My heart beats for California, Vol III

Read Vol I and Vol II if you haven't already.

So this is now the third time I have attempted to write Vol III (oh the irony). I had most of it written when I posted Vol II, actually. I left it sitting in the text editor to finish later, and then there was a power outage. Doh. “Learn from Jesus, gRegor. Jesus saves.” Then yesterday I was at “work” in Glendale mall typing it up for the second time, and there was another power outage. So here goes take three. I'll be saving it every minute. :-]

On Sunday the plan was for me to meet Karla and her roommate Molly at their place and go to church with them. Ryan wrote out directions for me, but neglected to put which way I should turn off the highway. So I guessed. I was wrong. Unfortunately I had not left with much time to spare for such extratripular excursions, so by the time I got turned around and arrived, I was about 25 minutes late. I got there just in time, they were about to leave. Like, getting-in-the-car about to leave. We made it to church on time, though, thanks to Karla's jedi powers. The drive there was beautiful, going up winding roads into the mountains and then coming down out of them to a lovely view of the ocean. It's things like this that make me really love California.

So church was really good. The sermon was on unity and reconcilliation (II Cor 5:16 - 19) and it was cool because it tied in somewhat with some things God had been showing me just that weekend, actually. Perhaps I'll go more into that at a later point. Honestly it was nice to just be hearing something from God, because I've been rather spiritually dry lately. This has been changing, thankfully.

After church we went out to lunch at this Mexican place, which was good. Karla and Molly provided lunchtime entertainment with massive quantities of Napoleon Dynamite quotes and other fun things like Molly's uncanny impression of falling down a hill. Karla actually said at one point that I am Napoleon Dynamite, which is a rather cool compliment, though I doubt I'm half as cool as he is.

The plan for the evening was to meet at gwyn's place and head to Huntington Beach for a bonfire. Brian, Rachel, Karla, Patrick, and Elizabeth came. Elizabeth was one that I only knew through xanga, so it was nice to finally meet her. Karla's parents were nice enough to provide us with firewood, so we stopped by there to pick it up, and got to see the infamous carcass room. Dead lions and tigers and bears (oh my). We had fun making S'mores and telling jokes around the campfire. I think it was the perfect ending for my last night there. Brian brought a digital camera, so there were some pictures taken that night. I think Patrick or Elizabeth also got a group shot, but I haven't received a copy of that one yet.

back (hard to see): patrick, gwyn, karla

front: elizbeth, rachel, yours truly

gwyn and karla; never met before this weekend, but hit it off grandishly

gwyn threw a chocolate bar wrapper in the fire, so she was thrown down and kicked for hurting the ozone

karla, rachel, and yours truly (mid-raspberry at something karla said)

brian, rachel, and yours truly

And the morning and the evening was the Sunday.

Then I flew back home on Monday. Nothing to really tell about Monday, so that wraps up my California adventures. I really love California, and have since my junior year in high school when my family took a week long vacation out there, driving up the Pacific Coast Highway. The landscape is so beautiful and diverse, the weather is awesome, and there's just so many people and different cultures to experience. I've had a desire to someday live out there ever since that trip, and this weekend trip confirmed that desire is still strong. Currently it's somewhere on my “five year plan” after graduating and doing a cross-walk.

Anyway, thanks to my friends out in California for making time in your schedules to hang out, drive long distances, and let me sleep on your couch. You guys are a blessing. Feel free to stop by Indianapolis sometime. :-]

my God has rescued me

   taken my rags and made me clean

 opened my eyes

so I could see

my God has rescued me