that afternoon. Then we hit another internet cafe, but this one was the coolest. The layout was an indoor garden patio with a deck, flowers, vines, a pond with goldfish, and a bridged pathway. Very neat and so Taos! Next we ate lunch at Orlando's Mexican Cuisine, my all-time favorite! Their vegetarian burritos are delicious! Unfortunately, they've quit carrying Kika's Avocado Pie, which is better than Key Lime. Then we met up with Bridget in Old Town and browsed through the cute little shops, and went to Pieces, the local consignment shop, where I identified a few of my Grandma's belongings. That evening we skipped dinner and just sorted through Grandma's crochet/knitting books and needles. Then we browsed through the many photo albums, dating from the late 1800s to the 1980s. Very cool! I ended up leaving early the next morning since Grace had to work and being in my grandmother's “empty” house was a little weird.
Naomi gets her braces off today and actually RIGHT NOW! So exciting! I can't wait to see her without them! I remember when I gone mine off in 2006. My teeth seemed so smooth without brackets.
In mid January Melany had to leave. Her mom has cancer and she went to help her out and be there for her. We had wanted to go ice skating for one last time together, but she couldn't make it. So Naomi and I ended up just taking the boys. We had fun! Afterwards we stopped at Dions for dinner.
In late January Naomi and I went ice skating again, this time with our Adventurer Club. We enjoyed ourselves and helping the little ones get the hang of it.
Throughout mid January the Pathfinders met at Anita's house (instead of at the church) to get their baking honor. So since we live the closest to the church, I met the parents there and was the bus for the kids over to Anita's. They made bread, carrot cake, and cupcakes!
Last week I took my friend, Briana, to the dentist to have a root canal done. I got to watch, which was interesting, and the dentist said that that was the most infection he's ever seen drain out of a tooth. Yuck!
In early January I began preparing the Power Point slides for the hymns at church. My goal is to have the entire SDA Hymnal on slides and to make it available to other churches around the globe. So far I have 72 completed, out of nearly 700. I'm 10% there!
For Valentine's Day my Nana got me an iTunes gift card and with it I upgraded my iPod Touch to the latest software. I love all the new features and stuff. Plus, I'm now able to download more apps! I also bought four songs! My dad and I are going to go on a music shopping spree this weekend! I love iTunes! I can't wait!
My sister, Naomi, has been writing multiple songs lately. I'm hoping to help her write down music one day and record an album! I think that'd be sooooo cool!
And while we're on the topic of “writing” I'll mention that if you're interested in reading some of the 25+ short stories I've written, here is the link.
I can't wait to graduate! I just need to get English over with! Uggh... English!
With the thought of the Olympics approaching, I was saddened by not being able to watch them. I haven't watched actual TV in eight months, so that's no big deal, but I love the Olympics. Winter or summer, it doesn't matter. I love it! We managed to convince my dad to buy an analog-to-digital converter box, but when shopping for one we were informed that nobody carries those anymore. Anyway, Dad and I ended up going out to buy a brand new 26'' flat screen HDTV. The picture is so clear! But now with that comes the temptation to watching “anything” and “everything” clean that comes across, but I'm trying to fight it.
Last weekend our pastor's wife, Junelle, called, asking us to quickly go to WalMart. Pastor Jeremy had taken off to do some shopping without knowing his 3 y/o son, Dylan, was asleep, unbuckled in the backseat and he had left his phone at home. So I hopped in the car (wearing my pajamas) with my mom to go find him. We drove around the parking lot and finally located his muddy vehicle. Poor Dylan was awake and all alone in the backseat, sobbing his heart out. Fortunately the doors were unlocked, but also fortunately we were the ones who found him. My mom toted him inside to hunt down PJ, while I stayed in the car in case he came out and left without Dylan. PJ was unaware that Dylan was in the car and said, “I thought he was in the house.” All-in-all it turned out ok and Thank the Lord he was ok!
I have a couple of gift cards for Hobby Lobby that total $75 and I'm hoping with my spare time (what's that?) to make a quilt for one of my aunts and an afghan for another. :) We'll see how that goes.
