(Sooo now reading this. . .it was definitely something I read somewhere. . .and I don't remember who wrote it. A well-known Christian female author, but the name's gotten away from me at the moment. And of course parts of it are from the Bible. . .a lot of it. I'm just a little lost as to where I found it right now.
But in either case, I don't take credit for it. I just liked it. )


Every mountain is a tribute to God's Majesty; they cry out the Lord's greatness.
The rivers proclaim the living waters of the Spirit, and roar with God's joy.
The winds announce God's presence and shout His goodness.
Every creature of the earth delights in his love and waits for his return.
The perfect love and awesome beauty of the Lord is seen most clearly in those parts of His creation left untouched by the hands of sinners.
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are revealed and understood by all things that are made.
We are without excuse.
The Lord alone is worthy to be praised!!

hi

We huddled intensely, tools in hand, eager and nervous, desperately hoping our plans had worked. Careful actions were necessary, teamwork was imperative. Popsicle sticks lay scattered about the table, some broken, others cemented together meticulously. The time was drawing near. We held our breath. Then, on cue, we gripped our phones and pressed “Send.” An uncertain silence hung in the air. Two busy signals, three rings. We stared curiously at Courtney; she swallowed hard, the orange cell phone pressed against her ear.
“K-JUG, who’s this?” Courtney gave the necessary response. Kim and I forgot to breathe. “Do you have an answer for me?”
As Courtney carefully read the writing on the back of a piece of sandpaper, “’When Somebody Knows You That Well’, Blake Shelton” she broke into a smile. We erupted in shocked and delighted screams. Well, Kim and I did, as Christine and Haley laughed at their ridiculous antics. I might even go so far as to say I cried with joy.
Again, I will say, teamwork is imperative. Not only did it win a pair of tickets to see the Blake Shelton concert the very night it was performed, our team was essential in building a sturdy and beautiful bridge, unofficially dubbed “Blake Bridge” in honor of the historic moment that had occurred during its construction.


Yup, that's right guys. Wednesday, May 12, we were working on our bridge for Physics and we called in and won tickets to see Blake Shelton at Cal Poly. It was soo cool!! Kim and I got right up to the stage and took pics. We met up with some friends there that actually go to go into the Meet and Greet, and they took pics with my camera for us. We learned a new line dance too, it was awesome! The only thing that could have perfected it was if Kelley was with us. It was my first country music concert, finally! Hehe. It was a blast.
I'm not sure how the bridge did in the "competition" but I should find out today, I'm sure.

Well, we just got back from CIF this weekend. It was okay, the "outcast" tradition definitely continued, though. And, just as I had predicted, our t-shirts didn't get a very good response.
They had the quote "You're tacky and I hate you" from School of Rock on the front, and we dressed all trendy-like. I knew people wouldn't get that it was a movie quote, so I taped a heart
over "hate." And, of course, people didn't appreciate the shirts and the girls were somewhat uncomfortable wearing them. Which made me happy because they basically blew off Kelley when she
objected. Haha we saw Troy Fri night too. It was okay...I dunno I could miss it. What I did like was Rock Bottom Brewery, an imperative Long Beach stop I must say. Best root beer ever!

Long Beach Cafe was the breakfast spot sat morning. It was delicious and the staff was soo nice, and helpful! Kelley and I shared meals all weekend, and combined we survived on 100 dollars. Wow, 100 is alot. Well, that' s 50 a person. For eight meals. Yeah, especially cus the team likes expensive places.
Those road trips are gonna be fun...we will be able to survive. The trick is eating a big breakfast, having some snacks on hand to ward off hunger, and sometimes skip a meal, just keep yourself busy. And eat ice. Lots of ice.

