what a joke groundhog day is, and the whole PUNXSUTAWNEY Phil thing.  but i guess it is an American tradition.  and he saw his shadow, so another 6 weeks of winter, but i live in California and we are just being poured on, which is good for the mountains as Kristen and I saw this weekend at Bear Valley.  powder, no lines, sunshine, beautiful views, some moguls, good roads, all around excellent first time skiing in Cali.

dave and i went hiking down at Lake Chabot before church on Sunday, a little 9 miler around the lake.  it was pretty easy as we did it in less than 3 hours.  we got our sustinance at Jim's on the Green from chocolat chip pancakes and coffee. 

and church rocked, like usual, learning from the Gospel of John from the passage chapter 6:22-59.  It talked about the SEARCH for eternal life, the SOURCE of eternal life and the SECURITY of eternal life. 
SEARCH: So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. v24
SOURCE: Jesus Christ is the only way to have eternal life. "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." v40
SECURITY: "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out." v37

what a blessed assurance!

be blessed with God's grace and joy :)

Friday morning i did not ride the bike to work since we had our LE fitness test in the morning. i did 42 pushups, 49 situps, and ran the mile and half in 10:22. i think the course is short as i am not that fast. but it was a good little workout. for lunch i played ultimate and then went hiking with Valerie and Duke after work up Mission Peak and running down. the cows on the side of the hill was the most interesting since they are so protective of their calves and didnt particularly like Duke (the half golden half poodle)

Early Saturday i took off for Sheryl's house and we went into the City for a session of the Campus Crusade for Christ Epic conference. it is a branch focusing on Asian Americans. the speaker Dr. Ken Fong talked about the four chapter Gospel which is similar to my favorite way to explain the Gospel: Two Ways to Live. The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple. It is a message from the Bible about God and his son Jesus. It is a bout life and death, and the choice that we all face.  It all starts with a loving creator God...
1. God is the loving ruler of the world. He made the world. He made us rulers of the world under him. (You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.) Revelation 4:11
2. We all reject the ruler- God- by trying to run life our own way without him. but we fail to rule ourselves or society or the world.  (There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. All have turned away.) Romans 3:10-12
3. God won't let us rebel forever. God's punishment for rebellion is death and judgment. (Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.) Hebrews 9:27
4. Because of his love, God sent his Son into the world, the man Jesus Christ. Jesus always lived under God's rule. yet by dying in our place he took our punishment and brought forgiveness of sin. (Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.) 1 Peter 3:18
5. God raised Jesus to life again as the ruler of the world. Jesus conquered death, now gives new life and will return to judge. (In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.) 1 Peter 1:3
6. and the decision: A. OUR WAY: reject the ruler- God, try to run life our own way RESULT: Condemned by God, facing death and judgment
B. GOD'S NEW WAY: submit to JEsus as our ruler, rely on Jesus' death and resurrection RESULT: Forgiven by God, given eternal life   (Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.) John 3:36

Then we met up with Rachel and had some fish and parmesaen chips and got our makeup done at the Benefit counter for free.  I had to take off early to go babysit the Thorpe's out in Danville and that was an adventure.

Sunday was my day of rest, cleaning house and making an scrumpatous breakfast of spinach and pepperjack omlette, avocado, corn, black beans and salsa. the afternoon started with membership class at Pastor Kevin's house. Then was church and EJ joined me which was awesome.  it was the first time Kevin preached as lead pastor but continued on with our study of the gospel of John.  I went back to EJs house for dinner with his roommate and gf and had prime rib, broc and potatoes. yum. and i was voted out of membership at CHBC. what an excellent church it is. i will miss them dearly, but will be becoming a member out here at Urban Grace shortly.

