Where am I

Where am I in the scheme of things?

My last class is August 8th. My last day of work at Johnson & Wales is August 12th.

Cant believe it really.

I need to find a job. I've put in applications at AAA, Collete Vacations, and Tillinger's Concierge. Last night I got a call about an interview at AAA! WHEWW Rock on. So that is this Wednesday. The position is part time Wednesday-Saturday, but hey, it is a foot in the door. 

Liz said to me yesterday "Remember when I met you last year and you told me that working at AAA would be your dream job?"  So that is pretty cool, and I pray that they think I am a great candidate!

This weekend I am going to San Diego California for a conference sponsored by the National Organization for Marriage. The conference is called "It Takes A Family to Raise a Village," and will be 3 days of lectures on defending traditional marriage from social and political standpoints. It is not supported by a specific "faith tradition" but more of an advocacy and educational organization. I was accepted to this conference and they are basically paying my way, which is dang great. 

While the conference is not affiliated with a specific religion, most people going are Mormon, Catholic, and Protestant, and from around the world. The goal is to equip young people to educate and defend marriage. They have already provided us with a ton of readings to do before the conference, which look rather intriguing.  I have some mixed feelings on this topic, and probably some ideas that are not popular among conservatives (I'm just not interested in America as a theocracy or inflicting nonplural ideology, is the gist of it), so I am interested to see what goes down. The conference takes place at Point Loma Naz University, and I will also have a day after the conference ends to explore. Not sure how that will work out, but I am excited to see the west coast!

There is so much to do in the next few days! Oh man I need to prepare.

The Electric Dream

Tossed and turning, the heat is the body bag holding me in captivity.
The fan whirs and cuts and chops the air but there is no release.

I tried to go to bed at a reasonable time, 10:30-ish these days, because 6am comes like a thief. Tonight, there was no hope for me in this kind of prison. Hello 1 am.

Maybe dreamland showed up, but obviously not for long.
I sit on the 2nd story balcony, listening to a strange electronica mix, and observe my baby cucumbers. I'm sure they revel in this kind of situation, begging for the bondage of the sun. I do not envy their lives.

The breeze tries making it's way around the hot enemy, but you can tell it is a fight this evening.
Ozone is thick, and I'm groggy because of it. Maybe also because my captor Chinese tortures me with exhaustion as well.

I read that there is an alligator in the Woonasquatucket River, just hanging out. With weather like this no wonder it is confused? Are we in the everglades on a summer day?

Electric and exciting dreams pulse through my mind. A cool mountain cabin in the cool forest far. Please let me dream of this sweet freeze for just a moment.

Balloons

Today on the 99 to Pawtucket via Main, the bus driver tried to take away my student identification card, because obviously I was trying to abuse the system. "No sir, but I AM still a student at JWU." And we all know that the only quarters I carry are for the clothes on my floor at home. So my internship awaits, dragon boats and all. Tomorrow there will be a few things to catch up on, including seeking out the seeker sensitive Dining Services. "So, why wont my card work again?"

This heat is killing me. 80s, 90s, and TODAY, whew.

I take refuge in the Johnson & Wales Downcity Library, central air, going centrally to my fried brain. It's great that Pandora can stalk my Facebook and give me some jams, but when was the last time I said the Pixies were something I liked? Ok now we are slammin' with some Yeahs x3 (dub mix, thanks).

Craigslist and Monster sound like the names of a creep and his pet snake, but even though I spend all my time at their house, dont worry mom. I'm hoping to get some money out of this deal. After all, I will be wild and free in less than a month and something has to pay the bills.

Oh, to be wild and free. The past 8 years, at least five streams of consciousness intertwine and get a little jummbled up. Kind of like the tangled strings of balloons by the handful. They are all still flying but it is a mess to separate and sell. A job, an education, a life, an internship that will educate me in real life to get a job, clubs, and three "what are your hobbies," contribute to this divided mind. Soon I can pop them all but my favorite colors and the birthday party theme will start to make sense.

My spanish midterm is tonight. Im not interested to die trying, but I will put up a weak fight. One more balloon to pop and string to cut. I can already start to sense the light start to focus.

Quoteable on Devotionals

"I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others. I believe that many who find that “nothing happens” when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand." 

-C.S. Lewis

Mini Expeditions : Every Day Theology

I stumble upon quite a few blogs, and good ones at that. Usually I like to check out what my favorite bloggers recommend, and go from there. I don't remember who got me on to the blog "Blogging Theologically," but I really dig it.

My favorite posts have been a series on digging in to common theologies that people toss around as truth. It has been really interesting and eye opening. Take a gander, I'm sure you are familiar with most of them. Click 'em to read the real story.

