Hatcher's Pass [July 2008]

Me, Randi, Dave, and Annie all took a trip to Hatcher's Pass on July 4th of last year! Here are photos I never posted. :)

Stupid Paddle Boats

I just randomly remembered the paddle boats at camp and what a pain they were.

Jess and I wanted to go out on the lake for a while, so we hopped in a paddle boat and took it for a spin. We were really enjoying hitting the small but fun waves that the big camp boat would make every time it passed, and then KLUNK. Something happened. We laughed and wondered what it was.

We found out when we started paddling again.. It would only go in circles to the left. It wouldn't turn right. Of course, the big boat was all the way at the other end of Lynx Lake and we couldn't get their attention. The only other boats were a few canoes scattered here and there, using the word scattered literally. They were far out of vocal distance.

But that didn't stop us from yelling!

"HELP!" "WE'RE STUCK!" "IT BROKE!"



You know what we got from the people on the dock?



"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Way to go you guys!"



*glare*



We were finally rescued by a couple in a canoe. And when we got about waist deep, I jumped out and walked it to shore, since the canoe couldn't get in where the paddle boats belonged.
Then I was wet.

January 25th

Yesterday was my new birthday.

I was baptized. Re-baptized, that is. I felt that the reasons for my baptism last time were not the right reasons in God's eyes, so I did it again. The "rather safe than sorry" theory, as well as, I felt it was really what God wanted me to do.

Tada!

This has been going through my mind for an entire month and I'm glad to finally be assured that I'm on the right path. I know I am, despite what some people think. I'm taking it one day at a time, one step at a time, one breath at a time.

My godmother called me the other day! When I was at Randi's house for Saturday, she randomly called and said hey! Of course, I had texted her earlier in the day, so I guess that's why she called. Apparently she doesn't have unlimited text. Unfortunately, I don't have unlimited minutes or long distance, so we'll have to settle with email! Which is fine.

And I randomly feel like going bowling!

MY FRIEND SARAH GOT MARRIED! Wow! I didn't even know she was engaged!! I knew she was being courted, but I didn't know.. wow. It happened fast, I guess! Though I haven't talked to her in over a year. She's 19. So cool!

Well, Brenden gets an hour or more today at school where he's not doing anything, so I get to go spend time with him. Gotta go get ready! Hafta look pretty, dontcha know.

Via con Dios!

Randomosity.

Youth Forum is coming up again soonly! :) Yay!

Praising the Lord! Tony is still doing well, is supposed to move to a different, normal room (out of ICU) but there isn't one available. :) Still praying that it's a good tumor, not a bad one...

I'm feeling better today, too. I've cleaned my room, and now I'm exhausted. I'm spending this whole weekend with Randi at her house. :) I'm excited. It'll be lots of fun. Lydia may drop in at some point, so that'll be nice.

I left my phone accidently in Mr. Turney's car last night, and we had to go get it... Oops. I had a lesson yesterday. We read all but the first movement in the Lalo and the same in the Bach. I like Bach better than Lalo, I think. It's just clearer, not so much weird timing. :)

Bach Solo

Wednesday

Well, I finally caught the flu. Brenden warned me the day I got home that he'd had the flu the day before, and it seemed like the week that I got back, I got a corner of it. (What shape is the flu, anyway? We decided it's a triangle.) I had a slight cold and a bit of achyness, but it turned out to be nothing. Last night, I got really sick. Fever, headache, stuffy nose, hurting all over, so I went to bed at 8:30pm. Pretty early, but it felt nice. At 3am I woke not able to breath, so I took Niquil and hoped that that would help. Today, I feel lots better!

NEWS ON TONY

I don't think I'd said anything previously about Tony on my blog, but Tony Collins is a member of our church here. He's the older brother of my friend Randi, and my adopted brother. :P On Friday of last week, we all found out that he had a brain tumor. He underwent surgery on Tuesday, and they removed all the tumor that they could "see." We have yet to know what "see" means. He's still in ICU but is functioning faster than everyone thought he would.