This summer I acquired a wonderful addiction (no, not for potato chips. lol. inside joke.) - shopping! Clothes shopping, shoe shopping, purse shopping, shopping for hand-milled French soaps, candles, and body spray! However, I now have a problem with fitting all my clothes in my closet. 100 shirts and 40 skirts sure do take up a lot of space.
“The Summer of the Squirrels” is how my mom refers to May-September of 2009. Wow! You see, our neighbors began feeding a cute little squirrel family in the spring and within a couple months they had moved into our vehicles. They'd make nests out of transmission fluid lines, wires to spark plugs, and anything they could sink their teeth into. Once my dad got his Volvo the truck was parked outside all the time and rarely driven. This provided a nice home for the “cute” family. Also, we had my Grandma's car for a while and $300 and lots of body damage later – yeah... You see, our dog, Risa, hates the squirrels and will do anything to get to them. The hoods of all our vehicles are majorly scratched by her long toenails and there are even a few dents. She actually totally caved-in the fender above the tire and did much damage to my Grandma's car. On my truck, she pulled out all of the wheel well lining. And while I was in Idaho she popped one of the brand-new tires with her nail or teeth and chewed through the brake line, which caused my dad to drive through the closed gate at the bottom of our driveway, which busted the brake light. My mom accidentally shut the hood of the truck on a squirrel halfway out, but he survived enough to scurry away to the shed. I don't even remember what all Risa did. It was crazy. Then two days before I came home my family returned home at 2 A.M. From a week in Wisconsin. Only to find a squirrel had been in the truck, parked in the garage, and the door to the house hadn't been shut all the way. The squirrel had knocked the vent off the dryer, broken my blinds, chewed a lid in the pantry, and knocked over China dolls over on my sister's dresser. They saw his evidence, but were unable to determine his whereabouts. Until one day we all came home from a day in Albuquerque and I heard a scuttling down the hall and into my parents' room. I quickly shut the door, knowing he was trapped. My mom went in to find him and as I stood in the hallway he darted out from under the dresser, but turned around when he saw me. I screamed! My dad finally discovered that it'd been living in a hole in their closet that my dad never patched up after he fixed a pipe. After that they made sure to close the door and to block the wall at night. We set up a video camera and would leave the house with the window open. Later we'd see footage of him eating the food we'd set out on the windowsill, but not jump out. Long story short, we did finally live trap him and remove him to a better location a few miles away. That solved the problem indoors, but we still had seven more to catch outside. Now, thankfully, we are free from such nuisant rodents.
As part of the Real ID Act of 2005, NM residents will be required to use passports when flying, even within the United States. So we've been working on getting ours. Grin. :)
There is an offer on my Grandma's last house and after the roof is repaired we will be closing! Yeah, I can't wait! Yet, it's extremely sad because I love “the Ranch!” I have so many memories there. But I haven't been there since 1997.
We are officially registered for Family Camp in Oklahoma this April. But I'm very dissapointed that the Halders and Dobbs won't be coming due to conflicting school schedules. I can't get over it... Who is going to go on walks with me late at night? The good news, though, is that the Berdahl and McCombs families will be attending with us! That'll be so much fun! I'm more excited than I ever have been (this is the first time we've recruited people)! Please pray that the Berdahls can get a cabin though, since they can't camp because of Coby's Limes Disease.
I'm hoping to learn as much about the Mitchell side of my family (Schumacher too!) as I can. I picked up some interesting facts just the other day (e.g. Papa Roy was a paper boy for the Kansas City Star.). So if you're a family member of mine, please share any info, facts, or memories that you have/know!
As for plans for summer, I'm hoping to spend several weeks in Idaho again! I'd also love to go to Florida to visit my grandparents (it's been three years). Nothing too big, but I'm hoping to get my parents up to Idaho to convince them to move. They want to and maybe if they're reminded of the beauty, they'll finalize everything.
Anywho, that's it for now. Wow! I'll say this again and maybe convict myself. I need to write less, more often. But maybe by saying that I just sound like a broken record. I hope the past eight months have been blessed for you. :) May we see each other soon!
