Looking For A Light

There is a time for everything! and apparently that time is now!

2009-03-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

HI!!! Oh my goodness...I am not very good at this blog stuff anymore. I have mainly been using facebook to update people on what is going on. So......I bought a house! Here is the link to the house . Check it out! It closes on March 18, that is this Wed. Then I am hiring movers to move me on the 21st. I am starting to pack but it feels like I just moved! Oh wait I did, it was 7 months ago. I can't believe it! Oh and guess what? I am also getting a foster child on the 30th! His name is Sy-Quay and he is 8 1/2 months old and he is so handsome. So hopefully I will be semi settled in by the 30th for when he comes live with me. I start my overnight visits this weekend. I am still working for the elder's services for the Puyallup Tribe. I have applied for a couple other jobs because elders in is only an emergency hire. I applied for Process server/case manager assistant for Child Support. Also, for receiving clerk and for Community Liaison assistant for the housing for the tribe. The Community Liaison is only part-time with benefits, so I think I want this one but all of them sound fun. The reason I would want the part-time one is because I am going to be getting Sy-Quay and I would like to spend time with him. Oh goodness so much going on-new house, new kid, and new job! CRAZY!!!!

Let go

2008-12-20T20:24:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, it has been so long. Well I have a story for you....

I was hired as an emergency hire for the Elder's and Vulnerable Adult Services Department for the Puyallup Tribe in September. I was hired for 480 hours and I still had about 290 hours left of working. However, on Dec. 16 I was let go due to budget cuts. My boss came over to my desk and let me know that there was no more money for my position and that I shouldn't come back the next day because the day she told me was my last day. Once I gained my composure I asked her how it would have been nice to have a little notice and said she I am sorry about that. Well after I found out, I went over to talk to my uncle about what had happened and he is helping me with the situation and trying to get everything resolved. So that may include a new job or finding me a way to go back to my old one, we will see.

Can you believe all this snow? Crazy. Help me by praying for all those who are out on the streets on these cold nights.

Hope all is well for you on the holidays!

Election and life

2008-11-04T12:55:00.001-08:00

Oh my goodness, we will find out the new president today!!!! So if it is McCain, Libby and I are moving to Canada. :-) Anyone with us? My job is going great. Friday was a big day because I got to do some stuff involving an elder. It was an exciting day and these past couple days people have taken me on elder’s visits and I have been able to meet a ton of my elders. I have also been learning the tribal language. It has been great. We meet every Wed. from 3-4 pm and I have also been practicing at home. This job has been such a fantastic cultural experience. I am learning so much about the tribe and about the people. I am glad I decided to work here, the people here are pretty cool too.
My Halloween was pretty good. I went trick or treating with my god sons. We went around my old neighborhood and then we stayed at Libby’s apartment and waited for trick or treaters but there were none. Well there was one but they came while I went downstairs to get something!! I was pretty sad, I was looking forward to getting a ton because we lived in an apartment complex. My mom got 70!!!! No fair.

What's New Bubblelou?

2008-10-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness it has been forever since I have blogged. Sorry about that. A lot has been going on. Alright, so I am no longer working at Sand Point but they did have me back a couple of Sunday’s ago to say thank you and it was a lot of fun. I got to do the children’s message and also give a speech for the congregation. The same day I went to do that, they also announced that Pat would be leaving at the end of November (Pat is the pastor at the church.) A lot of changes are happening at the church but I am excited to see what happens. I applied for a job at my tribe in children’s services but I didn’t get that job because I didn’t have my social work degree and I have never really worked on any cases or anything like that. But my uncle put my name in for an emergency hire position over in the Elder’s Center of the Puyallup Tribe. It has been fantastic and boring at the same time. I am doing mainly data entry, and filing but sometimes I get to do fun things like put together a huge collage poster of pictures of all the elders or make a nutrition board for the elders to read. The other fun part is that I have had the chance to meet some of my elders. I am still new so I haven’t met that many but it has been fun with the ones I have met.
The Elder’s center here does a lot. They have caregivers specifically hired to care for Puyallup Elders. They do chores for them, transport them, do personal care, and an assortment of other things for the elders. The elders facility also serves lunch every day to all the elder tribal members living in the area. It is a pretty cool program. They are also building a new huge elders center that is going to be great.
Now you can see why the job is both boring and fun. Depending on the day it could be fun or I could just sit at my desk all day and do work.
Oh in other big news I had a small visitor in my house yesterday….it was a tiny gardener snake. I wasn’t sure what to do because I didn’t want to kill it. So I called Libby’s husband Cory who lives upstairs to help me figure out what to do. So he came down and he said to get a Tupperware. So I went and got a Tupperware and asked what I should do with it and he said just to scoop him up in it. I was like are you serious? Do you think the snake is going to want to be scooped up into the Tupperware? But I tried it and then it just ran and hid (well slithered and hid.) So we decided we would trap the snake under the Tupperware and then take it outside. Cory moved the dresser it was hiding behind and I went to grab the snake. I got the Tupperware over it and it was perfect because it was slithered up like a ball and I didn’t hurt it. But then we didn’t know what to do. Then Cory thought of getting a piece of thin cardboard and sliding it under it and then trapping it and brining it outside. I carefully put the cardboard under it. But when I almost had it he uncurled and I got his tail stuck under the side of the Tupperware and started freaking out because the snake was freaking out because his tail was stuck, so I picked up the Tupperware a little bit and got the tail unstuck but then got his head stuck. I didn’t know what to do because I didn’t want him to escape but I didn’t want to kill him either. So I picked up the Tupperware a little bit and got the head unstuck and got the tail stuck again and I started freaking out. Cory came over and did it really quick and threw the snake outside. Yeah for the good deed for the day, saving a snake the decided for some reason that my apartment was better than outside where he could find food.
Oh speaking of apartment, I have a new apartment right below my best friend Libby and her family down in Federal Way. It is a great complex with three pools, a workout room, security, gated entry (but it is broken right now), a theater room, a party room, and lots of space to walk my dogs around.
Hope this was a good enough update. Comment and ask questions if you have any.

