A Week of Faith, Fun, and Friendships

Wow, it has been far too long since we have been able to really sit down and try to update these things. But it has been an amazing week!

So following my last post, we had finally arrived, slept in, packed up and left form our campsite. We then spent the majority of the following say driving in and out of the Redwood Forest. The trees were beyond huge and as many pictures as you see or as much as you can hear about them nothing really does them justice until you go stand next to some of them. We were able to see some elk and other fun things along the way before we stopped and drove literally through a redwood. We eventually got to our campsite for the night which was in part of the forest so that was cool aside from the still pouring rain outside.

The next morning we got up and packed up our still soaked and muddy tent and I managed to get bit by what we're assuming was a spider because after the itching calmed down in turned some really fun colors for a few days before going away. We headed out into Napa county to Chateau Montelena for a wine tasting. It was cheaper if we just shared one portion and since Kayla isn't a huge wine fan she took one sip of each and passed them back off to me. Considering this was 9am and we hadn't eaten yet and I barely drink...not the best of combinations, so Kayla drove for a bit to be on the safe side. The wines were ok, but I tend to like to sweeter ones so besides the Riesling, I wasn't a huge fan of any of them. But the experience was fun and exploring the estate was cool too. We then drove to Yosemite National Park. The sun had finally come out by now and the park was absolutely beautiful. We saw so much in a short time and after running out of memory space on cameras and all else it was a wonderfully scenic drive back out of the valley. We then got to our campsite at Half Moon Bay and our site was amazing. We set up our tent about 50 feet from the shore. Our tent finally had the chance to dry out and we fell asleep and woke up to the sound of the waves crashing along the surf.

We got up the following morning and ran around on the beach for a few minutes since we were there. I finally got to change the oil in the truck since it wasn't pouring out and then we packed up and were off again. We drove to San Jose to the Winchester Mystery House. Basically, the wife of the son of the man who invented the Winchester Rifle lived there and was told to build a house and never complete the construction on it because it would displease the spirits of the people who had been killed by Winchester Rifles. So this house has stairwells to the ceiling, doors to nowhere, cabinets that are an inch deep, six kitchens, and so many more things there is no way I could tell them all here. It was really cool and we were able to tour the inside of the house as well as the estate and lots of other areas on the property. After that, we drove to San Francisco and took a ferry to Alcatraz. It was really cool and surreal being in the same place, in the same cells, as some of the notoriously famous people. The audio tour we were given was really informative and showed us all of the awesome things like where the escape attempts and riots happened. After the tour we headed back into the city. We did some souvenir shopping and then hiked up Hyde Street, down Lombard Street, pit-stopped at Aladdin Street, and a few other places before heading back to the car. The city was actually a lot cheaper than we expected which is always a pleasant surprise. We drove over the Golden Gate bridge and then headed out of the area. We got to our next campsite and passed out from sheer exhaustion.

We spent most of the next day driving south and around 4pm we finally made it to Santa Monica and met up with the Clarity folk! Six months ago, a bunch of our friends from church moved out here to plant a church called Clarity, so when we got here we had the ability to crash with the seven people living in their apartment at the moment. Nathan, Jessie, Josh, Allison, Ryan, Katrina, Dan, and baby Novi have all been very generous and we have loved every moment of our time here. We got here on Sunday just in time to help set up and experience a dinner and time of worship. The food was amazing and even though the group was small it was a really awesome time. Nathan and Jessie led worship and then Nathan taught about the ability for one person to make such a big difference. He explained that Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 6/7) was supposed to die as a warning (at least that's what the authorities wanted) but really he became an inspiration and without his death the Christians of that time wouldn't have fled and helped spread their faith all over the world. If Stephen hadn't died, there would be Christians in one small area of the world and no where else. Crazy! So Nathan continued to show us how one person has the potential to truly influence the world. After that we cleaned everything up and headed back to their apartment where everyone hung out and made jokes and did stuff like "shaky face." It was just a really fun time with friends.

We woke up the next morning and Josh and I talked a little about the bible which was enlightening since he grew up in the church and was able to explain a few things to me that I woudn't have ever know unless I had gone to a Christian school. After that we decided to polish off what was left of this amazing chocolate cake for breakfast with Kayla. We just sat around for a few hours talking and hanging out with everyone as they came and went through the place. Then we took off and walked 3rd Street Promenade. We had a good time checking out a few stores and watching a few street performers before finally making our way to the ocean and making the plunge because who knows if we'll get a chance to come back and do it again. The water was not nearly as cold as I expected but for anyone who gets to watch our video, you'll see that it took me forever to actually get out far enough to dunk because the waves are a lot bigger here and they are very intimidating. They kept crashing way before they got to me but seeing them in the distance was enough to send me running to wait for a calmer moment. So like I said, anyone who has to watch me run in and out of the ocean ten times or so on our video, my condolences on it taking forever. After that we slowly made our way back before going to dinner at In N Out with Nathan, Jessie, Josh, Allison, and Novi. Apparently it's a Christian fast food place because they have scriptures printed on the wrappers and things and I thought that was pretty cool. We came back to the apartment for a Mario Kart tournament before we took a girl trip to PinkBerrry. I had never heard of it but it's a really cool frozen yogurt place where you can put a crazy variety of toppings on it; it was fabulous. Then we all hung around in Josh and Allison's room watching funny youtube videos before Nathan and Jess went to bed. Josh, Allison, Dan, Kayla, and I then watched G.I. Jane. I hadn't seen it before and thought it was really good. After saying goodnight to everyone Kayla and I sat down and worked out our schedule for the next few days before finally crashing way too late.

