For Dani: 42 Things I Love About Summer...

1. Sleeping in
2. Laying Out on rafts in the pool with Jen
3. BBQs with friends
4. Swimming
5. Going to the lake
6. More time with friends
7. Traveling, traveling and more traveling!
8. Shaved Ice
9. Staying up late
10. Summer nights
11. Late evening walks (and it's still light out!)
12. Fireworks on the 4th of July
13. Baseball (Go FSU!)
14. The Beach
15. The peacefulness of the campus at FPU
16. Late night ice cream runs
17. The smell of barbecue in the air
18. Catching fireflies (only in the mid-west though)
19. Picnics
20. Volleyball
21. The smell of a summer night
22. Grilled pineapple
23. Road Trips
24. House-Sitting
25. Staying up late, laying on the grass, looking up at the stars
26. Late night tennis playing
27. Ice cream--any kind and any time
28. Having time to catch up with old friends
29. Corn on the cob
30. Summertime salads
31. The smell of sunblock
32. Running through the sprinklers (when I was younger of course :)
33. The feeling of complete freedom for a small chunk of time
34. Camping
35. Flip flops
36. Juicy watermelon
37. The Olympics (every four years that is)
38. Pedicures
39. Youth group trips (some good memories in that old church van...)
40. Doing nothing and not feeling guilty about it!
41. No school!
42. Lemonade stands

And of course reason #43: the fresh and juicy valley fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, pluots...)

I think some (Dani *cough cough*) doubted that I actually had 42 reasons why I loved summer... but I think I could keep going with reasons...what's there not to love about summer? Okay, the intense heat in the valley is something I could live without! And Dani, I do forgive you for doubting me :)

One thing I would miss if I ever moved out of California...

is the fruit. Especially in the summer. Strawberries. White and Yellow Peaches. Nectarines. Plums and Pluots. I love them all. I had some delicious fresh fruit tonight at a BBQ with some good friends and it was so, so good. The fruit was almost as good as the company...almost.

I freely admit that I think, okay actually I am pretty darn sure, I take for granted the quality and variety of fruit we have at our fingertips here in the valley.

Ahhh...so good. Reason #43 why I love summer.

Lots and Lots of Bubbles!

Tonight I went to Turlock to spend some time and catch up with my friend Steph. Steph and I went to FPU together...we were RAs together for a year and she lived with me and my family the summer after we graduated college. She is getting married in November, so tonight I got the chance to hang out with her and her incredibly fun fiance Drew.

And we made bubbles...

Steph is student teaching for a 1st grade class and this is their last week of school. So tomorrow they are going to do a science experiment with bubbles. She needed a lot of "bubble mix" and the way to get the really big bubbles (so I learned tonight) is to make your own concoction of bubble mix! So the three of us went to the store and bought Dawn soap, distilled water and glycerin. Glycerin is kind of hard to find...we went to three drug stores looking for it, but we finally found it and took it home to make the mix!

It worked great and I know that the three of us had a blast goofing off, making bubbles and getting excited about it all, so I know her 1st graders are going to love it too!

Bubble Making....random? Yes. But lots of fun? For sure!

"This is how God does things..."

“It is always the simple things that change our lives. And these things never happen when you are looking for them to happen. Life will reveal answers at the pace life wishes to do so. You feel like running, but life is on a stroll. This is how God does things.”

--Donald Miller--

Dinner Tonight...

was incredibly enjoyable and delicious. Jen and I made dinner together and boy did we chow down! We made...

--Sauteed chicken with grilled onions and spices
--Grilled vegetables (asparagus with Parmesan cheese, zucchini and yellow squash)
--Bean salad (Jen's creation--so good!)
--Garlic cheese bread
--Sweet Potatoes
--Baked Apple with cinnamon and sugar

Dessert: Swirl pudding cups. The perfect end to a GREAT meal.

We talked, ate, laugh, ate, pondered things and ate some more. The food was not only good for the belly but the time and conversation together was good for the soul.

And we went on a walk after dinner to help digest all that food! And Jen almost got us hit by a car...good thing I grabbed her arm and saved us :) Right, J.lo?

Again I'll say it...I love summer and I really love summer nights.

Love This Family!!

