Random

Cody got his braces on yesterday morning. He was so excited to get them and now he wants them off already! He is in a lot of pain. I made him at least try to go to school today for a couple of hours, but I really don't think he's going to make it all day. He looks so different and it is not making me excited to get my braces next year (I'm waiting until his come off to get mine).

Yesterday was my last day in the office at GCC. It was weird cleaning out my desk and packing a tub of stuff up. It was hard, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be - I just tried to think of all the good stuff that has happened and then imagine all of the things that will happen as I progress closer and closer to where God is leading me.

I attended my last SWAT (staff meeting) which was a great way to exit. The best part was that my friend Shelley Arredondo made an announcement that it was my last day so Kem, who was leading, asked Judy to pray for me and for Walter (a student of mine who is also leaving). Judy prayed a beautiful prayer of blessing over us, and it was really cool that I got to share that with Walter, since he has been one of my students the entire time I've been on staff. Afterward, many of my staff family came and hugged me and wished me the best - it was great to have everyone's blessing and excitement for the next phase of my life!

Sunday was my last Lifeline as a staff person and I made it from school just in time to get to do 3 worship songs with my students. It was awesome and again a beautiful way of closing that door and moving on. I got to say goodbye to a lot of my students and I'm excited to be in a volunteer position next year so that I can spend more time with them.

My dream of giving milk to an entire community of poverty stricken people who live in the "Rio" (a squatters village of hoomes made out of trash) in Monterrey, Mexico is a step closer to happening! When I turned over all of my responsibility for the Lifeline Mission Mexico team over to John, I begged him to follow through with it, so I hope he and Corey will. Last year when we were there, all the kids wanted was milk, but we didn't have enough for everyone (they hardly ever get milk - in fact the babies drink pop because they can't get milk). So, this year we have the opportunity to actually bombard them with cartons of milk and it looks like that may happen - I am so excited and dream of the day that every single child there has so much milk that they struggle carrying it all home!

School last weekend was incredible - I actually don't even have words. All I can say is that I learned so much about helping people and I learned a whole lot about myself. It was confirmed to me over and over that this is exactly where I should be and I learned that I am actually pretty good at coaching and helping people uncover what is important to them and what they want to do with their life. I'm way excited for my next class at the end of June!

We're off to Silver Lake tonight after Cody's choir concert. Trent already took off this morning - and we will meet him up there late tonight. We are definitely looking forward to a weekend of relaxing, some quality family time and a great time with great friends. Oh yeah, and some serious off-roading in "Damage" out on the sand dunes is going to be a blast too!

So that's about it - have a great holiday weekend friends!

Thanks Corey - you know for what - have a great weekend with your family.