Monday i chillaxed and did a lot of reading Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, before cooking dinner of salmon, butternut squash and peas and watching the Bachelor with a glass of wine.

thank you Martin Luther King, Jr. for your positive impact on our nation

Be blessed

I am sitting at my kitchen table sipping a Sam Winter lager as I read and digest today's daily Bible passage. The old testament text was Jeremiah 31:1-32:44 talking about the new Isreal which took place with Jesus death and resurrection. He will never leave Israel. "You will pick up your tambourines again and dance with those who are joyful ... I will change their sadness into happinessj I will give them comfort and joy instead of sadness" -31:4,13. "This is the agreement I will make: I will put my teachings on their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people... I will forgive them for the wicked things they did, and I will not remember their sins anymore!" -v33,34

And then the New Testament passage from Paul to Timothy about gender rules. "First, I tell you to pray for all people, asking God for what they need and being thankful to him. Pray for rulers and for those who have authority so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God." -1Tim2:1-2

it is the next part that is difficult, especially in our society and me personnaly, "Let a woman learn by listening quietly and being ready to cooperate in everything. But I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to listen quietly, because Adam was formed first and then Eve. And Adam was not tricked, but the woman was tricked and became a sinner. But she will be saved through having children if she continues in faith, love and holiness, with self-control." v11-15

It is tough for me to swallow/digest/figure out. Is this literal? Should I change my profession? And I will be saved through childbirth? Or women in general? And listening is not my forte, so I will have to work on that. But like Paul said in the beginning of the text, pray for all people. So please pray for me, that I may fulfill my womanly role and embrace it.

Be blessed! Any thoughts appreciated.

i am chillin at my brothers house up here in Fremont. we just finished up No Country for Old Men. i hadn't seen it before, but it was, i wouldn't say enjoyable, but a good movie. as my brother put it, he said that he did everything right and still died. circumstances, i guess.

this morning i went to alfred angelo again with crystal. we missed tiffany today. she had her appointment with the seamstress to get her gorgeous gown altered. i really hope i can go to her wedding. if this ship gets in the way of another friend's wedding that i am already a bridesmaid for... i dont know what i will do. i am distraught.

and just for my future reference, i did a rough estimate on how many miles i travelled this year: 30,180 miles (or nautical miles where applicable). washington, DC to north carolina, to maine via newport, rhode island and newport to california via north dakota. then there was flying to rome and sailing to california. and the patrol to alaska and back. and the vacation to turkey. it was research for my Christmas card that i have not even sent out much less printed :) oh well

be blessed

Where is the line to see Jesus?
by Becky Kelley.



be blessed

i hung out with my mom yesterday and today in the beginning of my Seattle Christmas Vacation. yesterday we went shopping to Sephora getting new eyeliner, mascara and the (hopefully) perfect shade of new lipstick. then we trekked to Daniel Smith artist studio for a smock so i wont have to change my clothes when i want to paint. and finally to roadrunner sports for some critique of our running and recommended shoes for our type. i am medium, not a surprise and mama is high arched, yet again, no surprise here. i still like Super Jock 'n Jill, but that is up by Greenlake and this is just down in the Kent Valley.

this afternoon after we picked up Grandma Es from Crista Shores, we came back to our house to make approx. 8 dozen cookies, well a few dozen candy cane cookies so far and the rest are chillin for tomorrow. i really want to go to church on Christmas Eve, but logistically i am not sure if it will work. i pray it does and my family gets to hear the Gospel.

tonight i met up with Ben, Caitlin, her 2 friends, Crystal and Brandon for Avatar. one: it was long, two: i had high expectations, three: my friends said i would cry-- i didn't and 4: it cost $300 million to make. crystal got dizzy with the 3D IMAX. after the movie we headed down to the Yardarm, basically to show Caitlin what our town of Des Moines is all about. and it was packed, but we were lame, drinking our $8 pitchers of Bud Light. i was dressed up in my jeans and Alaska Ship Supply sweatshirt.

time for bed as it is already Christmas Eve. Be Blessed! and Merry Christmas

we are here again.

our evaporator decided to stop making water so we had to come back into Dutch to fix her and get topped off. this included doing our laundry which was prohibited for the past week. and there were only a few hours during the day where we could take sea showers (get wet, turn off water, soap, rinse). so it was nice to take a "hotel" shower including some Double Fast Luck shower bomb from Lush. it makes showers, especially underway, so much nicer.

we are in bravo-6 status meaning we have to be ready quickly to respond to an emergency, therefore no drinking. so last night i went out to dinner with my new sponsor family, Dick and Vickie and had some sablefish (black cod) and udon. if you have never tried black cod, do it ASAP.

