#Ateacherssummercamp

Here we are at #teachersummercamp. Two of my teacher friends, Sonya and Chelsea, also took summer classes this summer. Sonya is a teaching principal at a small school in Oakhurst, CA and Chelsea is a teacher/chaplain at a school in Sacramento, CA. They are some of the best teachers I know with huge hearts and a passion for teaching about Jesus. I have enjoyed our #teachersummercamp adventures even though Sonya was at another campus several hours away, we've kept in touch. And every Monday we share/exchange articles, YouTube videos, or stories that we found entertaining or intriguing. These two women have been lifesavers over the past year. We started #teachersummercamp 6 weeks ago and have finally finished. They will start school again in just a couple of weeks. I'm glad that they are allowing me to stay a member in the teaching club even though I will be taking classes this year and substituting instead of teaching full-time. They bring sunshine to a cloudy day. Best of luck to you both this next year! You're in my thoughts and prayers! 

Here are two more lifesavers. These girls are a huge blessing to me. 10 years have almost come and gone since we become friends. Just a couple of high school pals that have stuck together. Kati has been my adventure buddy for the past month. She always finds a way to be available for the next adventure on the list. She understands the heart and is always searching for the lessons in life. She has been my processor as I filter ideas through her. Kara, has been home in North Idaho the past month. I miss her. After spending a year together in India, she is a sister to me. She knows more about me than most people, yet she is still so patient and loving. Can't wait for her to get back down here to SoCal. She starts her new job at the LLU Hospital in the NICU next month. I'm excited to hear about her stories and have her back for more adventuring. 

There have been a lot of visits to the beach since I've been in SoCal. It seems like I'm there at least once a week, if not two or three times. It's been a good place for processing. I've learned that I'm afraid of the waves. One Sabbath a few weeks ago we drove out to the beach and played spike ball, volleyball, and had snacks as we laid out on our beach towels. When we went down to jump in the water everyone else went straight out for the waves, diving deep and swimming further and further from the sand. From where I stayed standing at waist deep a guy standing on my right watched as my friends kept going out further and further, then he said, "You afraid?" I laughed and said, "Nah." But turns out, I am afraid of the waves. They're loud, abrasive, and have no mercy. Someday I'll plunge into the waves too, but I think it will take some time. Until then, next time that guy asks if I'm afraid I'll say, "Yeah. You too, huh?" 

Just a few blocks up from where I live are the golden hills of Loma Linda. There's miles and miles of trails that offer beautiful views of the mountains. I've really enjoyed exploring them and have started running again. These dusty trails fill my shoes with dust and afterwards I have to scrub the dirt from in-between my toes. But I really do believe that there is beauty in every place. Sometimes you have to look for it, other times you still have to look for it, even if it's right in front of your nose. These hills though ...

Of course I'm afraid of the future. Of course I'm proud of the strength that I've recovered in the past year. But with every prayer I'm more certain that I'm in the middle of His plan. It sure doesn't look like what I thought it would. But I see that there's something bigger than me going on. 

People say to visit Angkor Wat when I'm in Cambodia. I'd love to. Apparently it was a Hindu temple originally, but is currently used by Buddhists. I'm leaving in 1 month and 10 days. Man, oh man, oh man! I can't believe that God has chosen me for this kind of project. The more plans I make for this trip, the more excited I am for the future. Such a beautiful place, with beautiful people, and wonderful opportunity. Really, I hope that I end up there for a year or two, or three and if that's the case, please come visit : ) 

Lately I've done a lot of yoga. I can feel my body, it's almost like I don't even have to try and every session each move becomes more solid, deeper, more settled, more like home. This is a move that I try in my house when no one is watching, someday I'd like to bust it out like the girls who sprawl out on their mats in the front row of the studio showing off their forearm stands like this. It's been good to practice meditating on my thoughts and to focus on what my body needs to heal. It's hard work, but so worth it.

I've also been listening to this song on repeat in my house, in my car, and in the mornings when I am laying in bed. The lyrics are genius and that voice... Youth by Daughter: 

Shadows settle on the place, that you left.

Our minds are troubled by the emptiness. 

Destroy the middle, it's a waste of time. 

From the perfect start to the finish line.

And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones.

'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs.

Setting fire to our insides for fun

Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong 

The lovers that went wrong.

We are the reckless, 

We are the wild youth

Chasing visions of our futures

One day we'll reveal the truth

That one will die before he gets there.

And if you're still bleeding, you're the lucky ones.

'Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone.

We're setting fire to our insides for fun.

Collecting pictures from a flood that wrecked our home,

It was a flood that wrecked this home

.

Well I've lost it all, I'm just a silhouette,

I'm a lifeless face that you'll soon forget,

And my eyes are damp from the words you left, 

Ringing in my head, when you broke my chest.

Ringing in my head, when you broke my chest. 

And if you're in love, then you are the lucky one,

'Cause most of us are bitter over someone.

Setting fire to our insides for fun,

To distract our hearts from ever missing them.

But I'm forever missing them.

So this is #Ateacherssummercamp. Just the beginning to #Ateacherslifecamp. Good thing I love camp with all my heart. I miss the weekly summer camps on Hayden Lake, ID where I spent nearly 10 years. But camp is in my blood and every day can be like camp. Because really all it is is a lot of hard work, perseverance, relationships, trying new things, talking about Jesus, singing songs, teaching, making good food, and playing games. I'd say it sounds a lot like how a typical day should be, just like summer camp.