Okay, so then we get back from Long Beach right? And there's newsprint unrolled and duct taped to everyone's cars. Like huge piles everywhere! Some people just got rides home and others took the paper off and left it in the P-lot. So me, Kelley, and Mr. E cleaned it all up and put it in dumpsters. Well most of it.
Kelley and I stuffed our cars full of the stuff and delivered it to Kyle's house so he could recycle it for us (we got a tip that he was possibly the main perpetrator in the fiasco). So we transferred the stuff from our cars into his (which he had left unlocked), spread it all over the lawn, on steps, by doorways, in trees, on other cars. (Yup, the dive coach gets it too...since apparently the divers were at fault).
We left a note saying "Please Recycle" and rang the bell and ran for it. Mind you, this is at 2:15 in the AM. And Kyle had been up on the computer the whole time! It was AWESOME. I wish I could see what it looks like now...

But I gotta get to work now. WATER POLO IS TOMORROW! I Can't wait!!!! The pool will once again feel like home. God bless you all!

The Intro to my collection of writings I did for Creative Writing Class:

WORTH KEEPING

Stickers, movie tickets, coasters, business cards, candy wrappers, pamphlets. For some, these are worth keeping-they are mementos that will hopefully trigger memories when discovered years later. We attach meaning to tons of different “stuff” and we quickly accumulate clutter we do not need. However, when we examine these objects, with plans to clean up some of the mess, we find it difficult to part with the memories held within these collections.
A picture could capture the moment, music captures the emotion, and a story will capture the lesson. Nothing is able to capture the essence of the experience. Captured in this book are moments and memories worth keeping-talismans and trinkets that when re-discovered and examined, will bring life to moments long-forgotten.

