Oh Thank You Lord!

I am officially 100% DONE with Financial Accounting *Hallelujah Chorus*

I'm sitting at work...counting the minutes down till I can leave to start the preparation for Hume Lake! YAY 

We leave bright and early (actually, 6:30 am is more dark and early) Sunday morning, and I am thoroughly looking forward to the week. I read a blog a few minutes ago that Rob (middle school pastor) wrote about being at the church for 8 years now, and how his first Sunday was the day we left for Hume. I say "we" because I was going into 8th grade. 

It was a little bizarre to look at the photos on Rob's blog, and totally remember being a camper when, come Sunday, I will be a counselor...

Hope none of my girls are TOO scared of clowns...

Time to go!

-Bre

Anyone know how to order more memory for my brain?

I actually forgot that I had a blog. It just totally slipped my mind...until now

Summer so far has been so crazy and not very summer-like at all. Summer school is zapping my energy. Financial Accounting is an evil, evil thing. Listening to my professor babble about it for 2 and a half hours......I want to stop talking about it.

I also started a new job, which is exciting...but still...a job. I am the receptionist/admin assistant at King & Wood law firm. Its a pretty slow job, but its fine. At least I get paid to sit around =)

And my boss is letting me go to Hume =) Whoooopeee!!!

I am very excited for Hume Lake for the following reasons:

-its Hume Lake

-I will be done with my financial accounting class (4 days before haha)

-I will have a week off of work

-Luke is going too

-I will get to hang out with silly jr highers (aka: turn into a silly jr higher)

I think I am really looking forward to that last part. The whole not-acting-like-a-grownup part. I mean...ok I have to be "the grownup"...duh I get that. I'm going as a counselor...parents of the campers want me to be a grownup (I will...), but at the same time, I get to be a silly grownup.

My mom was just in Europe for 10 days so I was pseudo-mommy for 10 days...and I don't like being a grown up. I'm really tired now...... Going to school, and working, and doing everything my mom does was crazy. My brain pretty much checked out. lol If I was given instructions...they would go in one ear and out the other. 

And it made me think...how am I going to do this someday? How am I going to do everything? I concluded that I will eventually (hopefully) get better at time management, I will not have a perfectly clean house every minute, I will not cook amazing meals every single night (take out= stress reliever), I won't be perfect (gasp), and I won't do everything. *sigh*

I am such a perfectionist. 

Almost a month...

I realized tonight that this blog has sat here for almost a month with absolutely no attention. I have been so busy.

I've just been buried in homework and life. 

Things I have accomplished:

-finished one of two online sessions of driver's ed (yes, two. So ashamed to have a lead foot...I have learned my lesson though....for now)

-changed my major to Business: Human Resources (and I was informed by my advisor that I should do very well in HR because there is "just something about you"...I shoulda said it, but I didn't.... it's Jesus, dude)

-begun job hunting for the summer etc (I may have a few options which is good)

-analyzed my diet (interesting assignment)

-learned to make gum paste orchids (the picture above is actually from the website of the place we went to. I haven't taken a picture of mine yet, but it really did come out just as good...so you get the idea...they look real. I went with Megan. It was fun.)

-introduced to and talked to music pastor at Venture (so excited to be getting involved

 again where I feel called!!!)

Exciting things coming up on my calendar:

-May 8-10: Santa Barbara for Shelly's graduation from Westmont (after only THREE years...smarty pants)

-May 13: I turn 20...(tonight at 678, Paco and Teylor learned that I only had days left of teen..ness and I informed them that it basically means that I have a few more days to act 

like an idiot and blame it on the fact that I'm a teen...apparently, that isn't a great idea lol)...oh this is also my last "official" day of classes (its kind of a bummer for the last official day to be on your birthday because you feel like you have to go. I would love to skip class on my birthday, but I would probably feel guilty for skipping the last official day.)

-May 14/16: I might (emphasis on the might) be practicing with my highschool ensemble on the 14th for a reunion-ish thing at their concert on the 16th...I don't really know if I'm going yet because they have not communicated very well, and I am quite confused...but I do love them so I would love to.

-May 23: LUKE GRADUATES FROM SJSU (how exciting! I'm so proud!!)

-June 1: Summer session starts.....oh joy... Financial Accounting :/

-June 4: San Francisco with Luke for our TWO YEAR Anniversary... (I feel like it was just yesterday that I met him at the My Former Self concert... amongst the emo and scene kids... me in my high heels, he in his white sunglasses...INDOORS in his sunglasses........lol I love him)

-July 12-18: HUME LAKE.........there's not much more to say. I just can't wait to have a cabin full of ecstatic junior high girls =)

And now....I sleep

-Bre

Made 2009

Ok, I'm finally going to write about Made! I haven't had the energy to yet because the weekend was so crazy, then I got home, and it was a homework frenzy.

The trip went so well, the girls had fun, and the counselors did too! Most memorable part of the week for me: this hike that totally killed me (I don't do well with altitude lol)

Anyways, Saturday morning, the Hume staff had planned a "team building" exercise that was a total surprise to the girls, and partially to us too. They had the girls join in a circle by holding on to broken pieces of rope and told them not to let go....and then we hike. 

