19 August 2010
I'll hop to it... later...
This little exchange happened on facebook around 2 this afternoon:
It made me giggle a little bit. It seems that my cousin's girlfriend does not know of my history of last minute packing (see here, here). I'll get started sometime after dinner. My friends Jamie and Bailey will be joining me as somewhat per tradition-- Jamie and I always seem to be over each other's houses as the other packs at the last minute for some major travels, but I think this is Bailey's first experience aiding in the procrastination/fun of that. My parents are taking me to the airport, leaving home about 6.30 AM for my 11.15 flight from JFK. I don't foresee a stellar night's sleep tonight anyway, since 1. I am already starting to fall victim to Christmas Eve syndrome with the excitement and all, and 2. I have over 15 hours to catch up on sleep as I fly from JFK to Johannesburg (and then a couple more from Joburg to Blantyre, Malawi). Something tells me this will all work out just fine!
14 August 2010
Jersey fresh
Oh, how I love New Jersey. Well, except for the traffic that seems to meet me whenever I try to go somewhere more than 15 minutes away-- that's getting old. But I suppose it's to be expected when your state is this awesome. Everyone wants to check it out.
Anyway. I love food, and am particularly enthusiastic about local food. New Jersey produces a lot of really awesome foodstuffs. I needed to share my last two snacks because they were both awesomely delicious and both grown literally within a stone's throw of where I ate them. I'm sharing them with you so you can be jealous, but also so I have it in writing and can remember how good this was forever.
My last food at camp: wheat toast with elderberry jam, as made by my friends Andrew Walker and Drew Lovering. The elderberries were growing in Lower Meadow, which is about thirty seconds from Lakeside, the cabin I was living in until a few hours. So good.
My first food at home: tomato with fresh basil. The tomato is a Rutgers tomato, bought at Agricultural Field Day this past spring, and planted on the side of my parents' house. The basil has been growing in a little pot on the back porch of the aforementioned Lakeside all summer (also purchased at the aforementioned Ag Field Day). It's kind of a pathetic couple of sweet basil plants, not a ton of leaves, but what was there was delicious. The pot fell over while I was driving home and one of the plants broke, so I ate it with a tomato. So good.
A few weeks ago, a group of staff members got together in the evening and had a lengthy discussion about how we produce and consume food. It was a really great conversation, mainly focused on the local food movement but also covered other ideas about GMOs and other food issues. I really think food is interesting; everyone needs it, so we might as well actually think about what we're doing with it. But beyond my love of cooking and eating and talking about food, Jersey fresh foods are just one of the many reasons why I love my home state.
Anyway. I love food, and am particularly enthusiastic about local food. New Jersey produces a lot of really awesome foodstuffs. I needed to share my last two snacks because they were both awesomely delicious and both grown literally within a stone's throw of where I ate them. I'm sharing them with you so you can be jealous, but also so I have it in writing and can remember how good this was forever.
My last food at camp: wheat toast with elderberry jam, as made by my friends Andrew Walker and Drew Lovering. The elderberries were growing in Lower Meadow, which is about thirty seconds from Lakeside, the cabin I was living in until a few hours. So good.
My first food at home: tomato with fresh basil. The tomato is a Rutgers tomato, bought at Agricultural Field Day this past spring, and planted on the side of my parents' house. The basil has been growing in a little pot on the back porch of the aforementioned Lakeside all summer (also purchased at the aforementioned Ag Field Day). It's kind of a pathetic couple of sweet basil plants, not a ton of leaves, but what was there was delicious. The pot fell over while I was driving home and one of the plants broke, so I ate it with a tomato. So good.
A few weeks ago, a group of staff members got together in the evening and had a lengthy discussion about how we produce and consume food. It was a really great conversation, mainly focused on the local food movement but also covered other ideas about GMOs and other food issues. I really think food is interesting; everyone needs it, so we might as well actually think about what we're doing with it. But beyond my love of cooking and eating and talking about food, Jersey fresh foods are just one of the many reasons why I love my home state.
13 August 2010
my black duffel bag
I've had my black duffel bag for quite a while, at least eight years. This bag has been to Seattle, the United Kingdom, Johnsonburg (I think I first got the bag to take when I did the Leadership Training Program in 2002, actually, and then it's come with me every summer I've worked here), college, western Pennsylvania and the Eastern Shore, among other adventures. One of the zippers has been broken almost the entire time I have owned the bag. There's a collection of miscellaneous airline luggage and other identifying tags.
You can see the black duffel bag under my left leg. This is in Seattle-Tacoma Airport, shortly after I graduated from high school in 2004.
One week from today, that bag will be accompanying me to Malawi! This is an adventure I've wanted to go on for a long time, maybe not always specifically to Malawi, but somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa to do some sort of positive work. Actually, I've probably been hoping for an adventure like this for about as long as I've owned this black duffel bag. My interest first came from learning songs from southern Africa in choir at church. In college, I focused most of my research projects on different issues affecting Africa. And now, I'm finally going to see what it's like for myself.
But today, that black duffel bag will be filled with the things I've had with me at camp this summer. I don't have much here with me-- mostly books, in fact. Johnsonburg is a pretty awesome place and it's always sad to leave. I'm glad I worked here again this summer after a few years away. If nothing else, spending time in the woods has been extremely calming. Working in the kitchen, the hardest question of my day was something like, which vegetables do I need to cut for the next meal? Has the trash been taken out? Do I need to brew another pot of coffee? which frees me to contemplate the more convoluted questions of my thesis. Have I finished that paper yet? No. And it's unlikely that it will be completely done before I leave next week. However, this summer has given me time to figure out the next few steps, which include teaching part time at Rutgers for another semester while finishing up the Masters and looking for more permanent work. And I have been able to get a lot of work done toward the thing in between hiking and swimming in the lake. Oh, and working in the kitchen. In about 24 hours, I'll be done here for the summer and I'll be loading that duffel bag into my car, to head home, do laundry, and start getting organized for Malawi and whatever follows.