Now the day is only beginning and I've packed and am ready to head out to LA. I"m going to miss it a lot here, the vibe in this place is just so off the charts incredible. But it was an amazing visit and if I have the chance to come back I definitely will. But for now, we're off on the road again! Hopefully we'll be able to post and update everyone a lot sooner than this entry has taken. Talk to you again soon!

Surprisingly Good Advice from 'Glee'

I have to admit, I have sadly become addicted to Glee, a musical show on TV. It's a lot of drama, and is completely ridiculous in so many ways, but I just get sucked in each week because I love the music. This week's episode was about finding your own voice, which naturally in Glee terms means a lot of drama, but there were a few insightful moments. Which is what brings me to the point of this posting. The teacher said to one of the students, "Don't lose track of who you are just because it might be easier to be someone else." I think it is so easy to fall into that trap. I know I do, daily I'm sure. Sure there are plenty of things that are "me" but there are plenty of things that I avoid because I'm afraid of what others will think or whatever. It's just easier to fit in with the crowd instead of standing out and being who you really are.

I'm not sure who all will be partaking in following this blog as Kayla and I make our way across the country. So I don't know if I will upset, offend, or surprise anyone with what follows here, but this is going to be a common theme so if you're not interested after reading this post, you might as well not bother to continue reading further posts. I do know however, that one of the "me" things that I tend not to project in certain circles is my faith. I know that the majority of my friends don't care about church or religion (which is another topic in itself--HUGE difference between 'religion' and 'faith' which I'll address at some point later I'm sure) or anything like that, and that doesn't bother me so much because that has to be a choice you make in your heart; the only thing I can do is share how it has changed my life and let you make your own choices.

Anyway, I digress, the point is, I don't lie about my faith by any means, but I certainly don't wear it on my sleeve all the time. Honestly? Yes, it's easier NOT to be a Christian in today's society. There are plenty of times at school or work or wherever that it's easier to blend in rather than coming right out with it and have people treat you differently. Being a Christian these days is harder than it used to be. There are so many people who claim to be Christians and do not even remotely follow what it means to be one. I mean sure, we're all screw ups, but there's a difference between screwing up from time to time and intentionally living an immoral life. So if you ask me, Christianity is an all or nothing deal, and all of these "luke warm Christians" give us a bad name. Being a Christian is about love. You love everyone, whether you agree with them, disagree with them, whether they've hurt you in some way, whether you've never met them before, and so on. You don't judge because hi, if you haven't noticed, there are millions of things you could/should be judged for too--so what right do you have to judge someone else? So these "Christian" protestors who point fingers and preach condemnation are hypocritical because they aren't loving. There is a way to tell someone you think what they're doing is wrong but still care for them and be there for them. The people who say they're Christians then go out and party and sleep around all the time are only kidding themselves. Basically, all of these people ruin the name of "Christian," so those who truly follow what it means to be a Christian are already so discriminated against based on beliefs that aren't even what we actually believe!

It's really frustrating to me because I feel like sometimes that's why I don't wear my faith on my sleeve. I feel like the second I come out with the title people think of all the negative perceptions they have and will never take what I say seriously. And you can tell me as many times as you want that that's not true, but I'm in a political science program at school. I've seen more slander about conservative views than I knew existed, let alone the crap I hear about church and other religious groups. Yes, it's disheartening, yes, it's frustrating beyond reason, and do I say anything? Do I stand up and say this is who I am and how I feel? No. Sad, annoying, but true. I don't mean to badmouth anyone or judge anyone, I love the people I go to school with, I think they're fun and cool and illuminate me on so many things I never knew about. But it's hard to see what people classify you as when they don't realize you're "one of them." With time it's gotten easier and I have slowly started telling people more about my beliefs, but it takes so much explaining. It's not just a matter of coming out and saying, "I'm a Christian." It's saying "I'm a Christian, but this is what that actually means..." Basically there has to be an entire teaching of what that actually means before people look at you and say, "Exactly! That's what it should be about!"

There is so much slander and discrimination that accompanies being a Christian that it's easier to blend in and lose sight of what/who you really are inside. I know I'm guilty of it, I'm sure every person on the planet is guilty of it in one sense or another. I guess what I'm trying to say after all of my babbling here is that I don't want to let things make me lose sight of who I am. Being someone else is easier, fortunately however, that's another "me" quality--I never turn down a challenge. So this is me, a Christian and proud of it. Say what you want, do what you will, but I'm not going to let myself be swayed off track. I'm not perfect, never will be, so I'm going to screw up, but I'm going to hold my head high the whole way because those moments will only solidify what it is to be me.