You win some you lose some

2008-09-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

Thursday night I went to the August birthday celebration at the Emerald Queen casino with my dad to try to win some free money. We had fun but I didn't win anything but after it was over I went up and asked the lady if I could have a t-shirt and she gave one to me. :-) Then I stayed the night at my dads. Next I ran bunch or errands in the morning. At 12 I headed down to my old roommates Jackie's wedding. It was an hour south of Portland. It was a blast. We danced the night away.

Oh and on the way back from OR, I got pulled over. I was going 72 in a 70, then I missed the sign that said it changed over to 60. So once I saw the second sign I slowed down. But he pulled me over a mile outside of where the speed limit changed. it was a $231 ticket!!!! becasue it was also in a work zone!!

Then I finally got to my friend Whitneys house at one am, and we still had to make picture frames for a couple girls that were adopted from the orphanage that we worked at in the Congo. So I was up until 4 am. Then I woke up at 8 to go to my tribal membership meeting. I got there at 11 because I thought that was when it started but oh no, it started at 10. The one membership meeting I could finally make it to! But I still got to hear a lot and I even spoke about the tribe getting a lawyer that tribal members could use. Because I have been looking for a lawyer from the car accident I was in back in January. They said they were working on it. I already got a lawyer but it would have been nice if the tribe had one. The other cool thing that happened at the meeting was there was a guy who was talking about making a Puyallup Tribal history book. He is going to interview all the elders and other people and get their stories. So I asked if I could help and he said of course. I am so excited I have always wanted to learn more about the history of our tribe and this would be a great way to do it!

Then the last cool thing that happened at the membership meeting today was that I won $200. So that is good because I can pay for my ticket!!Then tongiht I have been cleaning and packing because I move to Federal Way on the 20th and I need to have my place clean for the people that come see it. So I have been pretty much non stop!

Fun times!!!!

Sarah Palin

2008-08-30T00:09:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin

Against gay marriage
Against abortions unless women is in harm
Opposed for the environmental restrictions on drilling in Arctic National wildlife refuge
Opposes designation Polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act Frearing that step would get in the way of proposed nation gas pipeline tapping into North Slope's reserves
Beauty Pageant winner
Doesn't believe in Evolution
was only chosen as vice president to appeal to the crowds that want a black or woman for president.

After all this, why wouldn't I vote for McCain. He has a beauty queen who appeals to me because I want a woman to be in office.

NOT quite.

P.S. Go Obama!!

Did she get the job?

2008-08-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

Well I thought I wouldn't be able to say anything until Tuesday but I guess they made the announcement at church on Sunday. Turns out I didn't get the job at Sandpoint United Methodist Church as their youth and children's minister. I was really bummed out about it for about a week after I found out because I feel like I am losing all the relationships that I have developed over the past two years. It is hard when you become a part of a church family and have to leave. After a hard week, I am now becoming more optimistic about the change. I am applying for a position at World Relief, Refugee Women's Alliance, Mary's Place downtown, and child welfare casework manager at my tribe (Puyallup tribe.) These all sound like really exciting positions and I am excited for a change. Now I just have to wait to hear from them to see if I will get the position. So, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I go through this new transition. This is one of those times when you have to just let go of everything and put your trust in God and trust that this is all in his plan. And the great part about it, is IT IS!! It is in his hands and I have nothing to worry about!

Olympics, what do you think?

2008-08-25T01:32:00.000-07:00

So the Olympics have been my life lately because I haven't had a job at the present moment. :-) Last year I didn't watch the Olympics at all but this year I was all over it. They were fantastic. So what are everyones thoughts on the Olympics? Is it way too much waste (garbage?) Is it something that helps with peace around the world? Would you ever want to be an Olympian? Does it promote good health? Or does it not promote good health because some people are too competitive and be unhealthy in their training? Is it fair that the developed nations are usually the ones to win and compete? What other good or bad things do you think about the Olympics? Oh and why is Jamaica so good at running???!!!!

Here is a good article on some of the good and bad things of the Olympics

Here is another one about businesses in sponsoring the olympics

Okay I suppose that is enough. I will update you more on my life after Tuesday. :-)

Story of Stuff

2008-08-05T23:31:00.000-07:00

Check out this fantastic video about where all our stuff comes from. I have seen it twice now and it really makes you think about all the stuff we have.

Story of Stuff

Video of Zephyr

2008-07-23T22:34:00.001-07:00

Zephyr's Birth Check out this video I made for Libby of her son and my god son, Zephyr. It is of the first couple days of his life.