You can see the black duffel bag under my left leg. This is in Seattle-Tacoma Airport, shortly after I graduated from high school in 2004.
One week from today, that bag will be accompanying me to Malawi! This is an adventure I've wanted to go on for a long time, maybe not always specifically to Malawi, but somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa to do some sort of positive work. Actually, I've probably been hoping for an adventure like this for about as long as I've owned this black duffel bag. My interest first came from learning songs from southern Africa in choir at church. In college, I focused most of my research projects on different issues affecting Africa. And now, I'm finally going to see what it's like for myself.
But today, that black duffel bag will be filled with the things I've had with me at camp this summer. I don't have much here with me-- mostly books, in fact. Johnsonburg is a pretty awesome place and it's always sad to leave. I'm glad I worked here again this summer after a few years away. If nothing else, spending time in the woods has been extremely calming. Working in the kitchen, the hardest question of my day was something like, which vegetables do I need to cut for the next meal? Has the trash been taken out? Do I need to brew another pot of coffee? which frees me to contemplate the more convoluted questions of my thesis. Have I finished that paper yet? No. And it's unlikely that it will be completely done before I leave next week. However, this summer has given me time to figure out the next few steps, which include teaching part time at Rutgers for another semester while finishing up the Masters and looking for more permanent work. And I have been able to get a lot of work done toward the thing in between hiking and swimming in the lake. Oh, and working in the kitchen. In about 24 hours, I'll be done here for the summer and I'll be loading that duffel bag into my car, to head home, do laundry, and start getting organized for Malawi and whatever follows.
08 August 2010
#369: I'm gonna live so God can use me, anywhere, anytime.
In a dozen days, I leave for Blantyre, Malawi.
This morning was my commissioning service at church. People kept asking me if I'm nervous. To be perfectly honest: nope. That is not even remotely how I've been feeling.
SO EXCITED! That is how I am feeling!
The service was really, really wonderful. I was called up at the same time as all of the children, and I was commissioned during the super cute children's sermon. Our pastor basically gave a little geography lesson! "If I wanted to come visit you at your house, how would I find where you live?" she asked the children. "Google it!" replied one girl. Another kid noticed the globe and the atlas she was holding and suggested checking a map. Another kid caught on and recommended looking for streets on the globe. In my mind, I briefly wondered how to explain the differences in scale of a globe vs. the neighborhood maps in the county atlas, but Tory quickly moved on, explaining that we could use the globe to see where I'll be going in Africa. Then she got to the point, explaining the difference between using a map to find the way to places, versus trusting Christ as The Way to get places. Tory explained that I was once a small child sitting on the steps where they were sitting, and I grew up in the church and now trusting God to show me the way... in this case, the way to Malawi. She then invited the children to take part in the laying of hands along with our deacons, elders and pastoral staff. It was really sweet.
The laying of hands really moved me. There are always so many people who come forward! I really do believe it takes a village to raise somebody. My parents have done a really wonderful job, don't get me wrong, but I grew up at PCTR and was raised by a really large, amazing village. In fact, that village extends beyond my church-- I have countless family members, friends, teachers, bosses and coworkers to thank for helping me to get where I am today. It's true. And I like to think now, I'm part of the village, hopefully influencing my youth and campers and maybe even my peers or people older than I am in a positive way. I'm going to Malawi with Villages in Partnership to help deliver supplies donated by PCTR and the Allentown Presbyterian Church, and for two weeks work alongside the people we're helping. Hopefully I make a positive impact there, expanding this whole village thing to a more global system of positive influences.
A few months ago when our Outreach Commission chose today for my commissioning, I asked our Minister of Music if we could sing #369 (I'm Gonna Live So) instead of #525 (Here I Am, Lord-- the quintessential commissioning hymn). And we did. It was just a really beautiful morning, getting me even more excited about this trip and the work I'll be doing.
This morning was my commissioning service at church. People kept asking me if I'm nervous. To be perfectly honest: nope. That is not even remotely how I've been feeling.
SO EXCITED! That is how I am feeling!
The service was really, really wonderful. I was called up at the same time as all of the children, and I was commissioned during the super cute children's sermon. Our pastor basically gave a little geography lesson! "If I wanted to come visit you at your house, how would I find where you live?" she asked the children. "Google it!" replied one girl. Another kid noticed the globe and the atlas she was holding and suggested checking a map. Another kid caught on and recommended looking for streets on the globe. In my mind, I briefly wondered how to explain the differences in scale of a globe vs. the neighborhood maps in the county atlas, but Tory quickly moved on, explaining that we could use the globe to see where I'll be going in Africa. Then she got to the point, explaining the difference between using a map to find the way to places, versus trusting Christ as The Way to get places. Tory explained that I was once a small child sitting on the steps where they were sitting, and I grew up in the church and now trusting God to show me the way... in this case, the way to Malawi. She then invited the children to take part in the laying of hands along with our deacons, elders and pastoral staff. It was really sweet.
The laying of hands really moved me. There are always so many people who come forward! I really do believe it takes a village to raise somebody. My parents have done a really wonderful job, don't get me wrong, but I grew up at PCTR and was raised by a really large, amazing village. In fact, that village extends beyond my church-- I have countless family members, friends, teachers, bosses and coworkers to thank for helping me to get where I am today. It's true. And I like to think now, I'm part of the village, hopefully influencing my youth and campers and maybe even my peers or people older than I am in a positive way. I'm going to Malawi with Villages in Partnership to help deliver supplies donated by PCTR and the Allentown Presbyterian Church, and for two weeks work alongside the people we're helping. Hopefully I make a positive impact there, expanding this whole village thing to a more global system of positive influences.
