Don't Everybody Rush To Comment At Once

So that is the last time that I try and do a blog entry where people actually PARTICIPATE! Thank you to Heather and Nathan, those who actually read and know what the words "let me hear your thoughts" mean.

On with life. Its been a good week. I started school on Monday. I only have one class, which is my Nurse's Assistant class. Simple. I basically sit in the classroom for 4 hours and learn a bunch of easy tasks. The first day I learned how to wash my hands. I feel when I say that to people I should be wearing a helmet and jumping up and down clapping my hands saying, "YAY!" I also learned that the bookstore on campus gives coffee away for free after 3:30pm. So you can guess where I on my 10 minute break at 4.

Today I got to learn how to change adult diapers and properly position a patient on a bedpan. My partner/only friend I made in class is an older woman in her late 40's, I'd say. So when it came our turn to practice, I got to change her diaper and while doing so I told her, "So you should get used to this because pretty soon you're going to be wearing these things." She hit me. Then gave me an apple. Anybody else find that weird.

Everybody will be glad to know that I just got an email updating me on Walter, my adopted penguin. They informed me that Walter is going through his "courtship displays," meaning, "Walter is looking to get busy soon." So, if you think about it, pray for Walter. I just saw "March of the Penguins," and man, mating for penguins is not easy. On top of that, if he's not a studly penguin (I don't know why he wouldn't be) than it may take him awhile to find a mate and he may be a last resort for some chick. Everybody knows what it feels like to be picked last. It sucks. You especially don't want that when it comes to mating, that just makes it worse. I bet he wont have that problem, though. I bet when it comes to chicks, Walter is a heartbreaker. Big pimpin' baby.

I think that about covers me for the day. I'd ask you guys to post your opinions on things...but we all know how well that pans out. So why dont you just keep your opinions to yourself and that way I wont be disappointed by NOBODY commenting. Except Nathan and Heather...post away.

The Church Is A Whore

So I was finishing reading a Donald Miller book yesterday and I came across a quote that really stuck with me. He is talking about how the church is a "big, beautiful, ugly thing" and goes on to quote the great thinker Augustine who once said, "The church is a whore and it is my mother."

To me, its such a profound and powerful statement...and carries a lot of truth. Jeff and I spent some time debating about what he meant by it. I think what he was saying by the church is a whore is that it claims to love too many things easily and loses the true sight and meaning of love...Christ. And yet, as much as we would like to dissociate ourselves from it, it is our mother. It brought us up to be who we are now. It gave us a foundation and introduced us into this new world of a relationship with Christ. So we cannot so easily abandon it our turn our backs on it, because it is our mother.

Jeff's thought on it was that the church is whore because it is the greater evil. It claims love and yet is responsible for some of the worst atrocities in history...yet it still is our mother and we cannot turn our back on it for the above reasons.

I would seriously love other people's opinions on it because I think it is a very interesting thought. So think about it, and let me know what you guys come up with. Seriously.

The New Chapter

This is the first official post coming to you from Oregon. I packed up the car and moved yesterday, leaving Sacramento and California behind and trekking toward the future and a new beginning of a new chapter in Oregon. It was probably one of the hardest days I've had to deal with. Coming from a very close-knit family, moving more than 3 hours away is never an easy thing.

Everybody had to be at work before 8 am so they each woke me up at different times to say goodbye. My mom poked her head in at 5:30 and gave me a kiss on the forehead. I dont think she could handle saying goodbye the day of, so we said our goodbyes the night before and refused to wake me up in the morning to do it. My dad came in next and hugged me for the longest time. It was nice. Very little do I get the chance to hug my dad and tell him I love him. And it felt nice to do. We also got to spend some time together on sunday, just the 2 of us (which is even more rare). He gave me a foot rub and we watched a movie together, mostly making fun of it the whole time. Next came my sister at 7:30, one of the hardest goodbyes I've ever had to do. She hugged me goodbye and started to cry on her way out the door. She cried all the way to school and into 3rd period. She tried to explain to her students that she had "bad allgeries." It broke my heart. I spent my trek from sacramento to oregon crying for a majority of the time, mostly thinking about my sister and the hard time she's going to have. I wish I could heal her. I wish I could solve her problems. Moving 8 hours away probably doesn't help.