Though this picture may be a little small... this is no small family! The Obwald Family has grown over the years and I've been blessed to see it happen over time! I met Dave and Erin when they didn't have any kids and Dave was an RD at Fresno Pacific while I was a student. Five years later they now have three kids and I had the privilege of working along side Dave for two years as we both served as RDs at FPU.

This family is great. Seriously. Dave and Erin are two of the most authentic people I've ever met. Dave is now the Director of Connections at The Well Community Church. Though I and many others were sad to see him and his family leave FPU, I have no doubt God will be using their whole family in big ways as they minister and serve so many at The Well.

I had the opportunity to catch up with Dave for a little bit after service today at church and it was great. I'm really going to miss working with him--but all good things come to an end and new good things begin.

Thanks Dave and Erin for all you've added and given to the lives of so many at FPU...mine included. Your influence and impact is truly priceless!

Could It Get Any Better?

I really like waffles. And I really like ice cream. So the thought of combining the two sounded heavenly. I saw this on Food Network and thought it was pure genius. It was so genius I had to make one myself. So I got out my waffle maker and scooped ice cream onto the warm crisp waffle...needless to say it was absolutely delicious!

I Love Having Friends I Can Dance With...

And my personal favorite...

Double click on the picture to see it better. I recognize not everyone may want to! :)

The Lord is Preparing Me...

for a future with insects and spiders. I'm convinced of it.

Let's take a trip down memory lane.

1. THIS bug was found in my apartment...on my leg nonetheless. And I screamed like a little girl who just got her ice cream stolen from her.

2. Then there was THIS rodent problem...not quite an insect or spider, but still a living thing that was in my apartment that I CLEARLY did not want there. And again, when I saw it run across my kitchen floor for the first time I also screamed like a little girl, but this time as though I had my fingers slammed in the car door.

3. Then there was THIS incident where the black widow jumped out at me from the cabinet with my pots and pans. I reached down to grab a pot to start dinner and BAM...she jumps out at me and makes me almost fall over. This time I didn't scream, but I almost yelled a few choice words...

4. Next there was the time I purchased a bed frame and opened the box to set it up, only to find cockroaches coming out of the box!! And no, not the little baby cockroaches...I'm talking about the grandma and grandpa's of cockroaches. This time I did scream like a little girl and started stopping them...it looked like I was doing the Irish Jig.

5. And last night...as I was taking the trash out at the house I'm house sitting at, I reach to grab the handle, only to feel a spider web so I quickly moved my hand back and look down to see another black widow! I debated on methods of how to kill it and decided against the "take off my flip flop and smack the life out of it" and decided to grab a can of Raid. I sprayed that sucker the way a bride sprays her hair on her wedding day. Needless to say the Raid won that battle.

All this to say that I'm pretty certain, someway...somehow...the good Lord is preparing me for a future with bugs/insects/rodents...

And I'm really not sure how I feel about this...

Caroline, The High School Grad!

My cousin Caroline just graduated high school last week. She was valedictorian of her class and is now on to USF (University San Francisco). I'm so excited for her...and she gives me one more reason to visit the Bay Area :)

Our whole family is so proud of her. She is so beautiful...inside and out.

Things I Loved About This Weekend...

--Hanging out with Courtney and meeting her fiance Drew. He is so great and they are so great together. I was only able to hang out with them for a few hours, but within that short amount of time I could just tell they made such a great team. I am so happy for them.

--Being in the Bay Area and getting a chance to hang out and catch up with Neen, Scott and Jason. There is something about being around friends who you've known for a long time that is both comforting and relaxing.

--Sleeping in.

--Going to Target with Neen.

--Making dinner all together.

--Going to the beach!

--Eating double fudge chocolate brownies with ice cream made by Scott. That boy can bake!

--Just driving. Thinking. Enjoying the open road. And stopping for a diet pepsi :)

--Good conversation.

--Listening to Scott sing along with Inya.

--Lots of laughter.

Have YOU Ever Said This Before...?

"I think, eventually,
you'll be sad
that you didn't love me.
I think, eventually,
I'll be glad
that you didn't love me."

For many people, these 22 words encompass a lot.

This Sank Deep...

"No matter what, until the moment we are united with Christ in eternity, our enemies will never surrender. They will never stop coming against us. A life of faithfulness does not provide a life without battles.

But, a faithful servant will remember the Master who he serves… A Master who never leaves His servants alone. A Master who grips heaven and earth and can dissipate an army of 185,000 in one night should the need arise.

