Musings of a Burnt Pagan

Merciful Heavens! Lately, I've been feeling rather heretical! You see, I haven't been to church in quite a long time... Two Wednesdays past, I was unable to attend CSM. Though I did make it to church last Sunday, this past Wednesday I was absent once again. Today, I was out of town. This upcoming Wednesday my sister has a choral performance that my family will be going to see. And lastly, next Sunday my aunt is taking my grandmum, mum, sister, and I out to tea in the morning... But you know what? You don't need to be on the church campus to experience God's Grace and Goodness.

Out here in the desert, sometimes He feels closer than ever. Waterskiing always leaves me awestruck at His Greatness. Flying through the air, clear, blue sky above, and deep, glassy water below, craggy mountains painted the same shades as a sunset, His amazing creation shines forth. Besides the earth itself, aren't we amazing creations? It blows me away how He has created us, human beings, with the intelligence to invent things like boats and skis... with balance and agility to sail above the water with nothing but a plank of fiberglass beneath our feet. And then... I jump, getting that much closer to Heaven.

If it weren't for the sake of "community" and fellowship, I might just begin to think that the Earth itself is all the church we need. Because truly, what is a church besides a place to worship our Lord? Isn't that something we can do anywhere, anytime?

At the moment, I am so sunburnt I can barely move my fingers to type this. I ache all over and my skin feels as dry as the cracked clay that covers the beaches. But God is still good. I forget that sometimes, you know? Getting so wrapped up in the frivolous that we forget the profoud. I wonder how much He misses us, when we his people don't take the time to talk to Him... Do me a favor? Pray.

Fantastic!

We do indeed have both internet and cell connection... in the motorhome. On the lake, just about any device requiring a signal is useless. However, up at the campground it seems to be just fine. If anyone needs to contact me, both my cell phone and e-mail are up and running.

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On Tuesday morning, the "minor cold" I've had for several weeks decided to morph into a full-on sinus attack. Feeling like death itself, I stayed home from school on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday evening, deciding I could probably benefit from reviewing the material for the AP World History test on Thursday morning, I went to Mr. Turner's after-school review. It ended up being a complete waste of time. I happen to be a *terrible* studier. Focusing on a review book is just not my cup of tea. Soo... I ended up playing guitar for a couple hours, just so that when Mandy texted to make sure I was studying, I could honestly say I was... I mean, I didn't have to tell her *what* I was studying!

The AP World History test went surprisingly well. I don't want to get my hopes up too high, but I do think that I passed. Yay!

Right now, it is Friday morning and we are gassing up at the Flying J in Lenwood. These boating trips are incredibly traditional. Every trip, we get up ridiculously early and meet up at our Grandpa and Grandmum J's home. Then, we drive. No one is allowed to put on a movie until we hit the freeway. We stop for breakfast at the McDonald's in Lenwood. We drive. We reach the destination (usually either Mead or Mohave). We check in. We get the hotel room/motor home settled. We launch the boat. We drive around the lake, looking for a beach. We find a beach. We set up the shade tarp. All the adults sit down in their favorite chairs with a beer and no intention of moving the rest of the day. The teenagers bug my dad to take us skiing. He gives in. We ski for a couple hours. We get back to the beach. Everyone closes the tarp and chairs. We head back to the marina. We clean up. We have dinner. We sleep. For the next 3 days, repeat from "all the adults" to "sleep". I love it but it is extremely routine.

I don't know whether or not I'll have cell signal/internet connection once we reach the lake. If I do, I'll post as soon as we get there. Adios for now!

For Mandy and Bobby: Marta (the man), Marsha, and Squeegie

"Nooo! Marta! Escuchas! No tenemos tiempo!"

My fellow Spanish students are so very dense.

Dylan believed Bobby. Who does that? I mean, honestly, he is probably THE WORST liar I know. (Don't worry, Bobby, that's a good thing! It means you don't have much occasion to practice!) Supposedly, my name is actually "Marsha", but since that is such a wretched name, I prefer to go by "Kaitlyn"... Yes, someone actually believed that.

(Marta & Squeegie: there'll be more to come later)