ABANDON

How often do people say, “We did nothing that we had planned, but it could not have been more perfect.” How often does a person say, “It only took one moment to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.” Has anyone ever said, “Let me tell you about the time that someone I had never before seen in my life demonstrated his love for me. He gave me everything I didn’t know I needed, and now I can’t live without him.” Well, let me tell you.
This past summer cannot be described accurately within the limits of human communication. A picture could capture the moment, music captures the emotion, and a story will capture the lesson. But nothing here on earth can really capture the essence of the experience.
I had almost conquered my junior year of school. The only disappointment I faced was not making the National Youth Water Polo Team. What was I supposed to do with the next three months of my life?
I went into my summer with only one other plan: to attend the DCLA (Youth for Christ) Christian Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. A last-minute decision finalized with a substantial financial deposit left me scurrying to raise money, which I still did not have with just weeks before the big event. In June I would finally take the Water Safety Instructor class and get a pay raise at the pool. Although this would mean missing the Mexico mission trip I had previously been determined to go on, sacrifices had to be made. However, much to my surprise, my mother insisted that I go to Mexico if I really wanted to. She added that she would worry about the money for that trip, and we would worry about DCLA later.
My first day in Mexico, we dug out the foundation for the houses we were building with Amor Ministries in Tijuana. In broken Spanish I introduced myself to the Rodriquez-Chavez family, and did my best to befriend the niños. Digging and sawing wood, nailing together walls and trying to make them stand up left very little time for rest, but by the end of the day I had taught one of the girls how to blow kisses. That night, as I brushed my teeth, spitting white foam over the side of steep hill at the edge of our crowded campsite, I rested in an unfamiliar peace. It had hit me that for the first time I remember in my entire life, I could not think of a single moment in my day that had not been worthwhile. I had actually used the abilities God blessed me with for his glory, and it was an amazing feeling, as if I suddenly had discovered the purpose of life. I decided in that very moment that serving God is how I wanted to spend the rest of my own life.
Three short weeks later, with no more money than I had begun my summer with, I was still able to go to Washington D.C. I couldn’t wait to see the Relient K concert! At this conference, every afternoon we had what was called “Big Room.” During this time, at least four different speakers, not including two actors, walked thousands of high-school aged kids through the gospel of John. These talks were also scattered with times of worship led by a band that was completely on fire to praise the Lord. The first night, students were invited to come to the front if they wanted to make a decision to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, or if they needed to rededicate their life to the Lord, or just needed prayer. That night I talked with my youth pastor about the struggles I had in the previous school year and how I felt the Lord working in my life the past few months. It was that week that I decided to completely rededicate my life to serving the Lord and glorifying him with every moment he gave me. The night of the Relient K. concert I went back to the hotel room instead of staying for the entire concert, so I could talk to my roommates about “God stuff”, because that was the only thing that did not seem trivial.
Upon returning from Washington, D.C. I discovered that my club water polo team decided they did not need me at the Junior Olympics. In fact, for reasons I still do not quite understand, they told me they already had another goalie and they were not going to take me to Orange County. I was shocked. Not because I had been “kicked off” the team without explanation, but because I didn’t have to go to Junior Olympics. To be honest, I was hoping they would not make it to finals so that I did not have to go to Orange County that week. In the past days, I felt an enormous tug to go to Wildwood, a Christian Youth Leadership Camp at Hume Lake, but was increasingly disappointed upon discovering it was the same week as Junior Olympics. And so, just a week before the camp I rushed into the church office to beg for a spot on the trip. It so turns out, there was one spot left.
My experience at Wildwood could be an entire essay in itself. My conversations even with people who were there have often lasted hours. But there is one experience I know I will never forget. At the end of the week, the whole group that attended Wildwood was taken down to the Main Camp while everyone there was away at Victory Circle, reflecting on their own experiences. We rowed across the lake to a secluded clearing where each counselor talked to their cabin one group at a time in the middle of the circle. And then in the dim light offered by a single lantern in the center of the clearing , they presented us with our wristbands. Only those who complete Wildwood received red wristbands. They were imprinted with the letters HPI, which stood for the values of Honesty, Purity, and Integrity. Normally, despite how cloudy the night began, it cleared up enough to see the stars during this ceremony. But as it was, we had to hurry the event along while thunder rolled just beyond the next hill. And so, scrambling back to camp in tin boats, I saw unfold above me the most beautiful sight imaginable: a light show given only to our small group that cowered in our vulnerable boats. It looked like those posters that hang on the wall of the biology classroom of galaxies and nebulas. When the lighting flashed, it lit up the clouds blue, silver, and purple. But at the same time, an abundance of bright stars burst through spaces in the clouds to create a sight that I cannot even duplicate in my memory. It was undoubtedly extremely dangerous for us to be on the lake like that, but the entire ride back on the water, I sang along with the kids in my boat to the worship song, “God of Wonders” at the top of my lungs and I was once again filled with an unshakeable peace and trust in Gods fearsome and wonderful power over the heavens and the earth.
The perfect plans for a perfect summer: tossed away and forgotten. Experiencing the unprejudiced love of a young girl who had nothing, and who lived off the love of her family. Leaving with only a few “besos en el aire” that still suspend themselves in the space just in front of my nose. Living with three other girls for a week, learning what it meant to live, and finally taking a step to accept that life. Sleeping on a cot, working up a sweat, and accomplishing difficult goals. Finding beauty in floating on a lake in the middle of a thunderstorm in a tin boat, and learning what it meant to truly experience truth, instead of reading about it or being told what to believe. So was the conclusion of the most beautiful three months of my life- three months completely unplanned and unexpected, three months during which my own control over my life was abandoned. And in these three months, after years of the Lord waiting for me to see Him, I turned around and fell to my knees. Occasionally my knees start to bruise, and my legs fall asleep. Although sometimes my thighs cramp up and my mouth sometimes grows dry from lack of water, I will never walk away again.

Before this final High School summer begins, I want to include some posts about last summer, so far the most memorable summer of my life. The essay in this post, and the next one following are about that summer.

