At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities. ~Jean Houston

This is my last contact with civilized life for a whole week.
So yeah, guys, tomorrow I'm packing up and heading out to my aunt's house. Oooh. A whole twenty minutes away through desert heat and mountainous freeways. And when I get there I will be detached from all civilized existence. I'm leaving the laptop at home. My aunt's computer takes 10 minutes to boot up one site so forget that. So I guess this is it. However, I have not yet had the surgery to remove the cell phone growing out of my hip. The phone, I guess, will have to come. But I'm seriously considering turning it off come Sunday morning because...drum roll please...I'M GOING TO CAMP!!!!!!!!!! Northern California here I come. Trees. Dirt. More trees. (Doug, this is for you). I'm going to help my uncle cook for a slew of kids in STRAM camp. Yes, more kitchen work! But, I'll get to do some of the fun, campy activities, too. Possibly kayaking, ropes course. All that to say I will be cut off from the world of technology come tomorrow so I might as well give a decent update--while I should be going to bed.

Community life
For those of you living in the apartments next year, I can now say that I've seen them and love them! Doug and Jake took me over there tonight. Count on me moving in the year after next! Of course, I may have to sleep in a closet but the one under the girls stairs doesn't seem so bad. It feels like home, guys. I'm so excited for you all!

Anyone care to watch a French film?
I think I was born to make French films. Melissa, Cormack and I shot some footage the other night about a plant psychiatrist. I've now been challenged by Melissa to edit the footage into a complete film with music, etc. This movie is, yet again, proof of my twisted sense of humor. But I'll try not to give it away. I'm going to edit it and, then, invite people to it's debut on August 5th. I love Melissa because she dares me to put my artistic dreams in action. I don't mean to build this up too much--but Cormack has such a great, planty sort of voice and Melissa has quite the fine acting of a child on the brink of revolt that I just couldn't keep my fingers from typing. It was such splendid fun!

Campus Crusade is in my blood.
God is so good and so amazing. I cannot wait to see how He will work in my life next year. Jessica met a woman over in Virginia who's going to be starting up a Campus Crusade project (I think it's called STINT) in Aix-en-Provence. Hello! I love seeing how the Church is connected, how God brings together people from all over the world to bring glory to Himself. That is why I want to travel. Traveling is in my very blood. (Along with dancing, of course.) I want to see the "network" of the Church as it unfolds.

Well, I did what I could.
That's about it, my friends and dearest related ones. (Rachel, Happy Belated Birthday! I wish phones would behave themselves, don't you? You're almost graduated!!! Yay!!!! We WILL get together soon). The rest of my week has just been consumed with swimming, working, painting, watching Anne of Green Gables, and talking on the phone. Yes, I ought to get that surgery soon. I wonder if it's covered by insurance.

What we play is life. ~Louis Armstrong

Credit goes to my friend Jason for taking this awesome picture. Thanks Jason!

Finances and Freedom
There is a dense cloud hanging over me, pressing down on my shoulders and chest. Please be in prayer, guys, for my dad and my family's money. We've hit hard times. And it's really affecting me for some reason. Even though my dad tells me not to worry about it, I can't help but struggle. And all of this is going on while I'm trying to grow more intimate with God. Just as I start to pull close to Him all these "urgencies" pop up. Like my camera for example. Working fine one minute then, BAM, no not working anymore. And it costs so much to get it repaired. (And pray for Jason's camera, too! It got hit by a wave and he needs it to film a documentary.) Please pray for freedom. I don't want to be under this cloud anymore.

And everything else in between
I went to sushi today! Half of the people at my table were entertained by the various ways I could stick chopsticks into different parts of my face. The other half just stared, not sure whether to be disgusted or amazed.

Could it be?
On Wednesday I got called in to work my favorite position in the caf. The register!!!!! It's remarkable. All that time, I couldn't wait to leave. But, I was so ecstatic to be back. I feel at home in the caf. The fragrance of beans, the mariachi music, the cooks flipping coins in the back--ah, home sweet home.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. ~Ecc. 3:11 

Meet Oscar, your monkey's uncle. Also been in the family for quite some time. 

The Adventures of Sunny and Pat, Part I, Beginnings

Sunny
Once upon a time, there lived a girl with thick red hair and chubby cheeks. Her mom and pop took her up to visit family in Pennsylvania one summer. They stayed in a cottage where spiders creeped through every crack and bees passed through on business. They picked blackberries. They played with firecrackers. The little girl harassed the dog.

One day, after an episode of inner tubing down the river, the girl's parents took her to the small town doctor. She had an ear infection. They went to a tiny pharmacy to pick up her medicine. The girl's parents promised her one stuffed animal to get her through such tough times. To tell you the truth, it wasn't an easy decision to make. Some stuffed were terribly cuddly. Others were awfully small and fuzzy. But, one stuffed animal jumped right off the shelf into the young girl's arms. It was a rabbit, of course, with white fur and a yellow clown suit. The child shrugged and said, "I guess I'll have this one, but I'd much rather have one whose clothes I can take off." (For those of you in shock, never fear. It is extremely important for a young girl to be able to dress and undress her dolls and toys. Top criteria.)

Anyway, the girl took the animal into her world. She didn't much like it, at first, because she couldn't dress it. She gave the rabbit a crib, plastic fruit, and a bottle to make up for the pre-attached clothes. She named it "Bunny." Yet, her mother suggested that she pick another name. She already had "Bunny" back home. So, she named it "Sunny."

Stubborn Sunny. She didn't like the crib at all. Every night, she crawled into bed with Ele--I mean the little girl. She still does to this day.

Pat
Have you ever read "Pat the Bunny"? Well, one day not too long ago, I'm telling you that rabbit jumped right out of the book into the young girl's arms. He sits around all day flippin his ears. The girl's father calls him "Pat;" it seems as if the girl's father names every one of her stuffed animals--Sunny being the exception, of course.

Who would have thought it could take ALL day?

Farewell to 226. Hello 3rd floor! I'm really moving up in the world. Literally. I can't believe it took every ounce of my day to move my stuff. I'm now dedicated to the art of simplicity and living out of one suitcase.

"Simplicity. Simplicity. Simplicity." --Thoreau, Walden Pond

Heh heh. Anyway, I am so excited about this summer. My roommates are amazing and inspiring. Just seeing how Kim leads her life challenges me to pull closer to God. This is going to be a fabulous summer full of tremendous growth. I cannot wait!

I have presently come across my most favorite bed of my entire lifetime. That would be the bed I'm going to crawl into...very...soon...

I have the bottom bunk. I'm able to put a sheet around it so that it becomes my own personal cave (or fort, if you wish). I can chat with Mr. Bean and Sunny and Pat in there and we can have tea parties and sing silly songs. Welcome to my world.