A few months ago when our Outreach Commission chose today for my commissioning, I asked our Minister of Music if we could sing #369 (I'm Gonna Live So) instead of #525 (Here I Am, Lord-- the quintessential commissioning hymn). And we did. It was just a really beautiful morning, getting me even more excited about this trip and the work I'll be doing.
01 August 2010
the other other big regional airport...
I can now say I've driven to all of the major regional airports!
You've recently heard about my adventure to JFK. I've also written about Philadelphia and plenty about Newark. Well, this week I was asked to pick up some people from LaGuardia! Camp's previous program director was flying in from the midwest with his sons to spend a week with us at Johnsonburg. I was happy to make the trip because
1. I never mind going for a drive,
2. I enjoyed working with Brian a number of years ago and was looking forward to catching up,
3. I wasn't planning on doing anything else last night besides eventually sleeping
4. Now I can say I've driven to all of the major airports in the area!
The debacle that ensued is probably entirely my fault; as I was leaving around 3PM, I grabbed a book at the last minute, just in case they were running later than the expected 5PM landing. Plus, it should only take an hour and a half to get there... ha ha. I'm not sure who was having more fun until I arrived at the terminal at 6.30, Brian and his two boys at LaGuardia, or me stuck on the interstate. Oh man. But, as soon as I got past the toll plaza on the George Washington Bridge, it was smooth sailing and really lovely views down Harlem River Drive and across the Triboro Bridge, and a very easy drive back to camp with a stop at a diner on the way (because his sons needed to experience New Jersey properly).
What I enjoyed most about the drive back was probably listening to Brian pointing out various things about New Jersey to his sons. I'm usually the NJ tour guide, so it amused me to hear what someone else would notice and remember. Brian grew up at Johnsonburg and worked there for many years, so had a lot of great anecdotes to share about camp is well. Aside from the traffic heading into the city, it was a pleasant enough way to spend my evening off, and we're all glad to have Frick back with us for a week.
And now I know how to get to LaGuardia too, just in case anyone else ever needs picking up there!
You've recently heard about my adventure to JFK. I've also written about Philadelphia and plenty about Newark. Well, this week I was asked to pick up some people from LaGuardia! Camp's previous program director was flying in from the midwest with his sons to spend a week with us at Johnsonburg. I was happy to make the trip because
1. I never mind going for a drive,
2. I enjoyed working with Brian a number of years ago and was looking forward to catching up,
3. I wasn't planning on doing anything else last night besides eventually sleeping
4. Now I can say I've driven to all of the major airports in the area!
The debacle that ensued is probably entirely my fault; as I was leaving around 3PM, I grabbed a book at the last minute, just in case they were running later than the expected 5PM landing. Plus, it should only take an hour and a half to get there... ha ha. I'm not sure who was having more fun until I arrived at the terminal at 6.30, Brian and his two boys at LaGuardia, or me stuck on the interstate. Oh man. But, as soon as I got past the toll plaza on the George Washington Bridge, it was smooth sailing and really lovely views down Harlem River Drive and across the Triboro Bridge, and a very easy drive back to camp with a stop at a diner on the way (because his sons needed to experience New Jersey properly).
What I enjoyed most about the drive back was probably listening to Brian pointing out various things about New Jersey to his sons. I'm usually the NJ tour guide, so it amused me to hear what someone else would notice and remember. Brian grew up at Johnsonburg and worked there for many years, so had a lot of great anecdotes to share about camp is well. Aside from the traffic heading into the city, it was a pleasant enough way to spend my evening off, and we're all glad to have Frick back with us for a week.
And now I know how to get to LaGuardia too, just in case anyone else ever needs picking up there!
15 July 2010
50,000+ miles later
Rather than spending this week's day off on my graduate work, I instead spent it driving great distances within my beloved state to see my beloved undergrad advisor, who was vacationing with her family in Cape May Point. I figured, when in doubt about my masters, visit the person who has actually already successfully seen me through obtaining a degree. This was a great choice for several reasons:
1. I got to drive basically the entire length of New Jersey.
1a. This included going straight through the Pinelands National Reserve, pitch pines and wetlands galore, oh happy day!
2. I got to swim in the ocean (sort of, it was kind of where the Atlantic meets the Delaware Bay, but there were waves, and salt, and that's all that matters).
3. I got to chat about things, grad school related and not, with someone totally awesome.
3a. It's reassuring to discuss my challenges in grad school with Melina because she knows me as a student, and she successfully went through the same program I'm in.
4. Melina has really cute children. REALLY cute.
So, 380 miles over the course of about 36 hours was pretty sweet. I visited my parents and slept at home in Toms River, which was nice. The trip back to TR from Cape May was not so nice though. That part of the Garden State Parkway is under quite a bit of construction, and received heavy rains on and off during the day. It wasn't actively raining as I drove by the start of the construction zone, around mile 60, but I saw a truck a little ahead of me hit a pretty deep puddle, so I tapped the brake to slow down a little before getting to it myself. Unfortunately, the water started way sooner than I had thought, and I began to hydroplane a little. I stayed under control for a few moments before careening toward the guardrail along the left lane and then starting to fly toward the construction zone--and cars-- in the right lanes. I began to spin a little bit, and as the rear of the car headed perpendicular to the right side of the road and I saw a car heading toward my door, I panicked and slammed the brake, which sent me spinning into the construction zone, taking out a few of those orange barrels and finally coming to a stop, facing in the right direction in a huge puddle in the construction area.