"God won't give you more than you can handle." 
Oh really?


"You need to feed yourself."


"God helps those who help themselves."


"Money is the root of all evil."


"Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child."


"Just Listen To Your Heart"

What other common phrases exist that are pretty much crap theology? 

Experience New England: The Kennebunks!

My sister and I have desired to go to Kennebunkport, Maine for quite some time now. It's coastal charm called our names, and finally we planned the trip!

Located on the edge of Maine just 90 minutes north east of Boston, the Kennebunks are a group of about 5 towns that stretch across the shoreline.

From a tourism perspective, I was blown away with the breadth of niches that the Kennebunk area was able to fill. They are a perfect destination for families, nature lovers, beach bums, foodies, romantic escapes, and girlfriend getaways. Everyone was always friendly and helpful, parking was never a frustration, the bathrooms were numerous, free, and clean, and we never felt like we were caught in a tourist trap.

There are many resorts, cottages, cabins, and villas to choose from, but we decided to set up tent at Red Apple Campground in Arundel, Maine (literally 3 minutes from KBP). It is small, but one of the top rated campgrounds in the country. I was IMPRESSED with the hospitality of the staff. We arrived and the man in the office hooked us up with tons of information on the area. He also was kind enough to show us where everything was on the map! Our tent site was a good size for two people, and came with picnic table and fire pit. The bathrooms were astoundingly clean and never busy. It is definitely a family camp, but we didn't mind because we were usually only there when it was dark out and everyone was sleeping.

We only had about two days, and we had two dedicated activities that we wanted to do. Everything just fell right into place!

Our first afternoon was a little overcast, so we went into the downtown shopping district and walked around. So many neat little shops, restaurants, and art galleries. We wandered to the nearest Hannafords in Wells to buy bug spray (with the coupons included in the campground welcome package), then looped 'round to briefly check out Wells beach, saw some glorious summer homes right on the water in kennebunk, and by the time we got back to the campground it was time to start a fire, cook up some hot dogs, and then get to bed!

The next day we woke up with a plan. We started off on the road north to Cape Porpoise. Since it was already noon when we hit the road, we stopped and grabbed lunch at the Cape Porpoise Kitchen (best turkey reuben of my life) and hit the beach, Goose Rocks Beach. The sand was fine, the water was cool, and the sun was a blazin.

After getting a nice bronze, we headed down Ocean Ave to see former president Bush's summer home on Walker's Point.

We stopped a few times along the drive to admire the rugged beauty of the ocean coupled with whatever it was playfully interacting with whether it was sailboats, the chapel on the sea, a man with his painters eisel, or just the rocky shore.

Later that night, we arrived at our anticipated destination, The Lobster Bake and Fourth of July Celebration at the Nonantum Resort! We had been so excited for this- with the live band, fresh lobster, sand bar, ice cream, fireworks over the beach. It felt like we were at a picnic with 500 of our closest friends. Everyone was having a great time hanging out, cracking open lobsters, and enjoying the weather.

This trip went by too fast, that's all I can really say to sum it up. We are thinking about making it a tradition, and I think Kennebunk is definitely a place I would like to spend more time.

Challenge 2: Character of God

This is coming from nowhere, but I decided to post my responses to the 2011  Boundless Summer Challenge on my blog as well as a note on facebook note. 

Today's challenge encourages us to meditate on the character of God. Step one is to think of characteristics that we think describe God. I came up with some that I've been more recently pondering: 

• His is a Father
• Sovereign 
• Comforter
• Creator.

The past six months have definitely opened my eyes to the loving father that God is, and I have learned that he can be trusted to provide, and that he loves me like a daughter. This aspect of God is a sweet one to ponder, and I can get caught up in thinking about it during the day.

Then we were encouraged to read and meditate on Isaiah 40, thinking through the characteristics of God once more. After reading this chapter, I was just put in my place. 

The chapter talks of the holy, powerful, magnificent character of God. We see him ruling with a mighty arm in verse 10, to being a gentle shepherd in verse 11. No God isnt bipolar, but he has different aspects to his character. 

After reading verses 27-31, I realized how often I do this. "God, do you seriously not care? Can you hear me? Why arent you seeing what is happening to me! Do you hear my cause? Listen to meeee!!!!" And wow, of course he is listening, of course he knows what is happening. He is the creator, he is not weary of me, he is sovereign, he is Lord. Sometimes I have to realize that just because I dont get what I want, does not mean God isnt listening, in fact he is in control of the world, he will NOT grow weary, and I need to worship Him.