Spring Training

Somehow, I am already missing the 90 degree heat of Arizona. However, maybe it pertains more to the reason why I was in AZ, than the weather itself. Yes, my dad and I got to enjoy our first bout of Spring Training. Initial reaction: glorious.Day one, we arrived in Phoenix, and caught a Cubs v. Mariners game in Peoria. Parking was convenient, and ticket prices were reasonable. We got to sit first base side, in foul ball territory, as well as close to the area where the players entered the field. It was weird to be less than a couple of feet away from them.

And sure, not all of them were starters (it was a split line-up for all the games we went to), but they still have made it this far. So good for them, as Tammy would say. I liked seeing all the little kids stocking up on autographs and using their cute-ness to assuage the players to the fence for signing. I may have done that before (i.e. Rick Helling...). Any way..

Cubs win! All I can really remember was number 24 for the Mariners was a stud. And I'm sure it wasn't Griffey because he didn't play until the next day.
Then, after a more-than-necessary stop at In-n-Out, we searched for a hotel. Thankfully a couple vacancies were left in the Country Inn and Suites, where the San Diego Padres were staying. Basically I would just roam the hallways and find monsters for players, and many of them with rich, Dominican Republic accents. It was most intimidating to go for a run in the small work out room, and then have them come in to do some weight training. I may have sped up my running pace when they came in. haha.

Day 2, we drove to Tuscon for a Rangers v. Rockies game. This time super good seats, and 1 dollar hotdogs!! Rangers won, and while I only got to see Michael Young for half an inning, at least he hit a double during that time. Oh, and this had happened to a poor gal parked in foul ball territory. Oops! That evening, we hung out with dad's sister Alicia (who is awesome, and hand-makes tortillas!), and we enjoyed super delicious Mexican food. Carne asada, to be exact, as well as fresh fruit for dessert. I believe I may have eaten too much coconut; the proof is in the knowledge that coconut is a natural laxative. Yeah, probably too much information there, huh?The final day, we drove back to Tempe for a Angels v. Brewers game, where we sat on the lawn--very comfortable. This was probably the best baseball we had seen of the three days. Sad that it wasn't for a team we actually cared about, but perhaps we are destined to be the eternal optimists for the underdogs. Let's see, the highlight of this game for me was probably when this guy in the lawn with us was carrying a huge cup of beer, the ball is hit toward right field, where we are, and he tries so hard to get it. The catch was that he was actually no where near where the ball landed, and that he slipped and fell, spilling almost all of his drink on him. He probably lost 8 dollars with that one.

All in all, I love baseball. And dry heat. And getting to talk about baseball the following Sunday for High Impact (I also summarized the history of the Old Testament in about four minutes. LOL.). Good times.

Estes Park

My parents visited me this past week!! This is them at the lake in Estes Park. The goofy helmets are there not because the lake is dangerous, but because we decided to bike ride for a bit and they were mandatory. Which is cool. I liked how neither my mom or myself could make it up the hill near the end of the trail. And then there would come my dad, slow and steady, making it to the top. Jealous.

The elk were taking over the town on that day. There was even a moment where they started walking toward me while I was taking their picture (they were maybe 5-7ft away). My dad laughed at my face because, well, I know, that I was probably showing utter terror. Hey, those things are big. They could eat me! Or at least small children..

We also got to watch a guy make a vase, and then decided to grab dinner. Didn't know that elk could be that tasty. We eventually headed back to Arvada, though we took the long way, down 34. Let me just say it took my breath away, and is definitely worth a drive during the late afternoon.

The joy of the Bible

Yesterday, I met with Rachel. We meet every Friday to read the Bible together. It stemmed from a challenge at the beginning of the school year to get closer to God, and so we decided to make a habit out of meeting together and reading. So far, we've read Ruth, most of John, Daniel, Romans, Galatians, and currently we are reading through Isaiah. In addition, we have looked at other pieces of Scripture that are concurrent in history/ideas of the other passages we read.

And yesterday, was glorious. You see, the goal was to realize how flat out irresistible the Bible is because it is God's word. This reading time, that is also encouraged daily, is not something that is rule-driven. It is not a matter of being condemned if you forget to read, or if you choose not to. And it's so hard to explain because reading the Bible consistently (which I'm still working on, to be honest), is not something you HAVE to do, but it's something you have to do. To analogize, a husband doesn't kiss his wife because that is what a husband HAS to do. There are no ten commandments of how a husband must love his wife, and thus show his affection in order to not break the rules. Instead, he is so overwhelmed by his love for her that he has to kiss her.

We get such a wonderful look into how much God is in love with us when we read, when we study, the Bible. This is my hope for students to understand. I have been so encouraged by Rachel in this way, because just the other week I had asked her if she got to read some more of Isaiah. She said that she didn't, because she didn't understand it, so she read Philippians, Ephesians and 1 & 2 Peter instead!!!! How awesome is that?

And it's been cool studying Isaiah together; looking at the prophesies about Jesus, or even understanding the history of the Israelites at the time of Isaiah's life. We've gone all over the Bible (1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, etc.) in order to better see how God continues to care for his people, even though they must go into exile under Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus the Great.

"I love reading the Bible!! It's so interesting!" Rachel had exclaimed near the end of yesterday's meeting.

I was overjoyed!! And I continue to pray that this remains true for her as well as other students in years to come!!

In case you're wondering...

I'm still here, I promise.

March has been crazy, madness, if you will (yes, I will), because of intense events for every week at High Point. Last week, was the first time most of the students have ever experienced a potluck. It went really well, as we even had more than enough food. Granted, most of that was some form of macaroni and cheese, but there was also a lot of chocolate cake, to which I have no problem with.

This week is VMA night, inspired by well, MTV's video music awards, but also due to how well scary movie night went in the fall. I'm excited, because we have five videos this time, and they are all really great. I also just love the fact that students get to show off what they're doing. I feel like they prefer those nights/Sunday mornings more any way.

The next two weeks will be a rollercoaster as well. And just so it's clear, I love rollercoasters. As for the events, they include: a lasertag night, my mom's birthday, dad and I going to spring training in Arizona, incognito night, and john coming over for five days!!! Craziness!!!

Add to that trying to figure out what I'm doing next fall, as well as continuing to raise funds for Russia (which is only a month and a week away!), and you've got yourself a busy gal.