Love, `caleyjanelle`
p.s. There is even more to update on. Stay tuned!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

A Time for Life & A Time for Death

Well! What an eventful last couple of weeks. It's been an emotional roller coaster, but it is finally beginning to slow down.
June 9, 2009. Mom and I went to prayer meeting, but just before it was beginning we received a phone call from Dad. I handed Mom the phone and the first words out of her mouth were a startling "Oh My WORD!!!" So many thoughts rang through my mind; what could it be? Then she turned to me and said, "Pat died," my Grandma. I didn't know what to think, didn't want to let it set it. It couldn't be real. People from church came to comfort me, offering hugs and condolences. I just began to shake. We ended up going home early and telling my sister.
Turns out our trip to Colorado Family Camp would have to be cancelled, as well as Nemo and I's vacation to Springs to visit family. At first I was crushed. First my Grandma was taken away and then my trip I'd been looking forward to for 5 months. Slowly I accepted the fact that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). We ended up going up to Taos on Sabbath for the service. My sweet CO family made the trip down and it was nice to have them there! My Aunt P told about Grandma's last moments alive.
Grandma had had many strokes in the last few weeks and just seemed to be going down hill. Then they found blood clots in her arm, her leg, and eventually in her lungs. Her body was failing. After many years of abuse from lack of exercise and improper nutrition it was giving up. She wouldn't have to suffer anymore. Aunt P was sitting with her as they watched Grandma's favorite show, "Jeopardy." Grandma faintly spoke, "I'm dreaming the dream of dreams." My Aunt didn't understand at first, so she had Grandma repeat it. "I'm dreaming the dream of dreams." Then she understood, she knew that Grandma was going to die. She had lived a long, good life and it was flashing before her eyes one last time. Aunt P never took her eyes off her. Grandma's big blue eyes sparkled as they always had (those big blue eyes that I am blessed with a replica of) Aunt P stroked her hand and told her how much all her kids loved her. She died peacefully right before 7:00 PM on Tuesday, June 9th 2009.
After the service we drove down to Santa Fe with the COs to eat a delightful dinner at Tomasita's. :) Surprisingly it was hardly busy at all, but we managed to sit right next to a rowdy bunch! Once we were stuffed to the brim with sopapillas, we parted our ways. Cousin R stayed the night with us. Her and Nemo stayed up all night and finally managed to fall asleep at 8:00 AM, after being awake for 22 1/2 hours. They just couldn't make it to 24.
Monday afternoon we caught a flight to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That evening we met up with 15 family members at the hotel where we would all stay. We enjoyed dinner together. Some of us hadn't seen each other in 5+ years. It was nice, but not for the occasion.
Tuesday morning there was a family visitation at Peterson-Patch Funeral Home in Waukegan, Illinois. My Grandpa's service was held here just over 10 years ago. At 11:30 they closed the casket and we proceeded to North Shore Garden of Memories for the interment. This part was the roughest, especially placing the Peace Lily and red rose on the coffin.
Afterwards we went back to the hotel restaurant for a Memorial Luncheon.
That afternoon we went to see Marie, my Dad's babysitter from when he was a wee one. It was nice to see her again, though it was probably the last time. She was so grateful to see us and to have seen Grandma in March. Grandma and Aunt P made a grand trip to see old places and old friends and family members for her 85th birthday. My Uncle G secretly called it the "Farewell Tour." Turns out he was right.
Then Dad took us to places of his childhood memories. His old house on Russel Avenue, old school, the hospital where he was born, and places of that sort. That evening we had dinner with the family again and bid adieu since most would be leaving early the next morning. Us on the other hand, we'd be leaving Thursday evening.
Dad wanted some down time just to relax and drive around The Loop in Chicago. So that's exactly what we did on Wednesday. The old buildings are oh so extravagant and magnificent! We stopped by the Grosse Point Light House in Evanston, Illinois, but it was closed. Bummer! I was planning to stamp my National Park Passport... We ate lunch at 'The Chicago Diner,' which has been 'meat free since '83.' It was scrumptious! We drove past Wrigley Field several times, trying to persuade Mom to go to the game - Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox. (Go Cubs!), but it was to no avail. After having seen enough of historic buildings, we drove back to Waukegan on Sheridan Road, the street known for its mansions. Huge estates that cost millions upon millions of hundreds of dollars! We oohed and aahed and videoed till our 2 1/2 hour tape was full! I did manage to save just enough room for a short trip by the cemetery.
