I could be Kathie Lee.

Thankfully, I have read a million posts about how hard it is to blog in the summer. It is so tough! So thank you for the posts. It re-assures me that I am not a crazy lazy person.

On to today’s post, that happens to be about the Today Show.

I love Kathie Lee and Hoda and I am unashamed. I think they are hilarious! I started watching them in college after my early classes. Because really, what are you going to do at that weird time of the morning? Duh, watch 4th hour of Today and then watch Regis and Kelly. I loved that these shows would throw a teensy bit of real news in with their amazingly hilarious host chat. Otherwise, they would mainly discuss news that I find pertinent, celeb gossip and scandals, before moving on to awesome segments about new shows, movies and books. Or seasonal segments about beauty, fashion or food.

Basically, I feel like I could do this job. And I think I could do it well. I am aware that I would be in the Kathie Lee role, the overly honest, semi-inappropriate for network TV, lots of laughter and crazy facial expressions, host role. Don’t worry guys, I already have a Hoda. Marina is subtly ethnic, has knowledge of the real issues, loves music and secretly loves the nonsense!

I MEAN!! HELLOOOOOOO!!!!

Plus, we both love wine. Ahhh wine.

If you don’t watch them now, as I assume you don’t because of work, you wouldn't know that they are doing a “find our college counterparts” search. I am devastated that this search is happening at a time that I am no longer eligible. RUDE! This contest would be in the bag! I still watch their host chat and selected segments online when I can. Yes, that is how much I love them.

Dear KLG and Hoda,

Let me be part of this contest? Or at least agree to grab a drink with me!? I will fly all the way to NYC for it!
                                                                                                   Love, Laura

This is when they lost it doing a story about gas.

See ya later!! 

What do I do with my life?

4 things I have been doing instead of writing worthwhile blog posts:

1.) Watching Scandal
I am addicted to this show! Entire first season is on Netflix and the entire second season is on Hulu Plus. I really love the show and the suspense, but to be completely honest, I am finding myself a little scared at night. Like move quickly through the apartment scared. It is reminiscent of how I felt after watching Are You Afraid of the Dark on Nickelodeon. Do you guys watch Scandal? Do you love it? Does it scare you as bad as it scares me?

2.) Being a cheer coach
We picked our new team! The girls are great. It isn't cheer season or anything, but during slow times like this I end up checking in with girls a lot more about their actual lives and not so much their cheer lives. During the season I see them every day, but it is 100% cheer 100% of the time. Not right now though! I swear teenager’s lives are far more complicated than ours were at their age. I think it is because they have all this crazy technology to make everything worse.

3.) Going to Starbucks on a regular basis for mediocre espresso drinks
Yell at me for going to Starbucks all the time. Do it! I dare you. I live in the NW and good coffee is a big deal. So is buying local, eating organic, wearing hemp clothes and not using an umbrella. Okay, so I buy organic produce when I can and I don’t own an umbrella even though it rains 9 months out of the year here. You caught me! BUT I do go to Starbucks. Why? Because they are everywhere and they are consistent. Consistently mediocre? Yes. But whatever. I can always count on Starbucks for familiarity and I find it comforting. They are also really fast. And if it takes longer than 5 minutes they will give you a free drink ticket. So quit your judging! I don’t have time to get up early so I can go to the local coffee place and wait ten minutes for pour over coffee or manually pulled espresso. [Zack Morris Timeout: Going to a suburban Starbucks is “late for work torture.” It is crazy slow. Don’t do it!]

4.) Working at my regular person full time job
My busy season is fast approaching. Both yesterday and today my lists have been getting longer and longer. And due to the fact that all I am doing is adding to my lists… there is no time to do any of the tasks that would let me cross something off!

Have a great day! Peace to all.

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We don’t actually know what we look like.

It isn't like we see our faces all day. I know my hands and nails pretty well. I think they are okay. And I like to paint my nails because it makes me feel put together. I have decided that this is because I literally look at my hands on my keyboard ALL DAY. It is other people that have to look at our faces. Your co-workers and friends probably know your face a lot better than you do. I bet you know details about your significant others face that they don't even know.

I have some friends who are absolutely beautiful! And to be honest, they probably don’t realize how babelicious they are. It isn't like they look at themselves all day. They stare at their computers until it feels like their eyeballs are bright red and about to fall out of their heads. When you feel like a zombie, you assume that you look like one as well.

How I (and probably many others) feel after work:
- My skin feels greasy
- My eyes feel dry (I have now rubbed them, therefore mascara flakes now sit on my cheeks)
- My legs feel like they only half work
- I am hungry enough to eat a meal, but know I should only have a snack (it is confusing)
- I know my make-up came off, but I don’t care
- My outfit feels stale
- My hair is now misbehaving (depending on the weather)
- I need to brush my teeth but opt for gum instead

I assume this is how everyone feels after an 8-hour day at their computer. BUT when I meet my friends for Happy Hour they all still look solidly decent after a long day at work. When we feel nasty, we assume that we also look nasty. We do not see ourselves all the time, others do. In conclusion, this is why we do not always feel the confidence that we know is in us.