I think I'm a pretty good driver; I do enough of it. In fact, this morning I broke 139,000 miles on my little (now scratched up) car, which is more than 50,000 more than I bought it with just over 3 years ago. That's a lot, considering I'd drive it to college and leave it parked for most of the semester, for the first year I had it. When I drive, I'm often more worried about other crazies around me than my own ability. However, yesterday afternoon, I am extremely grateful for all those around me on the Parkway who were on their game, paying attention and driving carefully. The fact that my faithful automobile and I weren't harmed means that we can enjoy more roadtrips together in the future, starting with this weekend, when I drive great distances in New Jersey again to deliver my friend Tim home to South Seaside Park for his birthday, and go to the Ocean County Fair to celebrate it with our friends.
1. I got to drive basically the entire length of New Jersey.
1a. This included going straight through the Pinelands National Reserve, pitch pines and wetlands galore, oh happy day!
2. I got to swim in the ocean (sort of, it was kind of where the Atlantic meets the Delaware Bay, but there were waves, and salt, and that's all that matters).
3. I got to chat about things, grad school related and not, with someone totally awesome.
3a. It's reassuring to discuss my challenges in grad school with Melina because she knows me as a student, and she successfully went through the same program I'm in.
4. Melina has really cute children. REALLY cute.
So, 380 miles over the course of about 36 hours was pretty sweet. I visited my parents and slept at home in Toms River, which was nice. The trip back to TR from Cape May was not so nice though. That part of the Garden State Parkway is under quite a bit of construction, and received heavy rains on and off during the day. It wasn't actively raining as I drove by the start of the construction zone, around mile 60, but I saw a truck a little ahead of me hit a pretty deep puddle, so I tapped the brake to slow down a little before getting to it myself. Unfortunately, the water started way sooner than I had thought, and I began to hydroplane a little. I stayed under control for a few moments before careening toward the guardrail along the left lane and then starting to fly toward the construction zone--and cars-- in the right lanes. I began to spin a little bit, and as the rear of the car headed perpendicular to the right side of the road and I saw a car heading toward my door, I panicked and slammed the brake, which sent me spinning into the construction zone, taking out a few of those orange barrels and finally coming to a stop, facing in the right direction in a huge puddle in the construction area.
I think I'm a pretty good driver; I do enough of it. In fact, this morning I broke 139,000 miles on my little (now scratched up) car, which is more than 50,000 more than I bought it with just over 3 years ago. That's a lot, considering I'd drive it to college and leave it parked for most of the semester, for the first year I had it. When I drive, I'm often more worried about other crazies around me than my own ability. However, yesterday afternoon, I am extremely grateful for all those around me on the Parkway who were on their game, paying attention and driving carefully. The fact that my faithful automobile and I weren't harmed means that we can enjoy more roadtrips together in the future, starting with this weekend, when I drive great distances in New Jersey again to deliver my friend Tim home to South Seaside Park for his birthday, and go to the Ocean County Fair to celebrate it with our friends.
03 July 2010
To live your life, you've got to lose it
I'm pretty exhausted as I write this, both physically and emotionally. I just got back from a week of youth home repair mission work in the cornbelt of the eastern shore of Maryland, which was really awesome, but definitely lacked in the sleep department after an intense week prior. Some of the highlights:
Corn. So much corn. I drove down separately from my youth group-- they left from Toms River after church; I worked breakfast and lunch at Johnsonburg. My route took me through the western part of New Jersey, which is pretty much all cornfields alternating with forests and cute little old towns. I spent a little bit of time in traffic on I-95 going around Philadelphia, a little bit of time navigating busy state roads around Wilmington, and spent the rest of my trip on various county and state roads through cornfields galore (well, with some soybeans sprinkled in). I basically spent the entire week in the cornbelt of the Eastern Shore. So much corn. Very relaxing.
My youth. I cannot begin to share how great my youth group is. This year we had 24 kids (and 10 adults... the ratio is not normally so absurd, but I think this may be a piece of the reason everything went so well), mostly going into 8th grade but a few going into 7th and 9th. I love this age group. They are just starting to become interesting people who you can actually have a conversation with if you're willing to overlook how obnoxious they can be. And I totally can, because underneath the snide remarks and occasional silent treatment are some really cool and good kids.
My crew. I was on a crew with another adult (a cop from North Jersey), two girls going into their freshman year, and two guys going into their junior year. Late in the week we were joined by a crew who finished early (a young pastor from New York who reminded me a lot of my older brother, a kid with ADD who would just appear everywhere you looked doing random things like taping his eyes shut, and one of my own youth boys, among others). Together we finished painting basically the entire interior of the house, and built a porch for the back door (in about a day's work, with my supervision!?). We were really excited to finish, albeit late Friday afternoon, and our resident was really excited about our work.
My youth. (Didn't she already mention this? Has she gone all crazysauce on us?) No, I mean my own personal youthful age. In real life, I'm an adult. I'm a leader for our youth group. According to Group Workcamps, I'm an adult (over 21!). However, it took some convincing to get others to acknowledge this. My youth group clearly knows it. My work crew all knew it. It took my resident about a day to figure it out (when I mentioned that I taught a college class). The site coach? Not so much. Despite the fact that I was the only one with experience building things, and was clearly acting as air traffic control on the porch process, I'd ask a question about something like the angle of the railing and he'd just kind of smile and then continue the conversation with any adult man in the area. Group Workcamps Staff? Handed me a youth camp evaluation form, and questioned me for requesting an adult leader form. I know there are some ways women can dress to appear older in the professional world, but how does one appear over the age of 16 when wearing paint-splattered t-shirts and jeans? Suggestions are MORE than welcome. I know I'll be thankful for this when I'm 40, but right now I'd just really like to look like I'm of legal age.