this morning i woke up to my balance ball that i use for my chair and doubles for workouts, deflated :( i was depressed and my pink duct tape did not fix it. but i acquired another one and will try to rescue my old one with some stuff that Dave has.

we were supposed to get underway tomorrow, but the storm was ridiculous last night and will probably be more of the same today. we parted line 6 and was woken up to go supervise back aft as we hooked up additional storm lines in the wind and rain/snow pellets. The brow was struck and everyone ordered back to the ship due to the weather. That night the winds reached 179mph and knocked over the APL crane down the road from us. And the landslide closed the only road between the ship and town for a few hours as well. One of the chiefs’s boot was sucked in by the mud and he couldn’t get it out. So on his walk back he had to keep switching feet to prevent frostbite.

So moral of the story is BITE ME ALASKA and your frozen tundra.

in Dutch Harbor, Alaska again, this time for Thanksgiving. the big things on the agenda are racquetball this afternoon, a game of football: officers vs. chiefs, and 'host a Coastie' for thanksgiving dinner. i am looking forward to all three of these things. the chiefs have been talking smack all week (and we are no angels either). and the people who live in Unalaska are very interesting and wonder how they stand what, seems to me, such an isolated life on this island. we will see. i hope they have stove-top stuffing and cranberries, that is my favorite, besides pumpkin cake, but i dont expect them to have my aunts' famous recipe.

as for life aboard, we rocked and rolled quite a bit and only got to do two boardings since we left Dutch 9 days ago. but we had a morale night of Texas Hold 'Em and Spades, and they expected me to chose between the two. i chose spades, because we play hold 'em more frequently. my partner and i won spades and some of the boys are mad and want a rematch, because they can't believe they lost to two girls. such is life. and it inspired me to remember how to play Euchre. i forgot how much i loved that game.

i finished Carolyn Mahaney's book Feminine Appeal about the virtues of a Godly wife and mother yesterday. She is C.J.'s wife and brings up so many great points. i am neither a wife nor a mother, and i would like to be. i think that God has given me the talents to do so well, i hope at least. someday, in God's time.

a link to my ship's blog

happy turkey day. and be blessed!

This Thanksgiving i am thankful for:
- God's grace and love for me and the rest of His children
- sunshine and the happiness it brings me
- friends to share joys, sorrows and meals with
- new adventures and experiences
- Capitol Hill Baptist and Pacific Hope churches and the amazing men and women of God who are the Body of Christ.
- California and beaches
- family who love and put up with me through thick and thin
- physical abilities to run, bike, and swim
- the ocean and the glory of God it magnifies
- Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross for our sins
- my job and the money it provides to do good to me and others
- coffee


we have been down internet and email for the past few days, and i must say it has been nice to be autonomous.

just enjoying my monday morning in Alaska, drinking some coffee and eating some Trail-Mix crunch cereal. today i want to go to the Grand Aleutian hotel for some lunch as well as the WWII museum. My grandfather died in WWII when his plane crashed into one of the islands in the Aleutian chain during a storm. i completely understand, as one minute it is sunny and blue sky, the next it is hailing, and then snow flurries with gusts over 50kts... in the harbor!

we were delayed getting here because of a massive storm off shore, we waited it out in Beaver Inlet. we tried coming in the day we were supposed to, but the wind was so bad as were the seas and swells. i was in the wardroom with the messcooks (Roberts and Redditt) when the whole room came apart including flying lazy boys and a huge freezer (3'x3'x6') and all the books and chairs accompanying the wardroom table. with the freezer out of its place, the tubs of ice cream rolled around the ground. i hoped the freezer wasn't broken, but i was afraid it was... all that wonderful Tucker's Ice Cream. but it is haphazardly fixed for now.

and the Sabbath, I praise God for the Sabbath. about 12 of us went to the local Methodist church. we arrived early to fresh out of the oven donuts and coffee. they were so nice and hospitable. the sermon was out of Mark 12 about the widow's mite. and it wasn't about giving money. when the widow gave her last two cents into the offering plate, she showed faith in the Lord her God to provide. our offering is showing obedience to God through faith. the sanctuary had a plain wooden cross and big windows showing the snow covered hills. the pastor said there is no need for banners, when God's glorious creation is right outside, always changing with the seasons for our delight.

