Delicious Weekend

I have perhaps just experienced one of the sweetest weekends of my adulthood. It included a ridiculously small amount of sleep, a trip to the continental divide, some s'mores minus the graham cracker, and one of the most beautiful encounters I've had with the Holy Spirit in a long time. This weekend was Chi Alpha's fall retreat (you should read more about it at chialphamontana.blogspot.com ) Cause this weekend was amazing.

Alright, I'm just gonna be vulnerable right now... hope you don't mind. I have spent this entire month going hard... very hard. I have been about my Father's business, have poured myself into ministry and the work of Chi Alpha. I wouldn't live my life any other way. Except this weekend I came up dry. I had been living/functioning/ministering out of a spiritual resivoir I had neglected to keep refreshed and this weekend I felt as if I had nothing else to give. Whilst being about my Father's business... I forgot to be all about my Father. Even now I cry (big surprise) at how much I miss Him. So perhaps I will sign off and get alone with my Maker... but I will leave you with a 'prom' picture of Megan and I, a picture of Peter in an 'awkward' situation and a thank you to all the beautiful people in my world who made me laugh this weekend. Without you (and Zach's playlist of comedy) I wouldn't have burned off that brownie I had for breakfast!

I've gone digital!

Congratulations faithful friends who read my blog! You are currently expreiencing the first products of my low-end-dirt-cheap digital camera. Magical isn't it? What you are witnessing is a few of the kids that I teach. They were just too willing of subjects... what's a girl to do?

Did I mention that 80% of my class is blonde? Like REALLY blonde? It's so cute! I'm sure that I'll have plenty of adorable stories to share throughout the next nine months of having them in my world... but here are a few that have made me laugh out loud thus far:

When talking about the letter B, I asked what words began with B... we discussed bear, bike, balloon and when we got to bird, a little boy conveniently commentated that "birds poop in my backyard".

During playtime yesterday a little girl wanted to give me a hug. After she did she took my face in her hands and pointed at an itty bitty 'blemish' on my chin and asked "Who did that to you?" Stunned I replyed "the boogy man" and she wittingly responded "What boogy-man?" Chuckling a this point I said "The one who unjustly allows grown women to get zits even though they are past puberty." You have to love their innocence.

Sudden Death

Somewhere between pretending to be astronauts and learning to "make new friends, but keep the old" I caught one of my 'munchkin's' colds. I had been warned by the other teachers that I would probably be sick a lot this school year, but with all the 'Airborne', vitamin C, orange juice and green tea I was pounding (not to mention the pint of Lysol I've used already) I thought for sure I was going to be golden for the entire flu season. Oh how horribly naive I was. Because, my friends, I've contracted some sort of illness that has put me near death, or at has at least left me feeling like the Grimm Reaper's got my number.

Would any of you agree that being sick is the worst thing in the world? It never happens at a convenient time (I've been SO busy these last three days it's probably only helped to compound my body's production of the virus...) It makes you feel shunned (the worst part, in my opinion, is not being able to get my quota of human contact for the day. Since physical touch is one of my love languages, I end up extrodinarily sad when I see people backing up five feet instead of leaning in to give me a hug...) It makes you forget what it feels like to be well (perhaps the most deplorable thing about the situation is it's damper on my optimistic outlook leaving me only with a certainty that I will be coughing and sniffling until Jesus returns...)

So, delicious people of the earth... remember eat your oranges and keep a family-size bottle of Day-quil on hand 'just in case'.

PS: The picture above has absolutely nothing to do with my illness, it's just a great shot of Rael and I riding an oversized piece of art (as you do).

Ponde Replay

Last night the sunset was glorious. The only problem was it didn't have any sound. Do you ever feel like that? Like you need to have music for certain times in your day. A soundtrack so-to-speak... My two good friends from High School and I decided this a long time ago. We had it all planned out... that we would have coordinating songs by which we could have dance parties throughout our day together. Well now we are spread throughout the world, so our playlists may not be the same anymore, but if I really could have a ghetto-blaster magically coordinating tunes with my day, I would have to say the following would be my anthem:
"Beautiful Day" by U2... would you really want to wake up to anyone besides Bono?
...that song by Stevie Knicks "Sings a song, sounds like she's singin' Who-baby-whooo-whooo" (don't know the official name, but pretty sure I sound something like that in the shower)
"Isn't she lovely"... when I'm trying to be presentable for the day.
"Secret agent man"... during my covert operation of applying deodorant... and trying not to get any on my clothing.
"Blues Brother's theme"... when I'm trying to get out the door in a hurry (just decided that tonight, I'm pretty sure I'm in love with John Belushi)
"Killing me softly"... whilst working at the smoothie stand OR
"Let's call the whole thing off"... whilst teaching preschool (simply because half the time I can't tell what they are talking about, but I love them anyway)
"Girl's just wanna have fun"... whilst having a cream soda with my chakitas (and or laughing hysterically over any ridiculous thing we decide to do).
"Quando, Quando, Quando"... anytime I tell someone adios.
"Don't go changing"... when I drive through Missoula.
"Shiny Happy People holding Hands"... when I feel like flipping someone off in traffic.
"Crazy in love" by Beyonce... a simple dance party before dinner never hurt anyone.
"Bolero" by Ravel... during dinner (classical music is supposed to help you digest)
"OOOOHHH Sweet Child of Mine"... for nothing other than eating some chocolate (what suits dessert better than Gun's and Roses!)
"3x5" by John Mayer... anytime I take a picture
"Celebration"... when I'm feeling black (Kool and the Gang could basically rock my world anytime)
"Rains down in Africa"... when I am feeling black and want to hear some great synth
"Do you come from the land down under"... when I'm sentimental for Sydney, and have a hankering for Men at Work
"Dance" by Jamericqui... I definately have to have a dance party everynight... as if I would choose something else to shake my groove thang to...
"Love Song for a Savior"... my favorite song ever, and I've gotta have some Jars in there somewhere.
"Livin on a Prayer"... possily my second favorite song ever and simply a great motto to lie by.

And that's the meat of it all... I'm pretty sure I'd use some really classic 80s stuff for fillers... or the Napoleon Dynomite soundtrack. :)