Ukuleles. So I bought a ukulele two weeks ago, because my friend Katie told me to. I do not regret the impulse buy even in the slightest; it's a really fun instrument and much easier than the guitar for my poor gimpy left hand to work. Katie also owned one, so we formed a sort of "band" with our friend Bailey (appropriately called Bailey and the Ukuleles by our youth) to lead youth group devotions each night. It was well received by our youth group, however, here's a curveball NO ONE SAW COMING: a youth group from HAWAII was at this work camp in Worton, Maryland! Seriously! In all my six Group Workcamps, NEVER have I met anyone from Hawaii! And so I gained my status as the 4th best ukulele player in Kent County.
Life: Past, Present, Future. Because I drove myself down solo last Sunday, I also had to drive myself back solo this morning. First of all, I thought back to my days in youth group on these trips and realize how awful it must have been for my leaders to drive back after a week of hard labor and the late nights of youth group shenanigans. At least they usually doubled up leaders to vans so they could switch off; I was pretty exhausted and this trip was way closer than any of the ones I went on as a youth. Second, my route back (which took more like 3 and a half hours) took me over the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which is how I always drove back and forth to college. Whenever I cross the bridge and see the cooling tower in Salem, NJ, I think about one particular journey to Mary Washington when my dad told me that he almost took a job with PSE&G down there (as opposed to where he has been for more than my entire life, with them in Newark, NJ). That really gets me thinking-- how different would my life be if I had grown up in Salem (or somewhere down closer to Philly or Delaware) instead of Toms River? Would I have gotten involved in a youth program like the one at PCTR? Or music? Would have I have gone to the same college, chosen the same major, gone on this awesome trip to Maryland? It's kind of strange/neat to have things in that perspective, especially as the current chapter of my life (grad school and all that has brought) is quickly drawing to a close. It seems though, that everything is working out just as it should.
Tree of the week: American Sycamore. There was a nice big one in the front yard of my worksite with a really excellent crown, meaning awesome shade for lunch and devotions every day. We had beautiful weather all week, but it was nice to sit in the shade across the street from a hay field and just relax a bit. It was also enough shade to welcome a crew from a few houses down to share devotions with us on Thursday and Friday (which the ukulele was also present for).
There's probably a million more things I could say. There's a reason I keep going on these trips (6th Group Workcamp, 9th? 10th? something like that overall mission trip). I'll stop there with the writing, but I plan to continue with my awesome adventures.
Corn. So much corn. I drove down separately from my youth group-- they left from Toms River after church; I worked breakfast and lunch at Johnsonburg. My route took me through the western part of New Jersey, which is pretty much all cornfields alternating with forests and cute little old towns. I spent a little bit of time in traffic on I-95 going around Philadelphia, a little bit of time navigating busy state roads around Wilmington, and spent the rest of my trip on various county and state roads through cornfields galore (well, with some soybeans sprinkled in). I basically spent the entire week in the cornbelt of the Eastern Shore. So much corn. Very relaxing.
My youth. I cannot begin to share how great my youth group is. This year we had 24 kids (and 10 adults... the ratio is not normally so absurd, but I think this may be a piece of the reason everything went so well), mostly going into 8th grade but a few going into 7th and 9th. I love this age group. They are just starting to become interesting people who you can actually have a conversation with if you're willing to overlook how obnoxious they can be. And I totally can, because underneath the snide remarks and occasional silent treatment are some really cool and good kids.
My crew. I was on a crew with another adult (a cop from North Jersey), two girls going into their freshman year, and two guys going into their junior year. Late in the week we were joined by a crew who finished early (a young pastor from New York who reminded me a lot of my older brother, a kid with ADD who would just appear everywhere you looked doing random things like taping his eyes shut, and one of my own youth boys, among others). Together we finished painting basically the entire interior of the house, and built a porch for the back door (in about a day's work, with my supervision!?). We were really excited to finish, albeit late Friday afternoon, and our resident was really excited about our work.
My youth. (Didn't she already mention this? Has she gone all crazysauce on us?) No, I mean my own personal youthful age. In real life, I'm an adult. I'm a leader for our youth group. According to Group Workcamps, I'm an adult (over 21!). However, it took some convincing to get others to acknowledge this. My youth group clearly knows it. My work crew all knew it. It took my resident about a day to figure it out (when I mentioned that I taught a college class). The site coach? Not so much. Despite the fact that I was the only one with experience building things, and was clearly acting as air traffic control on the porch process, I'd ask a question about something like the angle of the railing and he'd just kind of smile and then continue the conversation with any adult man in the area. Group Workcamps Staff? Handed me a youth camp evaluation form, and questioned me for requesting an adult leader form. I know there are some ways women can dress to appear older in the professional world, but how does one appear over the age of 16 when wearing paint-splattered t-shirts and jeans? Suggestions are MORE than welcome. I know I'll be thankful for this when I'm 40, but right now I'd just really like to look like I'm of legal age.
Ukuleles. So I bought a ukulele two weeks ago, because my friend Katie told me to. I do not regret the impulse buy even in the slightest; it's a really fun instrument and much easier than the guitar for my poor gimpy left hand to work. Katie also owned one, so we formed a sort of "band" with our friend Bailey (appropriately called Bailey and the Ukuleles by our youth) to lead youth group devotions each night. It was well received by our youth group, however, here's a curveball NO ONE SAW COMING: a youth group from HAWAII was at this work camp in Worton, Maryland! Seriously! In all my six Group Workcamps, NEVER have I met anyone from Hawaii! And so I gained my status as the 4th best ukulele player in Kent County.