They took us up this mountain and everyone was gasping for air. (I don't consider myself to be completely in shape, but I am also not entirely out of shape. Hiking in high altitude, I discovered, is a little bit tiring)

Anyways, we get to the top, and the counselor get to relax as the girls play this game...it was 

hysterical (at least, we thought it was...the girls didn't find it very funny)

First, they split the girls into 2 groups on either side of this field and told them that the field was "lava".

Game: Use a few paper plates to cross the "lava" and back. If you touch the "lava" then every person on your team goes back to the finish line. 

Oh ya...and a few of your team mates are "blind" so you'll have to carry them...

Now the "blind" ones aren't blind, but a few of you "can't walk".....

now you all can walk, but only 3 of you can speak.....

Ok you get the picture...I would say that the game took about an hour and a half, and some of the girls looked like they wanted to punch someone, but that was the point of the game.

The point: to learn how you respond to "life" when "life" is frustrating. Very annoying for the girls....and very entertaining for the counselors (yes, we are mean).

Anyways, the thing that surprised me most about the weekend was how honest the girls ended up being throughout the entire process. During the game, a few of the girls got really frustrated and tried to cheat in order to finish quicker, a few of them lied to the leaders in an attempt to not have to start all over, etc, but in the end, most of the girls realized those things about themselves....it was an interesting experience. All weekend, they had really honest questions too...they all seemed to let down their guard and let the Holy Spirit move...which was cool =)

Ya know what else was cool? Allyson's and my cabin! yaaaaaaaa lol

-Bre

Just real quick!

I really need to sleep, but I haven't had one second to blog and will be gone all weekend!

I actually had a really good week =) I got to see Tessa on Monday... you know you're good friends when you can go 3 months without having a moment to catch up and STILL remain good friends lol We saw Duplicity...which was not what I expected, but pretty good 

Tuesday, Luke and I had our meeting with Rob (Venture Middle School Pastor), and we are officially staff! yay how fun =)

Wednesday, my mom and I spent hours in target etc getting me ready for Hume =) Fun fun fun

Today, I had lunch with Jen...I don't think I had seen her for two months...I really don't like that I have a weird schedule that allows months to go by as quickly as they do without me being able to balance in some social time....I should work on that whole "balanced life" thing one of these days (ya know, when I get 5 minutes)...but we had fun, Jen is always so easy to talk to about ...um everything haha I love her

Anyways, the rest of my day consisted of class, buying cowboy boots at DSW, and packing for tomorrow when I go to ....HUME! 

Very excited, but very anxious or something...I don't know... like Luke just went home an hour ago, and I started feeling very anxious

I really hate leaving Luke...I know most people would say we spend too much time together, but I really don't like spending very much time without him...it makes me anxious

My analogy to him was that its how most people feel when they are separated from their cell phones...only different because I'm in love with Luke ....I'm not in love with my cell phone.... my logic clearly reflects the hour that I am blogging...

I'm sure my attention will be fully consumed with the lives and minds of jr high girls...hmmm

ok bedtime 

-Bre

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully MADE; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Ps 139:14

So today I found out that I will for sure be going with Venture's middle school group to Hume Lake's all girls conference (Made)!

SO excited! I leave Friday morning (....that's really soon haha) but I'm excited because this is a great opportunity for me to bond with the girls =) Venture is taking 32 (I think?) girls, and I guess we are going to be almost the only ones up there so they're kind of doing the conference all for us...haha

yay for Hume!

Kind of strange to be going as a counselor and not as a camper heehee 

I think that the name of the conference ("Made") comes from Psalm 139:14, and I really hope that the girls who go this weekend will really grasp this passage of scripture and know that they are special and that they are God's princesses! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

yaaaaaaay...expect lots of pictures =)

-Bre

So neglected

Sorry blog...I have neglected you for a few days...

Here's what I've done since I got back from Arizona!

On Monday, I re-organized my room (and actually unpacked my suitcase! I usually have a fully packed suitcase sitting in my room for...at least a week) 

Tuesday, Luke and I went to see the fishies at the Monterey Bay Aquarium! We had so much fun =) Neither of us had been in awhile...then we got ice cream from Ghirardelli (soooo good)

Tuesday night, we checked out Venture Church's Jr. High group. They played games and had small groups and the kids are cute haha (I know...I say that now). Luke and I have pretty much decided to become counselors! Its funny because I was really involved at Los Gatos (pre-merge with South Valley) when I was in jr high, and some of the counselors are still there haha

Last night, I spent the night at my Grandma and Papa's house =) We watched Australia and I really loved it...even though it is almost three hours long and fakes you out fifty times (they fade out of scenes toward the end and it makes you think "oh...the movie is over" but its not lol it gets pretty comical after awhile) My favorite part would have to be the scene with the kangaroos....just watch the movie and you will know why...

This morning, my Grandma made me french toast =) and then I ran errands. I got fabric for a project I'm doing for my room and got random stuff at target that I was out of....and, while at target, I bought Twilight...like the girl I am. The movie is cheesy, the acting is bad, but the books were so good...you kind of have to like the movie (shh! don't tell anyone...I'm not proud that I like this teeny-bopper fad)...It is actually really sad because Australia came out at the same time as Twilight, and Australia really didn't get enough attention and Twilight got way too much =/

The end.

-Bre