Have you ever looked at a picture and thought, “wait, is that me?” It is my guess that you have. That is because you don’t spend your entire day looking in a mirror or at pictures of yourself ala Kim Kardashian. Congratulations for not being a narcissist!

We don’t know what we look like because we spend all of our time looking at other stuff. You are probably good looking. Give yourself some credit.

One Direction had it right. You don't know that you're beautiful! It's okay, why would you?

PS. These guys look like little girls. Nice voices though... call me in 10 years.

To Nicaragua and back.

As you know, I recently went on a mission trip to Managua, Nicaragua. Last summer I had an opportunity to go with a team from TX. Click here to read about that experience and get a bit of background info.

Anyway, this trip was super unique because it was not a “typical team.” Not only was it a women’s team, but it was also an individual team. Meaning that our group did not know each other in advance! We all met for the first time at the airport in Managua. Well, some of us met in Houston, but still. You get it.

It was an AMAZING experience. We were thrown into a situation where we needed to completely trust God and trust each other. Talk about bonding and making new friends fast!

The team

In Managua we serve in the city dump. There is an entire community within the city dump, La Chureca. Forward Edge has built a home for girls called Villa Esperanza. This home is a safe haven for girls God has rescued from the Dump through FEI. In La Chureca teenage girls are at risk. They are threatened by the garbage truck drivers, abuse, drug use etc. Many parents sell their daughters as young as 12 and 13 into prostitution either for money or for the first pick of garbage.

This team not only served women and children from La Chureca, but from other communities as well. Time was spent sharing stories, praying and pouring into each other.  We spent time at Villa Esperanza, a “new dump” in an area called Tipitapa, as well as at the children’s hospital.

This truly was a heart changing experience. Whether the team was bonding with those who are living in La Chureca or praying with the parents who have children in the hospital, relationships were built and time was dedicated to laughing, hugging and praying.

So many people think of mission trips and their minds automatically jump to “building something.” Well, we did just that. We built relationships. That was the mission, to share love, joy and Jesus.

This trip was extra special because I was there with my mom! It was beyond amazing to have my mom on this team. She was certainly out of her comfort zone, and it was incredible to watch her completely trust the Lord. She fully broke through any hesitations she may have had and she went for it! Her story isn’t mine to tell, so you should ask her about the experience yourself!

Here are some photos of the trip:

Manis, pedis and bracelet making at The Villa

My mom and Jane. Jane is like a second mother to me! You can imagine how special it was to have her there too. Not to make them sound old… but they have been friends for 40 years!

Playing with kids from La Chureca

Yard work at the Children's Hospital

Praying for the director of the Children's Hospital

My girls Kenia and Luisa. I love them so much! It has been a gift to see them change since they first started living at The Villa. The first time I met Luisa she wouldn't talk to anyone, now she doesn't hesitate to share how God has changed her heart. These girls and I DANCED! We danced and danced. They are my sisters. 

Kenia on the left, Luisa on the right

Perla and my mom dancing

If you read the post from last year, you will read about Perla. The day after we got there I was sitting by her at church and I told her that my mom was on this team. During the week, It became clear to me that she wanted to seek out my mom to show her love!  

If you have any questions about FEI, Managua or how to look so sweaty and haggard do not hesitate to ask! 

To Montana and Back.

Howdy Folks! Okay, Montana might not be THAT country.

I just got back from spending time at the Crow Agency of Montana. I was on a scouting trip with Fab Nicole (you have heard me talk about her before). Heard? Read? You know what I mean. She is the co-worker who makes appearances on my blog due to how awesome and fabulous she is.

We spent time meeting with out location partners, getting lost, encountering cattle etc. I won’t bore you with the work stuff, but I thought I would post some pretty pictures of Montana!

Below you will see a Native American “Sweat”… It is more or less a sauna. What we didn’t know was that it is commonly occupied by groups as large as 8 people. And that they are naked!!! We were desperate to wash our hands after that. As one friend so eloquently put it, “You basically just had your hand on some random sweaty butt.”

Inside the 'sweat.' 

This is the Little Bighorn Battlefield. It is the location of Custer’s Last Stand. They had a super cool museum of artifacts from the battle. Nicole and I quickly became obsessed with learning about the expansion west, how it all happened, why etc. It was the topic of many of our drive-time discussions. Note: It wasn’t very long ago! (1876) Think about it. There were probably still native warriors alive in 1950.

After the battle the US government came in and did a burial of the soldiers from the armed forces who died in the battle. We lost that one… just incase you didn’t know. Like majorly lost. But really, no one was a winner after those battles. Even when we won, we had to be the jerks who took the land via force.

Later we went out to the Ok-A-Beh Marina. It was beautiful. These pictures do not do it justice.

You may be wondering: “Didn’t your friend Marina just move to Montana?” If you thought that, then you are a true reader/ friend. And yes, she did. But I was WAY far all the way east from Billings so I didn’t get to see her. I am now wondering if she is secretly a Sioux and if she was named after Ok-A-Beh.