The grave was now filled in, but the sod had yet to be replaced. An abundance of flowers surrounded the marker. My great-grandparents on my Dad's Dad's side (George August, Sr. and Marion Prince) are buried there and now both of my Dad's parents (George August, Jr. and Pasty Marie Clark). There are markers for my Great-Uncle (Ronald Charles, whose ashes are 200 yards away) and my Uncle (Craig Clark, Dad's only brother) who died in 1995 from AIDS. Grandma has been laid to rest right beside her beloved daughter (Penny Amelia Pincombe) waiting for the glorious resurrection. Though I never met Aunt Penny (she died in 1984 from Parkinson's Disease- 25 years ago this November 11th), from all that's been said, I know she was the epitome of sweet and caring.
My Grandma's life was full, she was always involved in something that would benefit others. I've be aware of this my entire life. But now I see the effects of it and I am striving more than ever to become what God wants of me. To find a fulfillment and help others toward the same goal.
But through the tears and sadness that we've experienced in the last couple weeks... There is good news! Come late December or early January I'm going to have a new cousin! Aunt R and Uncle S are expecting their 2nd and his 3rd. Little T won't be an only child after all. I'm personally hoping it's a boy. Poor cousin R - all of her cousins are girls, since the only boys are her brothers. Plus there are currently eight of us and five are girls; we need more of a balance. But we'll see what God allows! I can't wait to hear and find out!
And now for my trip up north. It seems I may have waited too long to book a flight. This past weekend I realized that it's next week I was planning to fly out and that I better find a flight and fast. We have a free ticket, which is so nice! And online it looked as if there were plenty of flights, but then I found out that only a certain number of free flights are reserved. And that's just it - the reserved flights are already RESERVED. We've called three times and each time no two same flights have been available, so we're praying that when we call back tonight that the right flight will be available and things will work out as or similar to as planned! It's kind of hard to figure everything out because Dad flew out to North Carolina on Father's Day for a business trip and this three-way thing is sort of a hassle... In HIS time, He makes all things beautiful in His time!
I am still working on that post from OKFCM and should have it up in a couple weeks or less! But for now I need to get going.
Have a wonderful day in Jesus!
God's blessings,
`janelle`

Sunday, June 21, 2009

A Long Delayed Update - more to come

For New Year's Eve we showed "Flywheel" at the church and then I slept right through midnight. My best friend called at midnight her time, but I only mustered enough energy to say I'd call her back in the late morning. And while I was painting/decorating my room a light peach color, she was diving into the frigid waters of Lake Coeur d'Alene for the Polar Plunge in 34F temperatures. Crazy, eh? I'd say so.

On the 20th we watched Obama's inauguration. We'll see what all he has in store... (not too hopeful). It was fun watching the polls on election day though. If only I'd been old enough to vote in 2008. :)
My sister went to Kid's Fest - Diggin' In, a retreat for kids, in Corrales at the end of January and our Pathfinder (PF) club went to sell drinks at the finalé. It was one wild night!
On February 8th, our East Mountain Cougar's Pathfinder Club had a speaking engagement down in Truth or Consequences, NM, so we all went down there for the day's event. They did very well!
In mid-February we met up with Uncle T at 'The Pit' for a Lady UNM Lobos vs Air Force Falcons basketball game. Funny! It was his team and our team against each other. UNM won by a large margin; it was a pretty boring game for the most part, but we got to see Uncle T!
We bought an iMac - smart move! :) I've been having so much fun editing videos and making DVDs. The whole OS is completely different than that of a PC. Now, I've grown up on PCs, and they're much more complex and when you switch to a Mac it's so simple that at first it seems hard. The only thing I dislike is having to switch between my laptop (PC) and the iMac, just like I'm doing now. I'll never go back to PCs again if I have a choice!