TRUTH
“Not to worry, you will definitely get a chance to see the stars by the end of this week,” my counselor assured me. With just one night remaining in our weeklong stay at Wildwood Christian Youth Leadership Camp, I dozed on the bottom bunk in the warm platform tent, remembering the rain that poured down on us the night before. In four short days, I had ridden a bike up a mountain, and fallen only once at the very bottom after a high-speed race back down. I had jumped over logs taller than myself without even brushing it with my toes. I learned what it meant to be passionate about trusting in God’s plan, but I still wanted to see the stars. Disappointed that the best week of my summer was coming to a close, I did not suspect that the most memorable event was yet to come.
The last night, as we gathered across the lake in a secluded clearing to reflect on our week , we were again assured that no matter what the weather had been during the day, the stars had always shined down on the campers’ final night. We huddled in a giant circle, our only light a battery-powered lantern in the middle of the clearing. As I left the small patch of lantern-light with the rest of my roommates, fiddling with the red bracelets that served as a symbol of our experience, thunder cracked overhead. Our leaders hurried us through the rest of the humble ceremony and ushered us into the rowboats, instructing us to get across the lake as quickly as possible, because lighting was just over the next ridge.
They must have been kidding themselves, because I could see the lighting in the sky as we headed for the opposite shore. We were insane, to be splashing across the lake in these tin can targets for static electricity. I prepared to die as we reached the middle of the lake and the lighting drew closer. It was then that I took the time to look up at the sky. If the stars weren’t going to show themselves in my last moments, I might as well see a good light show.
And there in the sky, with only the adrenaline-surged campers for its audience, unfolded the most spectacular light show I had ever witnessed. Scattered clouds not only had silver linings, but illuminated with blue, purple, and gold as lightning bounced off the mountaintops. Between these bursts of light in the breaks of the clouds, the stars shone the brightest they had ever shone in their entire existence. All this beautiful, glowing chaos reminded me of the big posters of nebulas and galaxies that were stuck to the walls of the biology classroom.
But this wasn’t some outer-space video, this was real, and for just a few moments, I found myself huddled alone in that vulnerable position with the most peaceful solitude I had ever experienced. No teachings that week gave definite direction, no team-building challenges revealed the answers, and no time alone showed me reality. It was there, at the mercy of the lightning that burst in the sky above me, where, even if for just a few moments, I understood Truth.

Found Poem
Source: Lyrics from The David Crowder Band
Album, Can You Hear Us?

UNDIGNIFIED
9/20/03
Here I am again
In this raging sea
I’m so filthy with my sin
I feel lonely without hope
Sometimes You’re closer than my skin
Or You’re farther than the wind
I am desperate without Vision
But I carry pride like a disease
I feel like I’m sinking,
Drowning

Raise me up from this grave
May you find me holding on

If I can believe
I can be free
Blind men see
The cripple run
Deaf hear Your voice of Love
Because You are the One

Raise me up from this grave
Touch my tongue
Heal my limbs
So I can run to You
Singing joyfully
And I need a song to sing You
That I’ve yet to find
You fill my lungs
And I sing it now
May You find me true

We are here because
Of grace and love
We are here because of You
God, form Your words on my heart
You have felt all that I feel
So lead me

Lord you are the burning sun
You paint the sky pink
You are the rising moon
You illuminate the mountain lake
You are the stars
That shine silver with a radiant light
In the rushing wind
When the clouds sigh
And the rain falls
You Are.

You are the God of the Heavens
Yet You are in this very space
And Your voice that shakes the heavens
Is whispering my name
You surround me like a winter fog
And I’m on my knees again
May you find me true

I need a language large as
This longing inside
I need You
God of the Just
God of Wrath
God of the Strong
And the weak
I need You

You are perfect
Everything I want
Everything I need
My love
My life
All I am is for You
When I laugh,
Fill my smiles with you
With all creatures I will praise you
Praise the father
The Son
The Spirit
Three in One
Who loves me
Who heals me
Who saves me

Some may say this is foolishness
But Your love is big
And Your love is loud
And I will fill this place
With Your love now

I will lay my pride by my side
And worship You in humbleness
I will dance and sing for my King
And I’ll become
Even more undignified
Than this.

