...Or so they say...

The phone rang today.

I didn't answer it.

My mum did.

It was for me.

It was a man.

I was scared.

Haha.

It was Frontier Lodge.

They "would love to have me come." (!) So yeah, I guess I'm pretty happy about it. Kinda nervous though.

New experiences, new trials, new growth...

I leave on the weekend of the 25th (April) and get back in either August or September. They were pretty pumped that I was willing to stay longer then just the normal "summer season". So for now I've commited to the end of August with a "play it by ear" for September and an invite to stay forever. Heh. We'll see. Actually I'm starting to get really excited... it'll be hard to leave here and maybe hard to be there, but I really feel God blessing this whole experience. So yeah...

Some pictographs to express our/my feelings:

Us waiting and waiting for the phone call ----^

Sad to hear that I'm leaving ----^

Us being us, because that's all we'll ever be, whether I'm here or not----^

I LOVE YOU ALL HEAPS AND HEAPS!!

So I was reading my mothers blog and she was saying that she would be giving an update on me next... and I was like... what the heck, shouldn't I be the one giving the updates? And what could she possibly have to update that most people wouldn't know yet? Heh. But then I realized that I haven't really written a post in a while about what I'm doing and how I'm doing and stuff like that... so yeah. This will be it. I think.

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Yesterday we ("young people" from VV Church) went on a hike up at Red Bluff (is it actually called that, or do we just call it that?). The beginning was pretty hard I have to admit... but then again, apparently I'm a pretty big wimp. I had a lot of fun though, and I think we have plans for an over-night trip up there (maybe involving paintballs and war tactics!!) The weather was perfect for a hike, though we weren't really expecting there to be as much snow as there was.

We looked like a little army invasion or something.

The View

Josh being his normal self

Kelsey, Beautiful as always

The Group

The Beautiful Day

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But as for updates guys... er, pardon me... ladies and gentlemen (*), I don't have much to offer except for a bit of not so happy stuff that only a few people know.

Basically, the short story is:

I've been pretty low for the last month or so- unmotivated, unenergetic, unhappy, dissatisfied, confused, hypocritical... and all that "good stuff". Of course getting rejected from CBC didn't help and then on Saturday I got another blow to the already low self image. My boss at Coast Mountain pulled me aside and basically said that I sucked at selling (which I already knew) and that when I came to work next week I needed to come with a "different attitude"... which I really didn't understand, cause I go to work everyday with a cheerful and open attitude. So maybe I'm supposed to go with an aggressive and competitive attitude. And then he sent me home early. So basically now I feel like an academic failure as well as a occupational failure.

In other news... an opportunity has come up for me. Actually it has resurfaced. My dad had sent me a link for a camp a few years ago when they needed some help and though I looked into it, it wasn't really the thing for me at the time. Well randomly a few days ago I started thinking about this camp again... but I couldn't even remember what it was called. I searched for like 2 hours on the internet trying to find out about it, but couldn't find it anywhere. Finally I had little nudge in the back of my mind to check my mums email. I did, and I found a folder she had been saving for me. In the folder was the email from my dad with the link in it! I checked it out and they are looking for spring/summer program staff. It's a pretty sweet camp from the looks of it, and is totally up my ally. (Check it out: http://www.frontierlodge.ca/index.html ) I've printed off the application form and am slowing working through it. It's hard though, cause part of me wants to stay in Kamloops and settle down... but the other half is screaming for adventure, new things, and new places. I don't really feel a particular call to Kamloops though. I will, however, keep looking into all my options and if that involves staying here for a bit longer, so be it.

Well, now I think you've had a bit of an update... but if you want to know more definatly/obviously let me know...

(*) Apparently (according to a "Dear Abby" article) I'm not supposed to call a mixed group of people "guys", I'm sposed to say "ladies and gentlemen" or "guys and gals". I looked it up though, and dictionary.com says that "guys" used informally is "persons of either sex; people."

"And God saw that it was Good..."

I love the story of Creation. Our God is so creative, so thoughtful, so powerful... It blows my mind how people can look at the life cycle of trees, the position of the earth and sun, the natural instincts of animals and still think that it all just spontaneously came to be.

