I was made to lay in the sun!

So, it has been just over a week since my sister and I got back from our cruise to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. What a fantastic week! I think that as far as "crusing" goes I am gifted - I do it well! Our ship, the Triumph, was most definitely a "funship" as we made several friends and can you really go wrong in the Caribbean?!







Looks like a "FunShip" to me!








We lucked out with an awesome group of people at our table in the dining room. Two from Australia, two from Bermuda, and two from Chicago. We ended up spending a lot of time with most of them.



Jamaica was too beautiful to describe. We took a tour that sent us down the White River (in the middle of the jungle) on inner tubes. It was amazing. We went with our two Chicago friends Jessica and Julie.









Paradise? Yes.
Aren't Bonnie and I precious in our matching black bathing suits?! Ha.



The ship itself was even exciting: Water slide, pools, hot tubs, clubs, shows, Karaoke, and buffets. Oh the buffets! I think I gained ten pounds just on the first day. Food was available 24 hours a day and in impressive form and volume. I am forever ruined!
I think am missing the 90 degree weather the most. It has been snowing here and my tan is such a waste under sweaters and pants! I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were so many international people on the ship as well. We got back to DIA and was disappointed to see that everyone was speaking English without an accent! We all know I am a sucker for a man with an accent.. they were roaming the decks aplenty! Oh well, I have my "Caribbean Crusing" t shirt (like a fool I realized that by the end of the trip I hadn't bought a souvenir for myself so I ended up buying the shirt on the boat!), my Elvis sunglasses, a tan (for about two more weeks!), good memories, and a hope that I will get to take another cruise adventure again one day.

Bandwagon, here I come!

Well, it seems that I held out quite a while but could do so no longer as I have now joined the official world of the blogger. I guess the peer pressure got to me - apparently it doesn't take much to break me!

Today was another great day in the world of first grade. It never ceases to amaze me how much I have come to love substitute teaching. My personal goal when I was in school was to do all I could to make the teacher cry like a wee little girl. Thankfully only a few have tried that on me. I hate to have to bust "Mean Ms. Jackson" out but luckily only a few kids have brought out the wrath! The best part is that most of them are hilarious and painfully cute. You can't go wrong when you get to work on "good coloring and cutting" or "good line basics" (walking in the hall like normal people). Can I say that the "Ms. Jackson" part is so strange even now, who is that?! I must be getting old though because only the 8th graders and up actually know to sing me the Sorry Mrs. Jackson song. Outkast has brought a whole new dimension to my life!

Church life at Oasis Community is going well. I am still continually adjusting to the life of a youth pastor and to the life of a small church. It is so funny how God chooses to teach us in such different ways than we would ever expect. I find myself going through times of such excitement and of feeling as though things couldn't be better and then before I know it I am wondering what in the world I am doing and why God was crazy enough to think that I could possibly handle a task such as this. Building a ministry... that is for other people who have skills... more than just the nunchuck, bowhunting, and computer hacking skills that I happen to have. (Sorry for the Napoleon reference.. I couldn't resist!) I could go on for days about all the reasons that I am not equipped for the task. Luckily I won't! (You may all breathe the sigh of relief you were waiting for!) I am glad to say that God always steps in and pulls me back in the right direction. Tonight during a bible study I went to, we talked about identity in Christ. What continually sticks out to me is the way that great people of faith take God's Word seriously (shocking concept) and really do die to self. That is, of course, the key to finding identity. I think of Peter walking on water with Jesus and the moment he began looking around at all that was going on around him, the moment he began thinking about himself and not Jesus, the moment he began thinking that the fate of the Oasis Community Youth Group rested completely on the shoulders of his ability... he began to sink. How many days do I feel completely in over my head, buffeted by the waves, drowning? To make matters worse I am promptly reminded that I am only in that place because I thought it was all about me and what I could or could not do. I know that this has been, and will continue to be, a life long battle for me. I want the control, I want to say that I did it. Thankfully I can say that at in spite of my desire to make things happen, my desire to seek God's plan is stronger. Sometimes only by a hair, but the desire is there. So, if He can get me out of the way long enough, the Oasis Community Youth Group might have a chance after all!

Funny, didn't intend to go down that road but that is what has been forefront of my mind the past few weeks. The nice thing about blogging is that I got to say it and you get to choose whether or not you care to read it!