Vacation Bible School

2008-07-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know I am directing a Vacation Bible School this year. VBS starts tomorrow. After an 11 hour day of work today I think I am finally ready. A couple things I need to put together tomorrow but I think we are ready!!! So, last week on Friday we were trying to decide whether or not we were going to have VBS because there were only 9 kids signed up (Last year we had around 45.) But we finally decided we would. And thank God we did because we now have 21 signed up!!!! Over the past two days we got 11 more! There are only 5 kids attending from our church, the rest are from the neighborhood and many of them have told me they are looking for a new church!! Yeah! Praise God! During these past couple weeks I have definitely been working on my patience. Because first it was really difficult to find volunteers and then with very few kids signed up. But everything has come together so perfectly!

VBS ends Sunday at noon. Then I need to work really hard to get the VBS stuff cleaned up in turbo mode because I am going to be cabin leading at Sr. High Camp at Camp Indianola. Guess when I am suppose to be there? ??? Sunday at noon. But I am going to clean really fast, pack, and head out there. Anyone want to watch a couple dogs for me? I will pay you!! July 27-Aug. 2.

busy body job

2008-06-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, who knew Vacation Bible School and Deaning (directing) a camp would be a full time job? Apparently it is. It seems that once I start working on one, there are a million things I need to be doing for the other one. Wow!

Well I haven't heard back from my coach yet about my body hurting so much, so I think it is time to quit the coaching and move to a gym or something. I am paying a lot of money for a coach, but not a coach that isn't responding to my body hurting so much and my fears of what I am doing to my body in the long term.

Peter, the youth and children's minister at Sand Point, is leaving. Therefore the main position for Sand Point United Methodist Church has opened up. I am the associate of youth and children's ministry right now. I applied for the job back in the middle of May and I had my interview last Thursday. I thought it went pretty well but we will see. There are two other people in the running that I know of. One I know and the other one is from California. I would be extremely excited if I got the job but not disappointed if I didn't because I know that God has another plan for me. So please pray for he right decision to be made. :-) They said I should hear about the job in early July. I will let you all know. :-)

Is it worth it?

2008-06-26T00:36:00.001-07:00

Alright so I have been running since Dec. to train for a half marathon and to get fit. I had to stop in January because of my car accident and now I got my milage back but not my time yet. Once I started back up my coach and I worked slowly to try to get my milage back and if there was any back pain I was to stop. Well I can run now with out my back hurting so bad but my knee started hurting for awhile. I would go to bend down to get something and I would be thrown to the ground in pain from my knee. It would only last about 30 sec, but it is a horrible pain. Then that pain started to go away because when I would bend down I would try to go very slowly. Then the end of May the inside of my knee started to hurt after I ran 10 miles. It was extremely inflamed and my massage therapist didn't even want to work on it because it was so inflamed. The knee that is hurting now is the same knee as before but it the inside of it now and before it was the outside. Last night we went for a run up by Snoqualmie. It was suppose to be a 6.5 mile run but we started going up and hit snow. However we kept going even though it was hard to see the trail. Then sure enough we couldn't even find the trail. After about 20 min of looking for the trail we finally decided to head down. (don't worry there was about 20 of us up there this time, I wasn't by myself.) So, after we got back through the extreme snow I started to run back down because I really needed a workout since we only went about 2 miles up. Well, it is two days later and my hip has started hurting. It is the same as my knee the first time. If I sit a certain way or move a certain way I get this extreme pain that makes me want to cry it hurts so bad. Anyway.... now I am trying to decide if running is worth it. Of course running is worth it because I love it. But is it worth ruining my health for the rest of my life. Isn't that weird to say, running ruining your health. Anyway, I sent an email to my couch to ask for some suggestions. What do you think?

More pics

2008-06-17T09:52:00.001-07:00

Lib, Zephyr, and Cory

Auntie Becca and Zephyr

LIBBY'S NEW BABY, ZEPHYR

2008-06-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

Libby had her baby!!! Yeah. I went into the hospital at around 3 pm. We were waiting in the triage before they admit her and finally the nurse came in and said they were going to admit her. Libby cried and I jumped up and down because we had been waiting for this for a long time. So they took her to a new room and started inducing her. Then at about 10:45 pm or so she said she needed to push. So I went and grabbed the nurse. Then Lib started pushing at about 11 pm (I was holding a leg, so I saw the whole thing.) By 11:23 Zephyr was born. I was the photographer. I took a 82 pics but I will only share a few with you. If you would like to see more you can go to my myspace or ask me for the link for snapfish.

Zephyr's weight 8.77 lbs

Lib, Zephyr, and me

Grandma and Zephyr

Zephyr and me

Babies and youth

2008-06-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

This week was my off week. :-) I spent most of my time down at Libby's. She is prego and is about to pop at any min. We have been in and out of the hospital numerous times thinking for sure that the baby was coming. But, no. The doc puts her on the monitor, checks her cervix, gives her a shot of morphine and sends her home. One of the nurses thinks she knows why she is hurting so much so that eased Libby's anxiety a little bit but not mine. It is so weird how you can be in so much pain over and over again. There have been times when she was just ready to die because it is so frustrating that this baby is not coming! So, if you could pray for her and her family we would much appreciate it.

Oh Tuesday I got to go to one of the youth in the youth groups school, Bella and have lunch with her. It was such a blast to get to know her friends. They seem great. I really want to be able to do it every day.

Friday I went to another youth in my youth group's school to watch him play in a thing called Battle of the Band. While I was there I saw two other youth from the youth group. It was a lot of fun.