Life: Past, Present, Future. Because I drove myself down solo last Sunday, I also had to drive myself back solo this morning. First of all, I thought back to my days in youth group on these trips and realize how awful it must have been for my leaders to drive back after a week of hard labor and the late nights of youth group shenanigans. At least they usually doubled up leaders to vans so they could switch off; I was pretty exhausted and this trip was way closer than any of the ones I went on as a youth. Second, my route back (which took more like 3 and a half hours) took me over the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which is how I always drove back and forth to college. Whenever I cross the bridge and see the cooling tower in Salem, NJ, I think about one particular journey to Mary Washington when my dad told me that he almost took a job with PSE&G down there (as opposed to where he has been for more than my entire life, with them in Newark, NJ). That really gets me thinking-- how different would my life be if I had grown up in Salem (or somewhere down closer to Philly or Delaware) instead of Toms River? Would I have gotten involved in a youth program like the one at PCTR? Or music? Would have I have gone to the same college, chosen the same major, gone on this awesome trip to Maryland? It's kind of strange/neat to have things in that perspective, especially as the current chapter of my life (grad school and all that has brought) is quickly drawing to a close. It seems though, that everything is working out just as it should.
Tree of the week: American Sycamore. There was a nice big one in the front yard of my worksite with a really excellent crown, meaning awesome shade for lunch and devotions every day. We had beautiful weather all week, but it was nice to sit in the shade across the street from a hay field and just relax a bit. It was also enough shade to welcome a crew from a few houses down to share devotions with us on Thursday and Friday (which the ukulele was also present for).
There's probably a million more things I could say. There's a reason I keep going on these trips (6th Group Workcamp, 9th? 10th? something like that overall mission trip). I'll stop there with the writing, but I plan to continue with my awesome adventures.
24 June 2010
a tale of two creatures who both get ridiculously car sick
I don't usually update this from home base (Toms River), but there's a theme here.
I've been in Toms River for the past six days. I made the trip from my work (about 2 hours) to hang out at home for Fathers Day (my first in the country since college!) and just relax a bit with my family and friends and animals.
Sunday, my parents and older brother and I went up north to spend Dad Day itself with some other fathers I'm related to-- my uncle, my grandfather. I rode with big brother, who is a fine driver, but for whatever reason, the stars were aligned, the sun was in my face, there was stop and go traffic, my medicine makes me groggy, I felt pretty sick for the majority of the trip. Know what though? The irony found within my love of roadtrips and travelling in general is that I am the car-sickest person I think I know. I mean, I've been known to get super nauseous, even need to stop and actually get sick, while driving. While driving! So just imagine me as a passenger for more than five minutes. Dramamine? Makes me sicker. I'm hopeless.
The other real reason I came home was to see my dog. Rumple's been riddled with various types of cancer for the past year and a half or more. She's really hung in there; labs are notoriously stoic. She was diagnosed with a second cancer a few months ago and put on the same pain medicine I take for my pain disorder, and responded so well that we've just kind of kept things that way since then. I was glad to move back home when my funding at Rutgers was up this spring, and hang out with my dog all the time. She's a good companion. She's slept on or next to my bed for years and years. She's my bud. And she's not comfortable anymore. So we have come to the very difficult conclusion that it's time, and will be visiting the vet for the last time this evening.
In our last days together, I've thought a lot about her company over the years. We got her when I was a freshman in high school, around the time that I had mono. The little puppy would sleep all curled up on my shoulder as I napped the days away. However, an even earlier memory of sweet Rumple is when I first met her. Mom and my big brother brought her home from a shelter, absolutely frothing at the mouth. My reaction to the very tiny lab-pit bull mix? Holy crap guys, way to pick the rabid one. She was perfectly healthy though, aside from being royally car sick. After we lost our first dog, Abby, who loved car rides, we vowed that any dog who subsequently joined the family would be brought everywhere. Except, Rumple hates the car so much we often have to take her out the back door and pretend we're not going for a car ride. In fact, training her as a puppy, when she was in big trouble, we'd just rattle the keys and she'd go hide in a corner. Ridiculous.
I took her to the beach for a little while a few nights ago. It was a warm night and no one was around. It's not a long car ride, but we both needed the sea air to settle our stomachs as we walked a few blocks in the sand. Know what though? I wouldn't have her any other way. Someone needs to sympathize with me about carsickness. Luckily our relationship was about more than that. It was about eating cheese and walking on the beach and keeping my feet warm at night and petting her on the nose and playing outside and just being good buds.
I'm going to miss her.
08 June 2010
the other big regional airport
Yesterday my good friend Katie arrived in the US from her home in London. Being as Katie was the one to welcome me to England a few years ago, I called dibs on picking her up from the airport when she arrived for another summer at Johnsonburg.
And then I thought to ask which airport she was flying into.
And it wasn't Newark.
Let's just say, my adoration for Katie Marnham runs deep! I've been to Newark, Philly, Atlantic City and LaGuardia all before, but JFK is out there and quite an adventure to get to. I left camp about 2.30 and arrived at the airport just in time to hear the announcement that her flight had landed, about 4.40. It then took her an hour and 20 minutes to get through immigration, and then took just over another two hours to get back to camp, although we stopped at a diner on the way for a much-needed break.
Driving in and around the city is definitely not on my list of top ten favorite things to do. I love visiting New York, don't get me wrong, but I definitely prefer mass transit. It's really fun to pick people up at airports though, and it's so great to have Katie back in the US!