after church i hung out by the river, watching the salmon, some were decaying after their spawning, most little swimming in their school. we skipped rocks into the lake as well before our racquetball tournament. my team lost, but that was not the ultimate goal. it was a great workout with new friends.

the Boutwell took the UniSea bar and grill by storm saturday night. us department heads chowed down on halibut sliders, pizza and Alaskan Amber. it is such a blessing that we all get along. life onboard could be so much worse. but we stayed out after midnight, thus no liberty vans running, so we walked home in the slush. we didnt realize how far we had to go, but that was an adventure. and i love me a good adventure :)

be blessed with the Love and Joy of Jesus Christ!

My boarding team and i just got back onboard BOUTWELL from our third boarding in as many days. it is red king crab season up here in the Bering Sea and we are making sure all the guys are safe and fishing according to the federal regulations in place. haven't seen any girls onboard yet. and i am the only girl on the boarding team, but i hold my own.

the boat we boarded today brought up pots while we were still on board finishing up the administrative part of the boarding with the skipper. and those crabs were good size. there were no Deadliest Catch camera crew aboard the vessel today. the Blue boarding team boarded one yesterday. (i am on Red).

so we are taking advantage of the beautiful weather. it is 37 degrees, 10kt wind, with waves about a foot, and swells no more than 4. great for alaska in november.

for Halloween last night we had a costume contest and trick-or-treating following. i bought some boots in Kodiak and wanted to wear them, so i matched them up with foul weather gear pants (which are bright yellow) and called myself the Gorton's fisherman. it was fitting since i was in the scullery all night for morale night. didnt get wet at all!
it is holiday routine, so i am going to do some yoga before our junior officer professional development, Sunday night dinner with the Captain, and church.

be blessed all you in the lower 48!

we pulled into kodiak, alaska on friday with much to do before liberty was granted. it seemed like forever really. it was the only day we had in kodiak without fish school. Fish School is divided into three groups, the boarding officers (thats me!), the boarding team members and the operations/nav guys on the bridge and combat during our boardings. our primary mission out here in Alaska, besides search and rescue is called living marine resources meaning saving the fishes in Alaskan waters. but there is not too much open fisheries this time of year, maybe some crab, some long-liners, but not too much.

the best part of our port call was on Sunday after we finally got out of class and hiked Mount Barometer (2500ft). on the trek were the CAPT, XO, OPS, jason, marcus and anthony. we layered up but it was such a nice day that i ended up shedding some layers along the way. there were many false summits and we were racing the clock, therefore not much time to stop and enjoy the incredible view of Women's Bay, the Coast Guard base, the other snow covered mountains around us or the Gulf of Alaska beyond. it was steep. we had to do some bouldering and i am glad i brought my hiking boots from back in the day when i climbed Mt. Adams.

after summiting and seeing snow for the first time on the north face, we descended, not adhering to the trail, but hopping like bunnies or like going through moguls, just running down. it was so freeing! what a great testament to God's love for us, that he created this beauty solely for our enjoyment. i was not happy that i had to go to class instead of church, but hiking makes me pray which is just talking to God, so of course it was beneficial.



but 4 days in Kodiak is enough for me, nice place to visit, too small and islandy to live.

be blessed

We are sailing up to Alaska, not seeing too much wildlife yet, but I am sure that will change once we hit the Bering and get closer inland. It may be that I have only had one watch and that was this morning on the 0400-0800 and sunrise was at 0734, so not much time to see much. I was discouraged this morning as I could not go to sleep before my watch. After hitting the rack at 2100, the most sleep I could get was 6 hours anyways, but I couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t like I was all that stressed out, or hungry, or full, or thirsty, and the boat wasn’t rocking too much, so I read my book, watched some NCAA football replays and tossed and turned. I slept for an hour from 2-3 and was glad that it is Sunday so I went back to sleep after watch no problem.

So now I am drinking some coffee, watching the end of the Saints/Giants game before the SEAHAWKS come on. My jersey is in my closet, just waiting to get worn. We are going to have church tonight after flight quarters!