Friday night we had Friday night hang out at the church. There were 7 youth. We stayed at the church for a while to hang out and then we went to the playground right down the street and they had a blast. They went on the swings, played hot lava monster, and Frisbee. Then after that we all pilled in the cars and went to get bubble tea down in the U-district. It was great,they played some Jenga.

Church, tattoo, and dancing bliss

2008-06-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

My weekend:

Saturday I woke up and went to our all church meeting at Sand Point United Methodist. It was on redefining the mission statement of the church. Which is awesome, because it gives me hope for the church. Hope for a church that has been around for a long time to continue to survive even through decline in membership. It also made us look at things a little differently. For example there was a paper handed out, the title was Moving Toward Becoming a Missional Church. Underneath it said:

Rather than growing the church, form disciples. Rather than running the church, live faithfully in a way that witnesses to God. Rather than being people-led, be spirit-led. Rather than just doing mission projects, live a mission. Rather than fixing the church, create the church. Then here is one of mission statements I came up with using the many words we came up with that were most important to all of us. "Welcome all, love all, serve all, and walk humbly with our God." I am so glad I was able to attend this because I feel it brought the church members that were there together.

Then Saturday I went and got a tattoo at laughing Buddha, a great place in capital Hill. Debra Simpson and I had decided awhile back that when she turned 18 we were going to go get tattoos in memory of Carrie Lingow. A woman who we were both very close to. She was my youth director and the woman who got me so involved in the church. Carrie loved Butterflies and had a tattoo of one on her ankle. So Deb and I both got butterfly tattoos. She got one on her foot and I got one on my ankle. Here is the pics:

MINE-on my ankle- this is what it looks like now. Deb's tattoo on the top of her foot

The coloring and stuff may be diff. once it heals.

Then Saturday night I walked over to Deb's aunts house for Deb's birthday/grad party. Deb and Brad kept telling me I am not part of the family ;-) but I continue to think I am and come and hang out with them at all their family stuff. :-)

Next, after that I headed down to Fife to go to our casino's night club for my dad's girlfriends birthday party. It was fun, my sister was there and so were some family friends.

Here is a wonderful video of the dance club. There was this guy dancing who Stacie and I thought was just joking around with his dancing but no he was serious. He had some disco moves and many others he pulled out from the 70's. This is why the night club is so fun! The guy is the one in the blue shirt and before it starts tilt your head to the right because it is sideways. :-)

Crazy people!

2008-05-31T09:32:00.001-07:00

What kind of crazy people run 10 miles?!!! Oh wait, me! I am officially a crazy person that runs 10 miles and it wasn't even that difficult! I ran from Greenlake to Edmonds (if you live around the area you will understand.) What is going on? At the end when I saw the van that picks us up to take us to our cars, I felt like he should be playing the Rocky music as I come in because I was so proud of myself. Yeah Shannel! :-)

Israfel!!!

2008-05-30T22:51:00.000-07:00

Okay tonight I took 4 youth (from the youth group, I work with) to a concert in the U-district. It is a band that practiced at the camp I grew up at, Indianola. One of the members of the band is the son of the camp director there, where I worked. The name of the band is Israfel. They were awesome and all the youth seemed to like them. The opening band was The Electric Lemonade Project, they reminded me of the soundtrack from Juno (the movie.) Then after the concert we went to bubble tea. YUM!!! Guess what? Tomorrow I get to run 10 miles!!! CRAZY. That will be the furthest I have ran ever!

Oh by the way Israfel plays tomorrow at Greenlake track and field for Relay for Life. The website says five but they said like 1:30pm at their show today. So I am not sure. Anyway they are great!

Camping for the Soul

2008-05-19T20:52:00.001-07:00

Okay so it has been awhile but I am going to tell you about my camping trip 2 weeks ago. I went from Monday to Friday. I went to the Columbia River Gorge and stayed at a great camp site called Beacon Rock. I got to go hiking every day!! What a joy! Oh and I went by myself for a personal retreat, of course I took the dogs though.

1st day-drove there, set up camp, broke my tent so I had to make due with a bungee cord I found in the back of my car. Had hot dogs and smores

2nd day-Went hiking in bonneville. Well I was suppose to run six that day and I planned on it but once I got there and realized the elevation, there was no chance. So I did a run some,

walk some hike. It was beautiful and so relaxing. The dogs had a blast too. I found another trail on the way up and decided to take that because it looked like fun. I ended up on some old logging trails and was just exploring and soon enough I came to a crossroad and didn't know which way to turn. Thankfully some random older guys come by in a truck and tell me how to get back to a main road and take the road back to the trail head. I love exploring, for some reason it just makes me happy even if I get lost.

3rd day-explored the area by car and checked out the other camp sites near by to see how

mine compared. Beacon Rock was byfar the best. Well, Ainsworth was pretty nice too but that is on the Oregon side.

4th day-Went up to the Rodney and Hardy Falls which was only a couple miles from my campsite. It was beautiful. They had a wind pool up there, which was awesome. Then on my way back I saw a trail that lead to Little Beacon Rock. So I took it. It was only 1/4 a mile there. when (me and the dogs) got there we hung out for awhile. then the dogs started up this trail on the side of the rock. Well, it wasn't really a trail but it looked like someone had taken it before. It was pretty steep but once again it was such a blast to feel like you are exploring new places. Then later I hiked Beacon Rock. Then I went to Multonoma Falls on the Oregon side.