While sitting in traffic by myself en route to JFK, I was thinking about the end of the summer. My father has offered to drive me all the way to the airport when I head to Malawi. This is incredible to me because:
1. He has always said he would never drive me to the airport if my destination was in Africa
2. Driving to JFK is not particularly enjoyable
(Dad, I'll still think you're a good guy if you change your mind and send me on public transportation! But if you don't take this out, I'm pretty good at getting to JFK now!)
And then I thought to ask which airport she was flying into.
And it wasn't Newark.
Let's just say, my adoration for Katie Marnham runs deep! I've been to Newark, Philly, Atlantic City and LaGuardia all before, but JFK is out there and quite an adventure to get to. I left camp about 2.30 and arrived at the airport just in time to hear the announcement that her flight had landed, about 4.40. It then took her an hour and 20 minutes to get through immigration, and then took just over another two hours to get back to camp, although we stopped at a diner on the way for a much-needed break.
Driving in and around the city is definitely not on my list of top ten favorite things to do. I love visiting New York, don't get me wrong, but I definitely prefer mass transit. It's really fun to pick people up at airports though, and it's so great to have Katie back in the US!
While sitting in traffic by myself en route to JFK, I was thinking about the end of the summer. My father has offered to drive me all the way to the airport when I head to Malawi. This is incredible to me because:
1. He has always said he would never drive me to the airport if my destination was in Africa
2. Driving to JFK is not particularly enjoyable
(Dad, I'll still think you're a good guy if you change your mind and send me on public transportation! But if you don't take this out, I'm pretty good at getting to JFK now!)
19 May 2010
You know how I roll...
...on four wheels, for many, many miles.
I did another one of those quick trips to Virginia. Actually, like I wrote last time, I did two. The first was for the Muddy Buddy 10K in Richmond the first weekend of this month. That was a really good time! I joined forces with a good friend and last year's partner, Brian, who thankfully is not super competitive, thus allowing my slow self to have a good time and not worry too much. It was excellent catching up with him and his family, but I did a lot of driving that weekend, since I was in the midst of finals. I ended up staying with my older brother and his wife outside of Philly for the two nights following the race in hopes that the few hours less driving I was doing would be put to good use on my final paper. Regardless of how said final paper turned out, it was nice to hang out with them for a few days before heading back to Rutgers to administer final exams to my students.
If the circle I drove it that weekend wasn't large enough, how about this past weekend? This is my new personal record for solo distance driving in a day, due to my poor planning. The former record was my trip to Northern Virginia and back in a night; this time I went to Richmond, then further north in New Jersey than I started, then back to Toms River over the course of the weekend-- just over 800 miles total, but just over 550 of them were between Friday morning and the wee hours of Saturday. I had a choir concert, a retreat at camp, and these two friends coming into Richmond from Mali and Montana all in the same 72 hour period. It had to be done.
After choir rehearsal on Thursday night (which ended about 9.45), I drove to my friend Amanda's place in northern Maryland and spent the night, to knock a couple of hours off the Friday travels. Thank goodness for her! On Friday morning, I drove to Richmond to meet up with Jeremy and Brendan, who I haven't seen since November 2008.
Jeremy, myself, Brendan
Our friend Taylor was also in town for the occasion, as well as Brendan's girlfriend Paige. The five of us went out for lunch and wandered around the city of Richmond for several hours while other people were at work. There was the Virginia Art Museum, frisbee in the park, and finally people got off work and congregated at our friend Justin's apartment in The Fan. A few other people I knew in college were there, so it was a lot of fun to see people, but especially the two who moved so far away.
About 11PM, I headed out, destined for camp. My dear friend Cheryl was leading the Jr. High retreat this weekend, and I really needed to be there for it. I arrived at about 5.30AM and crashed on the couch in my soon to be home for the summer before going to breakfast at 8 and helping work the retreat for the rest of the day. (I napped at every opportunity, but definitely slept like a champion the following night!) The retreat went really well. Cheryl is amazing, the weather was beautiful, and it was really nice to see everyone at Johnsonburg.
I drove home late Sunday morning for my choir concert in the afternoon, which went well. We sang Faure's Requiem among other awesome pieces. I'm glad I could be part of all of these things, though I definitely felt it the next day and will not be attempting any other completely insane trips like this any time soon. When I got home, my dad was singing that Johnny Cash song "I've Been Everywhere" to me. He said we need to rewrite the words for me. He may have a point.
Now, did you catch the part where I said soon to be home for the summer? It's true. I'm about to start packing, and will leave for camp in the morning. After a lot of thinking, I decided to work in the kitchen there this summer while finishing my Master's thesis. I'll be living in a little cabin called Lakeside... obviously by the lake... with my good friend Lauren and a pair of crazy cats. I am sure this will result in a lot of adventures, and think this blog may transition into just a general life adventures blog, not exclusive to travelling hundreds of miles in order to make an entry. This is in part because I'll be staying still for a while (which I guess is relative in the grand scheme of things when it comes to me-- I'm going to Worton, Maryland on a mission trip at the end of June with my home church's Jr. High youth group). At the end of a not-really-that-long-while, I'll actually be heading to Malawi (sort of southeast-central Africa) to do a bit of mission work for a few weeks. This will be at the end of August. I'm pretty excited, and have already had all of my shots. My life is getting to be one big adventure these days! Stay tuned, won't you?
I did another one of those quick trips to Virginia. Actually, like I wrote last time, I did two. The first was for the Muddy Buddy 10K in Richmond the first weekend of this month. That was a really good time! I joined forces with a good friend and last year's partner, Brian, who thankfully is not super competitive, thus allowing my slow self to have a good time and not worry too much. It was excellent catching up with him and his family, but I did a lot of driving that weekend, since I was in the midst of finals. I ended up staying with my older brother and his wife outside of Philly for the two nights following the race in hopes that the few hours less driving I was doing would be put to good use on my final paper. Regardless of how said final paper turned out, it was nice to hang out with them for a few days before heading back to Rutgers to administer final exams to my students.
