Sunday, June 21, 2009

Contentment and Relaxiation

So, things have been slowing down lately, or I guess I should say picking up. I really like my job (heck, I just sit there and drive around in circles and talk to wack-o people, what could be better??) and its great being home. Every night before I go to bed, I take a second and think how wonderfully grateful to not hear that dumb, blasted train that I hear all the time up at CBU (welcome to city living! haha). I really do love the countyside for as much as I actually complain about it. Its nice and...peaceful. Sort of relaxing and theraputic if you actually step outside for half a second and just absorb some of the fresh air. I beleive that this week I will go swimming quite a bit. If the weather is decent that is. Thats an other thing! i am so sick of this June Gloom weather! this is san diego for pete's sake! not tacoma! I havnt been around for the past 3 years in June really so to come and live at home in the midst of all this! omg its quite annoying. Almost everyday at Lawrence Welk Resort people ask me "where's the sun! I thought this was supposed to be the land of nice weather?" and I feel badly for the poor saps from michigan who plan their family vacations to come to SD in the summer bc of the nice weather.
On that note, seeing that I am such a heat lover, I am thinking that I am going to be in a l-i-t-t-l-e bit of trouble when I move to Prague! I have been emailing back and forth with a woman who's family is form our church and she runs a hostel over there. She emailed me today and said "make sure to bring warm clothes! i never go anywhere without my silk long underwear on under my jeans". Silk long underwear?? you mean they have different kinds of long underwear these days?? oh my heavens, I do believe I will have to buy a whole new wardrobe over there...either that or have it ordered from a catalogue and shipped to my house from minnesota! good greif! i think that if i went into any store around here, even in the winter time, and asked for long underwear, they would be like "look lady, are you from africa or something? its like 60 degrees here, you really want long underwear?" ha!
Well, enough about the weather.
IDK why but I always seem to be musing about something, and i guess since i drive around all day and look at the sky, the weather is on pretty top priority :)
I am looking for some good movies to watch this summer. I have realized that I pretty much watch the same favourite movies over and over again. Most of the normal, popular movies that are good and clean I have never even heard of before. So, if you know any good ones, let me know.
I am also scouring the internet for cheap plane tickets. I am not looking to buy one for Prague just quite yet bc Im not 100% certain that I am going yet. There is still off the paper work that needs to get done, and need I even state it, the money to be paid. If you know of a particularly helpful sight (not just the regulars that every Joe Blow out there uses) let me know. Or better yet, if you know a travel agent who will give me a good deal (aka free, or almost free :)) that would be great too.

A couple of prayer requests if I may
-to be a light at work in a non christian environment.
- for my dad to be able to get a job/things to pick up for him with real estate and his vynal window sill company
-for health for my sister amanda as she constantally does not feel well and just has annoying aches and pains all the time
-for our missionary friend Wixi (who we met in the Caribbean several years ago). She just had a baby and she was a premie. IDK anything about how their situation is other than what I have seen on facebook and all, but pray for their little daughter Anah Grace (and Wixi and Dave, mom and dad)
- that some old friendships would be rekindled this summer and that I would be able to begin hanging out with friends regularly.
- that details about Prague would come together smoothly (even though its not until January)
-that information about schools to transfer would come and that I would be guided to make the best decision academically, personally, and financially

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him all creatures, here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts!
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!
K

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Life, In General

Why is life so weird? Some days I wake up and am totally happy and filled with the joy of the Lord. Others, I wake up feeling depressed and like every moment that I live brings me closer to death. Like every moment will pass away with the next breath and that will be time spent that was time lost by doing something unproductive. I guess I feel like I have a limit on time. Its very strange, because this summer I have had a ton of time to myself, to think and to just not think. However, the more time that I actually have (and less and less things that I need to get done and accomplish) the more it seems like I should be doing something productive with my life. I think part of it is the fact that I know that summers can only last so long and that once I go back to school, things will be different (of course) and that my time will be spent differently. Its not that I dont enjoy school or studying or anything like that...and its not that I super duper love just hanging out with my family and doing stuff around the house. I think its that I havent been able to be with some of the people that I expected to be with. I am talking about mostly friends of the past, Linfield friends. I ran into some girls who were very dear to me all though out my high school years. However, instead of picking up the phone and scheduling a time to hang out, I feel like I cant. I feel like to go and hang out now would be sooo awkward because we havent talked for a year and it wouldnt be like a deep, old friendship where you can just pick up where you left off.
Do you ever have those breathtaking moments in life where you realize that no matter what, nothing will ever really be the same again. I have had several of them. With each person that I have lost to premature death I have known that feeling. Oddly enough, with the end of every basketball season that feeling presides. Also, the moment when I actually realized that it was this same feeling coming back over and over was my graduation from high school. Our senior class was very close! Inside of school. Some were great friends since the time they were in kindergarten together and I have no doubt that those people will continue to be friends for a very long time. However, for me, it wasnt ever like that. I knew that once LCS was over, those friendships would not succeed because the people on the other side of the friendships did not want them to succeed farther on in their life. I suppose that in a way I was used. Not trampled on and used in that sort of the meaning of the word, but used to bring happiness and depth to those friend's high school memories. The thing that I cant figure out though, I used them too for those same reasons and we all had a wonderful time. I mean, I know without a shadow of a doubt that they loved me and I loved them. However, why was it that it seemed like once graduation came, they no longer wanted to be a part of my life, but I still desperately wanted to be a part of theirs?
These thoughts are some that I have often. Its not like I went off to college and wanted to relive "the glory days of high school" and didnt meet any new friends bc I was holding out for my high school friends. No! I met some amazing people at CBU and really have fallen in love with some great friends all over again. Its just that, high school was such a HUGE part of my life and those friends were a huge part of my life as well, and now...they are not. It is slightly confusing, to say the least.
Anyways, this turned way more into a journal entry than a blog, but I guess that it means that it all comes from the heart.
K