Maybe that's why I have such a passion and love of the outdoors... it's like walking through God own personal art gallery... I'm reminded of that Bible verse... if God puts that much thought and love into the "lives" of flowers, how much more will He love and care for us? Walking through the forests, hills, and wilderness, it feels like I'm surrounded by God's Glory and Love.

We Valleyviewers went on an amazing hike on Sunday. First time we've done Peterson Creek in the winter. It was great fun. ("good times") I think there was more slipping and sliding then there was hiking. I succeeded in ripping my brand new pants right at the bum (naturally... I was able to return them though), Rebekah partly fell in the creek, and Andrew "had a terrible time". This time though we had some new comers - We initiated Ryan Unger, Ryak, Andrew K, and little Curtis into our "Peterson Creek Club". They handled it pretty well, although Curtis had quite the shock when he realized I was really serious about bringing waterproof gear and hiking shoes. He seemed to have a different idea then we do about "hikes". :P
All in all, I had a blast and was quite happy to be surrounded by God's beauty and God's people...

The Ingredients for Life:

30 Minutes of country music

1 Sunglasses tan

1 Watch tan

2 Huge blisters

2 Manwiches (Meatloaf on bread)

1-2 Cans of Diet Coke

12-14 Hour work shifts

Mix together with only 5 hours sleep and some 6 foot waves. Let sit in rain and 72 degrees F for 2 and a half weeks and you have a homesick but content Liz.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while guys... But work has been pretty crazy. This weekend (Labor Day) was the busiest the Ferry Line has had. On Friday I worked 14 hours and then 12 hours for the rest of the weekend. It's been hard cause I get really sea-sick, and even though I'm glad I gave this a try, it's not something I want to do for much longer. It's a little too slow paced for me. I need excitement, adventure, and a fast paced atmosphere.

But still... It's been good being here. I can feel God working in my heart though all this. It's like I went back to the beginning and started fresh with Him. It's cool... I've been reading though Romans 12 once every day... and the one verse that sticks out to me every time is verse 12

"Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder" (The Message)

I know that physically and mentally I'm going through some harder times, but I also know that God wants to use those to break me down and build me up stronger.

Also, I just want to say that I'm sorry for being so bad about keeping in touch with you guys one-on-one... I want to so bad, but having limited internet access and so much work... Man, I love you all so much. You guys all mean so much to me and I'm insanely thankful for you and to you for all your prayers and love.

Well, I'm babysitting my cousins today, so I should go and let my "motherly instincts" take over. :P

Lot's of Love!

Captains Log #1

Date: August 20, 2007
Location: Michigan Lake
Time: 19:33

Today was my first day as a Pirate.
Basically I swabbed the deck.
Literally,
I helped scrub the Arni J. Richter from top to bottom,
Starboard to Port,
Aft to Bow.
I don't really have my sea legs yet though,
So I got a bit sea sick,
And it still feels like I'm on water.

After scrubbing the boat for a few hours,
We got interupted by an over-flow run request.
Meaning there were too many cars for the one ferry,
So we had to pause cleaning ours and use it for an extra run.
Which was great fun,
Cause I got be trained a bit early on what deck hands do.
Of course by that time I was soaked to the bone,
Had 2 HUGE blisters on my feet,
And hadn't had a break.
Never-the-less I struck out on this new grand adventure with a cheerful attitude and a open mind...
In the end,
That payed off...
Literally.
They decided to pay me a dollar more then they first agreed on.

However,
There is one downside to being friggin amazing...
People notice,
And when you're the only girl working,
It's the guys who notice.
Ugh.
There was really only one guy today...
And unfortunatly he's the only single guy my age.
Actually he's the only guy my age.
And I met him a few years ago last time I was here...
And he remembers me.
(I pushed him off a sea-do cause he was being stupid...
appearently he liked it.)
*Shivers*
Of course he was on my work crew,
so that was interesting.

Anyways,
I miss you all SO MUCH!
I'll see if I can get a pic or 2 up here,
But this computar only has dial up so that could be a tough one...