oh, how i love retreats!

Besides being "Talk Like a Pirate Day," yesterday was also the first day that felt like fall. This is usually the time that i reluctantly start wearing pants again, but this year, my pants came out of the closet earlier than usual.

This is mainly due to my black-and-blue legs. The biggest bruise came while helping to set up sound equipment @ irv's wedding, but the other ones were all from this past wked at my church retreat. I got blobbed.

I wish i had a picture to do it justice but since i was too busy playing, words will have to suffice. At the man-made lake on site, they had some big water "toys." A slide, a water trampoline, and the blob, which is a gigantic inflated rectangle. To get onto it, you climb up a ladder, step out onto a ledge and jump. Then, you carefully scooch to the other end of the rectangle (impossible to do gracefully w/o slipping off the sides). Once you're in position, the next person jumps off the ledge and catapults you up!

when it was my turn to get catapulted, i flew up so high and was caught by such surprise that i didn't properly prepare for my descent. i plopped into the water in a terribly awkward position and popped several blood vessels in my left leg! yet another testament to my gracelessness. =)

during the other hour of freetime, i played kickball. i wasn't quite as useless and i thought i'd be! i mean, i was pretty useless on the field, but i scored a run! (which i accidentally called a "goal") i also provided my team w/ some pep, though i lost my voice doing so. we ended the game doing the high-five line:

i copied this picture from a church member's facebook. yes, i'm on facebook. not really sure what to use it for but my high school pen pal from FRANCE found me on it! how cool is that?

the msgs from retreat were really good. too many thoughts to write here, but one of them was realizing (again) how perfect God is. What He wanted at the beginning of creation is still what He wants now; what He commanded Adam & Eve to do, He commands us to do now. He never changes.

Therefore, when we say He is good, He is good ALL the time. i'm such a feelings-based person, but it doesn't matter what i feel. even whatever i may logic doesn't matter. what matters is that God is GOOD and that is that. it's 100% outside of me. there's a release, a freedom that comes from knowing and believing that. i can rest on that fact, no matter what's going on.

there were many beautiful moments during the wked too - lying on the bridge under the stars w/ heidi, taking the kids on a hike to the creek, my small grp's discussions... i love getting away, having silly fun, and having a large grp of people all learning about the same thing and involved in something together.

even the ride home was awesome - great company, soup-filled dumplings, and:

my first taste of Fosselman's homemade ice cream... yummm!
& yes, Mrs. O's shirt does say "Radical Militant Librarian" - don't mess w/ her! =)

picture diary of my busy busy life:

i've turned into a professional wedding go-er. 3 in the last 2 wkeds! but boy, was i glad i didn't miss any of them. =)

here's my lovely ex-roommate... cool picture, huh?

but i had to leave that wedding early to get to:

Sam & Debby's... a beautiful outdoor ceremony + reception. these girls are a handful of past & present small grp members.

and finally, i went up to the bay area for askirv's wedding.

the new couple graciously hosted out-of-towners to a *yummy* dim sum brunch on Sunday after the wedding...

what a terrific, relaxing trip it was (besides the heavy lifting and rather stressful sound equip set-up!). other than seeing good friends, i went swimming, ate at my favorite Indian restaurant, and became a fan of Federer. (he's not only fantastic but seems so nice too. i'm a big fan of nice.)

however, this past weekend threw off my entire schedule b/c now i feel like i'm back on vacation, even though i've started school! which, luckily hasn't been so bad. it's good to see my kids again and get back into a routine.

but to commemorate the precious last fews days of summer i enjoyed before school started:

LR caught a flight here at the last minute! our tradition seems to be eating yummy soup dumplings & rollerblading at the beach. we added cooking together to that list as well.

later that week, there was the PCC beach day. glo and I enjoyed a long romantic walk and made it back to the main grp just in time for the water balloon toss (which she had never played before! how do you grow up never having done a balloon toss? geez, those new yorkers...)

this is me trying to figure out the boogey board. actually, at first i attached it to my ankle like a surf board. after getting a kick out of my own stupidity, i ended up having a lot of fun!

haha, i look so much cooler here...








gosh, i *love* being in water. & what a workout b/c i spend so much time laughing like i'm on crazy pills. =)

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this was later that night @ a bday celebration for eric.

and this was the breathtaking sunset on my drive there. you gotta love LA.

so w/ school starting and my new roommate moving in and missions committee launching and all that other busy-ness, i kinda got stressed. random fears surged in my mind - lots of things, esp. big life questions. enough to make my head burst.

but i was reminded of my dad's advice to me in June: "Don't take everything to seriously!"

and you know what? it's like a bubble popped and suddenly i was released. i've been experiencing and thoroughly enjoying an *amazing* freedom from worry this last week. it now makes total sense when someone says, "Why worry over things you can't control?"

this helped too:
When I said, "My foot is slipping,"
your love, O LORD, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought joy to my soul. (Psalm 94:18-19)

& apart from His grace, i'm hoping that this feeling of freedom is evidence that i'm trusting God a bit more. this summer taught me so much w/ regards to how much He loves me, how much good He has for me, how much He can fill me. so why fear when He's in control? i love it.

...and i love my dad too. =)

my parents went on a cruise for their 30th wedding anniversary. actually, it was their first real vacation EVER. my mom usually doesn't smile that big for the camera - it's like she was having so much fun she couldn't help it. it makes me so happy!

and my 2nd favorite picture from their trip:

(why am i still up??)