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! =)