You can visit his BlogSpot here for updates. Please continue prayer for Tony.

I'm still writing letters for fundraising! I'm finding it difficult to word it just like I want to. It's interesting to solicit prayers, yet say, WE WANT YOUR MONEY at the same time. I mean, how DO you word that?! :P Just kidding. It's coming along great.

Conversations With Brenden (Never a Boring Moment)

"Who put a TOOTHPICK in the CHILI?!" -Annie (yelling from the kitchen.)

"I was checking the beans to see if they were done..." -Dave, sarcastically.

"It was an assassination attempt." -Brenden

"There's a bruise on my knee and I don't know how it got there..." -Allie

"For future reference, I wouldn't recommend using Dave's hammers for checking your reflexes. Even if they DO need checking..." -Brenden

*pause*

"-bangs head on table-" -Allie

"Banging your head DOES burn calories, but I don't really recommend it as an exercise..." -Brenden

"'Sides. Your head's already addled enough." -Brenden
*Glare from Allie*

"BJT. Bacon, jalepeno, and tomato." -Allie

"I am not a sandwich." -Brenden

*pause*

"I should thank my mother more often for not giving me a middle name like Lee, or Luke, or any other ell word..." -Brenden

"BLT!" -Allie

"No lettuce here! Get out!" -Brenden

HONDURAS MISSION TRIP

We are currently in the throws of writing fundraising letters. It's a slightly complicated process! So much information you have to be sure to include.

But I'm SO excited. This mission trip will be amazing. We are all looking forward to it.

So far, everyone that's going from our congregation is:

Randi Collins

Jeff Smith

Brenden Turney

Eric Johnson

Tim Johnson

Faith Hewlett

Patrick Hewlett

Kara Vansandt

Allie Billings

Logan Justus

We're all amped. On Sunday, we have an envelope party. Meaning, we all bring envelopes and then we stuff letters. I suppose we'll go about copying our letters that day with the office's copier. They have an amazing bulk copier.

Gotta go! Letters to be written!

The Three Stooges

My mother calls them "Who", "What", and "I Don't Know", but I call them the Three Stooges. Gamaliel, Jesse, and Conrad have been in my life for a lonnnng time. They're staples. They will always be there. They will always be in my mind as "Those Holy Terrors" or "The Ravenous Hoards" or "THOSE DARN BOYS!"

I can recall a couple incidents in which both I was to blame and they were to blame..

• THE TREE HOUSE INCIDENT

So I'm four years old. And the boys are in their tree house. What am I gonna do? I have no friends at that point, since Jesse's sister Sarah was only like, two.. So I stood just below their tree house, whining and complaining and hurtling insults up at them when they wouldn't let me up. Finally, it got to a point where nothing that came out of my mouth was comprehendable, and in my four-year-old wrath, I picked up a rock half as big as my head and proceeded to chunk it through the air: up. Of course, you know the saying: What goes up, must come down. And down it came! Right on my head. (It's most likely that the reason I was offended was I'd done it to myself.) There was hell to pay. I screamed; I yelled; I danced around the yard holding my hands over my head and hollering accusations like a typical little girl would at her brothers. I then took it a step further and went inside, still crying and holding the growing red knot on my head. The result? Groundage for Jesse (one week) and a spanking for Gamaliel. They've never let me forget it.

• THE LEMONADE STAND INCIDENT

Anyone who knows me very well has heard or read this story. Basically, my friend Katie and I went through a lot for a seven and ten year old to go through to make a lemonade stand. We tediously prepared the lemonade, stored it in the fridge in glass jars, and then went outside to make the actual stand. After digging around in the bodega (shed) and the back yard for an hour or so, we came up with an ugly yellow metal table and two falling-apart chairs that would just barely support our weight. When we got back inside? All the lemonade had been drunk by Gamaliel and Conrad. All of it. We've never let them forget it.

New Camera

It's Katie, Shelby, me, and Jordan!

Cute little Jordan!