for your enjoyment

I was deleting photos from my phone when I came across these gems taken in an elementary school hallway outside a 2nd grade classroom this fall.  Enjoy!

 

1). is chocolate :)

 

excellent career choice

 

 

 

a Canadian cheerleader :)

my other favorite place

12 years ago this fall, I moved to Bellingham to attend college @ WWU.  I remember someone telling me before I left Olympia that I would love Bellingham and never want to leave. I was quite skeptical and little did I know that 12 years later I would still be here and that it would be one of my favorite places on earth.

Bellingham is a little bit scrappy, a lot bit organic, incredibly beautiful and very laid back.  I will miss hiking with friends, fire pit and foilies @ the Wiley Ranch (aka my home), spontaneous kayak trips, driving with the windows down, popsicles and flip flops, Ski to Sea festivities, my church family and so much more.

But if you know me @ all, you know that Malibu is my favorite place.  Living half of the year in the Canadian wilderess @ Malibu is exciting and lovely.  However, I will miss many things about my beloved Bellingham while I am away this summer and early fall.

Sunsets over Bellingham Bay

Thai food

Saturday Farmer's Market

The Friesens.  My Bellingham family.

The Wileys.  The greatest friends and neighbors a girl could ever ask for.

30 before 30

A while back some girlfriends in Bellingham all started lists of 30 things they want to do before they turn 30.  So I jumped in on this fun creating a list of things that I would like to do or try before I turn 30 on October 12, 2012.  I've got some time, but I still have a bit of work to do.

I have highlighted the things that I have completed.  If you want to join in any of my incomplete items, please let me know :)

1. Make homemade chicken stock
2. Visit  Lummi Island
3. Make something I see on Pinterest
4. Get a hot stone massage
5. Go fishing
6. Visit Alaska
7. Learn to snowboard or ski
8. Invest in a nice pair of jeans
9. See the Lion King on the stage
10. Leave North America again
11. Watch Little Women
12. Get a facial
13. Go to the Grand Canyon
14. Get my boating license
15. Tour Theo Chocolate in Seattle
16. Play Frisbee Golf @ a YL Camp
17. Own a pair of TOMS
18. Get foot tattoo
19. Learn to tie a tie
20. Go to a sold out concert
21. Watch Ann of Green Gables
22.  Ride a horse
23.  Go to a movie by myself
24.  Hike up to the Oyster Dome
25.  Learn to change my oil
26. Learn to sail on a sailboat
27. Go to the top of the Space Needle
28. Send a postcard into PostSecret
29. Go to Voodoo Doughnuts
30. Go to the Today Show

it's the small things

I am very much a details girl.  In clothing, I find great delight in detailed stitching, seaming or design.  In food, it's presentation, flavor infusions and garnishes that catch my attention.  I like the big picture too, but I find that I love to focus on the details of the big picture, arrange and coordinate them to create a functional bigger picture.

I left camp on Thursday for a last trip to Bellingham to gather the last of my belongings.  Taking advantage of my time here, I was able to squeeze in a haircut (that's another post of it's own-I LOVE getting my hair cut!), errands, time with friends and hopefully a manicure and pedicure.

While at Trader Joe's, I discovered goat's milk gouda cheese.  I have a dairy and gluten allergy, so enjoying snacks like cheese and crackers has not happened for me for the last 5 years.  This afternoon I am working on my computer, listening to lovely music, thankful for a super cute haircut and LOVING me some goat gouda.

It's the small things that make me happy.  I am thankful.

don't go chasing water slides

We've got one @ Malibu now.  These fine gentlemen from our Spring Tool & Tackle group are building this water slide as the grand finale to our obstacle course that campers partake in every Night 1 of summer camp.  This slide is going to be a whole lot of fun!

covered in bruises and dry wall dust

This new job of mine is very physical.  People often ask me what exactly it is that I do here @ Malibu.  Often I pause and reply, "I carry things".  And that is exactly what I do. Amongst many other things, I carry things.  Keyboard pianos, baskets of fruit, bags of concrete, boxes of steak, sail boats, amplifiers, you name it, I've probably carried it.  In addition to build muscle, all this carrying leaves bruises of various colors and sizes all over my body.  I feel as though they are war wound trophies of sorts.  Ones I have earned the hard way.

We have 2 construction projects going on here @ camp, and when there are just 9 or 10 or you on the property, we all pitch in to help in various ways.  Yesterday, Nick and Stacy (2 of our interns) and I vacuumed up dry wall dust in one of the new houses.  For those of you who are new to the dry wall dust scene, let me elaborate.  Once the drywall is in, taped and mudded, a lovely, powder fine dust is left behind.  It covers everything.  So you sweep.  And scrape-where chunks of mud dropped.  Then you sweep again.  Then you shop-vac.  First the corners, edges, sills and outlets.  Then you shop-vac the entire floor until of the magical white powder is gone, because if any is left behind it could stir up and settle in the wet paint when the painter comes through.  And that my friends is no good.  When you work with dry wall dust, it gets in and on every part of you. 

My body is tired, my heart is full, our God is good.

I have a new office

In a crazy orchestration of events, in July of 2010, I left Young Life field staff and found myself with the job I had always had in the back of my mind, but one I thought could never be a reality.  I am honored to tell you that I will no longer update this blog once a year for a month in the summer while I'm on assignment, but will update it regularly, as I am now on full time property staff @ Malibu.

I have been hired as the Guest Services Coordinator and Marketing Manager for my favorite place on earth.  The last several months have been quite the adventure.

Some highlights:

• In October, I marched into the Lynden border crossing and asked to begin the process of getting my Canadian work visa.  Thanks to NAFTA, I was granted this document that will allow me to work in Canada for the next 3 years and possibly up to 5 years. 
  It would have been well within reason for them to deny me this work visa, but our God is greater.
• I spent Halloween @ Malibu.  Terri, Bruce and I trick or treating to the only occupied house on the property.  Also, Terri and I spent the evening carving pumpkins for the Property Managers Meeting that arrive on November 1.
• Over the course of this year I will obtain many cool and obscure trainings and certifications.  For instance, in February, I went to sound & light training.  I can tell you all about what exactly is inside of a speaker, set up and adjust your soundboard and identify stage lighting items.  In just a few days I leave for Arizona to receive my high ropes course operation certification.  My resume will be quite interesting to say the least.

This property and this job are adventures in themselves and I am excited to spend my first summer @ Malibu.  I'm excited to keep you updated on what we're up to and how God is working in my life through this new role.