5th day- Went hiking up to Hamilton Mountain. I was planning on a total of 8 miles but

I took a short cut I found on an off trail and it didn't take nearly as long. So I marveled at the beautiful view at the top.

Then I started heading back down the mountain and there was a logging trail that went up further up the mountain and because I didn't go the full length I figured I would take it because on the map it showed it is being a round about that met back up with the main trail. As I started up i began to see this white stuff on the side of the trail. I thought to myself, "what is that white stuff?" Soon enough there was more and more and obviously I figured it out it was snow. Soon enough the snow was high enough to reach my chest. Well I kept going. Crazy, you might think? Oh well. Soon enough I couldn't even quite tell where the trail was anymore and there was a T in the road. I decided to take the one that went down because I was finally ready to head back down. Thankfully it did. I found the river and knew I needed to follow it because it ran along the main trail. The trail up there wasn't that far but because there was so much snow it was so difficult to walk. I had to climb over tree branches, get my feet out of the places where I fell through, watch out for warm spots where there were little creeks or close to trees because I would fall through, and make sure I was on the right trail. It was such a blast. I felt like I was in a real adventure, which I don't get much living in a city. So this feeling of having to try to figure out nature on my own was invigorating. I only wish I could have these at least once a week. Anyone want to go camping? Let me know lets go!

Watch Out Haile Gebrselassie here I come!

2008-04-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

8 MILES!!! At an average pace of 10:56!! Way to go me!! I am so excited, this is the furthest I have ever ran. There was no walking, nope not from me, all running!!! I started off really slow at about a 12 min/mile pace until about mile 2 then I started to speed up a little bit and then by the end I was running about a 10:16 pace. I found that when I start off the run too fast I have a hard time finishing. But when I start off really slow, slower than I want to go, I do a really good job finishing.

By the way, The fastest time for a marathon, as set in official competition, is 2 hours, 4 minutes and 26 seconds. This is the current men's world record for marathon distance, and was set by Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia on 30th September 2007 in the real,-Berlin marathon. Wow!! That is crazyness, that is an average pace of 4 min and 45 sec./mile for 26.2 miles!!!

Puppy Mills

2008-04-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

watch video

Before you watch this grab a kleenex. It is extremely sad! It will also make you mad but it is something everyone needs to watch!

Hurley, one of my dogs was purchased from Absolutely Puppies in Bellevue, WA (currently shut down!!!!:-))and they were a big supporter of Puppy Mills. This was before I knew anything about Puppy Mills. Then after I got Hurley I have become more ane more interested in studying and looking into them. I am also seeking to make people aware of them, so they don't go out buying a puppy and supporting Puppy Mills on a whim, like I did.

On Hurley's papers it says she is from a kennel called Coleman Kennels in MO. So I am trying to find out more information about it. :-) I will let you know as soon as I find out.

Boise with the Perkins

2008-04-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

I went to Boise last week to visit some friends, Andy, Lynn, Gideon, Issac and Phin Perkins. It was such a blast. I haven't seen them in about a year. I met the Perkins when I was doing the program Mission Year in Atlanta. They lived across the street and took us under their wing. The Perkins house is one of those places where you feel safe and welcomed. Which means that all of us girls doing Mission Year were over there quite often, on our days off. They are one of the most loving, giving families I know. If only everyone had a family in their life like the Perkins.

One of my favorite parts about Boise is their dog park. It is on a military reserve and there are miles and miles of trails. I did my runs with my dogs there, including Andy and Lynn's dog, Arlo. Who by the way is a fantastic dog. He is a white labradoodle.(See pic below)

When with the Perkins we always tend to play games. While I was there we played Settlers, 10 Days in Africa (my new favorite game!!, maybe because I won 2 or 3 times), and another one I forget the name of. Gideon is the oldest of the boys, he is 4, almost 5 years old. Nevertheless, he is at a 1st/2nd grade reading level. He reads the other kids to bed. For those of you who don't know much about kids and their reading levels, he is rarity with the kids I know.

Here are some pictures of the trip

Arlo, the labradoodle

Issac, Gid, Andy, and Lynn playing the boat game

Roxy and Hurley after a long run

Issac and his photogenic self

Issac, a fav pic of mine

Gid and his Bike

Gid after blueberries

Gid after blueberries, another fav pic

Handsome

Issac sitting out for a little bit

Gid, his cowboy boots, and his bike=typical day

Lynn painting

Issac and Gid doing some handy work

Issac and his boots

(I sadly didn't get any pictures of Phin)

Cigaretting

2008-04-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

So I met a little boy the other day, his name is Benjamin and he was 4 years old. He lives next door to the people I nanny for. He seems like a great kid. When Harper (the girl I nanny for) and I met him, him and his sister were climbing a tree. We say hello and they go on to tell us about their climbing tree and all the cool things they can do in it. Harper asks me to ask them if they can come over and play. Earlier I had seen a man get out of the car with them, therefore I assumed it was there dad. So I asked them to ask their dad if they could come over and play. Benjamin gets down from the tree and gets a real serious look on his face and asks me if I want to hear a sad story. I tell him okay.

He says, "Well, I don't have a dad. He died when he was thirty, before I was born because he was cigaretting all the time. They told him to stop cigaretting but he wouldn't."

I said, "cigaretting? do you mean he smoked a lot of cigarets?"

"No." he says. "he died from cigaretting."