Found Poem
Location: Bagel café
Source: words on signs, walls, windows

FROM THE INSIDE
9/20/03

This is girl to girl:
As lovely
As jewelry
And flowers
Can be
Displayed beneath
Red signs that read
OPEN and SALE
Nothing is free
Unless you are
Just looking


So steal a space
In Public Parking
Taste the atmospheres
Of seven California summers
On the water.
Save lives every morning
With the note of a lost plie
—simply smile
from behind
Backwards OPEN signs
when blue blurs fade into
clear sharp shapes
and the day burns brighter
in our eyes.

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW
9/23/03

You glow white in the early morning light,
Uninterrupted but for a dark set
Of solitary footprints of the night—
Evidence of a journey unseen yet.
The beautiful solitary walk
Of someone with a determined purpose.
But the footprints are not the ones who talk
They are not the first footprints I’ve noticed
It is you, the pure snow, in which they rest
Who displays peace and radiant glory
And these footprints, in the ultimate test
Will be covered in your endless story
It’s not the path that’s beautiful and wise
It is the place where our own journey lies.

A Found Poem.
Source:
Lasting Impressions-Donovan Webster
Smithsonian- November, 2002
*Most directly from source, some words added.


STAY GRAY
9/17/03

The mouth of a shaman
Blows evil spirits away
As lichens and mosses rest upon
Deer stones.
Remnants of
Reindeer herders,
They stand in silent tribute
To a mysterious past
A playful human face
Sleeping or leaping
Beneath the tall shadows
Of Ushkin Uver
With the urgency
Of a singularly evocative
Ancient image,
Stone monoliths
Slowly deteriorate
Under exposure to elements
Gathering across the windswept steppes
“Archaeological significance”
They say
“Monetary value”
They say
“We must protect the stones
from an increasingly intrusive world”
And so we make a replica
Liquid latex
And a rubbery reverse impression
Archaeology to
Contemporary culture
“Nothing like this
anywhere else on earth”
Becomes
A museum-grade cast
Of every feature
Down to
The tiniest
nick.

“Why are you painting our stones blue?”
While, as if
In a prehistoric burial ground,
The talisman of an ancient heritage
Should remain in place
And stay gray.

TO THE STAR OUTSIDE MY WINDOW 9/24/03

We first met
In my search for the brightest star
Who could make all my wishes come true
You smiled back at me with clear blue eyes
You might have given me the world
Because of you
I danced with princes
And I married a king
Because of you
I rode up to meet you
On the horse I hooked
To Santa’s sleigh
(Your Christmas present to me)
Because of you
I flew over canyons
And walked on clouds
I danced with mermaids
And cried with the wolves

But slowly you grew dimmer
And other stars invaded the sky
And suddenly I did not recognize you anymore
But your magic still remains
In your sparkling kingdom
Where you still dance with the princes in the sky
You know the heroic deeds of Orion
You cheer at bullfights
Walk side by side with bears
And swim in the endless milky way sea
As the dippers pour the night sky from their infinite depths
I know when I look up into the heavens
I can now leave you in peace
I do not need to find you
And I never will
There is too much fascination
Waiting to be discovered
To be worried about finding the right one
When each one is unique
Each one is magic
And each one is equally unreachable anyway
Without my own imagination
And so this is for you star,
Who showed me how to dream
When I look into the sky tonight
I won’t be looking at you
My gaze is fixed between you all
And I set my sight on the dark blue
Not on what I know is there
But on the unlit, endless black
That hides the dreams yet to be experienced.