If the circle I drove it that weekend wasn't large enough, how about this past weekend? This is my new personal record for solo distance driving in a day, due to my poor planning. The former record was my trip to Northern Virginia and back in a night; this time I went to Richmond, then further north in New Jersey than I started, then back to Toms River over the course of the weekend-- just over 800 miles total, but just over 550 of them were between Friday morning and the wee hours of Saturday. I had a choir concert, a retreat at camp, and these two friends coming into Richmond from Mali and Montana all in the same 72 hour period. It had to be done.
After choir rehearsal on Thursday night (which ended about 9.45), I drove to my friend Amanda's place in northern Maryland and spent the night, to knock a couple of hours off the Friday travels. Thank goodness for her! On Friday morning, I drove to Richmond to meet up with Jeremy and Brendan, who I haven't seen since November 2008.
Jeremy, myself, Brendan
Our friend Taylor was also in town for the occasion, as well as Brendan's girlfriend Paige. The five of us went out for lunch and wandered around the city of Richmond for several hours while other people were at work. There was the Virginia Art Museum, frisbee in the park, and finally people got off work and congregated at our friend Justin's apartment in The Fan. A few other people I knew in college were there, so it was a lot of fun to see people, but especially the two who moved so far away.
About 11PM, I headed out, destined for camp. My dear friend Cheryl was leading the Jr. High retreat this weekend, and I really needed to be there for it. I arrived at about 5.30AM and crashed on the couch in my soon to be home for the summer before going to breakfast at 8 and helping work the retreat for the rest of the day. (I napped at every opportunity, but definitely slept like a champion the following night!) The retreat went really well. Cheryl is amazing, the weather was beautiful, and it was really nice to see everyone at Johnsonburg.
I drove home late Sunday morning for my choir concert in the afternoon, which went well. We sang Faure's Requiem among other awesome pieces. I'm glad I could be part of all of these things, though I definitely felt it the next day and will not be attempting any other completely insane trips like this any time soon. When I got home, my dad was singing that Johnny Cash song "I've Been Everywhere" to me. He said we need to rewrite the words for me. He may have a point.
Now, did you catch the part where I said soon to be home for the summer? It's true. I'm about to start packing, and will leave for camp in the morning. After a lot of thinking, I decided to work in the kitchen there this summer while finishing my Master's thesis. I'll be living in a little cabin called Lakeside... obviously by the lake... with my good friend Lauren and a pair of crazy cats. I am sure this will result in a lot of adventures, and think this blog may transition into just a general life adventures blog, not exclusive to travelling hundreds of miles in order to make an entry. This is in part because I'll be staying still for a while (which I guess is relative in the grand scheme of things when it comes to me-- I'm going to Worton, Maryland on a mission trip at the end of June with my home church's Jr. High youth group). At the end of a not-really-that-long-while, I'll actually be heading to Malawi (sort of southeast-central Africa) to do a bit of mission work for a few weeks. This will be at the end of August. I'm pretty excited, and have already had all of my shots. My life is getting to be one big adventure these days! Stay tuned, won't you?
20 April 2010
geography adventures
Adventures inherently involve geography-- that's kind of the point of this blog. However, I spent the last week in the Washington, D.C. metro area attending the American Association of Geographers annual meeting. I did quite a bit of couch surfing (thanks to Paul, Scott, Alison and Scott) and quite a lot more catching up with good people.
I drove down on Wednesday morning with a few friends from the Rutgers Geography department. We checked into the conference, which was up in lovely Adams Morgan in the city. We wandered around the National Mall a bit after registering.
The rest of the week was a mix of catching up with excellent people-- a bunch of my friends from college came into D.C. on Friday night to go out with another friend from college who was at the conference and me. I got to catch up with old professors as well, which is always awesome.
On Monday, I visited my dear alma mater, Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg. My friend Hilary had just gotten back to Virginia from Utah late the night before, and joined me to wander around campus and town. It's amazing how much changes in such a short time! Renovations everywhere, new developments across the highway from the original campus block, the geography department is in "diaspora" mode following the movement out of their home building into trailers, and their movement from those trailers upon them partially collapsing under all the snow this winter into other random offices and buildings. It was lovely to see town.
I had a really nice visit to my favorite commonwealth! It's always good to see old friends and enjoy the lovely region. I'll be returning twice more in the next month: once for the Muddy Buddy during the first weekend of May, and again a week and a half later to see two friends coming into Richmond from much further away than I'll be coming.
I drove down on Wednesday morning with a few friends from the Rutgers Geography department. We checked into the conference, which was up in lovely Adams Morgan in the city. We wandered around the National Mall a bit after registering.
The rest of the week was a mix of catching up with excellent people-- a bunch of my friends from college came into D.C. on Friday night to go out with another friend from college who was at the conference and me. I got to catch up with old professors as well, which is always awesome.
On Monday, I visited my dear alma mater, Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg. My friend Hilary had just gotten back to Virginia from Utah late the night before, and joined me to wander around campus and town. It's amazing how much changes in such a short time! Renovations everywhere, new developments across the highway from the original campus block, the geography department is in "diaspora" mode following the movement out of their home building into trailers, and their movement from those trailers upon them partially collapsing under all the snow this winter into other random offices and buildings. It was lovely to see town.
I had a really nice visit to my favorite commonwealth! It's always good to see old friends and enjoy the lovely region. I'll be returning twice more in the next month: once for the Muddy Buddy during the first weekend of May, and again a week and a half later to see two friends coming into Richmond from much further away than I'll be coming.
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