I took full advantage of the nice weather yesterday after small boat ops and flight quarters to do a couple laps. I can tell that I haven’t run in awhile because 3 miles (30 laps) didn’t come too easily. Just been biking and swimming recently, so am excited to get back in the ‘run of things’. It was a balmy 57 degrees and probably the last time I will be able to run in a t-shirt and shorts, and without a helo to get in my way.

The pitch and roll aren’t too much, but everything is secured for sea. My computer, chairs, garbage can, books are all bungeed up and I put Velcro on my coffee cup so it can stay in place as I type. It’s the important things in life :)

An excerpt from the book “Through All the Years” by James Foley follows. It was my late-grandpa Neal’s book.

Time is just a little fleeter;
Friendship just a little sweeter,
And the fruits of memory mellow
As the years and years go by.
Old friends seem a little dearer;
Hearts to hearts a little nearer,
When the leaves turn red and yellow
Underneath the Autumn sky.

And it reminded me of “Orange Sky” by Alexi Murdoch

I had a dream I,
Stood beneath an orange sky,
I had a dream I,
Stood beneath an orange sky,
With my brother standing by,
With my brother standing by…
Brother you know, you know,
It’s a long road we’ve been walking on,
Yes it is, yes it is, you know,
Such a long road we’ve been walking on,

I had a dream I,
Stood beneath an orange sky,
I had a dream I,
Stood beneath an orange sky,
With my sister standing by,
Is said, here is what I know now sister,
My salvation lies in your love,
My salvation lies in your love,
My salvation lies in your love,
In your love, in your love.

But you know I am so weary,
And you know my hearts been broken down,
Sometimes my mind is too strong,
Too strong, too strong to carry on,

When I am alone,
When I have thrown off the weight,
of this crazy stone.
When I’ve lost all care for the things I own,
That’s when I miss you,
You who are my own,
That’s when I miss you,
You who are my own.

Here is what I know now brother,
here is what I know now sister,
My salvation lies in your love,
My salvation lies in your love,
My salvation lies in your love,
In your love, in your love,

I had a dream I,
Sat beneath an orange sky,
With my brother and my sister standing by.

BE BLESSED

Heading North to Alaska tomorrow and will be gone until right before Christmas. I will try to update more often, since i will have internet.  i dont have internet at my house, so it makes updating hard.

putting a check in the box for my 49th state as soon as we get into Alaskan waters.  and am gonna be bundled up with all my new gear from REI and old clothes in my Ski Stuff Box under my stairs.  Looking forward to climbing Mt. Barometer and doing some freezing cold boardings. i am the only qualified boarding officer and the only one with any experience, and none in Alaska.  but that is why life is an adventure, right.

and i miss my parents, they are out to sea too on a cruise, so i had to say goodbye via email. no bueno.  but at least i got to have dinner with my good friend Julia last night when she flew in from DC. we had some sushi, caught up, talked about the Church, men, work, life. i love that girl, she rocks. now i am enjoying my day of standdown, watching Top Chef on demand before i go pick up my bike from the shop.

Be Blessed friends!!!!

get ready for Shake Out 2009 California.  Drop. Cover. Hold On. 10:15am on 10/15.  be prepared for earthquakes!

Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. -The Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians

4 Truths About the Coming Resurrection

October 15, 2009  |  By: Matt Perman  |  Category: Commentary

When Christ returns, he will raise the dead. All of the dead will be raised (Acts 24:15). What does this resurrection mean for believers?

One of the most helpful passages on this is Philippians 3:20-21:

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject all things to himself.

This passage is so helpful because it gives us a guiding principle for how to think about the resurrection: Jesus will transform our body to be like his glorious body (see also 1 Corinthians 15:48-49).

This tells us at least four things about the coming resurrection.

1. The Resurrection Will Be Physical.

We will not be ethereal spirits throughout eternity, but will be raised with physical bodies forever.

We know this because, first of all, that’s the meaning of the term resurrection. More significantly, we know this because Jesus was raised physically from the dead (see, for example, Luke 24:2; 39-43), and this passage here tells us that our bodies will be like his. Since his resurrection was physical, ours will be as well.

As a side note here, it is worth noting: Jesus still has his body and will have it forever. When speaking of Christ’s return— a time in the future— the text says that he will transform our body “to be like his glorious body.” Jesus still has his body now; he will have it when he returns; and he will have it forever.