My sister had a tooth pulled and then finally had braces put on! :) In less than a year, she'll have straight pearly yellows just like me!
Our sweet friends, K and S Wyre, left, on a calling to do mission work in China. We held a going-away "party" for them and will miss them dearly!
We also had the First Annual Father-Daughter Purity Banquet at church and invited the Nebblett Youth to come and speak. They gave a beautiful message that was thought-provoking.
And with that, March went by uneventfully for the most part. Except that Grandma had a TIA in Tennessee on her 85th birthday. She recovered and a week later flew to come visit us. She came with us to church (she'd never seen our new facility) and then afterward we drove up to Taos for the weekend. :)
We picked up the newly-released movie, "Come What May." It's very great, I highly recommend it; you should definitely check it out! The guy who wrote, directed, and produced it was a guest speaker at this year's home-school convention as well.
Daddy turned a year older (shhh!), but we weren't able to spend the day with him because my sister and I were babysitting our Pastor's kiddos! Three little ones full of energy, what fun to keep up with when they all want your attention at once! We stayed the weekend with them while their parents attended and presented a Marriage Seminar/Retreat. We really enjoyed ourselves! We watched them just this past week too, while their parents went house hunting. Please pray that both offers (the selling house and the buying house) go through!
With early April came OKFCM time! I'd go into detail, but that would take too much time. So I'm saving that for a separate post that is yet to come.
The evening that we arrived back at home from camp meeting, rejuvenated and ready to face the world, there was a wonderful concert held at our church. The Oklahoma Academy Chorale and Bell Choir was passing through and performed a magnificent concert! Thank you and well done!
Our dear friends (my sister's best friend's family) announced to us that they're moving into town so they can put their daughters into school. We will surely miss them and it won't be the same, but they'll only be a short drive away.
The annual CAPE-NM home-school convention came and my parents attended that as usual.
But the same day as the convention and just within three days after we'd taken Grandma back home, she fell and broke her hip. Dad had to miss part of the convention because he and I drove up to Taos (on April 17) as Grandma was having hip surgery. They put three screws in and she came through fine, but sore and in pain, as expected. So far she seems to have healed nicely, but is still in rehab. I drove Grandma's car home, following behind my dad, so Aunt P could have a mode of transportation when she flew in. It was slushy-snowy all the way, three hours, and rainy part of the time, but the roads weren't too bad. Here's a short note that I wrote when I was in the hospital after Grandma's surgery. "I'm in the hospital now with Grandma. She had hip surgery this morning. So far so good! It's snowing again."
Oh and then on Sabbath I was helping to move the pulpit back into place (we'd had communion) and I set it on top of my toe and then slid it across. Now this is a very sturdy wood podium and it sliced the top layer of the skin on my toe off. OUCH! Not only that but my toenail had been cut extremely short and the skin was tender, and now the skin wasn't even there. It was a bloody mess, but now that it's all better you can't even tell. Just thought I'd share that gross story with you. If you only knew the gruesome details I kept to myself...
On April 19th our conference held a Pathfinder Fair in Corrales. My sister and her best friend were the Color Guards for the fair and led the opening procession. In the Marching and Drilling competition our club came in first! GO COUGARS! To celebrate we went out for pizza.
My best friend had a birthday and we've been friends for 14 years now! :)
My dad's truck has just under 205,000 miles on it now, with the original transmission and clutch. It still runs fairly well, except for the minor squeaky belts and rattling bumper, but he's been wanting a new vehicle. So he got himself a Volvo S60! Real nice car, very cute and fun to drive! Plus, we've decided to keep the truck, so basically it's mine now! Not that I have anywhere to go or do, but it's there if I need it. :)
For the Mother's Day Pancake Breakfast my sister and four of her friends, plus myself, were in charge of decorating. It was our duty to transform the sanctuary into a banquet hall. I planned out all the ideas and they all seemed 'ok,' but I was sure it wouldn't even turn out half decent. But boy, was I wrong! It looked really stunning; way better than I had anticipated or even imagined... So maybe I can be artistic and creative when I really put my mind to it. The breakfast was scrumptious! Pancakes, topped with delectable strawberries and bananas with a dollop of whipped cream, sausages, and a glass of icy orange juice. :) And for the afternoon we went to the zoo for the (35th annual?) Mother's Day concert performed by the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. Wow! It was spectacular! We lied out in the grass, listening to the melodious strings in harmony! After it had ended with my all-time favorite, "Be Kind to Your Fine-Feathered Friends!," we took a walk through the park, enjoying the animals and for dinner we ate at Twisters.