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Its a New Day!

So, I have FINALLY found a job! After 8 weeks of searching high and low I have received probably the most random job anyone could ever ask for. I am working at a resort center near my house called Welk Resort San Diego and I am the "tram driver" (or as I like to say "transportation engineer"). I just started today as my first day and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I am glad, however, that it is not a 40 hour a week type of job, as I think I would probably loose my mind from driving in so many circles around the parking lots! It is very strange bc it is so clear to me that it is a non-Christian work environment! I mean, to be completely honest, I havent heard the "F" word in a really long time and today I was a little bit shocked, once more. If there is one thing that constantally shocks me, it is that word. Sure I've heard it before and all, but it doesnt mean that I like it, nor do I ever use it. Its just all a bit wacky to me. I know that I am sheltered at CBU and have been for most of my life growing up. I am excited to see how the Lord will use me in this non-Christian environment that I have been dropped into, for once in my life. It was very exciting though bc I met a friend of Ope's and she is a Christian too. She is a fellow tram driver and was very sweet. I just hope that through this all, I will have been able to be a glimpse of God's love and not just some kid who hasnt grown up yet and realized that partying and all are way more fun than anything that God has to do for us. Yes, I am completely aware that parting and getting drunk are fun! I've witnessed it with my very own eyes and can understand it perfectly well, from this side of the line. For those of you who dont know me all that well, I have a severe problem with the idea of Christians drinking alcohol, especially!! in a public setting. I know that most people (christians included) would disagree with me on this one, and I am ok with that. I have my personal reasons and my biblical reasons and feel that I can support my POV so there is no need to convince me otherwise.
Anyways *dismounts from soap box*, I know that the Lord has placed this job opportunity in my lap for a specific reason, and I have a feeling that it is more than to just have a close summer job and be able to earn some more money. Please be praying for me as this is going to be hard for me. Pray that my ears would be closed off, and that my heart would be wide open for the people that I am working with.

Just to keep you up to date; some recent activities:
I actually havent been doing that much of anything at all! It has been very nice to relax, but now I am ready to work and do something productive.
I am making a quilt of my uniforms from LCS this summer (but have gotten stuck and need someone to help me out!)
I have cleaned out most of my room (still need to do the desk and the closet- those will be the 2 biggest projects of the room)
I have continued to study the Czech language and am learning lots from books from the library about the CR (so excited and prayerfully hoping it will work out!)
I had the opportunity to hang out with my sister Amanda who lives in LA and havent been able to see in over a month!
I have looked at different schools that have Deaf Education programs and have applied to one college in particular.
I have decided to live my life one day at a time and enjoy it to the fullest possible potential! Not everyone gets the chance to take it slow and easy like I have the chance to do now, so I might as well enjoy it for the time being!!

Thats about all for now, Im sure that there will be plenty of updates coming soon!
K

Friday, May 29, 2009

New Song Choir Tour!







Choir tour! or as Mr. Clifft (our director) liked to call it, "The Glorious Inconvience". haha it was a lot of work, but also a ton of fun! I have included 5 pictures for your viewing pleasure. The first pic of 4 girls is when we went to the sourdough factory in SF. It was really windy and quite chilly. The other one with 4 girls is when we had a day (well more like an hour and a half) to explore San Francisco! We went to a lookout place and it was very windy there as well (hence the messed up hair-dos). Next is me and Anna Alford, my roommate next year, and good friend. We were seat buddies for the tour and had a wonderful time just goofing off with each other when neither one of us could stand being in the bus any longer. The last pic is when we had the "opportunity" to sing at a farm! It was pretty crazy alright...come to think of it! It was insanely windy that night too! The pic below is a group shot outside of an ice cream store in Sutter Creek Old Town. That was a really fun place to walk around and explore too.