2. The Same Body that Dies, Gets Raised

We often talk of getting “new bodies” at the resurrection. And that does get at a truth (which I’ll cover next), but we shouldn’t understand that to mean that God ditches our bodies that we have now and starts from scratch.

Our bodies will be raised, not abandoned. That’s the meaning of the term resurrection. We believe in the resurrection of the dead. The body that dies, rises.

This follows, once again, not only from the meaning of the term “resurrection,” but also from the fact that Christ was raised in the same body that died. That’s what the empty tomb shows, as well as the scars (John 20:27). Since Christ’s resurrection is the pattern of our resurrection, we will therefore also be raised in the same body that dies.

3. Our Bodies Will be Transformed

The same body that dies rises, but not to the same state. Right now our bodies are in a “lowly” state. They will be raised to a glorious state—just like Jesus’ body.

As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, our current bodies are perishable, lowly, and weak. Our resurrected bodies will be imperishable, glorious, and powerful. And, they will be spiritual, which means fully directed and empowered by the Spirit.

4. We Will Be With Christ Forever

Last is the best news of all: Once we are raised, we shall always be with the Lord. Paul brings this all together well in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18:

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

i have so much to back-post about, the rest of TAO school, my XC drive, but i will start here. i worked late on friday because i took thursday off to go to Napa Valley and do some wine tasting with Tiff and Crystal on their last day in NorCal. we only went to one vineyard Folio Winemakers Studio which is a Michael Mondavi winery (son of Michael) and had a 2 tastings for 1 thus costing us $20 for 18 tastes.  and the traffic was non-existent on the normally flooded roads.  we stopped for lunch in berkeley at a cute cafe called Cafe Laila before heading to the airport and saying our goodbyes.  i took the bus home.

so as i was saying, i worked late on friday doing my E-4 and E-7 marks because i needed to be distraction free which i do not get during the workday.  i headed to the oakland ferry terminal and met james to go to the giants/cubs game. he was decked out in his cubs gear, i discreetly wore my mariners hat.  we had amazing seats in row 0 in left center field. there were 5 cubs fans behind us who we talked with.  one of the girls lived in Alameda and her friends were visiting from chicago.  she said she was 27 years old and said that we should come to her party the following night. and we should be friends. so i told "Alameda Annie" i would be there.

on saturday morning i awoke a few minutes before there was a knock on my door.  it was dave (i was expecting him but not that early)  :) and we set off for our hike to Marin county, north of San Francisco.  the book said it was a 8 mile moderate loop taking 4 hours. we hiked down to Stinson Beach (below) and back up in 3hr 20min. rockin!
 



saturday night gave way to the party at Alameda Annie's house where i knew no one except for those i met the night before at the giants game.  it was pretty awkward at first, but i decided i needed to make friends, so i did. and NO ONE there had any affinity with the Coast Guard!!!!  it was an all out party with jello wrestling, limbo, rockin music and bbq. 

Sundays are my favorite days but since i have been in Alameda, it feels more like a burden or like a job interview.  I have not found a church that is a family, Bible-believing, and Gospel preaching.  i think i am so frustrated because i have been praying about this since i got my orders.  maybe if i gave them another shot or spread my wings.  i really dont know what to do.  with my pumpkin spice latte, i read and sat outside on my patio thinking for a couple hours in the sunshine. 

after getting my head out of the clouds, i headed to Alameda's Best Sports Bar... and i was the ONLY ONE in a jersey!!! really?!?! so i sat by myself and watched my Seahawks lose, even in their lime green jerseys. depressing.  i ended my night in Emeryville with Shoney seeing The Informant and having fish tacos meeting up with Kristen there. 

so now Violet is no longer dusty and bug ridden from my XC trip :) and my life is back to normal after a great talk with Andrew. and i kicked the crap out of my fitness test, beating the minimum standards by 5 minutes for the run.

be blessed this week!