Graduation season! Several of my friends have finished high school now and one finished college; ConGRADulations to them! Sad to say, I'm still not done with school for the year, nor for HS. But at the end of this week (by June 5th) I will be done with everything except for my Chemistry labs! Then summer will really begin! :D I'm hoping to graduate by THX'09, but we'll see how it goes. And at this point in time, I have no plans for college, but it's not out of the question either. I really have no clue what's in store after high school.
A friend of mine, who has been going to college in Keene, came home for a week and it was fun to see her! She took my sister to the New Believer's Treat on Sabbath and Nemo ended up staying there to help out through Sunday.
One of my dearest friends, Coby Berdahl, has Lyme disease. A few weeks ago she left in a wheel chair for a lifestyle center to seek treatment. It was so sad to see her immobilized, but we prayed for a miracle and just a few weeks later she returned, walking and in much better condition! She still has a long road ahead, so would you please pray for her recovery?!?!
We helped a couple friends of ours move (on May 24-25). We spent almost the entire day packing boxes and loading up the truck. Coby brought us a delicious lunch that refueled our bodies and we continued on until the truck was full and they hit the road. The following morning a few of us went back to the house to clean it for the couple (since they had to leave and had run out of time). I love vacuuming, so I called that job. I got (I'm NOT kidding you) 15 cups of dirt out of the carpet. YUCK!
And finally, this past weekend! :) Oh, it was glorious! Our PFs had been scheduled to speak at the Taos Church. We got up early and met at our home church to drive the 2 1/2 hours up North. Grandma was able to make it too, which was an added blessing! :) I set up all my equipment -still and video cameras - and enjoyed recording their message. They did such a superb job! After a meager lunch and saying 'goodbye' to Grandma, the seven PFs plus myself piled into the van, headed towards Tres Piedras. My parents stayed behind to spend time with Grandma.
We took a minor lengthy detour when we came to the Taos Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. A steep 652' to the raging rapids below. We had lots of fun and overcame our fears of heights. Ned found a wood chip in the road and when he threw it we were able to follow it all the way till it splashed in the river. That was cool! :)
When we got to Tres Piedras, where Ned grew up, we eagerly got out of the stuffy car and the six of us girls went on a hike. On Ned's parents' property there are three ponds. Now, if you're from anywhere else you'd call them ponds or maybe even puddles, but since I've grown up in New Mexico and to stick with context I will call them lakes. Natural lakes of this size are hard to come by in the desert! It's up in the mountains, so though it may be summer in the city, up there spring has just arrived. The trees are a fresh green, the grass vibrant, the tadpoles just morphed, crickets hatched, and the water cool. It was so beautiful! I'm almost at a loss for words, knowing that I could never truly describe it for how it really is. We enjoyed our time out in nature, skipping along the shore, careful not to brush up against 'StingWeed,' which has similar repercussions as poison ivy. Dodging barbed-wire, exploring an abandoned campsite and old ruins, climbing on the rocks over the lake, and spending a moment of silence at the cemetery filled our afternoon. When our stomachs began to growl, we knew it was time for dinner. We walked back through the green field of oats.
We reached the house and found there was company. Some of their relatives with a new baby girl had stopped by for a visit. :) How cute! Shania is such a doll and so precious! We enjoyed visiting and when they left we went out into the lovely yard for a photo shoot.
The girls all laid out on the grass, creating a wagon wheel effect. Next the limbs of the aspen trees within the yard called their names! What merriment to swing upside down from sturdy white branches of wood. It was totally pleasurable! What I would give to return to such a jovial scene!