Change is hard. Although, I'm excited for my future in Oregon. I'm excited to end one chapter and begin a new one. I feel more confident here. I feel at peace and satisfied here. I believe with all my heart that this was the right decision, this was where God was leading me...and its a good feeling to finally arrive at where it is you are supposed to be. Its going to be a good year.

The Weekend of the Jamanda wedding

Jeff and Cody just pulled into town. I cant tell you how amazing it feels to be able to hold my boyfriend in my arms again. He just got his new phone and is busy fiddling with it right now and discovering all the cool tricks it can do. The first thing he did with it was somehow "marry" it to his computer so now they are great friends and can share secrets...technology...i'm so stuck in the 80's.

We're gonna catch a quick sleep and then head down to southern california for jasen and amanda's wedding. I'm so excited! This wedding is going to be amazing and a lot of fun. I'm so happy for them and so excited for them! If you guys get this, I'll be seeing you soon! I can't wait! Peace out.

I Got Soul But I'm Not A Soldier

Well I'm back and in a better mood than last time. I got to go hang with my parents for a day down in ol' tracy. It was nice. Except last night as I was making a margarita for my dad I walk into the room where he and my mom are talking and they both just stare at me and my mom says, "Did you know that your father fell asleep at the wheel last night and crashed into a tree? How do you feel about that?" My dad has only gotten about 3 hours of sleep over the past 3 days as he fights to keep the family business alive. So as he was driving home the other night, right down the block in front of the washington mutual he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a tree and blacked out. He totaled his truck and had one of his employees pick him up and drive him home. Then he admits to my mom that he wasn't even going to tell her because he didn't want her to worry, which just pissed her off more. I worry for my dad. Sometimes I wish I was rich so he wouldn't have to work anymore to finish putting us through college.

On a lighter note, I got my iPod the other day. Since then I have already dropped it twice and managed to scratch the screen from keeping it in my back pocket. But I've also been productive with it. In true fashion, I have made up my own iPod dance soon to be filmed and put on a commercial. It consists of me shaking my booty with my hands in the air while "Africa" plays. Who wouldn't want to see that?

Well, I'm out. I'm going to go try and soak my feet because they still smell pretty bad.

So Long And Good Night

Its been a long week. I been working 8 hour days for 6 days in a row now and my body is exhausted. I get off at 2am every night (or morning to be technical) but I'm still up for another 2 hours once I get home before I fall asleep. For some reason I haven't been able to sleep lately. Maybe its because I'm bored. Maybe its because I'm alone and I miss my love. Or maybe its because I'm stuck finishing off the last bit of my life in Sacramento waiting anxiously to get out.

Work has probably been the most horrible I've ever seen it. Its the last week of the county fair and we have been busy. Every night I go home and find a new blister on my feet. Tonight I came home and took my shoes off and there was blood on my toes. Ew. Tonight. Crazy stuff. Probably the worst night so far. They closed down the fair early to prevent "rioting", which, of course, only cause people to riot more. I went outside for a breath of fresh air and i open the back door to look in the parking lot. There's about 7 cop cars parked at the gas station, 10 barracading the streets, and a police helicopter overhead. Then there's about 300 people in the parking lot running as police sirens start blaring. I ask one guy what's going on and a pack of 50 people run towards me and start trying to push their way through the back door of the restaurant. Then they all stampede towards the front and barge through the doors to get away from the cops. The cops had to come inside to kick people out. The ones that didn't get kicked out we had to put up with. I saw about 4 different servers cry because they were kicking treated so bad. One of which was Kathi, this 65 year-old woman that we refer to as "grandma" at work. She lost her phone and at the end of the night she called it to try to locate it. This person picks up the phone, says she dropped it at their table while she was talking to them and they stole it, and now they want $100 reward to get it back. Not only that, but they go on to cuss her out and completely tear her apart. Some people got some nerve. She sat with that table (which wasn't even hers) and talked to them for 15 minutes saying they had cute fashion. And then they do that. Its just so discouraging.

Anyway, I'm rambling. I'm tired. My body aches. And my feet smell so bad. Night.