well at least they are normally epic, and this was in its own respect. it started like any other weekend... there were 7 girls all dressed up in dresses sipping cocktails at Castle Hill Restaurant and Inn with the cheapest glass of wine for $9. and it was right after sunset and we were chatting on the patio. ...i felt completely out of my league... i was with all of these JAGs, like the tv show. single lieutenants or people married to other service members, and none with kids, so the disposable income and selfishness astounds me. i wore the same dress i wore to Erin's wedding, simple navy blue from express. after our drinks we got reservations at 22 Bowen which is where we had dinner the night of castle dance, so i texted Quigs out in hawaii and said hi. since we were going big, i gave into the peer pressure and pretended like money didnt matter, and ordered the small lobster. i have never had lobster that good. and i remembered the Stoli Doli from 4 years ago. they soak the pineapple in vodka and it is amazing. it was a great meal.
we travelled up the street to meet some friends and then the drama ensued. i did my best to handle it, but ended up going to meet up with Chile and his less drama-filled friends at Fastnet. sigh. much better.
i awoke to the brilliant sunshine which was fabulous because we were going sailing! jen rocked it and showed up with picnic on her back. and this included 2 fresh baguettes, brie, sliced apples, honey, fresh moz, basil, herbed tomatoes, olive oil and two bottles of white. seriously?!?! lovely. i guess we weren't going out in a dinghy. it was an 8 person trip and we sailed around Narrangansett Bay, traversing to the bow or sitting and talking. the day was gorgeous, too hot when we were on land, but perfect on the water. the captain told us stories about the area, and then the Tiger Shark came barreling through and thought how sweet it is that i am living here in Newport for the summer when other people pay for this, and my classmate Steve who is CO of the Tiger Shark does this for his real job, not his fake job taking a class like me! this was good yuppiness.

i had to see Don and Ginny before i left new england, so i went to church with Dan and Lisa first and then made my familiar way back to the Dimmock farm in waterford. they have two new goats, and a new great dane. i made acquaintances quickly. i read my book out in the grass, watching the horses and new goats. a great relaxing afternoon in the sun. after feeding the animals which is an ordeal in and of itself, we had our own dinner at On the Waterfront, i was looking forward to Recovery Room, but the remodeling they have done and the new owners are not as good as they once were :(
we will see what Labor Day brings and see if it turns into EPIC status....

be blessed

Like old days, they still had Officers' Christian Fellowship at the Coast Guard Academy on friday nights. So Violet and i headed out to New London after class for Friday Night Fellowship. Lisa and Dan would be there too!
Mrs. Groves greeted me and i felt so at home. some cadets were there already and i saw one of the girls who was on my ship this summer. i remembered some of them from White Sulphur Springs last fall and the Columbus Day Retreat. it was a small group night tonight which meant no speaker, and Major told me if he had known i was coming in, then he would have let me speak. oh well, the small groups generated a lot of conversation about what we are holding on to in our lives and not letting Jesus have. What is preventing us from serving him? and everything boiled down to our selfishness, our pride and a love for the world. a lot of times my life is comfortable and taking up my cross does not sound like fun.
Doc McKaughn and i chatted for a bit after small groups and he told me how much i meant to him. and that was really special. it is great to feel wanted. he and mom have had such an amazing life and i look forward to what God has for them in retirement :)
and of course i talked to Major forever and was one of the last to leave, but that was perfectly fine. i said hi to Levi who was rocking an Anberlin tshirt. sweet. and the firsties wanted to show me their cars, so i did. but still gotta have Violet.
They are going on their Labor Day retreat next weekend so i wont be at FNF since there wont be one, but would have loved to go. Camp Wightman is a blast. wish i had planned better, maybe i could have gone as a leader. poor planning karen.

