Scribbles in the Sun

I am a list maker. I feel that when I can cross something off a list, I've accomplished something. The problem with being a list maker is that the lists can often get out of hand. Or you have 10 lists on the go...and then you lose one...horror! These days my lists are cropping up everywhere...on the fridge, on the stove, kitchen table, desk at work (many), beside my bed. I'm losing track of my lists, so I'm trying to condense them. But when I do that, I get so discouraged at the length; I could probably take it to a publisher and have it bound as a book! These days my lists are mostly comprised of things I need to do to wrap up here at the church, prepare for Pre-Field Orientation, and prepare for departure in August (how many bars of soap should I take with me?). I am continually praying that I stay focused on what I need to do, as I'm quite easily distracted. I know that everything will come together, I just don't want to leave anything until the last min...

As a Children's Pastor, I sift through alot of resources for children and families, and along with parents, I strive to present the Bible and theology to kids in a way that is easy for them to understand and enjoyable, not drudgery. If I Could Ask God Anything: Awesome Bible Answers for Curious Kids by Kathryn Slattery is a book that tackles the hard, and sometimes amusing questions that kids have about God, the Bible, church, and personal faith. This is not a small book that regurgitates the same old questions and answers. Slattery answers about 180 questions, including "Why couldn't Jesus just stay on earth forever?", and "Can I believe in science and still believe in God?". Some of the more humorous questions are "Why do some Christians put fish-shaped symbols on their cars?" and "Help! What should I do when I think a church service is boring?". I really liked the fact that each question is answered in a page or less, in a mana...

I survived my date with disaster...er...I mean the dentist. I only have a billion cavities, so the next few months will be taken up with repeat visits. Ah well...at least it's getting taken care of. Next I need to get my immunizations figured out and have a visit with my doctor. I need to do my taxes. I need a new battery in my watch. I need to empty out closets. It seems that each day I remember a few more things that I need to do. I try to write everything down, but my memory is terrible so a few things keep slipping. Kids Club wraps up this week with an Earth Day party, and this past Saturday was my last shift as a volunteer at Ten Thousand Villages . It has all of a sudden hit me that some of my favourite things are coming to an end. I am a super-sentimental person so I often find myself already reminiscing about the "good ol' days"! I have the go-ahead to register for school for the fall...I will be attending The Spanish Language Institute in San Jose...

Today is dentist day for me (cue horror music!!). I haven't been to a dentist in...well...I'm to embarrassed to say how long. And I see that I have cavities that need to be filled...and yet I still avoid it. The situation has come to a head though, as I have been feeling a wisdom tooth wanting to come through (I hade the other 3 out about 12 years ago)...plus the fact that I should get my dental work done before I leave for Costa Rica. I am metally preparing myself for a chastising from the dentist (ie: why did you wait so long to come? you're not flossing enough!!!). Is it just me or does anybody else get in trouble for poor flossing?? Here's hoping the list of things wrong with my teeth is not a million miles long... In other news, I've soared to new levels of self-inflicted pain and punishment. Last night was day 1 of a beginners running club that I've joined. We are meeting Mon/Wed/Fri and this week we are doing walk 2 min, run 2 min. Seriously, I ...

Tomorrow I am heading to Cold Lake for a few days...looking forward to spending time with friends and family. Cold Lake was where I was born and raised, before leaving for Bible College...and I haven't lived there permanently since. Still, I consider it "home" and I'm so glad Mom and Dad are still there, as well as a few fantastic friends! I'm going to take a few boxes of books with me, not much...but it's a start. I'm hoping to get home a few more times this spring and summer and just enjoy being there. On another note, I'm obsessed with Google Street View. Here is a view of Cold Lake , thanks to the dude hard at work driving the Google vehicle through every intersection. A thankless job, I'm sure. And seriously, you can click on it and see it in 3-D. I need to find some 3-D glasses stat!! Notice that unlike Sylvan Lake, there's not a billion people on the beach :)

Since I'm procrastinating/avoiding other things at the moment, I decided today would be an excellent day to start packing the books in my office. This is actually fairly comical, since for the past 4 years or so, most of my "work" books have been on my office floor or at my house. A few weeks ago, a beautiful new bookshelf was put in my office and I quickly filled it and even brought a few boxes of books from home. Now less than a month later, I'm tearing it all apart again! Because I'll be storing most of my books in my parents' basement, I figured I should catalogue my books as well, for insurance purposes, in case anything happens to them. I've decided on a numbered box system, where I record the Box #, then list the books in the box (title, author, ISBN#). Also, I figured this would be the best way for me to locate a book at a later date, so I can avoid "needle in the haystack" adventures. Today I packed and recorded 88 books and I fee...

Just heard this afternoon, I have been approved by the Board of Directors!