to make up for lost time

I thought I'd make it up to the Pray's and my other blog lurkers (those who check my blog and are secretly irritated I don't update it but I don't know they check it so I don't think to update it...) and update you all pictorally (is that a word) on my life since I've moved back to the sac-towney... er. sacramento.

Here we have some of the lovely woman of the FPC high school ministry at HUME LAKE. Laura Lenters, me, Kathryn, Marie and Renee. We sadly missed my dear Cindy Bal. We had a blast, of course! Very few discipline issues, some RAD RAD conersations, crazy games, intsense spirit days and sweet memories made at the lake :) Nothing like Hume. I got to see a lot of the staff I've worked with in the past up there which was SO fun! Both of my old bosses went from newly married and now both have two kids! My old boss Kevin told me I was one of his best workers... totally flattering because I thought he hated me. Yay!
Here is my cabin. All 10 of them :) They were really fun and a great mix of girls! I think my spleen was rupturing as this photo was taken.

I got a fish! This is my precious nephew Noah holding my fish. My mom affectionatly named the new fish Wooden Spoon in rememberance of my old beta, Spatula. Noah liked meeting him and was an excellent help in picking Wooden Spoon out. He's a good fish.My grama turned 80! We had a real fun birthday party for her during the summer. Swimming. Yummy food. Family and old people.

I visited Lindsay in the Bay area! We hung out with Nonnie and went to Half Moon bay for pumpkins! Then I turned 23.

I got new cousins! My Aunt Jayne adopted two sweet sweet little ones. They're actually related somehow (my gramas cousins somethings great grand kids or something) but now they're just my cousins! Koa is 4 and D'Lila is 3. They are crazy cute and so fun! Love em!
Last but not least here are my girls! Brooke is 7 and Delaney is 4. The first picture is more recent and post Laneys attempt to cut her own bangs. They are adorable girls with hearts of gold! I am so so blessed to be with their family and fall more in love with these little monsters every day I'm with them.

That's all for now! I'll try to post more often so they don't have to be so long!

thanks giving

waiting for the parade to start and inspired by jon and carly's sassiness last night... here is this years thankful list.
The Word. Bridgeway. My family. Coffee shops. Deep conversations. Pumpkin spice lattes and carmel apple cider. Study dates. Flood. Malawi. Mission trips. Rain. Eddie and my hip hop class. Dancing. Singing. Mrs. Leighton. The Barkleys, my nanny fam. Sherilyn Smith. High schoolers and little kids. Coloring. Mountain Dew when I need a kick in the pants. Quality leadership. Naps. The beach. Cell phones (sometimes). Clean water. Bobby pins. Janna, the girl who does my hair. Ruby Tovar. Jeremiah Kim. The Prays. Lindsay. Drill team. Vacations. Laughing. Freedom. Nice people. Shannon. Adam and Corrie Klekowski. Kelly and Cameron Perry. Reunions. Justice. Dan Hoffman. Old and new friends. Heaters. The Bal's. The Battenfields. The military. Cozy sweatshirts. College. Spanish. Al and Rosa. Slippers. Beds. Girls. My mom. Cleaning. Puppies.

Alright alright...
I'm pretty sure no one checks this anymore but I got tagged! I've also heard a few feisty comments from Mr. Jon Pray about my lack on blogging... so Pray family, this one's for you!

1. This one doesn't follow the rules because it's quite obvious, considering my last post was in June. I'm a horrible blogger. I check everyone elses blogs ALL the time... even people I don't know's blogs. Confession: I'm a blog lurker. Heck, I even check Ross the intern's blog... you know, the guy from whatever that late night show is. I love it, I want to be his friend. Heck I want to be everyone's friend.

2. I love and I mean l-o-v-e taco bell. Go ahead, tell me it's cat food, dog meat, I've heard it all but I don't even care! If it is... then bring on the cat food! And squeeze on some extra soupy cheese! I could eat it multiple times a week (and my first year or two in college I did). There isn't one thing on the menu I don't like. Quesadillas, nachos, tacos, Mexican pizzas, gorditas, burritos... love em all. Im kinda hungry.

3. I am a closet hip-hop dancer. Since my first year in college (minus a few year hiatus for San Diego) I've taken a hip-hop class at my gym. It's my favorite. The teacher is hilarious and so much fun and there's nothing like letting your inner back-up dancer out. The people watching on the cardio machines probably laugh at me but who stinkin cares?! I'd like to think that as long as I've danced I've learned enough to make me not look totally ridiculous but I feel slightly cool. Every once in a while someone I know will be working out during the class and realize I'm in there and be bold enough to say something. They're always surprised. I'm lucky if it's someone from church... those are always the most entertaining ones. Give it try one time, just drop it like it's hot. See what happens!

4. I am a HUGE KCRA news fan... and I mean huge! I feel like (or at least like to pretend) I know all the people on there! I was seriously sad when I heard Dave and Lois were retiring, they've been on my whole life! Del Rogers, or who my mom and I affectionately call, Pumpkin Head, worked all the high school football games (which if you knew me in high school was a huge part of my life). I have a serious passion for my favorite meteorologist mr. mark finan. I don't care if he's balding. I've loved him in a weird, Doppler radar kind of way, since I was like 7.

5. I like to rollerblade. That's right. I said it. Go ahead, make fun. Yes it was cool in the 90's and isn't anymore. I'm ok with that. People who live in San Diego don't even really believe me when I say this but it's kind of cool there. People rollerblade on the boardwalk! You just don't notice them because rollerblading ISN'T that weird! My roomie from SD, Brittni and I used to rollerblade from PB to Mission beach on Sunday dates and it was totally cool. Think what you may, I rollerblade.

6. I go CRAZY when people (which is most people in the greater Sacramento area) don't know how to merge! I mean seriously... it will happen naturally if you a. don't come to a complete stop in the merging lane b. don't freak out when i am merging and slam on your brakes when im coming. AND if you do slam on your breaks don't get mad at ME! You're the idiot driver who doesn't know how to let me merge! You're the brake-slammer! Not me! i mean really it's not a hard concept... just make a little tiny bit of room and let me do my thing. People in Southern California get it. They have to. Here it's like the end of the world and no one knows what to do. It's just merging.

ooooh... sorry to end on a sour note.

here are my tags...
oh wait. i'm the last one to do it.
i'll re-tag people?
Heather
Amy
Carly
Kate
Tamsen

and I'll try to blog more. sorry bloggy friends.