Nicole and I on the other hand gave ourselves Native American names:
Nicole: Snots on Hand.
Me: Running Cow.

Ponder this: Do you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Perla, mi amiga y mi hermana.

Another life changing experience for the books.

I love the company I work for. I was blessed with an amazing job. I do admin and it obviously gets tedious but recently I had the opportunity to go to Nicaragua with one of the mission teams. This trip was extra special because not only did I need it in my personal life, but I also needed it in my job. I am now better at my job because I went. I know about being on location and I was refreshed in knowing that the tedious tasks I do in the office actually have a purpose.

The organization I work for sends short-term mission teams to developing countries and have local partnerships all over the world.  I work in the teams department and specifically work with group leaders, team facilitators and our field staff. I assist all of our Team coordinators and help get teams out the door and to location.

I had the opportunity to go to Managua and Leon Nicaragua. I went with one of our repeat teams that annually go on a specialty trip. They go north to an area called Leon, a poor more rural area where they serve at a local church and in the community. We camped for 5 days in the hottest region of Nicaragua during rainy season. It was um… challenging, but also an amazing experience that definitely took me out of my comfort zone. 

That is the thing about comfort zones though. Doesn't God want us outside our comfort zones all the time? If we are truly serving the Lord shouldn't we always be required to be a little uncomfortable? If there is no feeling of uncertainty how are we really trusting God with our lives?

Anyway, back to Leon.

Note: Rain in Nicaragua is not as friendly as it is here in Oregon.  Yes, it is hot as it rains in Nicaragua, but the rain also comes down in sheets.  These aren't just big drops. If it started raining while we were trying to have a discussion we would have to give up. Seriously buckets of rain ricocheting off of the tin roofs.

Some awesome camping stories came out of this trip.  I am not the strongest of campers… to say the least.  I am used to fluffy camping in the NW where there are bathrooms and showers, and if not showers at least a lake or river to feel clean (and NW camping is sometimes a struggle for me).  I was pushed and God used it to help me bond with other team members who were in the same boat.  I don’t like being smelly… but at least we all smelled. I was forced to become familiar with, what we like to call, “baby-wipe bathing.” Basically we all smelled like B.O., baby butts, sunscreen and bug spray.

Our camp

One of our work sites

The kitchen where our AMAZING food was cooked. How they made those delicious meals over a fire is beyond me.

The team was fantastic! They have been coming to this community for a number of years and members of the community couldn’t wait to greet their old friends. We did a medical clinic, VBS, and one of our team members, Patricia, taught a quilting class to the women of the church. The women were captivated by Patricia. I will just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Cuddles with the kiddos.

FEI Staff hanging out in the medical clinic.

The kids just wanted to hang out. No effort needed. But a game or two always helps.

Patricia with her dear friend in Leon.

Patricia and her quilting class.

This woman and her husband have been married for over 60 years.

Leaving Leon with tearful goodbyes.

As amazing as my time in Leon was, my time in Managua was even more impactful.

In Managua we serve in the city dump. There is an entire community within the city dump, La Chureca. We have a home for girls in Managua called Villa Esperanza. This home is a safe haven for girls that God has rescued from the Dump through FEI. In La Chureca teenage girls are at risk. They are threatened by the garbage truck drivers, abuse, drug use etc. Many parents encourage their daughters as young as 12 and 13 to sell their bodies to the drivers for money or for the first pick of garbage.

Recently we had a photographer (Marianne Bach) take photos of La Chureca. Here are a few.

A home in the dump.

Heading to work to collect trash.

The girls that we house in the Villa Esperanza (village of hope) are the most amazing girls I have ever met. They have so much spirit and joy, yet they come from dyer circumstances. (Shameless plug: Click to sponsor a child!)

Lindsay, our child sponsorship director, with all of the girls living at the Villa.

The most meaningful relationship I built was with Perla. Perla is the oldest girl living at the Villa. Knowing her story, spending time with her, and developing a true friendship with her changed me. I have gone on mission trips before. Never on those trips did I connect with another individual near my age as an equal and sister. We talked (with difficulty due to the language barrier) like I would talk with any of my friends, or how I talk to my cheerleaders. It wasn’t a kid at VBS or a woman my senior. It was a teenager who could be my younger sister.

A portrait of Perla. (Taken by Marianne)

On the last night in Managua we had dinner with the girls. At the end of dinner Gloria, the Villa director, welcomed us to go pray for the girls and shared that the girls may pray for us as well. Immediately, Perla stood up and walked over to me. She came over and began praying for me in Spanish. I immediately burst into tears. It was so incredibly powerful. I then tearfully prayed for her. (I mean ugly cry) We sat there crying, hugging and holding hands until the girls were excused to go back to their houses.

Right after all of the praying and crying. I love her!

My trip to Nicaragua was wonderful and there are a lot of things I am leaving out. Actually, I pretty much left out all of the funny things because the serious ones just seemed more important. I have no idea what my future holds. It is easy for me to want to be in control and need to know what is next. But that’s not my job it’s His.

Does the clay say to a potter, "What are you making?" Isaiah 45:9