I said, "Oh I am sorry to hear that."

He said, "Well that is what happens when you are cigaretting all the time."

I said, "you are right."

Well, turns out the man was actually his uncle who is watching them while their mom is on vacation and the man Benjamin was talking about wasn't even his dad it was his grandpa.

Apparently, he didn't really have a dad. Well, he kind of did and it was his uncle. He was an in vitro baby and his uncle was the one who donated the sperm. Interesting.....

Anyway, this kid just cracks me up and the whole family seems like a fun and interesting bunch.

2008-03-31T21:47:00.001-07:00

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Fantastic Run, busy week

2008-03-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday I got up at 5am and went down to Always Running (the place I train for running) to meet for the carpool to the destination for our group run. Only one other person was there and it was time for our carpool to leave. We called Tony (the couch) to see what was going on but his phone was off. We were so confused, I checked the email they sent us, to see if we read it wrong. However even when I read it again, I still thought we were suppose to meet at AR. Anyway I finally got a hold of Tony and I was actually suppose to meet at a certain destination close to the run. Sad day, I missed a fun new run. But it was still a good day I ran with Cristine the lady who also read the email wrong. Here comes the good part- I ran 5 miles!!! Yeah!!!

Whitney came to stay for the weekend, it was such a blast. We did practically nothing all day Saturday after I ran. This was the first time in forever we didn't have anything planned to do for the day. Well we did go see Stop Loss and it was great.

Okay, this next week is going to be crazy!! I will start work at 9am finish at 6pm and then because of other stuff I have to do, I won't get home until around 8 or 9pm every day. Then I am also suppose to go to LIT training this next weekend in Ellensburg. Then Monday after my morning job I will be heading off to Boise to visit my friends Andy, Lynn, Gid, Issac, and Phineas until Friday. It should be a blast!! Then right when I come back we will be having a Starlight Sound dance at our church that I am organizing.

Fun Times. So if you would like to get a hold of me in the next couple weeks, don't. J/k (for those of you who don't know your computer lingo yet that means just kidding :-) )

Update and Civilized vs. Unciviliced

2008-03-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

So what is with this snow in March? For those of you who don't live in Seattle these past couple days we have been having snow, it is crazy! Anyway today was massage day, the day I look forward to all week. However, today hurt pretty bad but made me feel better. She did some work on my tummy muscles. She thinks that I need to work on my core muscles some more because my outer ab muscles have been compensating for not using my core in the correct way. So, I have to work on those core muscles.

Have you ever seen the movie "Into the Wild?" It was recommended to me by a friend and so I went out and rented it the other night. It was pretty fabulous. It is about this guy who is fed up with society and how we live our lives, always wanting more and being categorized by the things we have. Therefore, he heads out on a journey, of living not for gaining wealth but for surviving. It is an extremely inspiring movie and almost had me packing up a small bag and heading off into the wild to find my true being through nature.

Maybe all the tribes that "civilized people" came across when exploring actually had it right. The people we called savages and uncivilized who didn't have all the upgrades we had, may have lived a more fulfilling life than we did/are. They are not living by the minute running from here to there, most of them lived as a small community building relationships and working together as a people. Much of the things that we no longer understand because we have been so engulfed into our society of gaining wealth in different ways, that we have forgotten the basics or who we were made to be. We were made to be in relationships, with God, with people, and with nature. No wonder it always feels like there is something missing in my life, something I am seeking to fulfill through the wrong means. There have been many times in my life where I have considered giving away all my material possession and living a life off the land. I haven't yet but I still want to. Some of you may know I am working on getting together a group of people to live in community. We will all live in a house together in an intentional community, through devotions, eating together, accountability, serving, etc. I am hoping that we will be living in an urban neighborhood. I also would like to see us having an extra room for a person who may have run into a tough spot in life where they are in-between housing, homeless, or simply need a place to stay. This is my start into seeking to find out what life was meant to be. What is yours?

Hope in getting better

2008-03-23T23:34:00.000-07:00

Okay Saturday I walked 1.4 miles, then ran 3.8, at about 3.5 my body started to hurt, then at 3.8 my back started to hurt, so I finally stopped and walked another 1.2 miles. I am working up there slowly but surely!! yeah.

Has anyone seen Sicko? Great movie. It will make you extremely pissed off but I think that is the intention of the movie. Maybe we will get so pissed off we will actually do something about the health care system or maybe we will just get back on our ass and do what we got to do. That will probably be me in a couple days. Why is it that we can hear about something one day that moves us so much into wanting to do something to help the world, and then the next day we have forgotten all about what we had just learned. Is it because we are hopeless, lazy, selfish, or what? How can it be that one day I can hear about the wars going on all over the world and then continue eating my breakfast like nothing is happening? Am I blessed to be living such a comfortable lifestyle and not having to think about those things if I don't want to or am I cursed to not have to think about the horrors that are happening to people all over the world because it gets me down? It is so hard to hear about all the corruption going on in the world, it can seem almost hopeless. But when I get in a state like this I am always reminded that there can be hope in Christ. The world is not hopeless, it can look hopeless if I am trying to do it all by myself. But that is the thing, I do not have to do it all by myself, there are many other people working under the same God, after the same purpose.

Puggles

2008-03-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

This is the new dog Roxy (left) and Hurley (right).