For dinner we ate burgers and watermelon; food perfect for summer picnic weather. We savored each bite as we sat out on the back deck, watching stormy clouds roll in. My parents drove up just in time to eat and afterwards the men-folk and the six of us girls went out for another hike.
The sun was setting lower in the sky and the reflections on the lake became so pronounced. Each detail perfectly copied in the water, only disrupted when a pebble splashed its surface. I managed to snag my sister's camera (I forgetfully left mine in the car) and took tons of pictures, not being able to capture enough of the simple beauty of the woods. I can't even explain how happy I was! But the time kept ticking away and the storm got closer so we had to move on, returning back to the house. Not only that, but we had a long three hour drive ahead of us, and it was already past 8:00 P.M. We ended up getting home a little before midnight. Though it was a terribly long day, it was so pleasant, so peacefully, so perfect! I really had a grand ol' time!
The next morning my Grandma called and seemed to be doing fine, just like when we'd seen her the day before. She went to O.T. a little while later - no problems, but then she went to P.T. and seemed very confused and un-responsive. They called my dad, alerting him that she may have had a stroke and was being moved to ER. They ran a Cat Scan, but it came back negative. An MRI on Monday showed the same. She has come out of it somewhat, but is still very confused. My thoughts are that she had a minor TIA that's not detectable and she snaps out of it quickly because it wasn't severe, but who knows. Anyway, my dad and his sisters are uncertain about her future - where she should go, when, and all that kind of stuff. If you could please pray for wisdom and guidance on their part, and of course a speedy recovery for my Grandma. I really appreciate it; thank you!
Right now my sister is at Texico camp-meeting for the week with her best friend. I'm sure she's thoroughly enjoying herself. I'll be up there with my family on Sabbath and on Sunday as well.
It's been cooler here lately, lots of clouds, and threats of rain, but not moisture, though the humidity is a little elevated. But the cooler weather is a welcome relief on my part, especially when you understand that for me, anything above 75F is HOT!!! No joke. The Northwest is definitely calling my name.
Now that I've practically caught you up to the current events in my life, I will share what my summer is going to consist of.
Next Thursday we're leaving for Colorado. We'll spend the day and evening with my CO family and then early Friday morning head to the first annual Restoration-International CO Family Camp! I'm super excited. Time with my beloved cousins, plus friends, good food, and a refreshing weekend. Also, my uncle has offered for my sister and I to stay with them for a week, which would be totally awesome. Things aren't for certain yet, but I can't wait. It's been two years since I've spent my summer up there and that's way too long.
We had plans of spending a week in Ouray/Durango with my CO family, but that may or may not happen. The summer has filled up and my dad doesn't have enough vacation leave. Maybe a short weekend would suffice. I really hope so.
In early July through the entire month I will be in Idaho! For a week we're going to Oregon for a camp meeting (one state I've never been to) and then the rest of the time we have a checklist of fun items to fill our time with. I'll be sure to keep you updated on my adventures.
Then in mid August our PF club will attend the International Pathfinder camporee in OshKosh, Wisconsin. I'm not fond of camping with no facilities, so I'm skipping out on this one. But at this point in time I don't know what I'll do when they're all gone. I think I'd go crazy if I just sat around and did nothing. I can't stand being alone; being by myself for two minutes is torture!
And then in September... The scariest event of the year - my 18th birthday. I absolutely cannot believe it. Where did the time go. How I loved being a little kid and just playing in the wading pool in Nana's garden. Wow! But that's a whole'nother story in itself.
Surprisingly, I'm done. This has been a near complete update on the events in my life and I must close this post before I bore you any longer. I'm sorry it has been so quiet around here for the past nine months. To think I put it off so long, but when I really put my mind to it, it only takes me a couple days to catch up. There shall be no more excuses. And I still have that post of OKFCM to write up. That should be lots of fun, no sarcasm involved.
Have a wonderful day in Jesus!
For now, from New Mexico everybody, bye bye!
(there is more to come... don't worry it won't be this long, at all!)