Omit WE (Or Anything Like It) 9/11/03

Experience these characters
This living cast of clue
Put on a tough face
And lurk in a dark corner
With the Mafia-man
Feel the power
Grip a cold, deadly weapon
Sneak off to the sidelines
And discover the mischievous joy
Of Diversity
Where there’s more to a smile
Than face value
Or wander
Right into the center
Be Boy and Girl
Next door
Dance in the front corner
Wear red
Wear Daring
Become the Enchantress
Paired with her innocent obsessions
Play in the shadows
Find the joy of the night
Or stand alone.
Entertain Glamour
And Merriment
Find Purity and Controversy
Existing in each other’s company
Where Athletes immerse themselves in Art
The Outgoing are one with the Removed
The Faithful and the Faithless
Simply seek to find
Where I am you
And you are me
But WE are not.

These two were created with the use of a few required words
and phrases.

The Grunion are Running! 9/04/03

Like the hammer and tongs of the ocean’s blacksmith
And an orchard grower’s calloused fingers
We softened the shore and peeled away its sandy rind
The cold comforts of the moon’s steady glow
Eased our growing fears
As little pleasant splashes
Drew closer, developing
Into fluent, high-pitched, joyous shrieks
Weeping, our heads bent
In shame
We watched helplessly
As the treasures we once carried
Were taken away, gleaming
In a bucket.

QUE NATORA
9/04/03

Oh lady willow, why are you weeping?
Each day you bend your head
Closer to your feet
In the cold comfort of silence and sorrow.
You are fluent in the wind’s language,
So I tried to bend the wind.
I held him fast with tongs and beat him with a hammer,
But I could not match his strength.
Your own tears continued to make pleasant little splashes
Whose ripples scattered the stars
The wind held gleaming in a bucket—
They flew up in the sky,
We peeled the veil from the moon,
And you smiled

HERE'S A FEW POEMS

The poems in the more recent posts are from a collection of
poems written in my Junior and Senior English and/or Creative
Writing classes. Hope you enjoy. And comment, if you choose!

Okay, can I please say that if being in labor is supposed
to be worse than menstrual cramps, I am seriously reconsidering
my ambition to bear kids someday. I mean, those things were
so painful yesterday, they actually made me throw up. Not
fun.

Okay, so last night...after lying around all morning, I was finishing my English Research
Paper...about Irish Education during James Joyce's life.
(Entirely appropriate, because we are reading A Portrait
of the Artist as a Young Man).I had just downed 2 full cups
of Espresso Coffee...(a lot stronger than I expected, esp.
because I hadn't had coffee in a long time.) So I was wired.
Because I was so awake, I definitely did not feel the need
to get done early. So I wasted time and was up until about 1.
Then, I was still so wide awake that I had trouble sleeping.
In fact, I don't think I really slept at all. It was just an
illusion. Actually, those 2 cups of coffee kept me going
until about 5 o'clock this evening! And then I was exhausted
and just trying to help out...and my dad said one of those
things he says without thinking, i got annoyed, he started
teasing me as usual, I got short and "cold", he complained about
how I treated him, I excused myself from the table, cried
for a half hour and then felt better. But we're not talking
and I don't know what I can do. It seems like there's always
something.
But okay, the good parts of my day.
I got to start it off with Bible Study and fellowship
before school. I wasn't falling asleep
in classes. You know what I did notice tho...is
artificial energy makes you space out alot. Anyway,
We got to play YAHTZEE in Statistics!It was awesome. Tania
ceremoniously recieved the first of Matt's golden locks- a
cute little curl that was hanging down onto his forehead.
And, my coach (again) was in SLO today! It was great to see
him and I can't wait for NY!
What else...I got to see Kelley be brave. (We'll avoid the
details).
Oh yeah, and some bridge-building took place.Kinda.
And then, of course, it was off to the English study group.
It was Eric's turn to tell the story tonight. We honored
the style of stream-of-consciousness, however. We were constantly
off-topic and running away on tangents of all sorts.

Oh, and according to Rachel's New Testament teacher's
colleague, we have a song running through our heads at all
times. What's playing Now?

"Snap" is apparently the new "sweet" and "boo-yah" and
any other verb, noun, adverb or adjective you can think of.