They kinda look like they could be from the same litter but no, Roxy is 6 months and Hurley is a year and a half. They are both puggles (pug/beagle). They play with each other all day and I have not quite decided who is the alpha dog. It could be Roxy because whenever she has a bone, Hurley simply sits there and barks and won't even try to take it away. If Hurley gets to close to Roxy with the bone she will pounce at her. Hurley also lets Roxy eat first, for some reason. Nevertheless, Roxy can be really shy at first and will bark at people for about a minute until she gets to know you. She also seems to follow Hurley around. Roxy will not go outside by herself but Hurley will. So who knows. They both have their own personalities and are a lot of fun.

One great thing about having dogs- The other day I heard something at the door, (I live by myself) it could have been a knock or someone coming down the stairs who knows. But right when I heard it both girls jumped up and ran to the door barking. If I were on the other side of that door, I probably would have wet my pants by then because they sound pretty vicious until you see them. Anyway, I have no idea what it was, but if it were something it was gone before I got there and that is why I am thankful to have dogs.

Run and groomers

2008-03-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

Sad day. I went for my 2 mile run today and at about a mile and a half my back started to hurt. Then I got back to Always Running (where I train) and it started hurting so bad. This sucks, I thought I was doing so well. I think it was because I did my Physical therapy today and used weights and it is sore. I don't know. But now I am on vicadin now and feel much better! :-)

So, I took the dogs to the groomer today to get a bath and nail trim. It was just a wash and go, therefore they were still wet when they got home. They ran around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to dry themselves off, on the couch, my bed, the carpet, etc. Anyway, I soon realize there is blood on the floor, so I try to catch one of them and I realize that Roxy's toe nail is bleeding really bad. I picked her up to try to clean it and the blood dripped all over the floor. Then I looked at Hurley and she had two bloody toes. After I got them all cleaned up I had to go around the house with my stain remover and find every spot on the couch, the floor, my bed, the rug, you name it! Fun times!!!

Scrapbook party

2008-03-16T01:07:00.000-07:00

Scrapbook party!!! Sarah and Lib came over and we worked on scrapbooks. I made dinner, we had fiesta salad and I loved it and I think Sarah loved it but Lib not so much. Well in the time that I finished sorting my pictures to put together on a page from my Africa trip in 2005, Libby had finished 5 pages and was ready to go home. I guess thats what happens when you are a mom of two, with one on the way. Anyway, I stayed up until 1 am and finished 3 pages. :-)

Fiesta Taco Salad

Prep-15 min. Cook- 10 min.

1 lb ground Beef or ground turkey or 2 cans (15 ounces each)black beans, rinsed and drained. No need to heat the beans just toss them with the taco sauce and the ingredients in step 2.
1/2 cup taco sauce ( I use taco seasoning package)
6 cups, bit-size pieces lettuce
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives, drained( I don't like olives so I don't use them)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces
1/2 cup thousand Island dressing if desired

1. Cook beef in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in taco sauce heat through.

2. Toss lettuce, bell pepper, tomatoes, olives, and corn chips in large bowl. Spoon hot beef mixture over lettuce mixture; toss. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately with dressing.

Thoughts March 3, 2008

2008-03-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

This is a journal entry that I did, therefore bypass the grammatical and other mistakes you may find. Comment if you would like. What do you think? Also, good to know when reading this, I am writing from a Christian perspective. Also, I mention church a few times and I use it interchangeably with my specific church and also the church as a whole (all churches). One more thing, many times at then end of my journals they turn into prayer, so be ready. :-)

What is life really about? Is it about going to church and getting involved in the politics of it all, and then maybe having time to do some ministry here and there. I feel like church has turned into a cool contest, for some. Who has the most money? Who can be the nicest person on the outside? Who has done the most in the church? If you have anything sinful or controversial about you, you are looked at differently. Many church people have this look they give you. A look like, that is probably not the best idea but I am not going to say anything, look. I know I have probably given this look, the look of judgement.

When can we as Christians become "real Christians" and accept people for where they are in their life right now. We need to understand that everyones walk (Some Christians refer to walk, in defining where they are with God in living a good, pious, and holy life) with God does not have to be the same. My walk does not have to look like your walk because if it did then our stories would be quite boring. But I feel like many churches have this mold that you must fit into. If you don't, you get the look or they may just ignore you. I have had many friends drop out of church because of the extreme judgement, gossip, and politics of the whole thing. How can we become a church that does not see people for what they do or who they are but as children of God who need love. Someone once said to me that we can not change a person, we can only be an example of Christ's love and acceptance to them. The rest is up to God.

I want to pray more, I want to read my Bible more, I want to be a radical Christian who lives a life of service. However, right now I am not there, I would love to be but I am not. I have not found anyone around me who could be a good mentor for me. Therefore, it is easy to not be a radical Christian, if I feel like everyone around me is judging me. I always feel like I am walking on eggshells at church because I feel like I can't share my whole life with people unless I were going to be turning the "wrong" things I do around. How is this a way to live?

I wish I could be one of those people who can always be themselves, where they don't care what other people think about them. Even when other people may not agree with me. I am trying so hard to fit in this mode of what church is suppose to be. That I have lost who I really am. What is a church person suppose to look like? I don't know and I definitely don't think I fit that mold. So what do I do, quit the church? No I don't feel like that is the answer but I am not sure what is. Do other people within my church feel the same way? I know some friends who do.

