The All About Nothing Post

It has been a while since I have posted, so I decided just to post a list of junk, a list of random thoughts I have today. Because I know that all of you are so disappointed when you check my blog and there is nothing new there.....right?!?

1. All I can think about is my vacation next week. I am soooo excited to have 10 straight days off. It is going to be amazingly fantastic. I will just be around town for most of the time, hopefully getting a pedicure, spending some time with friends and some time at the mall. You know, doing all the things that I would really like to be doing when I am normally sitting at my desk typing. And then i will spend Wed-Sun in LaPine and I am super excited for that! I am going to have a picnic at my favorite park in Bend, visit my favorite church in Bend, float in a raft in a beautiful lake, hike to a waterfall and have a picnic, sleep in late, watch movies and stay up late, eat ice cream and scrapbook the hours away. Doesn't that sound fun?? You probably want to come with me now.

2. Work stuff is still CrAzY! There are just so many things changing. Mostly making adjustments to the economic downturn and enrollment being down between 10 and 15%! YIKES! You would think that that may mean less work, but OHHHH no! Less staff usually equals more work for me. And it is hard to see people that you care about lose their jobs. It breaks my heart. But we have to trust that God has a plan, which of course He does.

3. I have been reflecting on my world traveling sisters, and how I have been nowhere cool outside the US. Well Kristie is technically is the US, but 150 miles from Russia is close enough to be considered outside the US to me! :) Nome Alaska, Puerta Vallarta, Tons of Places in Italy, Scotland, London, etc. Lucky girls! Why don't I ever do anything like that, well mostly because my sisters are neat, fun people and I am a chicken head. :) I have been to Mexico City though, and Skid Row in LA. And let me tell you that on Skid Row, you feel like you are on a whole other planet!! Anywho...instead of being jealous, I am just so thankful that they get to experience all those neat things, it is fun to picture them all there!

4. I have been house sitting for a family that I love, but let me tell you that they have a DEVIL cat. Jack the cat totally freaks me out! He hisses at me every time I come in the house. And I think, well do you want your food or not devil cat?!?! I am completely afraid of that stupid cat. If I told you all the things that I do to avoid the cat, you would mock me....so I will just move on now.

5. T.R.A.C. - This really could be a post by itself, but here it is nonetheless. You always hear parents talking about how proud they are of their kids, but how often do you hears kids talking about how proud they are of their parents? You see, my parents are camp directors for a camp called Teen Reach Adventure Camp. It is a camp specifically designed for abuse and neglected children who reside in the states foster care system. It is a special camp, and it takes special people to run it. These kids are not normal teen age kids, who can be a handful, these are teenage kids who have had a terrible life thrown at them. Kids who don't know if they have anyone that truly loves them, kids who have been repeatedly hurt by the people they were entrusted to, kids who don't know where they will be living next week, kids who deal with things way beyond their maturity level, kids who think they are nothing, unworthy and undeserving of love and a lot of the time act out because of it. And that is were T.R.A.C. comes in. These kids get to spend a whole weekend with responsible, fun adults that do nothing but build them up, instill confidence in them, boost their self-esteem, share with them who they can become, believe in them, and have a fun and SAFE time with them. And the most important thing that the volunteers are T.R.A.C. do is, be "Jesus with skin on" to these kids, who have been continually rejected and unloved. They show the kids that there are adults who can be trusted, but they show the kids the love that God holds for them, the most important love they will ever receive. I had the privilege of being slightly involved this year by helping my parents with some paper work and computer work. But, I got to see first hand how hard they work and the truly inspirational work they do. I am so proud of them. The things they do are tiring, emotionally draining, heart breaking and most of the time thankless. But they keep going knowing they are fulfilling the call God has put on their hearts, and they know that their reward comes in the form of a young person, who is a modern day orphan, realizing that God loves them, cherishes them, delights in them and that they are worth everything to Him, and although they may be parentless, they will always have a Father in Heaven who loves them more than anyone on this earth ever could. So, good job mom and dad. I am so proud of you. Thank you for being such a great example of selflessness.

6. Another story from T.R.A.C.: D was a counselor again this year at TRAC, and since I was working on computer stuff out there, I got to see him during his break in the evening. He told me about one of his campers, who had just turned 14. This camper was trying to test his limits, to see just how far he could push things without actually getting in trouble. Here is a conversation he had with D.

Camper: "If I did this.... would you beat me up?"
D: "no."
Camper: "Well what if I did this.......would you beat me up?"
D: "no."
Camper: What about this......would you beat me up?"
D: "no."
Camper: "Why wouldn't you beat me up?"
D: "Because I like you!"
Camper: "You like me?! Why do you like me?"

Oh man, doesn't that break your heart? Lord protect these kids and the special things you did in their hearts this weekend!