Nanny Diaries

I thought it would be a little fun to record the daily happenings of a day spent with Charlee... she does make life fun and interesting.

7:15 at work – Charlee has been up for a while and is fervently dancing in the living room. When seeing me she decided she needed to show off a few new tricks on her little trampoline…. She’squite the acrobat.

7:20 - Wanting me to feel at home she helps me take off my cowboy boots, quite a feat for a one year old.

7:26 - coffee is old and cold, after a four hour class last night, and not in bed till midnight… need coffee… decide I’m too tired to wrestle with their frustrating coffee machine

7:45 – sat Charlee down with milk and raisins to watch 15 minutes of sesame street

8:00 – tantrum aversion, hide all pacifiers

8:15 – whole grain pancakes with blueberriesand banana

8:35- scrubbed her clean… she got blueberry gunk everywhere includinghair and in the nose.Got dressed, sporting the cute pink fluffy boots, and a fun 20’s inspired hat

8:40 – made a mess in the bathroom while I brushed my teeth, one of the things I forgot to do when I ran out of my house, good thing I carry a toothbrush around

8:50- rounded up diaper bag, water, and snack

8:55 rushed out of the door to head to the Little Gym

9:15 – Gym class!! Charlee, as always was a hit… she showed off her tricks, jumped a plenty, danced like a pro… did all the tricks (teacher’s example), walked the beam, hung on the rings, and even did a flip on the bar, while being spotted, of course. Teacher Dana is amazed that Charlee initiated the flip on her own, can stand on the beam by herself, can do a overhand throw, and of course the jumping… she’s pretty advanced, and potentially a gymnast in the making

10:00 - class is over... commences the small talk and play date arrangements with the moms

10:20 - coffee at Coffee to a Tea, with Sugar… great place to hang with kiddos. Charlee can play and I get to sit down and drink coffee, free refills are just a plus. Comforted a few kids that Charlee hit, but this time was pretty stress-free… no break downs for Charlee

11:15 – home… de-layered the girl, and let her roam and play on her own while I made lunch

11:45 – pita pizzas with spinach puree. This time I added mushrooms to see if she would eat them, and for the most part she did. While she ate lunch I quickly did dishes from breakfast and lunch, and made myself a pita pizza, but without the spinach puree, and added fresh basil, garlic, and parmesan cheese.

12:00 – should have brought coffee home; need more…

12:20 – scrubbed her again…spinach in her hair, and yes again in her nose, although this time I did find it in her eyes. How she manages to do that, I have no idea. Ohhh to be 1 again.

12:25 – rocked in her rocking chair and read a little from “The House At Pooh Corner” a book that is so loved by Charlee that it’s missing more than half of it’s cover

12:40 – laid her down in her crib, with her pacifier… she’s laughing and talking to herself, so we’ll see if nap time happens

12:45 – quickly cleaned up all of Charlee’s toys, straightened, finished the dishes, cleaned off her highchair

1:00 – finally, sat down to eat my pizza, and read a book for my class, but really thinking about how I can swing a nap, and a cup of coffee.

1:30 – asleep… Charlee, that is.

Spent the next hour and a half catching up on communication, reading for school, and taking care of a few odds and ends that I never have time to do… thank God for decent length of naps.

3:00- Charlee wakes up and is instantly smiling and laughing… loves jumping in her crib.

3:15 – a little screaming fit

3:30 – dancing to youtube sesame street videos, me blowing bubbles

3:45 – snack of appleasuace and veggie puffs

4:00- Dancing to Wiggles youtube videos… me dishes

4:15 – Ali, the dog and I chase Charlee around for about 15 minutes straight… the poor little girl gets so excited she doesn’t watch where she runs or walks…. 3 run ins with various objects

4:40 - 10 minutes late… talk to Charlee’s mom for 10 minutes

4:50 – rushing home, to hurry and grab dinner and on to a meeting at 6:15…. Good meeting

Church – a good Tuesday

Total diaper changes – 5, Total toddler tantrums – 7

More kisses and hugs than I can count!

Lent

Lent has never been something I specifically practiced. Not because I don’t believe in the practice of abstaining from something to focus on Christ, but because I honestly haven’t ever felt the need. This year I’ve been learning and trying to live life simply. What that means entirely, I’m still figuring that out. But, I do know that it is important for me, personally, to live intentionally in such a way that is beneficial to me in my growth in Christ, and for others and my community. Sometimes it is just the small steps that matters and the desire to live differently. I’ve been attempting, although not always accomplishing, to limit what I buy. When I do need to buy items such as clothing and shoes, I try to do clothing swaps, sales, or visit consignment stores. Also, I have been constantly going through all my belongings and giving what I don’t need to others. This is a constant growth and battle.

