Love and Theft: Runaway

**I didn't realize that when the youtube video is muted on the youtube site that it is muted on the blog too. Haha. Oops. Let's try this again.


Heather and I were singing this song the last few days of camp. We though that it would be perfect if the song played when we drove out of camp for the last time. We looked for the CD, but it wasn't out yet. I bought if off of iTunes, but didn't have any blank CDs to transfer it to. So, we had no way of ensuring that we heard it as we drove away.
Saturday night, we went to a play in Vista. We dropped one of our friends off at her house in camp and, as we were driving out at 12:00 a.m. headed for our other friend's house off camp, this song began to play on the radio. It was one of the coolest ironies of the summer.

Today's Schedule

8:30 - leave Salem for the airport
11:00ish - explore Africa (okay, so it was just at the zoo, not real Africa like Katie, but it was still fascinating. It's been eons since I've been to a zoo.)
12:00 ish - watch the bird show and almost get hit in the head by a vulture (Nathaniel did get grazed by the bird's wing).
1:30 - leave the zoo
5::30 - run (yay!)
7:00 - sushi date with my roommate!
9:30 ish - movie time!

Good times.

Heather left this afternoon. We arrived in Portland about an hour earlier than we needed to for her to make her flight, so we decided to visit IKEA. After all, I do have an apartment for which decorating ideas are needed. It was an enlightening trip and many ideas were planted. My roommate was not present, however, and I figured that I should wait for her before I bought all of the furnishings and decorations for our apartment.
Heather and I were in the store a little too long and began to fret when, as we followed the exit signs, we found that we didn't seem to be getting any further to the exit, but rather, were going deeper and deeper into the abyss which is IKEA. At last, we could see the door...and found ourselves in the warehouse. We turned the corner and saw the check out lanes. We had to be close. The light at the end of the tunnel appeared and we dashed toward it. The automatic doors opened wide for us as we stepped out into...a line of shopping carts. We waited until the carts passed and then we laughingly left the store, relieved that we had made it out alive. We then decided that such a trip would not be made again unless there was plenty of time for the likely event of being unable to escape the store.

Road Trip!

I drove into Salem and declared, "I'm home!" I felt more comfortable and free than I had felt in months. I have a place to call my own and I'm in a place where I am wanted and loved; a place that is familiar and full of more good memories than bad; a place where there is no hostility toward me - at least none that I am aware of.
My friend Heather (S'mores) drove up with me and I'm very grateful that she did. It would have been a long and lonely drive if she hadn't. She has never been this far north and her exclamations of amazement at the trees gave me endless amusement and pleasure.
We stayed two nights in Grass Valley with family. Then we went to Yreka where we visited Kidder Creek and spent the night with more family. The next night we stayed in my new apartment and Heather met Heather (my roommate). The next day we drove up to Black Lake and stayed there in a "little cabin in the woods." Yesterday we drove down highway 101 and watched the beautiful coast pass by us. We stopped in Canon Beach, Tillamook, and Lincoln City.
Today we slept in, had lunch at a cafe in Salem, then walked around and visited the farmer's market.


We couldn't stop looking out the window at all the green!

Old Haunts

Last night was my night off and I sped down the mountain (driving safely, of course) to make a 4:15 chiropractor appointment. After my appointment, I felt the need to visit all of my old haunts since I won't ever see them again. However, I did not take into account the late hour. My first stop was Safari Coffee on El Norte. As the barista was making my coffee, I realized that she had put four shots of espresso into the cup. Oh well, I'll need it. I thought to myself (12:30 came and went before I even began to feel tired).
My next destination was a nail place where I was amused to find the lit up sign "Facial Waxing" flashing before me. I cringed as I recalled my reflection in the mirror that morning and the unibrow that was making itself known.
The library in Escondido is not the most reputable place, but I have spent many hours there, so I made my way there, eager to get lost in the memories and books. The doors were just closed and locked. A little depressed, I went to the Christian book store where Katie and I went every week after I first got my driver's license. I had every intention NOT to buy something, but walked out of the store with two books.
Panera Bread served me dinner. By then it was 9:00 and I had to head back up the hill.
It's strange to think that I will never see these places again.

Ice Cream, Poweraide, and 5 Gallons of Water

In the midst of heartache there is joy. God does not leave us out to dry by our own devices. This summer has been rough, but there have been instances in which I have never felt so joyful and carefree. One of these instances has occurred each week. At some point in the week the other two wranglers have found it necessary to attack me with some harmless substance. Cake and ice cream - with all the fixin's - have been smothered in my face; potatoes, sour cream, cheese, turkey, bacon, and marshmallows have been chucked at me with all of the force in the arm of a 19 year old wrangler; and two liters of poweraide have dowsed me.
Tonight, as I was educating 18 twelve year old girls about the barn rules - five gallons of water was dropped over my head. The water was taken from the horses' water trough.
Any ideas for a pay back prank?

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed...
...Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unsee. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:7-9; 16-18
Each day at camp brings a new challenge spiritually and emotionally to each and every one of the horse camp staff. It is only by God's grace that we are able to make it to the next day.