After a restful sleep at the Forbes house, we were ready to take on the day, only to awake to the rain pouring down. Susie and their new 'daughter' Sarah were going to head to the antiques show, but was cancelled since it was going to be held outdoors. and Steve had an OCF leaders meeting, so it was just Susie and I, which was fantastic. i kept trying to go running, but it would rain more and more. we hung out inside talking about everything and did all the puzzles in the Sunday paper, including the crossword which i am so bad at.
my friends from church (CHBC), susan and scott moved back up to Rhode Island and it was their son's birthday and i was supposed to go, but it was an hour and a half away from where i was, and there was so much water on the road. Violet doesn't do well in wet roads, so i called and scheduled to make dinner for them tuesday. she is monstrous pregnant and due >2 weeks!!! baby girl.
I went over to Lisa's for the night as Dan was doing his fantasy draft and we got to talking about a subject that Susie and i talked about, the Woman's role in the Church. So Lisa and i discussed and i busted out Systematic Theology off Dan's bookshelf, and the Bible and sorted through. how could we get past the women be silent in church, and the do not teach. what we determined is that women are not supposed to be preachers (yeah already knew that one) but that they should probably not do corporate prayer, nor teach men. so does this mean leading a Bible Study? i have to dig some more. but great food for thought. i just want to do things right by God.
Sunday i made some French Toast for breakfast (andrew's mom's recipe) and it was.... amazing! then we headed off to church. We learned about self-control, the last fruit of the spirit which is what they did their summer series on. that church is great, Gospel preaching, loving people with servant hearts.
After church, we watched the wedding video that had come in the mail the day prior. Lisa looked so stunning the ceremony was beautiful and Christ-centered. it looked like a glorious celebration and i cried, mostly because i wasn't there and missed being by her side. the ceremony was performed by Randy Bond in the Academy Chapel, with the reception following at the Mystic Mariott. i love my friend and it has been so good seeing her over the past few weeks.
time to go study back at school :(

be blessed!

I guess it was Wednesday when I called E D My Beauty to see when her and Chelly and Andrew's sister were coming up for a pre-bachelorette party to go dress shopping and get to know each other. And she said that actually Andrew made BM1 so he would be transferred to Oregon for a 4 year billet. The detailer would only co-locate them if they were married. So today is the day. I drove up last night after class and it took less than 5 hours, even with remnants of hurricane Bill rain and lightning. I met up with Erin, Andrew and their families at a local watering hole. I was the DD as I obviously hadn't drank all day like they all had :) we made our way to the little 7 mts motel and crashed.

This moring I awoke to sunshine on my face, so pleasant. I couldn't wait to see Maine in the daytime. It was pretty last night with all the lights on inside the houses, but I am sure they are fabulous in the daytime. Maine is state #47 for me. North dakota, missouri and alaska left.

We had a little breakfast at 3 dogs cafe before getting all ready for the ceremony. Erin looks gorgeous in her knee length Calvin Klein white linen dress. She is getting hitched this afternoon...well in less than an hour by justice of the peace and the church wedding next summer.

Be blessed Erin and Andrew!

Its Sunday morning and I am laying on my air mattress in the living room. The newlyweds are still asleep. I think I will start breakfast for them soon. Eggs and pancakes? Sounds good to me! Yesterday Lisa and I got Violet washed and vacuumed for $10 very excited, the high school kids did well. Then we hit the road for gilette castle state park. The drive was fun as conn was gorgeous in the sun. We had the top down, sunglasses and sunblock on!

We took the cute ferry which held 7 cars per trip. The guys on the Harleys liked us. We walked/hiked around the park. The bridges were cooler than the castle, linking the two pieces of land over the lily-pad dense stream. And so many cool frogs! Instead of the ferry we took the bridge back and saw small town connecticut. I am sorry to admit, but it was nice. The only caveat is that it is august and not january.

After coming back to the house and getting "prettified" as lisa called it in our dresses, we feparted in Daniels new Mustang to Mohegan sun for my second time this week. Lisa wanted a night out with me, so the three of us shared two burgers, a fry, onion rings and a black and white malted shake. (Each had our own piece of gum for the rank breath afterwards). We came home to the cake that daniel had made which was great, but too big of a piece for me to finish it, even though I cut the pieces... lisa was just so happy to go out and getting dressed is a plus for her.

Regardless of what we did, I am just so grateful to hang out with Lisa and meet Daniel. She is such an amazing woman and we can talk about everything. It is so liberating. We are going to my old church this morning, Groton Bible Church, can't wait as I haven't been to church in 2 weeks. I desperately miss the Church body and fellowship.

On Thursday night I was at mohegan sun with my navy department head classmate Dawn who just lived in seattle. So we went to watch the seattle Storm vs. Connecticut Sun WNBA game. I am not a basketball fan, much less womens basketball, but I can cheer for Seattle loudly anyday in Conn. Voices cracked when yelling Storm, sam summer on tap, storm losing but all around good trip.

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you!