I have always had a heart for those who struggle, especially innocent children. In a class I am currently taking we have been discussing poverty and malnutrition on a consistent basis. Some of the conversations and images I have seen are haunting. I hope someday I will be in a place, whether financially or by location, where I can put my compassion to use. For now, though, there are a few things I can do here, and now that can help. This is where living simply comes. My hope is that I am able to live in such a way where my money, gifts, and actions can benefit others. This is a challenge for me as this unfortunately doesn’t come easily.

As of late I’ve enjoyed getting to know some amazing people from several different communities. Living in Seattle and being in my 20’s the norm is to frequent happy hours… and we’ve been doing this a lot. There is nothing wrong with this at all. It is fun, and I’ve been able to invest in others quite a bit through this avenue. But, when I sit down and see how much, approximately, I spend on alcohol per week, I am astounded. My specific goal for Lent, besides living simply overall, is to give up buying alcohol. I want to set aside that money I have been spending going out and give that to someone who needs it much more than I do. I haven’t quite yet figured out where the money will go. I want it to be personal and not just a website that I donate through. I do hope to specifically send money to hungry children in Southern Sudan, but I’m not quite sure as of yet how to go about it. I guess I am now prayerfully considering where and what this will be.

This is my new adventure, and I invite all of you to join.

Here are a few websites that I have found inspiring and places I feel are trustworthy to donate through.

http://www.water.cc/

http://www.spillinghope.org/

http://thewaterproject.org/

http://www.worldconcern.org/

http://www.worldvision.org

Biking and Friends!

The past few days have been incredibly beautiful. Today a few housemates and I rode our bikes for a bit. It was great. The entire time I was thinking about how blessed I am by my friends. They are encouraging, challenging, amazing listeners, and just beautifully beloved women of God!

This previous weekend a close friend of mind celebrated her 28th birthday. I had so much fun planning her surprise party and just getting a bunch of our friends together to love on her.

I am blessed beyond what I ever thought possible by where I am and who has been placed around me. I can complain and grieve through my constant transitions, but there is a constant hope, and there is light shown to me through those I am blessed to call my friends.

Here are a plethora of pictures of these past few days... just had to share :)

This Winter I have been taking a psychology class on human development. Basically we are just studying early childhood development in a multicultural setting. It's a very interesting class and so fitting for me at the moment. I really enjoy learning something and then putting it to practical use right away. For instance, we are currently focusing on language and positive, secure attachment for infants. I am especially excited about this as it is currently what I am working on with the 5 month old I am taking care of.

One issue that is constantly prevalent within our entire class is poverty. We all know that poverty is a huge issue and to advocate for solving this world-wide is a constant battle. But, it's been through this class where I've really been dumb-founded as to how crucial this issue is to children's development.

In one class a few weeks ago we ended up viewing and discussing a world famous photo. I had never seen or heard this story before this class and it was quite heartbreaking.

Kevin Carter was a famous photographer who started in sports photography and ended focusing on South African political strife. Needing a break from South Africa he went to Southern Sudan to photograph the civil war and famine he thought was overlooked. The photo shown below is of a starving sudanese toddler who was on her way to a feeding centre. The vulture is waiting for her to die.

Carter was known for his strict believf in photography to be an observer and not involved. My first thought when seeing this photo was why in the world didn't that guy pick that baby up and race her to the hospital... at that point who cares what your journalistic beliefs are. Yes, she is one of many, many children that are dying of starvation, but why not help one? Obviously Carter was deeply affected by what he saw in Sudan and South Africa; he quite possibly suffered from severe guilt from not being able to fix what he saw. He committed suicide shortly after taking the photo and receiving a Pulitzer Prize. It was mentioned in an article that the fate of the little girl is unknown, but Kevin Carter did chase the vulture away and the little girl continued her trek. If she did survive her prognosis isn't good. Suffering such extreme starvation at an early age will strongly affect her development.

When seeing this haunting photo I had many thoughts run through my head. Most of it centered around my choice for pursing a degree in education. What purpose will that fulfill in the long fun if so many people in the states and overseas are dying of poverty, or issues caused by poverty/malnutrition? I/we could be doing so much more... right? Why aren't we, and what does that look like? Am I selfish for spending money on getting a degree when I can be using that money to feed a few starving children?

After seeing a picture such as this, how can I not be moved... moved to action.

What are we doing?

To study or not too study!

Hey, hey hey!

Yes, it has been, again, a long time since I've blogged. Oops...

I have been a busy girl as of late. With work, school, church, small group leadership, and friends there hasn't been much time to do much journaling/blogging.

One of my endeavors lately is to find the ultimate "go to" Coffee House to study. One that surpasses the usual Tully's on the Ave, the U-district's Zoka, and Third Place, which is walkable... hard to beat. A place that is comfortable, inexpensive and has actual comfy chairs, lots of plug-ins, isn't overly crowded, and yes a fireplace! So here is a list of my places I haven't visited and hope to do so, maybe once a week. And, hopefully within this list will be my spot. If you know of any other places I should check out, please let me know.

