We found the place! The Diestelhorst bridge spans the Sacramento river and is lined with amazing lamp posts. We discovered that you can reserve it for only $35. The city is going to start construction on it soon, so we're having the party just in time.

The next challenge will be creating a dance floor that we can transport to the bridge and put together once we're there!

The Party

In an attempt to begin my party planning and decorating business I have taken on my sister's 30th birthday party as my first challenge. If you care to come on the journey with me keep checking back for more updates! Challenge #1 The Venue This is proving to be a bigger challenge than either of us thought, mainly because we are not very aware of the venues offered in Redding, and there is not a simple way to search for them. The main criteria for the party is a dance floor. The theme will be the 1930s and we will have east and west coast swing dancing as well as other dances mixed in. The challenge is to find a place with a great atmosphere, a floor for dancing, and room for the "non-dancers" to hang out. the ultimate dream would be an old barn with packed dirt floors and plenty of places to hang these:

So starts the search!

Fun Fact #1

I found this dress on clearance at Ross the other day. It was not the right length so I cut a couple of inches off the bottom and now I have a dress and a headband!

listening

I sat still long enough today to hear the dragonflies.

To see fish jump in the pond.

To realize that if I could fly, then flying like a Flicker would be fun.

To recognize the sound of a woodpecker drilling holes in the oak trees.

To watch a hawk catch and fly off with said woodpecker. (I know! weird, right?)

It was a good time.

Well, the end was a little disturbing...

A song rings out like a melodic prism

I am transported to another place

I encounter the ocean on the cool breeze

sun warms the grass

cut-off shorts

bare toes

I again feel the weightlessness of childhood

no more worries

no schedule

no tasks

A pure love and unconditional friendship

runs through my veins

unforced smiles

true life

Ankle deep in lukewarm pools catching tadpoles

everything is deeper

all things shine

I live

all this renewed by the song of a red-winged blackbird.

Going to Camp

Tomorrow I head out of town to be a cabin leader at Bethel's Children's Tent Revival Camp. The theme of the camp is Digging The Wells of the Past for the Rain of the Future. I'm so excited to spend an entire week with the incredible children's ministry team here at Bethel, and to experience life changing moments with these kids. i experienced more of God in one moment then I ever had before when I was 13 and my life was never the same. I love that I get to be a part of God changing lives again. Did I mention that we will have incredible worship and great speakers that I get to hear too! Best. Camp. Ever.

reassessing the toybox

Did you ever have those times as a kid that you dumped out you entire toybox to review everything in it? I feel like its that time again for me. I'm feeling the need to dump the contents of my life and sift through them to see what's there.

There are some toys that so precious they need a place on the shelf with my "collections."

Then there are some that I thought would be so important and life changing that I never really use anymore,

and then the ones that I've forgotten about and am excited to rediscover,

and some that I don't even know where they came from and I need to study more closely.

Everything has just been piled in on top of each other for a while and it has gotten pretty messy.

Excuse me as I take time to verbally sort my blocks.