So Many Things

Has it really been a month and a half since my last posting? So much has happened in these few weeks! I guess I was just so busy DOING that I didn't have much time for WRITING.

So, what did I do?

Well, first off, I finally got out of "summer camp mode". It's wonderful to be a little less stressed over everything!

Other than that...

-I got a Kitchen!
The stove was installed a few months ago, and we finally got the kitchen sink installed last week! I've been able to bake things that I haven't been able to make before, like pretzels, challah, crackers, and cookies. And now, it's a lot easier to wash all those dirty dishes I create!

-I went to Tennessee!
I did a lot of incredible things there, like visit Chelsea (a summer counselor), and meet the editors of Devozine! I won't bore you with TOO many pictures (I have hundreds!), but I'll show you a few now, and maybe more later!

Music City Hostel, where I stayed when I wasn't with Chelsea.

The Upper Room had a museum filled with Christian artifacts around the world, including tons of nativity scenes. 

The Upper Room Museum also had lots of old Bibles. I thought it was funny how this one said "NEW TESTA-ment"

Nashville had incredible art, including this scene on top of the Parthenon. 

The Parthenon and Centennial Park. 

I found these fruits while walking through Vanderbilt U. What are they?

This is the chapel at the Scarritt-Bennett Center. Over my two weeks in Tennessee, I went to  six different churches, including a jazz-themed service here.

The labyrinth at Scarritt-Bennett. 

I met the Devozine staff while helping them at their themes retreat. This was one of the rooms of their retreat house. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience in itself, being able to plan for upcoming issues, and actually having the experienced staff look to me for advice! I hope I helped them out!

The 40-ft Athena statue inside the Parthenon.

I did make it to a concert while in Nashville! Although I have no idea who this band is! 

The other side of The Parthenon.

RCA Studio B, where Elvis, Dolly, and others have recorded. 

Belmont Mansion at Belmont U.

Capitol Hill. These pieces in the foreground are pieces of the building before its renovation.

Capitol Hill was closed, but I at least got to walk around it!

One of the many War Memorials. The guy that took this picture said there is a time capsule underneath this statue.

The city skyline.

-I participated in the CCCA Iowa-Nebraska Fall Fellowship!
This year's conference was held at Camp Rivercrest and our neighbor, Camp Calvin Crest. It was great to meet other camp professionals, and being the only person with my specific job description, a lot of people were asking me for media advice. I don't know when exactly I became a professional, but between this retreat and the Devozine retreat, I think I might be! Although our camp's staff had to work (although everyone appreciated the information booklet I created), it was still an enjoyable time and I even got to see Calvin Crest, which I never actually went to before.

-I helped with Fall Festival!
Yesterday, I worked at finishing a bag lady dress that I had started a year ago but never finished. It would actually be kind of a cute dress, if it weren't for the fact that it was made out of plastic bags! I wore that while working at Fremont Alliance's Fall Festival. It seemed like it was a really neat community event with lots of participants (374 in just the first half hour!), but I didn't see too much of it because I spent nearly four hours making and serving popcorn. I don't really want to see popcorn for a long time!

-I'm excited for the things to come!
The things I've done in the past month and a half (plus the typical work at camp) still don't seem like much compared to all that there is to do. I found a job nannying for a family a few miles away from here; I'm just waiting for the time they want me to start. I'm going to spend Christmas in Oregon. Jenn Yee keeps on trying to get me to visit Abide and Bridge Church, but I always seem to be involved in something else whenever there is an event or volunteer opportunity! One of the summer staff members is planning a relief trip to the East Coast. I don't know if I'll be able to join them on that, but I will definitely be involved in some way! And since I now have a fully functioning car, I'm hoping to have the chance to use it more; possibly visit Gibbon, Nebraska where I allegedly have buried relatives.

That's my life for now. I should be able to start giving you more regular updates. Until then, feel free to contact me for up-to-the-minute news!