Maybe a lot of this has to do with me. I am apparently not very comfortable with myself and always feel like people are judging me. Maybe they aren't and who cares if they do, right? One would think. I need to remember that if I am being my true self, there are obviously going to be people that don't like that, but who cares. Nevertheless, I still try to please everyone. When really all I need to be doing is pleasing God. And that God's opinion is the only one that matters.

So, God what do you think? What are some things in my life that I need to change? I want to come to you as I am. How can I come to you and you not be judgmental? How can I be okay with you giving me ideas to change my life? Lord I want to be closer to you. I want to only please you and not worry about what others think. Lord how can I begin this path to you?

(God or me thinking about what God would say (not sure))-"Well you can start by coming to me everyday, so that I can remind you of how special you are and through that we will work up to where you want to be. But I need you to come to me every day, it will take time and that is what I need from you, Shannel."

(me)-"What should I do with my life as of now?"

(God/me)-"Don't make any dramatic changes right now, we will decide that together. Right now just come to me in prayer and silence, you will receive an answer soon."

(me)-"Thank you, I love you and can't wait to find out who I really am, in you!"

Libby and baby

2008-03-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

I forgot to tell you all that Libby and the baby are fine. Her knee was banged up for awhile and she is attending Massage Therapy for her lower back but the baby boy is great!

Ran two miles, car accident

2008-03-13T21:50:00.001-07:00

I ran two miles yesterday!!! Do you know how exciting that is? I was in a car accident on Jan. 26 before that I was running a good 6 miles and then wham I sprained my back and neck and couldn't run for the longest time. Then now through physical therapy, massage therapy, and a fantastic running coach I have now worked back up to 2 miles!!!

If you haven't heard about the car accident here is the story:

Libby and I were on our way back to her house, in Federal Way, after getting a rare and much awaited pedicure and manicure. We were driving along on 1st ave. S., a two lane road, traveling South in the left lane. We were stopped at a light on 320th (one of the busiest intersections in FWub) and then Libby accelerated and we entered the intersection. "Libby, you are about to hit that car!" I yelled. BAM! The red car swerved over in front of us and we t-boned it. I look at Libby, she looks at me. "are you okay?" I ask. She says her back and knee hurt and I get a little worried because Libby was five months pregnant at the time. Libby kept yelling at me to call her dad but I told her I had to call the cops first. I get out of the car to assess the situation and look ahead and see a suburban that is straddling the median. "Was he involved?" I think to myself. As I am thinking this I realize I am still wearing my little flip flops and there is glass all over the street. I step back into the car to get my boots. The fire engine soon arrives and then the ambulance. Libby is rushed off in the ambulance to the hospital and I am told to stay with the car, so that it won't be towed to a tow yard. After standing up for awhile I realize my neck and back are beginning to hurt. I ask the firefighter about my neck and back hurting and he says it is normal and that I just need some Ibuprofen.

Cory, Libby's husband, soon arrived to pick me up and figure out the car situation. I told him about my back and he, my mom, and my dad all recommended I go to the hospital. So I went and it took forever to be seen! I was finally seen and spent a couple min. with the doc. and was sent home with a prescription for Percacet.

Now I get to deal with rehabilitation and insurance, the funnest things you can be involved with in life! Anyway, my back is starting to feel better and let me remind you, I ran 2 miles yesterday!!!

update on my dad

2008-03-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

News on my dad is decent. Many of you heard he was going through the process of figuring out if he had cancer again. They thought he had it in his brain, so they went in and did all sorts of tests and weren't sure what it was. So we waited around to see if it grew at all and if it did, they were going to do surgery and remove it. So we waited......it went through a neurologist, a tumor board and then they came to the conclusion that....they still don't know. So now we are waiting until April for another MRI to see if it has grown and if it has they will do surgery, if not who knows. We will just wait and continue to pray. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Tent City

2008-03-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

This is a poem I wrote in favor of hosting Tent City Tent City at Sand Point UMC.

I wonder what it is like to be homeless.

I wonder what it is like lose everything.

I wonder what it is like to be in fear of my stuff being stolen or harm coming upon me every day.

I wonder what it is like to live on the streets.

I wonder what it is like when people stare at me because I do not have the right resources to look the way they do.

I wonder what it is like for people to be scared of me.

I wonder what it is like to walk into a job interview and automatically not be considered because of my look of poverty.

I wonder what it is like to not be considered a person but a threat.

I wonder what it is like to seem forgotten.

I wonder what it is like to lose hope.

Will I ever know what this is like? Who knows. One day I could be another statistic of those who lose a loved one or a good job and be put into the category of homelessness. Then I will know.

Looking For A Light

There is a time for everything! and apparently that time is now!

Let go

Election and life

What's New Bubblelou?

You win some you lose some

Sarah Palin

Did she get the job?

Olympics, what do you think?

Story of Stuff

Video of Zephyr

Vacation Bible School

busy body job

Is it worth it?

More pics

LIBBY'S NEW BABY, ZEPHYR

Babies and youth

Church, tattoo, and dancing bliss

Crazy people!

Israfel!!!

Camping for the Soul

Watch Out Haile Gebrselassie here I come!

Puppy Mills

Boise with the Perkins

Cigaretting

Subscribe

Fantastic Run, busy week

Update and Civilized vs. Unciviliced

Hope in getting better

Puggles

Run and groomers

Scrapbook party

Thoughts March 3, 2008

Libby and baby

Ran two miles, car accident

update on my dad

Tent City