Seattle Coffee Houses:

Mr. Spots Chair House - It's open till 2am Thursday through Sunday!

Chocolati Cafe - this spot could be dangerous

Online coffee Co. - in house computers

Elliot Bay Book Co. - also dangerous

Victrola

Cafe on the Ave

Bauhaus

Mosaic - donations - you pay whatever you want

Cafe Solstice

Next List... the ultimate diner!

I am, I have to admit, a huge fan of the "Gilmore Girls", and have always wanted to have my own "Luke's Diner". So, I am also on the hunt for a sweet, cheap diner, with Wi-fi (preferably, but not a must), and of course I wouldn't object to cute waiters. There are a few places close to my house that I like to walk to such as Pies and Pints, Third Place, and Varsity Inn (great cinnamon rolls). But I would like to find a real "Luke's Diner". Again, I would love suggestions.

Urban Spoon's Best Diner's:

Senor Moose Cafe

Steelhead Diner

Portage Bay cafe

Geraldine's Counter

Other Coast Cafe

Glo's 74th Street Ale House

Beth's Cafe

Hattie's Hat

Le Panier... been here before... but don't quite remember it.

Summer's ending

I feel that this summer ended on a great note; not an easy one, but one filled with accomplishments and healing.

to recap the summer's ending.... I was able to go an another paddling with two fellow guides, Justine, and Stacie... it was incredible. We started out on a night paddle and went to the first campsite on our Jervis route called Two Bear. That night paddle was incredible, so serene and peaceful. The sky was clear and gorgeous and the bio-luminescence was incredible! The trip was two nights and as a whole it was just refreshing. It was nice to adventure with those two amazing girls and to allow ourselves to rest in the simpleness that this kind of camping provides with the amazing view that the Jervis Inlet provides. We read, ate very well, rested, and adventured, one that found us a bunch of animal prints such as a bear, and the jawbone and vertabrae of a bear. It was pretty neat!

When we returned we began to pack everything up to be stored for the summer. I put it off as much as I could. The idea of leaving that community and the opportunities available was something that I didn't want to grasp. We had a great farewell dinner to Egmont and spent some time in communion and in thankfulness for what we had and endured for the past few months. Soon after that we spent the last two weeks at the mountain base camp helping close everything for the duration of the year. We worked pretty hard and consistently, but it was encouraging to be with our fellow mountain guides and to be able to hear their summer stories.

I love mountain base camp. So simple.. and the work projects and routine, were actually something I enjoyed and I think, needed. It was hard for me to leave base camp and as we were on our water taxi headed back to Egmont, and then on the ferry to start the journey home, all I could think of was how excited I was to return.

I really hope I was able to walk away from this experience transformed. The experience wasn't what I expected and that was a huge frustration, but I hope that I was able to serve and love well. I know that God provided quite a bit of healing to me, and maybe some direction.... I'm still processing this. But, I do hope that whatever I encountered and whether it was conquered or laid to rest, is something that does change me and cause me to be that woman of God I strive to be. A lot has happened in my life since returning from Canada and it's only been a few months.... I am so thankful for where God has placed me and I love my friends, and I'm excited about what lies ahead. I do though, need to continue to remind myself and actually do spend time listening, reading, and actively seeking God. I do have to admit it's hard to do that here in the chaos of "normal" life, but it's part of the journey, and I'm thankful for where I am and what I have

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Guiding...

So I feel as if I have a lot to update everyone one so I'll do so within a few new posts... First of all:

I guided a trip! Woohoo!!! My ankle healed enough to allow me to co-guide our last co-ed trip. Such an experience! There were four guides in all which is unusual as guide teams mostly consist of only two people. But, with not as many trips as normal this summer it was important to get as many guides out as possible.

The trip was good, and the participants were great. The age range of the participants was 15-25 such a vast difference especially when incorporating biblical content/studies into a week-long adventure. Oddly, one of the younger participants was an old camper of mine from Warm Beach Camp so that was a surprise.

It was great to finally get out there and attempt to put skills learned to practice. I felt the guiding experience was pretty humbling as I was still learning quite a bit and communication and guiding overall was a little more difficult with three other people involved. But, the trip was amazing, the participants were great, and I really feel that a lot of us came away from the experience having more insights into ourselves and our faith in Christ.

I really enjoyed being able to get to know the particpants while paddling and seeing them ponder and discuss the questions and the content we presented them. And seeing them and myself so in awe of our creator as we experienced an adventure that isn't always an option. I wish I could take you all out there so you can experience the absolute serenity and beauty of the sunshine coast/sechelt inlet. Next summer you all should go on a trip, you won't regret it!

I walked away from that experience wishing I had been able to guide more trips but so thankful I was at least able to be out that week. I know I have quite a bit more to learn and and I'm even more excited about the possibility of guiding the following summer and taking advantage of opportunities to paddle throughout the year.