Our enemies, be they internal, external, physical, spiritual, large or small, will assail us again and again, but that is simply another instance when God has occasion to move on our behalf."

Amen.

My Kind of Street...

This is an actual street sign that I took a picture of in Ohio... I think they are on to something!

Race For The Cure

Saturday, October 25, 2008. Put it on your calendar now and plan to join me (and Jen :) there!

Four years ago I started attending this event because I started realizing how many women are impacted by this disease and I wanted to do my part to help.

My grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. She was able to combat it through treatments of radiation and is now a breast cancer survivor.

My dad's best friend's wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and she was able to receive treatment. However, a few years later the cancer reappeared and took an aggressive approach. Sadly, she lost her battle with breast cancer and passed away 5 years ago.

Jen's mom was also diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and she is also now a strong survivor. That was one of the hardest conversations to have with Jen--not because it was hard to talk about, but because it didn't seem real. I can still remember that phone conversation...

1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer at some point in their life and it is the 2nd most common type of cancer and the 5th most common of cancer death. (Thank you Wikipedia).

All that to say, someone you know will probably battle this cancer at some point in their life (and it's not gender biased--men can develop it too). Race for the Cure is a small way to make a big difference in helping to find a cure through breast cancer research.

Come join me on October 25th at Fresno State! It really is a lot of fun--and you get a ton of cool free stuff!

Free and Clear...

So I wasn't wiped out by a tornado (PTL) and we were "released" from the Tornado shelter a few hours ago. Although the tornado warning is gone, there is so CRAZY thunder and lightening going on outside! I mean LOUD thunder and BRIGHT lightening! It's actually really cool...and border line scary when the thunder makes the building shake a little...!

I've been introduced to a few new things on this trip...tornado sirens, tornado shelters and the loudest thunder I have ever heard. I must say California has a lot of stuff, but the mid-west has us beat when it comes to really cool thunder storms. Hands down they win.

Tornado Warning!

As I type this I'm sitting in a tornado shelter in Ohio waiting out my first ever tornado warning! Apparently, a "twister" has been spotted about 20 miles from where we are.

This insanely loud siren went off and people started running into buildings...! And I'm with a group of about 20 people in this room underground, none of them I know...but a tornado warning makes for a great bonding experience :)

Pretty exciting... I don't know about all this mid-west weather. At the most, we have earthquakes in California...not these crazy tornado's. And the weather here is the craziest thing I've ever seen. It's really calm outside...a little creepy that it's so calm, but people say calm weather is often a sign of good tornado weather.

I'm looking out the window right now, but I've just been told I need to stay away from the window... We shall see!

Nothing like the good ol' mid-west weather to keep you on your toes!

This Post is for Eric...

I found out that next year the annual ACSD conference is going to be at LeTourneau University...in Longview, TEXAS!

Longview is about two hours east of Dallas...so after hearing so much about Dallas, I may just have to go visit it next year!

As long as I don't have to wear cowboy boots and wranglers, I think it will be fun. I mean doesn't everyone wear tight jeans, boots and cowboy hats in Texas, Eric? :)

To see Eric's love for Texas for yourself, go check out his recent post...

The Buckeye State...

I'm in Ohio right now attending a confernce called ACSD (Association for Christians in Student Development) with a few of my fellow co-workers from FPU. My parents are both from Ohio, so I have to say I've spent my fair share of time in this state. But I also have to say, it's a really beautiful place this time of year. Everything is SO green and there is SO much land all around. Much, much different then California.

And when people ask what school I work at and what state I'm from and I tell them FPU in California...I always get the same response: "It must be nice to live in California!" I smile every time. For most people outside of CA, California = beaches and beautiful weather--which we do have, but we just don't have those things in Fresno...especially not in the summertime.

This was the first day of the conference...three more to go and I'm looking forward to it. This is my 3rd ACSD conference, so it's been fun to reconnect with friends I've made over the years that work at other colleges/universities.

Today a group of us from FPU went to the United States Air Force Museum. It was amazing. That will have to be a whole other post on it's own, but if you like U.S. history, you would love this museum (Jen *cough cough*).

Time for bed now. This three hour time difference is wearing on me, and as soon as I get used to it, it will be time to head back home!