Everyday we would go to high schools, either Christian or public, either way, and would do a choir exchange. That means that we would sing for them and then they would sing for us. It was a great way to interact with the high school students. I think we had some 180 students audition and receivce scholarships to come to CBU (who knows what the stats are of who tries out and actually comes though?). Then we would normally go to another school and do the same thing over again. We would then most likely drive for about an hour to where ever our next destination and arrive and set up our sound equiptment and all. I was on the riser set up crew (whoot!). We would get ready for our concert that evening and then afterwards, pair up with couples and families from the church that we sang at that night and spend the night at their house. At first the homestays were really strange for me, in theory and thought at least, but we were always paired up with another choir member. Most of the times, the groups that I was in had at least 4 girls per night. One night we had a record of 12 girls in a 2 bathroom house with 3 bedrooms, 20,000 air matresses and loving hosts who were clowns! That was really one of the most memorable nights.
We traveled all the way up California (mostly inland) to San Francisco area and then came back down to Riverside. There was lots of driving, lots of pictures taken, lots of smiles, (apparently lots of wind too), and of course...LOTS and lots of singing! We created a ton of inside jokes and grew together as a choir and as sisters in the Lord as well. It was a great experience, but I am glad that it will probably only be a once in a life time experience. I am going to choir next year, however, for the second semester I will be studying abroad in Prague, Czech Republic so in May when the tour is, I will still be over there finishing up school...and playing around too :)
If you want to see more pictures, just let me know! I have plenty, and tons more stories too!
Au Revoir!
K








Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Start of Something New

Hello!
I have successfully moved out of my CBU dorm room and now I am back home in San Diego for a breif time. On Sunday I will be leaving for 3 weeks for choir tour up the coast of California. During that time I will not be able to write or be on my facebook but I still have my phone so you can call me if you really need to talk to me.
It was a little bit of a strange thing moving out of school and then coming home and fully functioning again as a daughter under my parents roof. I feel like at school I was so independent and could do whatever, and now I have to check to see if that is in the schedule. I dont really mind it that much because that is how I have always lived at home, its just different than being at school on my own.
Also, it is strange to have a consistant eating schedule! I am actually pretty excited about that. At school I would only eat when I literally had the time to do so which was normally in between class, choir and work. It is nice to be able to cook a little bit and eat things besides Quaker Oat dry cereal and top ramen. Haha a true college kid at heart I suppose.
While I am excited to be staying at home this summer, I still feel like I have the desire to travel. I would like to ask you to pray for me as I am pretty much set on going overseas to study in Prague in the Czech Republic for the spring semester of 2010. There are still a ton of loose ends that need to tied up there and a lot more money spent before I can successfully start planning on going.
Over the summer, I do hope to get a job. I just had an interview at Panera Bread Co. yesterday down at the mall in Escondido. That would be really fun to work there and be able to earn some money in the mean time. I will let you all know how that turns out, but I am fairly optimisitc about it.
I also hope to go to Hume Lake as a counselor for HS kids with chruch. I love Hume and that would be a blast!
I am also looking foward to San Clemente beach camping and Lake Havasu August trip that my family always takes with the Davidson gang.
I guess those will be events that I will fill you in on as they are happening. The next blog will be about New Song Choir Tour!
"We're on the road again..."
K

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Wrapping Up

Well, one whole year of school done! Ohmygoodness! I never thought that it would go so quickly! I feel like in a lot of ways, I would like to go back and start the year over again. I have learned sooo much and know that the most important lessons that I have learned have not been in the classroom, but rather, in the heart. I had a really tough time adjusting to college life after coming from a small christian high school, but after several months and many conversations later, I have come out A-ok. Second semester really was a new beginning for me and I felt like it was only that time that I began to really get to know people because I then knew myself. Someone once told me recently that my life over these past 8 months have been to them an "example of God's faithfulness" and I would have to whole heartedly agree! I have gone through the most amount of growth that I ever have needed to experience up until this point of my life and had to deal with a lot of past issues, but through it all, the Lord was with me every step of the way. There were some times this past year that I felt so alone and so much longed for a friendly hug that I had to rely on God to be the one who sustained all of my needs, not just my physical ones.
I know that blogs are supposed to be short, but I am an English major, and we never keep things short. However, I hope that you will join me throughout the summer as I continue my journey of life and continue to see God's faithfulness at home!
How exciting!
I will be back home in San Diego on April 28-May 2 and then will return home again for the whole summer May 18.